Putting 'Personal' in Personal Computers

When John Drisdelle took his first electronic engineering course, the computers he worked with were big enough to fill a room. Since then, the machines have gotten a lot smaller and what was once considered to be a luxury item is now more of a necessity.

Since 1990, his company Century Computer has offered sales, service and rentals to the Halifax Regional Municipality and broader Nova Scotia community, serving both commercial and personal consumers.

“It’s been an interesting ride after all this time,” John says. “Back in the early ‘80s, I saw that there was an opportunity coming up. I thought it was a very interesting field to get into.”

“I’m originally trained as a technician, so I know the ins and outs of how computers work,” Drisdelle explains. “When we got into the sales side of things, and how computers have to be presented to people, that was right up my alley.”

Having had several locations over the years, John says that the current Spring Garden Road location is his favourite. “We want to be close to our clients,” he explains. “It’s the heart of the city.”

Century Computer has three staff members, including John. With qualified technicians on staff, he explains that they are able to service their client base very well, and that his team tries to give customers the best value with the quickest turnaround.

For their personal customers, Century Computer offers rentals, sales of new and refurbished computers and servicing for computers of all kinds. They often provide their commercial customers with hardware and on-site service as well. Century Computer offers Microsoft Office licensing, and is a dealer for Toshiba photocopiers, which John says has been a wonderful addition to their product line, allowing for businesses to save a lot of money with one centralized printing station in their offices. He says that his company offers a ‘ton of support’ for local businesses.

In turn, working with other small businesses has become a mutually beneficial relationship.

“The fun part of working with small businesses is that we get to watch them grow. We’ve had clients who start a business, buy some equipment from us to get up and running, and then we watch them grow, expand into multiple branches and hire more people. As they hire more people, they need more equipment.”

John’s philosophy on business is simple; “People like to buy from people. People like to work with people. Business is best done face to face.” His team wants to provide a level of service to their clients that they can feel proud of.

This personal approach is also what John appreciates about banking with CUA. He notices that whenever he walks into his branch, the people there recognize him right away.

“People will say ‘Hi, John!’ immediately. It’s a really great experience. It gives you that Maritime feel that we all love.”

Century Computer has been banking with CUA for over 25 years, a switch John says was the result of high fees at other banks.

“Like every small business, we always check our costs,” he explains. “We’ve saved a lot of money by dealing with CUA.”

John also enjoys the personable nature of CUA. “We get answers quickly,” he says. “CUA has been very good at helping us get more business.”

There have been times when an opportunity has landed on Century Computer’s doorstep where John knew financing would be required.

“We would present our case to CUA and in each instance, it was approved. That allowed us to get that business to help us grow,” John says. “CUA could see we had done our homework, and as a result we were able to get the financing that we needed to take these big steps.”

For John, the service isn’t the only great thing about banking with CUA.

“I have the best walk to my bank of probably anybody in Atlantic Canada, because I walk through Public Gardens to get there.” Seeing all the flowers on the walk, he says, ensures he feels good walking into the branch, and coming back to his business.

With May flowers soon to be in full bloom, we’re sure that John’s walk, much like his CUA experience, will continue to remind him of why he chose the better way to bank.

We’re proud of the work we do to support businesses starting, growing, or adapting in any environment. Learn more about our flexible commercial banking services, including account and financing options. Are you a CUA small business with a story to share? Email mystory@cua.com to connect with a member of our team.