FirstTech has been selling personal computers since 1977, one of the first businesses in the country to do so. However, our history goes back much farther. We trace our history back to 1941 and a radio repair company called Z Radio, founded by Maury and Betty Zuckman. This business was interrupted by WWII, but resumed after the war was over. In 1949 Maury went to work with Electronic Distributing Company, selling radio and television parts to repair dealers. Maury owned his own business, buying from Electronic Distributing Company, and selling to dealers from his step-van truck (Maury and truck pictured above). Others joined the Electronic Distributing Company's organization working the same way in other cities and markets. Each or these sales entities were called Electronics Associates, and were given numbers according to the order in which they joined. Maury & Betty's store was Electronics Associate #1.
The electronics business grew and the Associates took on finished goods: radios, televisions, phonographs and, later on audio and video, two-way radio, antenna systems and more. As the need for space to display these products grew, Maury and Betty opened their first store in 1956 on Chicago Avenue near Lake Street in Minneapolis.
The organization grew more and more retail oriented. In 1965 Electronic Distributing became Team Central and the Electronics Associates became Team Electronics, a group of specialty stores carrying a wide variety of consumer and commercial electronics. We were TEAM #1.
We continued to grow with the help of Maury and Betty's sons. Arnie joined the company full-time in 1965, Rick in 1966, and Harvey in 1974. Team Electronics #1 moved to our present location at 2640 Hennepin Avenue in 1967. In 1977 we added a new kind of product, a personal computer from a new company named Apple Computer. By 1984 computers had taken over the majority of our sales.
In 1985, we disassociated from the Team franchise and changed our name to FirstTech and by 1987 we had discontinued the other consumer electronic items and began to concentrate our efforts on computer and associated technology products.
Today, with more than 60 people in the company, FirstTech remains locally owned and is regarded as one of the top computer dealerships in the country, emphasizing quality, value and service in sales, repair, training and support. We have now been an Apple computer reseller for over 34 years, longer than anyone else.
Beloved FirstTech GM Pete Paulsen, 1984.