🔒Once warned off a computer career, Barros now leads a growing IT firm set to open a new, expanded HQ in Glastonbury

High school guidance counselors and others warned Kevin Barros against pursuing a career in information technology, worried those jobs would be outsourced overseas. Luckily, Barros ignored that advice. More than 20 years later, he’s now investing millions of dollars to renovate a newly purchased Glastonbury office building for his expanding IT and cybersecurity firm, The Computer Co. Barros has always been a natural in the field. As a teenager, he learned by taking apart discarded computers his father brought home from his manufacturing job. In high school, Barros joined the computer club and sensed that cheap overseas labor could never replace the value of a local computer services provider. His instincts were right. In July, Barros, now 38, paid nearly $2.8 million for a 29,761-square-foot Glastonbury office building at 20 Western Blvd. He plans to spend up to $3 million more on renovations, furnishings and equipment before moving his 45-employee company there next year. “You can always automate certain tasks of IT, but the best companies realize there is more to it than that,” Barros said. “It is about partnerships with the other company. They need a technical partner to look out for their security compliance and information. When it comes to everyday stuff, they want that personal touch of someone they know they can talk to who cares and is listening.”

More space, growth

The is currently based in a 5,500-square-foot leased office in Cromwell, where staff share desks. The new 15,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the Glastonbury building offers room to grow. The company expects to reach 60 employees in less than three years, Barros said. “We have a lot of techs out on the road going to client sites,” he said. “In all honesty, we could have gotten away with a smaller space. But it goes to our philosophy, you want to treat everybody with respect. They should have a place to call home in the office, regardless of whether you go to that home once a week or once a month. The first floor will be leased to GreatBlue, a market research firm, and ZAG Interactive, a web development and digital communications company. Executives from both companies were principals of the LLC that sold the property to Barros. Barros said he hopes to collaborate with his new tenants, leveraging their strengths to grow.

The new location will feature a far larger conference room, allowing The Computer Co. to host bigger client events on topics like cybersecurity, network compliance and more. Such events are a key part of the company’s growth strategy. The Glastonbury building originally housed offices for American Eagle Financial Credit Union, and was very well maintained, said John Cafasso, a principal with real estate services firm Colliers who marketed the property and secured the buyer. Colliers Senior Associate Christian Dietz also worked on the deal. The property was on the market for about a year, Cafasso said. “Glastonbury is a very strong and affluent suburb,” Cafasso said. “It’s sought out for medium-sized companies that want their own buildings.”

How it started

Barros is the son of Portuguese immigrants. He grew up mostly in East Hartford in a working-class household. His first car was a hand-me-down Nissan. Barros shies away from the trappings of success. He’d prefer a Honda, but drives a Mercedes to convey an air of business savvy to his clients. He spent his last two years of high school in Newington. He paid his way through Manchester Community College, then Central Connecticut State University. He holds associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer and IT services. At 18, Barros worked for Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” tech support arm. Two years later, he joined East Hartford component and tooling manufacturer HORST Engineering, providing technical and IT support. As Barros transferred to Central Connecticut State University as a junior, he also launched a one-man IT services and support business, KB IT — short for Kevin Barros Information Technology. Clients paid “a few hundred dollars” for a college kid to perform IT tasks that otherwise would cost many times more, Barros recalled. That extra cash, plus his HORST salary covered tuition, rent and other bills. “It was my way not to take out student debt and start saving for a house,” Barros said. “I did it for pennies on the dollar, not that I knew it back then.” Barros landed his first clients through HORST. Heads of other companies would visit to see the latest innovations, then enlisted Barros — with his boss’ blessing — to help them upgrade their own technology. Many of these owners and executives became strong mentors. While they didn’t know computers as well as Barros, they offered lessons on finance, hiring, contracts and other aspects of business. After a 17-month stint at ESPN, Barros in 2013 went to work for The Computer Co. as a data center manager. He kept KB IT going and grew its book of business by acquiring another company in 2017. By 2019, Barros was working 100-hour weeks and something had to give. Either he was going to have to give up his side business, or commit to it fully. As fate would have it, Barros’ boss at The Computer Co. was looking to retire. Barros ended up buying the company in July 2020. At 33, he was in charge of 12 employees. “I said this is perfect, I know the company, I know the employees, you are looking to retire — we can make this work,” Barros said. Today, The Computer Co. has more than 300 clients, including medical offices, law firms, manufacturers, nonprofits and others. It provides services ranging from computer repair and cybersecurity to security compliance and website design. A large share of Barros’ planned investment in the Glastonbury office will fund a new cloud-based data storage center for clients. “We joke that we have a client in every industry,” Barros said. “Everybody wants security. The way you secure a law firm is the same way you protect manufacturers.”

Standing out

Barros has been an enthusiastic marketer in pursuit of growth. His strategy has included making cold calls, attending professional events and offering in-office workshops for existing and prospective clients. He recently added a fulltime marketer and is leaning into social media — sometimes with lighthearted skits carrying a cybersecurity message. The new location will include a media production office. “We want to have costumes and props,” Barros said. “We want to take it to the extreme. A lot of our competitors have podcasts, but you can’t make waves if you are following the crowd. You have to stand out.”