Greg Pylant runs a diagnosis on a computer in need of repair at BSI Eagle Computer Solutions in Gardendale.

Greg Pylant has been working with computers since he was 14 years old.

Now he works at BSI Eagle Computer Solutions in Gardendale. He builds computers from the ground up for customers, repairs broken computers and sells computer parts, armed only with his over 30 years of experience.

“I’ve never taken any classes. Everything I know I’ve learned from books and from experience,” said Pylant. He’s worked at Eagle for a little over a year; his resume is full of jobs where he quickly worked his way into IT departments at jewelry stores and even one meat distributor.

One of his favorite parts of his job is building a custom computer for a customer.

“I like being able to build things,” he said. “People come in and they have an idea of what they want, and we kind of ask them what they’re going to do with the computer, like if they want a gaming machine or if it’s for school or their office.”

He said repairing computers can be challenging, especially if one comes in with a virus that just can’t be beat, but there are plenty of triumphs, too.

“Sometimes people will come in with something they don’t have much hope for, and we’ll end up being able to fix it after all,” he said. “I like the customer service part. I like being able to do something for them that nobody else can do.”