SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY

Growing North: Advanced Logic Research Inc., a personal computer manufacturer in Irvine, said Monday that it is expanding its presence in Canada by signing a reseller agreement with one of Canada’s largest computer retail chains.

ALR’s line of personal computers will be sold by Crowntek Business Centres Inc., a chain of 18 stores that focuses on computer sales to major Canadian corporations. Crowntek reported sales of more than $300 million last year.

ALR will add about seven people to its 18-member staff in Canada and open a warehouse in Markham, Ontario, said Dave Kirkey, ALR’s vice president of international sales. The company reported more than $15 million in Canadian sales for its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, roughly 10% of the company’s overall revenues.

“We want to be the No. 3 brand-name product behind IBM and Compaq,” Kirkey said.

AST Research Inc., another Irvine-based PC manufacturer, announced two weeks ago that it also plans to increase its sales and support staff in Canada and open a warehouse as a result of the U.S.-Canada free-trade agreement.

While computer sales are growing more slowly than in the United States because of the recession, Stewart Davis, president and chief executive of Crowntek, said his company hopes to gain greater market share by offering a more complete line of products.

“With ALR, we have an alternative brand,” he said.