By Lisa Mackinder | MiBiz

KALAMAZOO — Mans best friend has long displayed an affinity for childrens homework and expensive shoes. But dogs also consider iPods a tantalizing treat.

Aaron Vronko, co-owner of RapidRepair, a Kalamazoo-based company specializing in the small electronics repair of iPod, iPhone, Zune and other devices, has witnessed the grizzly remains of one-too-many iPods victimized by canine incisors.

Since beginning their thriving business in 2004, Vronko and co-owner Ben Levy have seen it all. More than one vacationer has packed an iPod alongside shampoo, only to discover the bubbly liquid has leaked and rendered the device albeit squeaky clean quite non operational. Shredded hunks of metal, a mere remnant of an iPod, arrived in the mail from an owner who ran over it with the lawnmower. It couldnt be revived.

We commissioned that one to scrap, Vronko told MiBiz,

The company has served a wide range of clients, he said, including White House appointees, a silver screen actor and a rock stars girl friend. Rapid Repair even received a package from a soldier whose iPod broke during an attack on his Humvee. The repair business began shortly after the birth of first generation iPods. Levy encountered user forums about problems with the devices, said Vronko. The two launched a repair business from their apartment called iPodmods, which recently changed to RapidRepair. It helped that they both came from a computer background.

iPods are internally similar to a computer, he said.

The start-up had virtually no capital expenditure, according to Vronko. Marketing came primarily from online exposure. In 2004, the companys Web site debuted, admittedly not an advanced design, but it positioned them well on the Internet. At first, the company performed 3-5 repairs per week. But after six months, the number rose to 25-30 per week and by a year and a half it skyrocketed to a staggering 500 per week.

The media has provided much exposure for the young entrepreneurs. A Fox TV station out of Chicago featured the pair on its weekly tech segment. That segment got national play.

RapidRepair now works out of a 3,000-square-foot facility on West Main Street with 15 employees. Vronko foresees additional growth over the next couple of years, ranging between 25-50 percent. Currently, it has as many customer service representatives as technicians. In anticipation of growth, the company has been training CSRs as technicians.

Weve got techs half trained and ready to go, Vronko said. They plan to add additional employees if necessary.

Sales for 2006 exceeded $2.5 million, according to Vronko, who expects an even higher number at the close of 2007. Although 90 percent of its business comes from the U.S., they have clients in 65 countries. The company has started discussing the possibility of branch expansion.

RapidRepair offers a variety of services, including sales and repair. About 50 percent of repairs stem from LCD and battery replacements. LCDs are the easiest piece to break and fix, Vronko said. Although they sell battery replacement kits, iPods were not meant for user replacement. While it might take a user 30-40 minutes to replace a battery, RapidRepair technicians take only five. The company also performs diagnosis. Average turnaround on most repairs ranges between 24-48 hours. Customers sending in their device pre-paid for battery or LCD replacement can expect return shipment the following day. RapidRepair has expanded repairs to include Zune, Apples iPhone, game consoles and some PDAs.

Were a one-stop shop for all small electronics, said Vronko.

RapidRepair has a wide range of products, including 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and U2 iPod accessories. The company has developed its own iVue Crystal Clear Panels, which allow owners to see the iPods inner workings. The product is available for the 5th generation w/video, the Nano first generation and the fourth generation iPods. The hard, scratch resistant panel is backed by a lifetime warranty. Vronko called the iVue, extremely popular and highly successful.

In addition to providing iPod hard drive upgrades, RapidRepair worked with a developer in the Netherlands to produce an adapter to install a flash drive. A flash drive uses 3 percent of the power used by a hard drive, which dramatically increases battery life. Flash drives also prove difficult to break, according to Vronko even when dropped. Right now, flash drives are more expensive, but he said that in a couple of years, prices would fall in line with hard drives.

RapidRepair clients come from a strong smattering, as Vronko put it, of 20-30- somethings, parents and even senior citizens. Vronko said end user business makes up the largest core segment, but direct part sales to other repair centers is rapidly increasing. A customer in the U.K. purchases $1 million in parts every year.

The original article can be found here