Computer service provider buys 110 Elmwood

An Allentown entrepreneur has bought the three-story building at 110 Elmwood Ave. and has moved his computer services business there. The ground floor will be available for a retail tenant.

The building housed the Eaton Galleries antiques business from 2000 to 2007.

Mitch Bechtel, who has purchased the property, has moved his business, COMAND Solutions, to the second floor of the building.

COMAND Solutions designs, develops and hosts custom websites including intranets (private websites with access limited to internal use) and extranets (private space externally accessible, for a company’s customers, for instance.)

“Our core business is content management systems  -- software that enables our clients to manage their websites,” he explains.

One of his clients is the Allentown Association which receives services for its website from COMAND Solutions, paying only for material, with technical services provided at no charge.

Mitch Bechtel founded COMAND Solutions in 2004 and has operated it from his home. He and his wife, Lura, have lived on Park St. since 2005 when they returned to the Buffalo area after living in New York City and California. He began working in the computer field as a contractor is 1999.

Joining him on the core team of COMAND Solutions are Greg Croniser, Evan Yokum and Roland Soliman.

“The move will enable us to continue to expand. We’re looking to service Allentown area businesses now as well,” Mitch Bechtel says.

In addition to the ground-level space which he hopes to lease to a retailer who will fill a community need, the property has a rental apartment on the third floor, and parking.