[FreeGeek] Free Geek's open path to prosperity - another old article to excite ye

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http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2004/01/19/story4.html?t=printable

Free Geek's open path to prosperity
The nonprofit organization helps others afford technology
Portland Business Journal - January 16, 2004
by Shelly Strom

Business Journal staff writer
Three years after being founded on the eve of an economic recession,
nonprofit computer recycler and refurbisher Free Geek is not only
surviving but is poised to prosper by helping out its brethren in the
nonprofit community.

In an attempt to find homes for an ever-growing volume of refurbished
computers, Free Geek is embarking on a project that provides low-cost
computer systems and consulting services to other nonprofits. So far,
the organization has rebuilt more than 3,000 "new" computers, all of
which operate on open source software, a low-cost alternative to
proprietary systems such as Windows.

"We see that open source can be a great benefit to nonprofits. We
certainly have been able to save a lot of money in that regard. And
with our collaborative technologies project, we want to pass that on,"
said Free Geek founder Oso Martin.

Free Geek employs 14 full-time staffers, has taken over an entire city
block and is on track to generate revenue at a self-sustaining level
by the fourth quarter of 2005. The organization used $159,000 from
Meyer Memorial Trust to boost capacity by expanding into an unused
portion of its building and to hire a staffer to coordinate
collaborative technologies.

Meyer Memorial, which has an endowment of $470 million and is one of
the state's largest foundations, is upbeat about the potential for
Free Geek to provide relatively low-cost computer systems. "We were
seeing a substantial increase in technology-related requests from
nonprofits," said Meyer Memorial Executive Director Doug Stamm. After
talking to Free Geek in detail, Stamm said that he and other trust
officials realized the wide-ranging implication of reducing technology
costs among the scores of nonprofits supported by Meyer Memorial.

Meyer Memorial now requests that technology grant applicants consult
with Free Geek to determine whether lower-cost open source software
might be a solution.

"It is still early in the relationship, but we are very optimistic. To
some extent, they are somewhat social visionaries and are providing
not only a model for Portland and the state, but really a national
model."

Systems and software maintained by the nonprofit Open Source
Initiative allow a personal computer to perform the same functions as
any Windows-based PC but for a fraction of the cost. The systems use
computer code known as "open source software" because access to it is
not restricted and it can easily and cost-effectively be adapted to
the needs of the user. Open source applications are gaining acceptance
by businesses, institutions and other organizations.

For example, Free Geek is working for HomeStreet, a Washington County
nonprofit mental health clinic that needs a patient records management
system. By using open source systems, Free Geek expects to complete
the project for approximately one-third the cost of a $150,000 bid
provided by a consultant that didn't plan to use open source software.

"We will be developing a full patient tracking system for HomeStreet
in open source," said Ron Braithwaite, collaborative technologies
coordinator at Free Geek.

"I've been contacted by approximately 27 people who want to work on
the project who have, on average, between 10 and 15 years experience.
Two are Ph.D.s," Braithwaite said. Free Geek will hire software
developers as independent contractors. HomeStreet will receive
consultant labor for $75 an hour--one-half the market hourly rate.
That fee will be divided into thirds, with portions going to the
contractor, Free Geek and an account set aside to pay contractors who
are called on to work for nonprofits without the ability to pay.

Finding contractors to work for one- or two-thirds less than pay
offered for jobs with for-profits does not appear to be a problem,
Braithwaite said. "Portland unemployment has been among the highest in
the nation, especially among high-tech workers, who face a 'use it or
lose it' situation. People are willing to go to work for us to keep
their resumes fresh."

Free Geek--run by a skeleton team of staffers and a crew of nearly 300
volunteers--started with a mission to save landfills from as much
computer-related toxic waste as possible. Since its founding, Free
Geek has received more than 600 tons of computers and related
hardware. Out of that mountain of wires, silicon, leaded glass and
plastic, 3,000 "new" computers have been created and given away to all
kinds of entities in need--from local schools to villages around the
planet.

Computers, monitors, printers and other corollary devices arrive daily
at Free Geek's Southeast Portland facility, delivered by individuals,
companies and other organizations looking to get rid of their obsolete
hardware.

Contact Shelly Strom at sstrom at bizjournals.com.