Sparco.com Press Release 2003

Press Releases

September 24, 2003

makes Millington its new home

"We think this move is a big plus for our company and our new community, and we are grateful to be in a city as nice as Millington." --Soo-Tsong Lim

Sparco.com, a pioneer in e-commerce that set up shop in Millington this summer, is a dream come true for Soo-Tsong Lim and Mubashir Cheema. The two men started the business in 1991 while attending Mississippi State University in Starkville, selling computer products and services over the Internet. Today, they are president and vice president of a company with more than a dozen employees and $9 million in annual sales.

Lim said, "Our first big break come in 1993, when we signed with Ingram Micro, the world's largest computer distributor."

Soon, Sparco's first on-line catalog was launched, offering products and service to customers worldwide. At that time, the concept was so innovative that the catalog was featured in several textbooks, and Sparco.com won praise as an example of successful web site creation and design.

With its on-line presence firmly established, Sparco merged with a local retailer, Unistar Computers of mississippi, in 1997. The parent company, Unistar-Sparco Computers Inc., expanded its office space four-fold over the next three years, a success it attributes to competitive pricing and top-notch customer service.

Meanwhile, years of hard work began to pay off. In January 2002, Sparco won a contract from the federal government's General Services Administration, bringing more sales and grater stability at a time when the company was looking to expand its headquarters.

"After looking at seven locations around the country, we picked Millington," Cheema said, "and for good reason." Less than three hours' drive from Starkville, where it all started, and close to one of Ingram Micro's Largest warehouses and a FedEx hub, Millington proved to be an ideal location for Sparco.

To help facilitate the move and accommodate its retail workers in Starkville who could not relocate, Sparco sold its store to a group of its employees. The parent company would retain its name, Unistar-Sparco Computers inc.

Ground was broken in Millington at a ceremony in January, and the company moved the first week of July.

"Moving is always tough, so we capped it with a delightful fireworks dinner cruise for our employees on the Fourth of July," Lim said. "It was a lot of fun for everyone."

A few weeks later, on July 25, the company celebrated its grand opening, an event that drew several distinguished guests from the community.

Never content with their success, Lim and Cheema are constantly looking to add new products and services. Their latest addition are software programming and database administration, with a key client being the state of Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The web interface toll they created has help wine and liquor stores all over Mississippi Place orders on the State Tax Commission's mainframe server.

Lim and Cheema say they owe their success to their community, and they believe in giving something back. From its beginning, Sparco has lent a helping hand, participating in school events, conferences, community activities and volunteer work.

"We think this move is a big plus for our company and our new community, and we are grateful to be in a city as nice as Millington," said Lim. "The support we've gotten has been over the top. Thanks, Millington!"

SPARCO.COM JUST FINALIZED THE MOVE TO MILLINGTON, TN

Dear valued customers and friends,

We are very excited to announce that Sparco.com just finalized the move to our new headquarters in Millington, TN. This strategic move will enable us to improve our services. Besides having a new building with the latest equipment, our location will also allow us to fulfill our orders in a more efficient way.

Sparco.Com would like to thank the City of Millington for their support in facilitating the relocation.

Our new contact is: Sparco.com 7089 Ryburn Dr. Millington, TN 38053 Phone: (901) 872-2272 Fax: (901) 872-8482 The web address, www.sparco.com remains unchanged.

April 24, 2003

SPARCO IS ATTENDING THE GSA Expo 2003

Sparco.com is attending this year's GSA Expo 2003. This show will be held in San Antonio, Texas, May 6-8 at the Henry Gonzalez Convention Center.

The highlight of the Expo will be our Dictation Challenge: every two hours a person from the public will be typing against our featured product Dragon Naturally Speaking (voice recognition software). The participant who accurately types faster than our demonstrator will win Two First Class Round Trip Tickets from anywhere in the continental U.S. to Europe.

Visit us at booth 2148 and give it a try!

This may be the first step toward your summer vacation.

Please print this page and bring it to our booth at any time during the Expo. This will give us a chance to personally meet you and give you a gift in appreciation for choosing Sparco.com.

April 03, 2003

SPARCO IS ATTENDING FOSE 2003 Expo

Sparco.com has announced plans to attend this year's FOSE 2003 Expo. This trade show is the largest information technology exposition held each year for the federal government. This year's FOSE Expo is being held from April 8th through April 10th, 2003. It will be the first show to ever be held at the new Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Some of our staff will be attending to meet with the most important people in our business: our customers. We will be displaying and demonstrating some of our products from manufacturers such as Sony, Scansoft, Seagate, Phillips, Dragon, Cisco, Sharp and many others.

Please print this page and bring it to our booth (147) at any time during the Expo. This way we will be able to personally meet you and give you a gift in thanks for choosing our company.

January 29, 2003

Computer firm relocates to Millington

Eric Einhart

Sparco.com, a Starkville, Miss.-based computer company started by two Mississippi State University undergraduate students, broke ground Friday afternoon on a new 4,800-square-foot office at Ryburn and Micro drives, across from Ingram Micro.

Eduardo Perez, Sparco.com general manager, said the company, which sells computer hardware, software and electronics at its website and retail stores, decided to relocate to Millington, because of its proximity to Ingram Micro, the company’s main equipment supplier, and to FedEx’s Memphis hub.

“We saw that there was an opportunity to relocate to Millington and decided to pursue it for various reasons,” Perez said. “But the fact that Ingram Micro is across the street and FedEx is just in Memphis will speed up service by a day or two and allow us more time for marketing our business.” Soo-Tsong Lim and Mubashir Cheema originally founded Unistar-Sparco Computers Inc. in 1991 in Starkville, Miss., which now operates Sparco.com.

Perez said the company expects sales to increase “at least 25 percent,” to about $12 million a year, after the move. And although the company will maintain 80 percent of its employees from Starkville, Perez said it plans to fill positions as sales increase. The positions, which include shipping workers, software designers, sales people and tech support, will range in pay from about $22,000 to $45,000.

“We plan to expand in Millington,” he said. “We will relocate our whole office and a small warehouse and plan to hopefully open a retail store there. Just one step at a time.”

Perez said Sparco.com’s construction should start in February and be complete by June 30. Including equipment, the facility’s value will be approximately $400,000.

He said the company, which does business with U.S. military, private individuals and organizations, plans to join the Millington Area Chamber of Commerce and “become a part of the community.”

“We make it a practice to volunteer our time and services to the community,” he said. “We plan to donate products and services to local schools and just give back what we receive.”

Computer firm chooses Millington Relocation from Mississippi brings 20 jobs

By Mark Watson
watson@gomemphis.com

A computer company started by a couple of Mississippi State University undergrads plans to open its new headquarters across the street from Ingram Micro in Millington this summer, bringing 20 jobs with it.

Soo-Tsong Lim and Mubashir Cheema founded Unistar-Sparco Computers Inc. in 1991 in Starkville, Miss. The company now operates Sparco.com, a profitable Web site selling computer hardware, software and electronics. At 2:30 p.m. today, the company will break ground on a new 4,800-square-foot office at Ryburn and Micro streets in Millington.

Eduardo Perez, the company's general manager, said he expects sales to increase by about 25 percent, to about $12 million a year, after moving to Millington, because of its proximity to Ingram Micro, the world's largest computer distributor, and to FedEx's Memphis hub. Ingram Micro supplies much of the equipment Sparco.com sells.

"We are extremely delighted to see them coming in here," Millington Mayor George R. Harvell Jr. said. "This was the kind of business we hoped Ingram Micro would spawn."

Sparco.com's construction should start in February and be complete by June 30, Perez said. Including equipment, the facility's value will approach $400,000, he said.

Lim said the jobs will range in pay from about $22,000 to $45,000, but Perez said 80 percent of the positions are being filled by people moving with the company from Starkville. As sales grow, some jobs will be added, Perez said. The positions include shipping workers, software designers, sales people and tech support, Lim said.

Attorney David Peel, Millington Chamber of Commerce president, said Sparco.com is the kind of high-tech business Millington wants and the chamber strives for.

Unistar-Sparco Computers started as a computer retailer, Lim said. The company started its Web site in 1993.

Sparco.com seems like an exception to the dot-com bubble. The company attributes its success to its service, pricing and state-of-the-art technology. The Sparco.com Web site, http://www.sparco .com, features endorsements from customers around the world, including Singapore, the Czech Republic, and Brazil.

Closer to home, Vincent Colombo, a retired resident of Deposit, N.Y., said Sparco .com "just impressed" him when he bought an external modem from the company this past summer. He didn't know how the move would improve customer service.

"They had the lowest price," Colombo said in a phone interview Thursday. "I just liked the Web site. It was very easy to use, and you could check availability in their warehouses very easily. When I ordered it, it seems to me I ordered one day and it got here the next."

- Mark Watson: 529-5874

SPARCO . COM
A Division of Unistar-Sparco Computers, Inc.
Media Advisory

– For Immediate Release Contact: Soo-Tsong Lim, 662-323-5360

Mississippi Computer Company Relocating to Memphis Area; Groundbreaking Ceremony Scheduled for January 24

WHAT: Groundbreaking ceremony for Sparco.com, an online, worldwide marketer of computer hardware and software, founded in 1991 by two Mississippi State University students.

WHO: Soo-Tsong Lim, President and founder Mubashir Cheema, Vice President and founder Jim Brunes, Chief Financial Officer Shin-Hwa Tan, Sales Manager Eduardo Perez, General Manager

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Friday, January 24, 2003

WHERE: Micro and Ryburn Drives Millington, Tennessee 38053

Sparco.com was founded in 1991 by Soo-Tsong Lim and Mubashir Cheema in their dorm room at Mississippi State University, in Starkville, Mississippi. The online company, which markets computer hardware and software worldwide, not only survived the dot.com bust of the late 1990s but continued to grow during the period, increasing both revenue and profit. In 2001 and 2002, the company reported some $9 million in revenue, and in 2002 won a federal contract from the General Services Administration.

Over the next two years, Sparco.com is projected to garner one million sales per month.

A pioneer in e-commerce, Sparco.com attributes its success to its outstanding customer service; competitive pricing; special pricing for government agencies and educational organizations; on-time delivery, and state-of-the-art technology.

The move to Millington, Tennessee, is part of Sparco.com’s continual drive to enhance its customer service. The company’s new headquarters will be located across the street from Ingram Micro, the world’s largest computer distributor. Ingram Micro’s Millington warehouse is the distributor’s second-largest warehouse in the United States. Direct access to the Ingram Micro warehouse will afford Sparco.com a faster and more efficient means of shipping the more than 155,000 items it sells.