In his own words: Shu Nomura, owner of Best PC Reno

Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about Best PC Reno and your position.

Nomura: I am president of Best PC Reno, LLC. Since my wife and I founded it in 2009, the company has been providing quality yet affordable computer services to both businesses and home computer users.

NNBW: What made you decide to open a computer repair store?

Nomura: My wife and I have been entrepreneurial-minded. After I left an engineering firm due to its financial constraints, I temporarily worked as a day laborer and piano mover. We were so blessed that my wife had a steady income even in the continuing tough economy. As I had experience with computers in the firm, I decided to make a good use of it. Moreover, as my wife has been teaching many students for years, she's been playing a key role to promote my business to the students' families and friends.

NNBW: What's the most important thing you have learned in your career?

Nomura: "People First." There are many competitors including large retail stores and small local-owned computer repair shops. In this economy, everybody wants to get a computer fixed for the cheapest price possible, so people tend to chase for the cheapest price on the market. We know we are not the cheapest, but we also know people don't mind to pay extra for the quality services they can trust.

NNBW: What was your first job?

Nomura: My first job was to help my dad with his design projects. Our family in Japan has been running an engineering firm for decades, and I was once working for the company. I was running a computer-aided design program to draft his hand-drawn designs.

NNBW: How do you spend your time away from work?

Nomura: Both my wife and I work from the morning to the evening Monday through Saturday, so we always spend time together on Sunday. After a church service, we usually go grocery shopping for the upcoming week, stop by somewhere else for other needs, cook together, and watch a movie or TV. Our lifestyle could be boring for many people, but we truly enjoy doing whatever together. Spending quality time together is very important.

NNBW: Have any advice for someone who wants to enter your profession?

Nomura: I would like to advise them to take care of people first. As a computer repair shop, I know our customers have some kind of computer problems, but in many cases they don't know how to explain the problem. Before trying to find a quick fix, I always sit together and spend time to know the person and eventually find what's really wrong with his or her computer. That could be a simple human error that could be solved through the conversation.

NNBW: If you could live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

Nomura: If I could live my life over again and do the same business in the United States, I would like to be born in this country. As I am not a U.S. citizen, running a business and taking care of all immigration requirements at the same time is very difficult.

NNBW: If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?

Nomura: No. If I had enough money, I would let someone run my business and start a new business. I am not a person who can stay home all day every day.

NNBW: What's the last concert or sporting event you attended?

Nomura: One of my wife's students won the grand prize in this year's Piano Concerto Competition, so we went to see his performance featured in Reno Philharmonic Youth Orchestras. The last sporting event was a Reno Aces game. For some reason, every time we go to a game, the Aces win!

The basics:

Name: Shu Nomura, president of Best PC Reno

Number of years in this job? Two years

Years in this profession? My professional experience with computers started about five years ago. I was working for a civil engineering firm as a senior designer and helped with their IT assets as well. I touched (and broke) my first computer when I was 8. My dad brought his company laptop home and worked on his projects (he is an engineer in Japan). While he was taking a shower, I got curious and began playing with it ... and broke it somehow. A laptop cost several thousand dollars back in 80s.

Education: I came from Japan to Reno in 1999. I've studied at the University of Nevada, Reno; Truckee Meadows Community College; and Western Nevada College.

Last book read?: My wife and I have been reading Harry Potter series. I gave her a complete set of seven books for her birthday this year.

Favorite flick? My lifetime favorite movie is "Braveheart," but I enjoy almost any genres. We watched "Pirates of Caribbean" over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Spouse, kids or pets? I married my wife Mayu in 2009. She is a professional pianist and piano instructor at the UNR and at Steinway Piano Gallery. We have two Yorkshire terriers: Wolfy and Poco. We take a walk about one hour almost every morning, and Wolfy and Poco usually come with me to the store.