Post-Standard Features Article on David Milman and RESCUECOM

DAVID MILMAN, CEO and founder of Rescuecom, stands inside the companys central data center on Burnet Avenue, in Syracuse. The company has nearly 500 independent-contractor technicians in 66 markets nationwide.

In a computer repair industry long dominated by mom-and-pop enterprises, David Milman is building a national brand.

Rescuecom, a company Milman founded in 1997 in Syracuse, has mushroomed into a nationwide franchise business that promises to get a computer technician to the customer's doorstep within one hour - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

From the company's headquarters on Burnet Avenue, customer service representatives take calls from customers and route them to nearly 500 independent-contractor technicians in 66 markets, from Boston to San Francisco.

The technicians communicate with the central office over wireless handheld computers, using a special software developed by Milman and his staff.

The company guarantees not only to respond promptly, but to correct the problem to the customer's satisfaction, Milman said. Building a reputation for speed and reliability is the key to the company's growth, he said, because "there's a hunger" for it among consumers.

A computer science graduate of Syracuse University, Milman, 40, started an independent computer repair and technology services business in 1985.

"I was one of those mom-and-pops," he said.

In 1997, Milman renamed his business Rescuecom and, in 1999, he began selling franchises in the business to expand it to other cities. He has sold 96 franchises, charging fees that range from $3,800 to $30,000, depending on how much of the franchise's profits his company shares.

Franchise owners, who are trained at Rescuecom headquarters, educate and manage the technicians in their market and sell the company's services to local clients. The technicians, who are independent contractors, are shared among franchises in a given market, giving the company greater flexibility to respond to calls quickly. Milman's goal is to have 286 franchises by the end of 2006.

Rescuecom corporate revenues were $1.6 million for the year that ended in September 2005, up 60 percent from a year earlier.

About two-thirds of Rescuecom's customers are residential computer users, the rest businesses. The company's rates vary from market to market, but are usually about $100 an hour for a scheduled service call and $200 an hour for emergency service. The company will schedule calls any time the customer wants, at no extra charge.

"We've had service calls scheduled at 2 o'clock in the morning," Milman said.

You can contact Staff Writer Tim Knauss at tknauss@syracuse.com or 470-3023.

Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, RESCUECOM is the premiere franchisor in the computer services industry that delivers business and sales resources from the industry's "best of the best" computer technicians and consultants. RESCUECOM's main product, One-Hour On-site Response, delivers a certified technician to the customer within one hour of request and is available nationwide. As an Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500 company, RESCUECOM has been one of the fastest growing franchises in the past three years. For more information on either the business or franchising, please visit RESCUECOM's website at www.rescuecom.com.