Staff Writer

When it came time for Pat Geer to retire from BellSouth and secure office space for a business he had already started in anticipation of his gold watch and testimonial dinner, he didn’t have to look very far – 11 floors to be exact.

Geer left the company in 2003 after following a tried-and-true career path.

“I was a traditional BellSouth guy,” he said. “I started by climbing poles and then worked my way up into management.”

After starting an IT consulting and Internet services business in his home, Geer leased a one-room office at the AT&T Tower when he retired from telecommunications management and relocated from the 15th floor to the 4th floor. He moved two desks into the small space and Geer Services, Inc. was up and running. Geer’s son, Richard, joined the family business a few years later. The original office is now a storage room for a much larger office suite and the Geers are considering expanding the business again into another space next door.

The father and son already had a wealth of experience sharing the same career. Both served in the National Guard and were featured in a 1994 issue of “Air Force Times” when they received Superior Performance awards after an Operational Readiness Inspection at Jacksonville International Airport.

In the years since the business opened the company has grown into a full-service provider of Web site development, design and hosting plus database management, graphic design and consulting.

Pat Geer, a veteran of Downtown business, serves on the board of the Downtown Council of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce and Geer Services maintains the council’s Web site.

The firm’s long list of clients includes CSX, the State Attorney’s Office and Web design and maintenance for Twisted Martini and Mavericks.

When he joined the family business, Richard Geer made the transition from going to work in Baymeadows to reporting for duty Downtown every day. It was an adjustment but it didn’t take long to discover what the neighborhood has to offer.

“It took me a few months to get used to working Downtown but I like being able to park in the garage across the street from the office and walk to lunch or to meet a client,” he said.

“I’ve worked in this building since it opened,” said Pat Geer. “I wanted to stay here to be close to CSX and now we’re going to be close to the new courthouse.”

mmarbut@baileypub.com

356-2466