MLE buys Fink Enterprises

MLE Enterprises, LLC -- located in Terre Haute and Bloomfield -- has acquired Fink Enterprises, Inc., a full-service computer technology sales and service company in Bloomfield in a deal that was finalized Friday.

The business is now known as MLE Technologies -- a division of MLE Enterprises.

MLE Enterprises spokesman Ray Darnell said the company will continue the professional operation that was started by Fink Enterprises founder Larry Fink about seven years ago.

Fink has accepted a position at NWSC Crane.

The business will continue to be located at 35 North Franklin Street in Bloomfield, next door to MLE's Greene County office.

"We want to provide the finest information technology, Web, Internet/e-mail service to businesses and personal use in the county," Darnell stated. "Any problem that you have, business or personal with a computer, you can call us and we're going to fix it."

MLE and Fink had been in the discussion stage of the acquisition for some time.

"Larry (Fink) was looking to expand the business or deciding what he was going to do. When he finally entered into the decision that he had the opportunity that he wanted, we knew that we were going to be the ones taking over the business and operating under the new name," Darnell said. "We want to expand it."

MLE will have a staff of three that will handled the technology division.

Director of operations -- Jason Summers of Bloomington -- has been hired and additionally a Web designer and a computer tech/repair specialist will be put on staff.

"Jason (Summers) is an all-around guy who can do just about anything (with computers)," Darnell said.

Darnell said he and MLE general manager JR Davis -- a native of the Solsberry area in Greene County -- are thrilled with the opportunities that acquiring the Fink assets presents itself with.

Adding jobs to the county is important, but Darnell said it goes farther than that.

"Adding jobs is a good thing. You can add jobs where there is a need. You can't add jobs of certain skills just because you want to add jobs. You have got to find a service industry niche for it. There is certainly a niche here. There is a need for it," Darnell said.

Being able to acquire a well-run, established, professional business was attractive to the company.

"It fulfills a vision that JR (Davis) and I have for MLE to advance what was already a successful construction management company into other areas of work, such as other things at NSWC Crane, other things with the Navy and the government through the SeaPort-E contract vehicle and then to look at other things were could exploit, such as information technology and opportunities like that too, but we we're doing any work there," he explained. "As we began to talk to Larry (Fink), boom there was the vein of opportunity for us ... we thought we could certainly be an industry leader in Greene County which of course is our main motto 'How do we do things in Greene County'.

"We are taking over a place that is well-known, it's got good name recognition. Larry Fink did great work there and was highly regarded. So we are just going to try and advance his beginnings to a new generation," Darnell said.

The firm will offer a range of services:

* Computer repair

* Diagnostics and analysis

* Software consulting and procurement

* Web site design and hosting

* System upgrades

* Computer sales and training

* New system procurement/installations (Dell products)

* Network design and installation

* Antivirus solutions for all PCs, firewall and network intrusion software installation

* Preventive maintenance for servers and desktops

* Custom computer system builds

* Security consulting

* Maintenance contracts

The company will be staffed Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

After-hours, on-call service will also be available.

"We are going to offer our services on a retainer to client and they can have on-call support. You can call for support any time day or night, we'll have an on-call technician 24/7," Darnell stressed. "We also want have somebody in the office live that will talk to the clients."

Defense contractor MLE Enterprises, an eight-year-old company, will join the growing list of technology and engineering firms later this year as the company expands operations from its Bloomfield office to be the first tenant in Greene County sector of the tech park.

MLE Enterprises, based in Terre Haute, conducted a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 25 for the construction of a 7,000 square feet, $200,000 mixed-use building with space for offices, work stations, training and warehouse areas.

Company officials expect to be in their WestGate building in about 90 days.

MLE Technologies can be reached by calling 384-4705 or 384-8610.