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Mark Orzen had little interest in the traditional trappings of the high-tech world when he set out to secure a new home for his consulting firm, Progressive Computing Corp.
What he found in a posh, seven-acre estate in Willoughby, complete with a carriage house and a swimming pool -- is about as far from late-1990s glitz as Mr. Orzen could get.
The company's new home, 7041 Hodgson Road, is a three-building complex that dates to the 1830s. About 30 employees work there and provide CAD-CAM and information technology consulting services, primarily from a 7,000-square-foot main house that contains six bedrooms, three bathrooms and five fireplaces.
"I'm turned off by stuffiness and high-profile glass buildings," said Mr. Orzen, president and founder of Progressive Computing. "I wanted a campus that's airy and offers a fun culture to employees and guests."
The primary appeal of the estate's new use as a high-tech training center is that it contrasts nicely with the sterility of technology, Mr. Orzen said. Progressive Computing assists manufacturers in a variety of industries in implementing engineering software technology.
"Technology itself is cold," Mr....