October 13, 2020 – West Bend, WI – Locally owned Alexssa, an IT services and manage IT and security computer company, has been purchased by River Run of Glendale.
Chris Wenzel, founder of West Bend-based Alexssa Computer Solutions, has been in business since 1997.
He said the deal with River Run and owner Paul Riedl, Jr. has been in the works for a while.
“We’ve been talking for years,” said Wenzel. “Paul is a friend of mine and we put together just a wonderful situation where he is acquiring this company and I get to stay and continue doing what I love to do.”
Riedl is a product of Washington County as well; he and his family reside in the Slinger area. “Paul is dedicated to growing the company in West Bend,” said Wenzel.
Alexssa brings a team of 13 employees into the mix; that will grow River Run to 70 employees.
Below is more information courtesy River Run.
On a history note, this is not the first merger for Alexssa. Below is an article written in 2012 when Alexssa merged with Diversified Services Management.
It was January 2012 when two of the largest providers of information technology (IT) services in southeast Wisconsin combined, as Alexssa Computing Solutions merged with Diversified Services Management.
“We are now a one-stop shop,” said Chris Wenzel, founder of West Bend-based Alexssa Computer Solutions. “We can provide simple solutions to complex business IT needs.”
Wenzel started Alexssa Computing Solutions in 1997 with business partner Dave Rogne.
The company initially was an Internet Service Provider and software development company; over the years it has evolved into a full-service provider of Information Technology solutions.
Diversified Services Management of West Bend was run by Allen Polachowski.
In business for 26 years, Diversified Services Management provided facilities management, IT services, and digital printing solutions.
At age 67, Polachowski was ready for his company to take the next step. “For years I’ve been trying to find a good exit strategy,” said Polachowski.
At the start of 2012 Diversified Services moved its team out of its office on Schoenhaar Dr. and into the Alexssa building, 301 N. Main Street, in West Bend.
“We’re doubling each other’s size and doubling our capability,” said Polachowski. “We’ll have more engineers dedicated to specific tasks and our focus will continue to be on small to medium businesses.”
From the public’s perspective, there will be a few noticeable cosmetic changes.
On the business end, Polachowski and Wenzel will offer a mix of expertise that continues to focus on integrity, quality service and innovative solutions.
“We stand behind what we do,” said Wenzel. “We’re in it for the long run; we’re not in it for a one-time sale.”
Services available at Alexssa/Diversified Services include outsourced IT technicians, cloud computing, document management, Smart IT and IT consulting. The two companies employ 12 people; Wenzel expects to hire two more staff before the end of the year.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE…
This isn’t the first time Polachowski and Wenzel teamed up.
“Before I started Alexssa I was friends with Allen,” said Wenzel. “He’s been a long-term mentor and I also consider him to be a reputable competitor.”
“Integrity and respect” are terms Wenzel uses when discussing his new business partner.
The evolution of Alexssa and Diversified Services has followed a rather circuitous path.
Following an education in the UW system, Wenzel went to work in manufacturing and distribution in West Bend and Jackson. “I designed computer software to facilitate automation,” he said.
“My first Alexssa was a portrait studio and I wrote my own data base to keep track of my clients.”
Reflecting on his first computer, Wenzel said that was truly old school.
“It didn’t do anything. You turned it on and it said ‘c:/ now what.’ If you wanted to do something you had to write a program.”
With knowledge of Basic and a hobby reading technical articles Wenzel decided to shelve the portraits and focus more on the IT angle.
Down the street Polachowski’s business was also changing.
“When we started our intent was to provide for facilities management and then we evolved into a computer dealership and our focus was the prepress,” said Polachowski.
Gravitating from a break-fix business of selling equipment and then servicing the product, Diversified Services evolved from copy centers, print shops, and mail rooms to a computer business.
“Now we’ve into managed services or cloud services,” said Polachowski.
Because of the rapid changes in technology Wenzel and Polachowski have aligned themselves with a pair of major distributors including a $36 billion distributor Ingram Micro of Buffalo, New York.
“The advantage is they keep us fresh in terms of knowing new technology,” said Polachowski.
“Hardware and software manufacturers are constantly upgrading and we rely on the guidance of these organizations to give us better direction and keep our ideas fresh about new technologies and new services.”
Building on a foundation of technology expertise, Alexssa and Diversified Services “are looking to maintain a solid track record of low-failure rate and proactive solutions.”
Alexssa and Diversified Services established services in West Bend, Kewaskum, Slinger, Germantown, Hartford, Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Mequon, Brookfield, Milwaukee, Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh and the Madison area.
