Wheatland Computer Services opens a storefront in Ritzville

Another business has opened its doors in downtown Ritzville.

Jason Kiel has operated Wheatland Computer Services from his home since 2009 but it has grown to the point that he needed to move into an office.

“It finally got to a point that I really grew out of the office out of my house and I needed to get some office space as I’ve continued to grow,” Kiel said.

He has moved into a building on the corner of Division Street and Main Avenue.

“If I was ever going to open an office it would be right here,” he explained.

Even with all the additional space having an office provides, he has still managed to fill up his workroom.

“I don’t know how I fit into an office in my house, I have no idea,” Kiel said.

Currently he works for the Kennewick Police Department, working in his Ritzville office on Mondays, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Kiel provides software and hardware solutions. He also installs small business and personal networks and does some website design.Additionally Kiel provides consulting for computer set-up, building and purchase.

“Essentially if there’s anything wrong with a computer, I do it,” Kiel said

He even can work on some gaming consoles, as he had a customer recently ask him if he could fix the hard drive on one.

“I’d never worked on a (gaming console),” Kiel explained. “But it’s a hard drive, it’s a computer, it wouldn’t be that difficult to do.”

The decision to open his office downtown was influenced by the closing of Ritzville Computer and Internet last year.

“I think there’s a need here, and I’m trying to provide those services to the community,” Kiel explained.

Kiel also carries some commonly needed computer supplies and can order in anything a customer needs in two days.

“I do order stuff, I do that a lot actually, a lot more than I thought I was going to,” he explained.

The one thing that he does not provide is Internet service.

“I think after I retired maybe,” he said. “But not as a full time job, it’s just so cutthroat and competitive.”

He also does not replace screens in tablets or cell-phones because sometimes the replacement screens do not fit into the body as well as the original.

Kiel started working on computers when he was 10 years old and has been interested in them ever since.

He still has the first computer he ever owned, a Commodore Vic-20.

“I’ve always been involved with it, as I grew up and technology changed,” Kiel explained.

He attended school for a brief period and worked as an intern at a software company before joining the Washington State Patrol.

Even while he is away from his office Kiel tries to be easy to contact. His wife, Melinda, keeps the office open each day to schedule appointments. His website also displays the days he will be in the office.

“I’m always available by my phone, I get calls sometimes at 7:30-8 o’clock at night,” Kiel explained. “I never really leave it, it always kind of follows me.”

While Kiel also maintains a job in Kennewick, he prefers to live in Ritzville for the community unity and because of the positive environment to raise his children.

“We enjoy raising our kids in this community, we’ve been extraordinarily blessed with raising our kids in this community,” he said.

Kiel said Ritzville is the only place where he would open a business because of the small town atmosphere.

“There’s trust, I trust people, they trust me and I enjoy that,” he explained.

He also enjoys interacting with his customers and helping them bring order to chaos.

Kiel plans to keep his business open in Ritzville well into the future, especially after five successful years of operation.

“I’d love to grow to a point someday that I could hire somebody,” he said.

Wheatland Computer Services is located at 101 West Main Avenue.