⁄Spotlight⁄ MARK GIBBS’ FAMILY got their first computer when he was about 10. They lived in a small town in southern Oklahoma, and the nearest computer store was an hour and a half away in Oklahoma City, leaving them largely on their own if something went wrong. Gibbs started learning to use and fix computers, mostly teaching himself, then learned about them more formally in high school and at Murray State University, where he received a degree in information technology. In 2009 he started a repair business called BrainWave Computers; it’s had a physical storefront in Beaverton since 2017. Much of his business comes from residential customers bringing in computers or other devices — Gibbs briefly paused our in-person interview in April to answer an employee’s question about a gaming system — but he also has some bigger, regular clients. They include smaller school districts, nonprofits and businesses The Big Fix Oregon’s Right to Repair law, signed into law this spring, could have a big impact on small repair shops. BY CHRISTEN McCURDY PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN 28
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