Photos by Ralph Freso/GCU News
Technophiles, including those with an affinity for Apple, no longer need to venture off campus for a computer, tablet or technical support, thanks to Monday's opening of Lope Tech, an official Apple Authorized Campus Store.
The opening is the realization of a dream for Andy Dunn, GCU’s director of campus retail and licensing.
The 1,100-square-foot store, on the first floor of the Student Advising Services Building (Building 18), adjacent to the Antelope Reception Center, also is a second location for the Nerd Herd, the campus IT and technical support desk.
“They can get recommendations AND servicing done,” Dunn said. “... It's creating a one-stop solution for our students by creating this tech hub.”
Students also can order products on campus, including custom buildouts, and the store will provide educational pricing for Apple and Dell products to anyone associated with GCU.
“The educational pricing allows us to be competitive with the rest of the businesses out there,” said Caleb Peavy, a GCU alumnus and the first operations manager of Lope Tech.
“They don't have to go (elsewhere) and pay $699 when they can get educational pricing for $599, especially in this economy – every little dime helps,” added Shelly Schrimpf, assistant director of campus retail and licensing, who added that efforts are being made to enable GCU alumni to be eligible for educational pricing.
Peavy said Lope Tech will emphasize integrity selling.
“We want to actually get down to the nitty gritty of our customers' needs of what do they want because that's going to just help us in the long run,” said Peavy, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cybersecurity from GCU and has worked at the Lope Shop and GCU Public Safety. “We want our customers to be satisfied with the tech equipment they buy because they're making an investment when it comes to buying a computer, or an iPad, Apple Watch or any other tech item.
“This is not just a purchase that helps them for three to four months and then they can just get rid of it. We want them to be comfortable for the next four or five years. If we go longer than that, we would."
Discussions about a campus tech store started to percolate eight months ago as Dunn brought Apple executives to deliver a presentation for GCU President Brian Mueller and the executive team.
Remodeling at the front entry of the ARC started this summer.
A glass wall enables visitors to the ARC to view the tech shop during or after tours.
“Outside of being in the Lope Shop, I can't think of a better location,” Dunn said.
About two-thirds of Lope Tech will carry Apple products. The store is an Apple-authorized campus retailer, but it’s not an Apple Store. For instance, it won't be white, since Apple retains those rights as a store.
The appearance will be similar to an Apple Store at a shopping mall. Included are three demo tables – two for Apple products and one for Dell goods – so students can test the products. The store will sell everything but iPhones.
“But the rest is student-focused products – the laptops, the iPads, the Apple Watches, the headphones, and all that kind of stuff that college students use,” Dunn said. “You walk around campus and see how many students have Apple watches, or how many have Beats headphones, or how many people have an iPhone or iPad or whatever,” Dunn said. “And as the Nerd Herd gets the right qualifications, they'll actually be able to service everything, potentially even iPhones.”
Said Peavy, "It’s just a beautiful time here at GCU.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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