When you think of computers and computer technology, often, the subject is serious; however, the only thing Yasuo Ogawa and his staff take seriously at Cowabunga Computers are their customers. Since 2001, part of Cowabunga’s mission has been to provide reliable external service, responsible internal service, and trust in themselves and their abilities
Although clients have approached Yasuo about changing the name of the business because it doesn’t sound very professional, and the logo is handwritten, Yasuo smiles as he confirms that, “People remember us by our name.” Certainly you will know them by their service cars, painted just like cows, for ‘Cow’abunga.
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Yasuo was raised in Honolulu. He attended the University of Michigan and received a business degree. Before coming back to Hawaii, Yasuo spent time in New York working in the sales department for United Airlines. Living in New York helped him to grow in his business aspirations and toughened him up for the endeavors ahead. He says that the best advice he received was to ‘follow your dream,’ but know when to quit, elaborating that your dream should never come at the cost of your family, friends, mental, or physical health.
The idea behind a computer repair business is a story that we all can relate to at some point or another. Yasuo had a personal computer that had some technical problems, and when he went to a repair shop to have it looked at, according to Yasuo, no repairs were able to be made; yet he walked out of the shop with a bill. Cowabunga Computers pride themselves on quality service and customer satisfaction; they will never charge you to look at a computer.
“It’s about the service for us, not about the rates,” Yasuo explained. The services that Cowabunga offers range from internal to external, hardware to software, and Web solutions to net solutions. There are technicians available to service residential, commercial, state computers, and servers. Customers can be sure to receive quality work and attention. Cowabunga has recently partnered with Road Runner which Yasuo says has been an incredible endorser of their service. All technicians are certified and licensed in various operations such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems for tech- nical support, but more importantly in customer service.”
Partnering with Road Runner really helped legitimize the company and get our name out in the community,” Yasuo said.
Cowabunga is pleased that it can participate in community events and functions such as the Great Aloha Run, projects with the Y.M.C.A, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
“We are in a position now to be able to give monetary support, but also, more importantly, give of our time,” Yasuo commented.
Customers shouldn’t be worried or stressed any longer about computer troubleshooting. A visit to the Cowabunga office should put their minds at ease as they recognize core values such as trust, respect, pride, team work, and passion. Yasuo also believes that when it comes to technical support it is always better to work with a larger company. He humbly credits other computer companies such as Super Geeks as complementary rather than competitive, working together in the community, rather than against one another.
“As long as we do our best, that’s all I can ask of my staff,” Yasuo said.
With technology always changing and evolving, Yasuo sees more services being diverted to remote support, where instead of a technician coming to your home, more servicing is done online. Cowabunga provides service and repair to all of Hawaii and is excited about their new location at Pearl Kai that opened in November of 2007. The best advice he received was to follow your dream, but know when to quit, elaborating that your dream should never come at the cost of your family, friends, mental or physical health. When you think of computers and computer technology, often, the subject is serious; however, the only thing Yasuo Ogawa and his staff take seriously at Cowabunga Computers are their customers. Since 2001, part of Cowabunga’s mission has been to provide reliable external service, responsible internal service, and trust in themselves and their abili- ties to make the vision come true.
