(October 11, 2013)

Centenary alumnus brings innovation, creativity to Shreveport

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary Business Administration graduate Thomas Avallone '00 is bringing innovation and creativity to Shreveport as the founder and manager of Maccentric, an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

"The (Frost) School of Business...offered a varied curriculum," said Avallone. "You would study not just accounting but also economics, giving you a broad taste for all things business. (That education) only served to fuel my interest in one day starting my own venture."

Avallone was always an "Apple enthusiast." While in middle school, Avallone received his first Apple product—a Macintosh SE. He remembers appreciating the fact that Apple originated as an underdog in the computer industry.

"(Apple's) way of thinking about a computer is that it should be easy," said Avallone. "It should be accessible. Someone should just take it out of the box, set it on the desk, and get to work creating, working, and producing; not spending time entering in commands and code. I think Apple has been as much as a philosophy as it has been a product."

During his time at Centenary, Avallone was quietly developing ideas for an Apple-related business and even remembers sitting in class dreaming up the names for potential companies; Maccentric was one of them.

"After I graduated in 2000 I started doing Mac work on the side...then I had the opportunity to work at an Apple retail store outside of Dallas," said Avallone. "(I) spent two—and-a-half years there and then moved back to Shreveport."

Avallone saw an Apple void in the Shreveport market. Apple customers were "actively shunned" at PC shops, and technological problems were not effectively fixed. Maccentric was conceived to fill this gap.

"I slowly built a customer base, and when I felt like I could make (an Apple business) a full-time endeavor, we opened around 2006," said Avallone. "We were the only company in town with a relationship with Apple as an Authorized Service Provider. Before we came along, if you had a (malfunctioning) product in warranty, you had to mail it in or drive it to Baton Rogue."

Years later, Maccentric has found a home at the Shoppes at Bellemead, offering greater visibility to the boutique business. In addition to offering repair service, Maccentric also delivers Mac users hands-on training. Their new initiative, Maccentric University, provides customers the opportunity to learn about operating and backup systems.

Visit Maccentric at 6535 Youree Drive, Suite 502 at the Shoppes at Bellemead or visit their Facebook page for more information.