MORGANTOWN — There was no “catch” programmed in. Honest.
That’s why Booker T. Walton III would always chuckle during the inevitable pause on the other end of the line.
The equally inevitable question that followed would bring another light laugh.
“No, I’d always say, ‘There’s no catch,’ ” the technology entrepreneur said Monday.
“I’m giving you a laptop. Seriously.”
And the best part, said Walton, the founder of Morgantown-based Mountaineer Technology Consultants, was that person who was doing all that pausing had no idea what was happening.
This Christmas marked the second year for his company’s laptop giveaway.
Seven people were on the receiving end of the promotion, and if there was a catch, it was a purely altruistic one.
That is, you couldn’t nominate yourself.
Nor was it a drawing.
The idea was for you to think about a deserving person who could use the technology — but probably wouldn’t be able to afford it, otherwise.
Then, you wrote an essay telling why.
Some 30 such entries came in, Walton said, on the final day of 2018.
There were single moms writing about their daughters with honor roll GPAs, who had to work part-time after school — while keeping hospital vigils for critically ill relatives, all the while.
There were essays about parents going back to school after their jobs went away.
Add the chronicles of equal strugglers new to the digital landscape — who knew they had to learn in order to evolve, but didn’t have the means.
Walton knows what technology can do for people.
He knows what technology did for him.
He founded his company in August 2017 after working in the field for several years.
“I just thought maybe we could do it better,” he said.
Today, the four-person shop — Walton works with Andrew King, Justin Robinson and Meagan Brown — has clients across north-central West Virginia and the region, and has even extended its reach to South Dakota.
Programming, coding and computer repair. Web sites. Anything and everything.
“With remote technology, you don’t have to ‘be there’ to be there,” he said.
What he wanted to do was to be there for north-central West Virginia.
He’s a Morgantown native. King grew up in Hundred. Robinson hails from Clarksburg, and Brown is a Nicholas County native.
“This is home,” Walton said.
He even coached King’s youth league basketball teams when his once-and-future business partner was just a kid.
“Yeah, I knew Booker when he had hair,” King said.
“Thank you for that, Andrew,” Walton said, laughing.
But those essays? No laughing matter.
“Made you want to cry,” Walton said. “People have dreams. They want to achieve.”
Mountaineer Technology Consultants initially linked up with Hilleary Family Dentistry for the giveaway.
Other sponsors signed on, as well — Bad Lizard Granite, Cleaning With Class, Elite Custom Builders, Smoke N Mirrors Photography, Wanderlust Travel LLC, Morgantown Eye Associates, Integrative Counseling Solutions and Sparkle Janitorial Supply.
It was a network of goodwill, said Walton, who knows all about networks.
King agreed with his old basketball coach.
“It’s not always about ‘business,’ ” he said.
It also isn’t about catches, as said.
Except when it is.
There was a “Dad” one to go with the altruistic one, for this one.
Walton turned the promotion into a teachable moment for his two young children.
“They found out that it really is better to give than receive,” he said.
“And we’re gonna give even more away next year.”
Twitter @DominionPostWV
JBissett@DominionPost.com
