ALPHA ELECTRONICS INCORPORATED

Harrisonburg, VA, 22802

Twin Maples around 1995. Main part of building (left side) circa 1760

Company History

Alpha Electronics (established 1984) grew to become the largest and most comprehensive consumer electronics service company in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia region. Alpha also did computer equipment contracting for state and local government and education sectors in addition to some retailing of equipment.

In 1997 Alpha merged with Rica.Net, a regional internet service provider. Alpha's role was to provide and operate the firm's primary client service and technical support facility.

In 2000, Rica.Net merged with its upstream provider, Rocky Mountain Communications, which then in turn was bought by a division of the Idaho Power Company, Idacomm. Idacomm operated its ISP division under the name of Velocitus. Alpha had several serious concerns about these mergers and chose not to participate, accepting instead a buy-out of its interest in Rica.Net. Finally, Rica.Net was bought from Idacomm (Velocitus) by Sitestar, which operates out of Lynchburg, VA.

Alpha then became a holding and management company, which in 2003 divested its primary physical asset, the historic Twin Maples facility at 3891 Valley Pike North, Harrisonburg, VA, 22802. The new owners of Twin Maples have since, unfortunately, demolished that lovely circa 1760 facility although nothing has been built on the site to replace it.

Alpha Electronics Inc. was disbanded in 2003 on the retirement of the owner, Charles Pascale.

Here is some more information on Twin Maples, from a 1996 real estate ad. It was a beautiful place.