The Company:
Multi Path Communications (MPC) was founded in 1984 by Stan Gondek to provide services to mini-computer users. Services included system integration, setup, and support. Programming services and time-sharing were also provided. In 1986 the PC started making inroads into the mini-computer market to the point where mini-computer users were leaving their much beloved(?) mini systems for PCs. Unlike many others in the mini-computer market, MPC saw this as an exciting technology boom and a growing business opportunity which we heavily involved ourselves in.

The Owner:
Stan got the electronics bug in high school and, being a shy person (even trained in classical music), he sought to build silent and invisible pain field generators to get back at the people who always picked on him. He was always tinkering with the latest developments in electronics. He picked up his HAM radio license (WD8RYB) and successfully tortured all of his neighbors with horrific radio and television interference. They pretty much left him alone because “...that little nerd might ZAP us with something!” His interest in state of the art technology continues today.

Stan had also raced motorcycles since he was a kid and, growing up during classic mega-horsepower factory car years, had a passion for high powered small block Chevy engines stuffed into the smallest cars he could find. He lived by simple mottos like “if there isn't a hole in the hood....you need a bigger engine” and “if you have got room for a passenger....the engine isn’t big enough”.

The PC, MIDI controlled music synthesizers, and software sequencers made it possible for Stan to indulge in his electronic and music passions. Always looking toward state of the art products and services, he turned MPC toward this new and exciting electronic music business. With a four Kurzweil synthesizers, a Roland digital sampler and drum machine, Yamaha and JBL sound system, and Cakewalk sequencing software running on a PC, we were ready to take the computer music business by storm. Well we were a bit early on this one as the only storm we saw was on TV with some young gal and a dog over there in Kansas. We did learn a lot about MIDI and PCs though.

The fact that the MIDI stuff did not take off didn’t worry old Stan. He figured that with all of the stuff we had learned about PCs, especially which parts worked the best together and lasted the longest, we should start building and selling our own. Word got around that Stan was building and selling PC systems and, with his reputation for putting together fast and tough stuff, the business really took off.

New Product Development:
While trying to come up with a different angle on sales, Stan looked up some of his old racing buddies. They kicked around some ideas about portable computers and how it would be nice to have information on how to set up and adjust the car before getting to the track. They did a lot of bench racing and planted the seed in Stan's head for the Turbo Charged Engine and Transmission Builder© program.

Now you read somewhere above about Stan’s simple mottos, well that hasn’t changed. Stan decided that we needed a special advertising program to tell people how fast our computers were so, in 1989 he built a special VW powered sand rail and Turbo Charged it. Turbo Charging is done easily today but back when Stan did it well, let me tell you, we had welders in five counties that would not answer their phones if they heard Stan was going to call. He was driving them all crazy with the how's and whys of what he wanted built. He did get what he wanted.

Now Stan had never played around with this “small VW stuff” but I swear he got that thing to generate more horsepower than those small block Chevys he used to run. Running at the sand drags all you could see was this monster Holley carburetor sticking up through the rollcage with a giant cloud of track spitting up behind it. He attacked hillclimbs the same way. Check this out in the Photo Section.

Where this is all leading is that Stan never would tell folks how he got that sand rail to run so good. Well I’m here to tell you, after we spent a ton of money on calculators and paper and could never find the right piece of paper at the right time, Stan remembered the bench racing suggestions of his racing buddies and wrote the Turbo Charged Engine and Transmission Builder© program to do all of his calculating.

Now he had all of the formulas he needed in one place. No more stacks of paper and reference books, all he had to do was turn on the computer and everything was there. It became so easy that I watched him configure up 4 engines and two transmissions in a matter of minutes where as it used to take a couple of days with the calculator and paper.

The program has been tested and retested with the results verified 100%. because Stan was using the results to set up his engine and transmission combinations. One other thing, by mistake he left one of his personal ‘secret’ engine and transmission configurations in the program. It was one of the setups that we used to verify the program with. If you really know what you are doing you will be able to pick out which ones they are.

If you think I am just telling you a story, let me prove to you otherwise. I have included a picture of his latest engine. If you look at it real close you can still see his trademark, that Holley carb sticking up through the rollcage (notice the 727 on the side).

If you look especially close at the heads you will also see fuel injector throttle bodies. Now peer down under the carb and you will see the NOS selenoids. I know what your saying, “turbo charged, carburetor and fuel injection, and NOS.......thats crazy!”.

I know it and you know it but that is how its set up. Why I would be willing to put up a wager that if you see this sand rail at the strip that is exactly what you will see cause that is not some ‘tricked up’ photograph.

To sum this all up let me say that the software is selling very well. In fact we have even shipped copies of it to Germany, France, England, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Australia, New Zeland, Canada, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Hong Kong, Malayasia and Indonesia and the list is still growing.

The Company Policy:
On the matter of PCs, Stan is as much of a stickler for performance and durability. If a manufacturer's product will not meet or exceed current standard benchmarks, it will not be found in an MPC system. If a manufacturer will not warranty their product for a minimum of three years, it will not be found in an MPC system. With that said, you will not find any 'bargain basement' systems at MPC as you see advertised at the local discount houses or mail order houses. By the same token, our pricing is very competitive with major name brand systems.

The Services:
If you need a PC configured to your specifications, no matter how ‘weird’ some of the discount or mail order computer houses tell you it is, we will not only build it for you, but we will also install any applications software on it and make sure that works also. That includes servers, desk top PCs, MIDI control stations, graphics and video development stations, real time I/O controllers, or special ‘one of a kind’ configurations including multiple CPUs.

We work with DOS/Windows, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95abc, Windows 98/98SE, Windows ME/XP/2000/ VISTA, and Windows NT-3.5/40 on a daily basis.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.....send us an E-Mail and let us know what you think of our products and how we can make them better for you.

Ed