For many in Big Canoe, any kind of computer glitch is enough to cause a cold sweat, revisiting of breakfast and a rush to the phone to call our community computer whiz, Christopher Peterson. For those who heard about Chris and his amazing talents a few years back, they were no doubt stunned to open their front door and find a young kid standing at attention waiting to help.
This early entrepreneur started his official business at age 14 with his parents driving him to appointments and the customer driving him back home. Worked well, especially when the charge was then $10 an hour. After Chris was finished diagnosing and fixing any and all problems, customers were exceptionally satisfied as they were finally again flying high in cyberspace.
Diagnosed with ADHD, Chris put his intense concentration to good use. He got his first computer around age six and immediately started saving money from chores and holiday gifts to buy a faster model by age seven. He built his first computer when he was 12 and sold his first custom-built computer that year too.
Since that time, Chris has logged over 4,000 appointments inside Big Canoe. He’s just coming off his heaviest month ever (November) in which he had 190 home appointments for repairs. From 2016 to 2018 he worked every single day and only took Christmas and Thanksgiving off. No surprise he added over 50,000 miles on his first car in three years.
Does this kid ever sleep? Yep, and he found time to become an Eagle Scout too. He’s a student at Auburn now after graduating from Mountain Laurel Academy in Jasper. Chris hopes to graduate in 2022 with a degree in Business Administration. Being a good businessman, Chris invests 90 percent of his earnings in the stock market and he’s proud to say his portfolio has outperformed the market by at least 30 percent every year.
When not in college, working on computers, or investing, Chris enjoys spending time in low-stress environments with friends and family. Big Canoe is his workplace, but it’s easy for him to enjoy life here too. He likes photography, hiking, and taking walks with his girlfriend Aspen around Auburn. The young couple met at Wildwood Academy in 2014 after Chris confessed to a seven-year crush on the young lass; it was a happy day for him when Aspen finally caved in to be his girlfriend.
Chris credits his parents for his work ethic. Having their own business, they taught him the importance of good customer service. They encouraged him to leave his comfort zone to try new things and become goal-oriented. Boy has that worked well!
Chris will be going back to Auburn soon and plans to take time off from helping folks over the rush of computer panic but will post on Facebook when he’s ready to once again help conquer Big Canoe customers’ fears.
Long term, Christopher Peterson hopes to retire with enough money to run a charity full time or find a position as an executive in a company. We’re betting this young guy will own that company! He’s that good!
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