Jun. 7—EDITOR'S NOTE — This is the third of a series of articles featuring the nominees for the 2022 Small Business of the Year. The winner will be announced at the annual Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce annual gala on Saturday, June 11.

Every town needs a hero. Every town needs a nerd.

Starting at an apartment complex and moving to downtown Milledgeville, the best in technical support has been supplied by the heroes of Need A Nerd.

Founded by Mark Brownlow during his days as a Georgia College student, Need A Nerd is where to go for cellphone, computer repair and other IT services for businesses and individuals in Milledgeville.

"We specialize in repairs for consumer electronics, mainly Apple mobile devices as well as computers," said Brownlow. "We also offer in-home and in-business IT services. For businesses, we handle all of their IT infrastructure, networking, Wi-Fi, virus security, anything that is necessary for a business to run as far as technology is concerned.

"I started Need A Nerd because it was very unique. As far as consumers as well as businesses, the adoption of computer systems and using technology in our everyday life is fairly new. I felt a need in Milledgeville while I was a student at Georgia College to open a shop to fix things. There may be only a couple of competitors in town ... the industry is definitely growing."

Brownlow officially filed with the state of Georgia in 2013, but he's really been active in the industry since 2011. He was operating out of his apartment to begin with, then branched out to Wayne Street. As Need A Nerd became a success and gained investors, starting in 2015 Brownlow now operates at 110 N. Wayne St.

Next to address is the name. There are other labels used to describe people deeply entrenched in science and technology, one of which is already used by a corporation. Brownlow was thinking about a business title and wanted something people would remember.

"I was thinking of Need A Nerd," he said. "Of course there is 'The Geek Squad' out there. We're not 'The Geek Squad.' We don't associate with the geeks. (Need A Nerd) did come across kind of gimmicky, but I knew it would be something people remembered and we could have some fun with it and fun with the logo.

"It was between Need A Nerd and Dial a Dork. We went with Need A Nerd."

For customers looking for the Need A Nerd location on Wayne Street and miss the actual name, it would be hard to miss their logo. It's a silhouette that represents one going from the nerd (like, maybe Clark Kent) to the hero (like, perhaps Superman).

"We imagine ourselves as superheroes sometimes when one of our customers calls and they can't do anything," said Brownlow. "They can't run their business. They can't operate something important. We feel like superheroes at times where we spring into action. Nowadays we are dependent on our technology whatever we use it for."

And some of their missions can make them feel like they are saving the world.

"The industry is constantly changing," said Brownlow. "The speed of technology is getting greater and greater. We are all students of the industry, and we have to stay on top of technology trends, particularly in the security landscape. Cybersecurity is huge. Scams, hacking, ransomware, those things you hear on the news, are running rampant now. It's tough to police. I say the most difficult thing with the industry making sure we are doing a good job to help and protect our customers."

Including Brownlow, there are seven on staff at Need A Nerd. He gets most of his employee base from the Georgia College scene.

"It's nice to know whatever we're doing seems to be working," said Brownlow. "It means a lot, especially in a small community. Community is everything for a small business. This community stands behind its small businesses. We take care of each other as fellow business owners. To be acknowledged by the community means a lot."