After 25 years, CABLExpress keeps networking

NORTH SYRACUSE - CABLExpress founder William Pomeroy isn't waiting for historians to recognize his company's accomplishments. Visitors to CABLExpress' headquarters in North Syracuse encounter two historical monuments to the company before ever entering the building. One celebrates CABLExpress' occupation of the building while the other celebrates the company's accomplishments in the form of a historical marker like those placed along the highway. Though CABLExpress will mark 25 years this month, Pomeroy says he and his 296 employees have good reason to celebrate every day.

"We're the largest dealer in pr-owned/refurbished computernetwork equipment in the world," he says. "We are also the number-one reseller of Cisco-authorized refurbished equipment."

Privately held CABLExpress sells networking equipment and computers in more than 30 countries. The company has annual revenues of $98 million. Its name comes from the company's early concentration in networking cables for IBM-mainframe computers.
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Pomeroy came to Syracuse in 1974, following an extended vacation in South America. He spent two years traveling the continent via VW camper before going to work for Bernie Mahoney at Continental Information Systems (CIS) Corp., a computer-leasing company. In the early 1970s, "computer" meant a large mainframe built by IBM, rather than something to slip into a shoulder bag. These machines might serve as a "laptop" at the Lincoln Memorial, but even a desktop IBM was nearly a decade away.

Pomeroy had previously worked for IBM, Procter & Gamble, General Electric, and New York Telephone, but his future would take him back to an earlier job. In the early 1960s he worked with his father's heating business, and he liked what he saw.

"My dad was in business for himself," he says, "and I wanted to be like him."

After leaving CIS, Pomeroy used $50,000 in savings to create Reliance Used Computer Corp. He named the company in honor of one his grandfather had run after New York denied his registration of the name - "International Used Business Machines."

From his home, Pomeroy began buying and selling used, IBMmainframe computers and accessories nationwide. The United States Air Force was an early customer, relying on the company to provide legacy parts for the nation's over-the-pole, ballistic-missile warning system. The business has done well for the past quarter-century, says Pomeroy.

"I was profitable in the first year and every year since," he adds.

Within two years of starting a company in his home, Pomeroy moved the company to a location on Erie Boulevard and adopted the name CABLExpress, in order to identify with the company's mainframe-cabling niche. Five years later, CABLExpress relocated to a 10,000-square-foot facility on Brighton Avenue. Throughout the 1980s, CABLExpress expanded its operations, adding a catalog of networking equipment and selling to under-served markets. The rapid pace of technology brought CABLExpress back into the usedequipment market in the mid-1990s as Pomeroy recognized the value in a new generation of "obsolete" equipment.

By 1997, CABLExpress needed new space for its growing work force. Pomeroy purchased a vacant store near the Syracuse airport and converted the space into the company's headquarters. The 66,000-square-foot facility has space for 500 employees and Pomeroy says the company could grow to 1,000 employees by expanding its national and international markets. CABLExpress does 90 percent of its business outside New York State.

"We're just scratching the surface," he adds.

CABLExpress has its own brand of hardware - "equal2new," that promises to live up to its name. The company restores each piece of equipment to its original factory specifications, making it "equal to new" at a lower price.

"We scour the world for these pieces, certify them, and reissue them with a warranty that in many cases exceeds the original manufacturers warranty," Pomeroy explains.

CABLExpress may be one man's vision, but the company is far from a one-man show.

Pomeroy strives to maintain a "fun" workplace for his biggest asset - his 296 employees. CABLExpress' dinosaur-decorated office celebrates its roots selling mainframes, the "dinosaurs" of computing. Conference rooms bear the names of pioneers in science, business, and computing, such as Carl Sagan and Bill Gates.