By the time Harry DeLoe and Enrique Pinero met a year and a half ago working for the same employer, each had been in the computer field quite a while.

DeLoe, of Thomaston, started out with IBM in the 1970s, before the age of personal computers.

Pinero, of Winthrop, got involved with computers in the 1990s, while he was serving as a jet engine mechanic in the Navy.

“I like mostly the troubleshooting part,” Pinero said of computer work. “I like to try to get to the problem so I can find a solution.”

Now the two men have partnered up to start their own computer services business, Atlas-Micro in Wiscasset, across Route 1 from Big Al's.

The business handles both hardware and software problems and will set up and secure networks for homes and small businesses, DeLoe said. Eventually he hopes to also teach classes or do tutoring work, ranging from basic computer use to hardware training.

Town officials and members of the Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed the business with a ribbon-cutting September 23.

“We're glad you chose Wiscasset,” Selectmen's Chairman Ed Polewarczyk said.

The business is the latest in a number of new ones. “There's been a renewed interest in vacant buildings along Route 1, so to us it really shows things are picking up,” Town Planner Misty Parker said in an interview.

Atlas-Micro is open weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The telephone number is 207-687-8050.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or susanjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com