Irvine Firm Inks Deal

Irvine computer maker Advanced Logic Research Inc. has signed an agreement with Micro-Age Inc., under which the Arizona-based tech products wholesaler will distribute ALR’s line of high-performance servers--the core computer that provides the basic brains and memory for a business’s network of desktop terminals.

MicroAge is ALR’s third distributor, and its largest. The company also uses Tech Data Corp. in Clearwater, Fla., and Gates/FA Distributing Inc. in Greenville, S.C.

ALR was started 13 years ago as a server designer and manufacturer, then switched its focus to personal desktop computers in the 1980s and made a big splash in the mail-order PC market before shifting back to servers and the business market about five years ago. The company’s 1996 revenue of $217 million came primarily from server sales, said marketing vice president Genevieve Ortegon.

John O’Dell can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at [email protected]