Coast Computers keeps rolling after 30 years of business

The computers of 1986 are archaic. Only in the world of technology is something that's only 30 years old considered ancient. Coast Computers owner Harold Neiper has been in the computer biz for the whole ride.

When the Biloxi business began, he was an authorized Atari dealer, he then moved on to become an authorized Commodore Amiga dealer years later and has been changing with the industry ever since.

"We basically started as a repair center. We were the only authorized Atari service center on the Coast at the time, and we transitioned into PCs when the government decided that you didn't have to send (the computer) to them first before you could sell it," the 73-year-old Neiper said.

"Since then, the products became cheaper, the technology became greater, the video and the stuff on the gaming side became more real," he said, "so what you would have paid five or six thousand dollars for 20 years ago you now pay $1,500 or $3,000 for."

The changes have been dramatic and far-reaching.

"The knowledge that the young kids have is amazing," he said. "Thirty years ago, kids were playing Dig Dug on the Atari. Today they're sitting down and actually writing programs. It's been a major change. I can see that in my own kids -- my oldest son is a senior software engineer at JP Morgan, all because he grew up with computers."

Over the years, a majority of Neiper's business has come from repairing PCs and often from building PCs for local businesses. His prices are straightforward: You ask for the parts you want, or the PC you need built, and that's what you get.

Neiper prides himself on his no-nonsense attitude.

"You may have picked up on it already but I tell it like it is," he said. "People know that and 90 percent of the time people respect that. They come in and ask me a question and they know they're going to get an answer . I'm not a salesman, I'm a technician. I think of this business as a garage and because I'm not a salesperson I approach things differently when people ask me questions. I try to put things in perspective for the customer and that makes a big difference."

Regardless of knowledge or appearance, Neiper treats all customers with respect.

"I don't care who you are, you can walk through the door with shoes, no shoes, look good, look bad, it doesn't make a difference ... a customer is a customer and they all get treated the same."

As a result, he has had some of the same customers for 30 years. One of the keys to his success over the years is his mom-and-pop-store attitude.

On average, Neiper builds five or six PCs a month, and does 20 to 30 repairs. It may be for tax firms needing an upgrade before tax season, or small businesses just needing routine upgrades.

"I had a guy call and order two custom builds, he's a small business and he needed two machines and he needed something that would be supported locally," Neiper said, "which is one of the advantages that we have."

The biggest end-user problem he's run into is simple -- people forget to make a recovery disc for their PCs, so when something goes wrong they need help recovering important information. Virus avoidance is important, too.

"People don't pay attention to their anti-virus software," he said, "and I would say 70 percent of customers don't know enough about it to also have malware software, and you have to have both -- neither one does everything."

Neiper also repairs laptops, so long as they are PC, but building personal laptops is often still too cost restrictive.

"Years ago, they standardized the laptop machines and it really never flew, it got to the point where it was ludicrous to try to make them," he said. "There are just too many big players out there, and they didn't want to lose money on their laptops like they had been on their desktops."

Neiper adheres to the idea that if you like what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.

"I keep saying I'm pushing my retirement," he said.

He did retire once, after more than 24 years in military service, then moved into the computer biz.

"I'm still here," he said. "If someone wandered in to buy this business, then I'd work for them. It's been fun."

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Coast Computers keeps rolling after 30 years of business ."