Geek Squad

By Anthony Aleman Geek Squad Lifestyle

14 Jul: Indiana Geek Squad Agents surprise 9-year-old gamer with new gear

For two Geek Squad Agents in Indiana, a seemingly routine computer setup job turned into an opportunity to help a little girl build on her dreams.

The duo, Kyle Shephard and Tyler Derouin, arrived on site at the home of a 9-year-old girl who is a star student and avid gamer. Their task was to get her computer up and running, but there were issues with the processor fan and internal graphics card — two critical components of computer gaming.

“We got it to work, but it wasn’t going to play a ton of games very well,” Kyle said.

By Nadvia Davis Company News Geek Squad

30 Jun: Geek Squad Academy celebrates 15-year anniversary

At Geek Squad Academy (GSA), anytime someone says the word “cool,” the response is always “very cool.”

This year, the Best Buy-sponsored educational program has something very cool to celebrate: 15 years of inspiring students around the country through interactive technology camps. Participants get to learn about coding, digital music, video game design and more during fun, hands-on activities. To commemorate the program’s anniversary, custom T-shirts and posters were designed with “15 Seasons of Very Cool” branding.

“It’s rewarding to see it change over the years,” said Agent and frequent GSA volunteer Ricky Noriega.

By Natalie Albers Geek Squad Lifestyle

22 Nov: Longest-tenured Geek Squad Agent hits milestone anniversary

John Dahlquist didn’t plan to ask Geek Squad’s founder for a job back in 1996, but that spontaneous pitch turned into what’s become a quarter-century career — and counting.

“The rest, as they say, is history,” he said.

Earlier this month, Agent Dahlquist became the first recipient of a Geek Squad 25-year badge. The one-of-a-kind, gold-plated icon was presented to him in a special ceremony, complete with a custom cake and the presence of more than 100 fellow Agents, teammates, leaders and friends.

By Anthony Aleman Geek Squad Lifestyle

10 Sep: She started as a cashier, now she’s a top Geek Squad manager

Yaquira Resto didn’t start her career in Best Buy working in tech, but now she’s running one of the top-performing Geek Squad precincts in the company.

The Puerto Rico native started as a cashier at a store in Puerto Rico in 2008. She became a service operations manager before leaving to work at another tech company for a few years.

Yaquira returned to Best Buy in 2018 and now serves as a Geek Squad manager at our San Juan location. She leads a team of 35 Geek Squad Agents who serve thousands of customers each month.

By Nadvia Davis Geek Squad Lifestyle

07 Apr: Geek Squad Agent rescues mother, daughter in rollover crash

Geek Squad Agent Andrew Ward was driving down an icy Kansas highway in February when the car in front of him was clipped by another vehicle and flipped over. It landed with its wheels in the air and roof caved into the concrete.

His heart thumping, Andrew, who was on his way to help with a refrigerator installation, pulled over.

“My first instinct was to jump out and help. No matter who it was,” he said. “This could be anybody. It could have been my wife or my neighbor.”

By John Vomhof Jr. Geek Squad Lifestyle

21 Oct: Ohio first grader wins Halloween with Geek Squad Costume

Most 6-year-old boys will probably be wearing superhero costumes for Halloween this year, but not Aidan Markworth. He’s dressing as a Geek Squad Agent.

The Ohio first grader already has the persona nailed down. He has a white shirt, a black clip-on tie and a serious love of technology.

“He desperately wants to work at the Geek Squad,” said his mom, Kelly. “He breaks down and starts to cry when I tell him his has to wait 12 more years.”

Aidan’s passion for technology started with a child’s tablet and asking the Google Mini questions.

By John Vomhof Jr. Geek Squad Lifestyle

21 Oct: Geek Squad Agent’s Family Goes All Out for Halloween

Derek Meister’s family is to Halloween what the Griswolds are to Christmas.

For the past 25 years, they’ve decked out their suburban Cleveland home with hundreds of decorations every October. They have about 30 giant yard inflatables, a graveyard full of Styrofoam tombstones and even a high-tech light show.

“People start coming by while we’re setting it up,” said Derek, a longtime Geek Squad Agent. “Some places don’t even do trick-or-treating anymore, but we still get about 200 kids every year on Halloween.”

By Best Buy Geek Squad Lifestyle

02 Sep: Geek Squad Manager Helps WWII Vet Get Reconnected

Kelvin Tolston lives every day like it could be his last because one day it almost was.

He was hit by a drunk driver 10 years ago, and the wreck almost cost him his life. He was put in a medically induced coma and lost sight in his right eye.

For Kelvin, every moment matters — and the Geek Squad manager brings that philosophy to how he treats customers, too.

“I’ve been through times I needed people to do stuff for me I couldn’t do for myself,” he said.

By Best Buy Community Relations Company News Diversity and Inclusion Geek Squad

26 Feb: Best Buy returns to its girls-only roots for first 2020 Geek Squad Academy

Geek Squad Academy is an educational program that partners with local nonprofits and other youth organizations that share a focus on teaching youth and teens about technology.

For most students, a Monday off from school could seem like a perfect time to sleep or hang with friends. On Jan. 20, 40 girls chose to spend their free day getting hands on with tech at a Best Buy Geek Squad Academy.

They were from Project Scientist, a national program that exposes girls as young as 4 to science, technology, engineering and math careers.

By John Vomhof Jr. Geek Squad Lifestyle

30 Dec: Geek Squad Agents reflect on 20th anniversary of Y2K

Andy Bork spent Dec. 31, 1999, at Geek Squad’s original precinct in Minneapolis, helping prepare for the yet-unknown impact of the so-called Y2K crisis.

“We had all hands on deck, waiting to see what would happen,” recalls Agent Bork, who was one of about 10 full-time Agents at the time.

The problem — made prevalent in headlines in the months leading up to the new year — was that computers only processed dates in two digits, which meant that the coming year 2000 would be indistinguishable from 1900.

By Suzanne Hilker Company News Geek Squad

06 Sep: Geek Squad Academy Brings Another Summer of Tech Fun

We just wrapped up another epic season of Geek Squad Academy (GSA). That means 10,000 teens from across the United States learned new skills and got hands-on with the latest technology.

GSA is nothing like a traditional classroom experience. You definitely won’t find a textbook. What you will find is a two-day camp with BB-8 robots used for teaching coding, Legos for stop-motion animation and of course iPads for music production. And more.

We couldn’t have done it without all 1,200 Best Buy employees who volunteered as instructors and helpers.

By Best Buy Geek Squad Lifestyle

06 Aug: Geek Squad Agent donates kidney to colleague

You can work with people for years and not know much about them. Unless you’re like Katie Moran, a social butterfly who knows just about everyone at Best Buy’s Geek Squad City.

Katie, a Geek Squad Agent at the technology-repair facility in Kentucky, noticed that friend and colleague Agent Mike Beams was missing a lot of work.

“When it kept happening, I started asking him more questions about what’s going on,” Katie said.

She learned Mike was sick and getting sicker.

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