Lodestar holds ribbon-cutting; offers full service technology support

Lodestar Technology celebrated its fourth anniversary as a full-time business Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony sponsored by the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce. The event took place at Lodestar’s new office, 1908 Mauvilla Drive.

Founder Jerry Harper calls Lodestar a managed service provider. It handles “everything that is computer-related and network-related,” he said. His crew also repairs and troubleshoots problems relating to “computers, servers, cabling, wiring, fiber, everything.”

While Lodestar’s only office is in Demopolis, its footprint extends beyond the city to many customers throughout west Alabama.

Harper has been in IT for 25 years. He holds both an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and a doctorate from the University of Phoenix. He started Lodestar seven years ago on a part-time basis.

When the company went full-time, Harper had three employees, but the pandemic drastically cut into business, and he managed the business by himself remotely from his home, visiting customers on site if needed. Business started picking up about six months ago, he said, now he has four employees.

“Also, we took a step further, and a few months ago we became certified in fiber,” he added.