Ribbit owner wins SBA award; will represent Kansas in national contest

Alex Harb, owner and founder of Ribbit Computer of Wichita, will represent Kansas in Washington, D.C., as the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year.

Harb will travel to Washington May 15 and 16 to gather with other state winners. One will be selected as 2014 National Small Business Person of the Year.

The 10-year-old business, which sells and services computers for consumers and businesses, has five locations in Wichita.

“We capitalize on same-day service,” he said. “We have fast turnaround, and we’ve adapted to consumer behavior.”

The company formed a business division in 2011 and, today, that division accounts for about half of the company’s revenue.

The company has grown at a rapid clip and is one of the largest of its kind in Wichita.

Going into a new market will mean putting in multiple stores and lots of advertising – a heavy investment. But the technology sphere, he said, is so crowded, so competitive and changing so fast that he wants to wait a year or two for the personal technology space to settle a bit before making that kind of investment.

Harb said he loves what he does.

“I really enjoy it,” he said. “Going to work is not going to work, but something I look forward to. I like finding solutions for problems and I’m not afraid to be in my business on a daily basis.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2014 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Ribbit owner wins SBA award; will represent Kansas in national contest ."