About Us

V.A.M. bits and bytes – Our history

VAM Computers was started February 2nd of 1996 by three people. It could easily stand for ‘Very Advanced Machines’. Actually, it comes from Kyle “Viper” Fegan, Alexander “Axel” Giger and Dave “Marauder” Kratky. The name “VAM” is a combination of the first letter of our internet/BBS aliases. It may not be the coolest name  but it’s a name that has become synonymous with service and knowledge.

Our reason for starting the company was simple. There was only one computer store in Dufferin County at the time. We figured it was time for some variety and being computer hobbyists with $200.00 in cash, we started our new business. We ran the business out of Alex’s basement for the first year or so. An opportunity came up to move to a store front in Shelburne in 1997. We moved there without Kyle who left the company to pursue college and other commitments. The store was a perfect venue for us to pursue our passion for computers and we remained in Shelburne for a year and a half. Bryan Momm and Kevin Tate were a great help to us in keeping things running. After re-evaluating our goals, we decided it was time for another move to a larger population center with better demographics. On May 1, 1998 we opened our current location in Orangeville at 75 First St.

We shared our opening day with Steve Henry and the folks over at the Hurontario.net internet provider. We resold internet service for Steve from the time he was with Headwaters and after he moved to his new company.

In July 2000 we hosted a large LAN Party (Local Area Network) computer gaming event at the Orangeville Curling Club that was attended by 70 people from all over the GTA.

In 2001, we started selling used computer systems along with our new products. We also began providing more web  design and web hosting. More product lines became available, too. After Hurontario.net was bought by a larger provider, we switched to Execulink for dialup and high speed internet services. We also held the second larger  LAN party event at the curling club in July. Gamers from as far away as California attended.

In 2002 we expanded our used line to include more monitors and complete systems as well as parts and software.  Al “Skeezix” Herman joined the team in the tech and sales department.

2003 was a big year for us. We ceased to sell most software as it was not the area we wanted to specialize in.  Instead we further expanded our product line to include Thermal Take performance cases and cooling solutions, Sunbeam lighting kits and acrylic cases. We completely renovated the store with new paint, cabinets, shelving, carpeting, lighting and ceilings. Later this year, Dave bought Alexander’s part of the business to become the sole owner. This move allowed Alex to focus on family and other commitments.

2004 was our best year since we started thanks to our returning customers! We really appreciate your business.  Al moved away from the area in September (we miss you, man!) and Matt “Protocal” Soligo started with VAM. We enlarged our tech room to better serve our growing clientele. With increasing demand for on-site technical services, our on-site guy, Darren Maunu, joined the VAM team full-time.

In 2005 we added Arctic Cooling to our product line. We also started reselling for Linkdata, a wireless internet company. Tim Coburn joined the staff and brought his expert knowledge of PCs, all versions of Windows and Linux systems. Tim handles the technical side of our web business. Most of our on-site technical support is handled by Darren Maunu. In late 2005, we discontinued internet services by Linkdata as they failed to meet the high quality service we expect for our clients.

By the time we celebrated our 10th anniversary on Feb 2, 2006, VAM was well known in Dufferin County for computer repairs/sales, new computer systems, technical service and reliable, efficient services to create an online presence. We also started carrying the MSI line of quality notebook computers. Thanks to everyone who supported and trusted VAM to keep them up and running over the years!

In 2007, with more and more people dropping their old PCs and monitors off with us for disposal, we hooked up with the folks at Electo-Shred to properly dispose of our customer’s old unwanted gear. Tim got a job with another firm in town that allows him to use more of his high end technical skills but will continue to run the web servers for us.

Feb 2nd, 2008. it’s hard to believe we’ve been in business for 12 years. Thanks to everyone who’s supported us all this time. We appreciate your business.

2008 – After four years with VAM, Matt Soligo left in August and is on his way to the University of Toronto to study law. Thanks for everything Matt, its been great to work with you. Due to the increasing demand for our various services Brett Hill came onboard to help with onsite services and Ian Coburn is our new web designer. This year we also achieved gold reseller status with Startech (one of our major suppliers) and we received the Banner Reader’s Choice Award for best computer repair store in Dufferin County. Thanks for voting for us.

2009 – Justin Somerville joined our team in spring on a part time basis and we received The Banner Reader’s Choice Award for best computer repair store in Dufferin for the second year. Thanks to everyone who voted for us. We also picked up the Renew line of remanufactured inkjet cartridges. Quite a bit cheaper than new cartridges with comparable print quality and they’re also good for the environment. A win win all around.

2010 – As our web hosting, registration and design business has continued to expand we’ve moved our hosting servers to a larger provider to allow for many more hosting features for our customers. We’re also dealing with Greengo Solutions  from Barrie to have 100% of our Ewaste disposed of properly.

About Our Logo

The original VAM Logo was a red checkmark V with A & M underneath it and was quite similar to our currently logo. It was designed in 1996 by Kyle Fegan. In 1997 John “Joshua” Lawson told Dave that he had an idea for a better logo and a few days later dropped off a floppy with his new artwork on it.

The current logo has the same red checkmark but with some rounded rather than all sharp edges. The A is the outline of a 5.25″ floppy disk and the M is the outline of a 3.5″ floppy disk.