Maverick Computers

McNicholas is looking for more deals like the one with IK Multimedia to promote Maverick’s brand and expand its channels as he continues to recreate the business.

There may be no better testimony to the resiliency of the fleet-footed Maverick Computers, an upstart system builder on a heady growth track, than its ability to weather the hurricanes in south Florida last August.

The storms damaged the roof of the family ranch house where Patrick McNicholas, company president and CEO, first began designing Web sites and building systems in 1999. The hurricanes also totaled the company’s main office, disrupting business for weeks and prompting him to move his 22 employees and offices to West Palm Beach.

Fortunately, the 33-year-old entrepreneur had begun outsourcing his assembly operations to partners in Palm Beach, Tennessee and California in 2003. “We have a diverse network that was able to carry on without us locally,” McNicholas said. “Once we were able to recover from that, business started working up again.”

McNicholas also relied on that diverse network, which includes outsourced technical support and contract engineering services, to turbocharge his well-capitalized business, which he said grew more than 1,900 percent to $20 million over the 12 months ended June 30, 2004. Another key to McNicholas’ success is having motherboards built to specification in Taiwan. He said by using only quality components he can offer a lifetime warranty on the boards.

That focus on quality recently helped Maverick land a big co-branding deal with IK Multimedia Productions. This month, the Italian developer of professional music software rolled out an “IK Workstation by Maverick” bundled with its software to many of its 350 music store outlets internationally. The quiet-running system features a slick, custom-built aluminum case that can be rack-mounted with other studio gear.

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Gary Kerzner, general manager of IK Multimedia’s U.S. division, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was referred to McNicholas through a local contact and found Maverick easy to work with. “One of the nice things about Maverick is the ability to go back to the table and constantly recreate,” Kerzner said.