Some people just can’t sit still. They are always running one business while starting a project that leads to another business, and when there is spare time, they find a way to purchase yet another business. Those people are called entrepreneurs and Joe Opatik has maximized his opportunities over the years.
Opatik and wife Norma Jean started One-Stop Realty years ago. Joe ran the office and Norma Jean was the broker. In fact, she is the broker for Realty Executives in Action at present. He is also a licensed home inspector and has worked as a department supervisor for the local Home Depot.
Joe, however, started a project to turn his 3,700-square-foot home into a green living space. The house is powered entirely by solar and Opatik said, “It’s great. I did it myself and we don’t have an electric bill.”
His success led to the opening of Affordable Solar and he is continuing to provide various solar setups for local residents. He said his products are the same as the solar companies in Las Vegas but, “I don’t charge as much.
“We had someone get a bid from a Las Vegas company to convert their home to solar. The price was about 37 percent higher than our bid.”
He said with the housing market coming back, there is a possibility he may offer services to builders in the Las Vegas area.
“They don’t think about looking outside the metro area to get good service with a better price. I’d like to work with builders as houses are going up. It’s easier and cheaper to install at that point than to convert a home and make it an add-on. The house is just marketed as a green home.”
While running his solar business, the Boost Mobile company located next door to his solar business just happened to come up for sale. Opatik purchased the wireless phone business but has renovated the business model.
“I’m expanding services to include all of the carriers, not just what Boost offers.”
Pahrump Wirelesss, located at 141 S. Frontage Road, Unit B, is across the highway from Albertson’s. Opatik said he can handle accounts for T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Virgin Mobile, and off-shoots of those brands.
The store also carries phones, including the newest in smart phones and Opatik said, “If you don’t see it, I can order it.” He also said those plans with unlimited talk, text and data can be set up as personal hot spots to stream music, games and other data.
Pahrump Wireless also has a new line of phones with dual SIMS cards, which means users can have two phone numbers on one phone. Opatik said the technology is just making its way into the market.
Opatik said what motivated him to purchase the business was finding out first-hand how much money he could save by converting his about-to-expire contract to a monthly payment with no contract.
“If someone is on a contract that is expiring, they really should come in and see what a monthly plan can save them.”
He said the business was closed for a month while he acquired licenses to handle multi-carriers. “When you’re already on a monthly plan, closing the doors isn’t ideal. Those people come in to pay their bill and wind up going to another provider. I want them to know the store is back and I think personal service and a variety of options will make this business blossom.”
To celebrate, Pahrump wireless is offering accessories at 30 percent off, and if residents import their existing phone numbers to a new plan, Opatik is offering $100 discount on smart phone upgrades.