by Sarah Warfield
Contributing Editor
The Earlham Word, Friday, Oct 23,
1998
If you look up the word "summersault" in the dictionary, you will find that the way that Chris Hardie and Mark Stosberg use it is an accepted alternate spelling, although their combined idea of what summersault is, proves to be of higher standards than what is normal.
"Summersault connotes youth, energy, and happiness," said Hardie of the duo's choice of words when naming the company they started together in the summer of 1997.
"The definition of a summersault is a complete revolution," explained Stosberg.
A complete revolution driven by youth and energy seems the perfect explanation of what Stosberg, a 1998 Earlham graduate and Chris Hardie, of the class of 1999, are accomplishing in cyber-space.
They have created and are running a small business that designs and hosts web pages for private companies.
But, Stosberg and Hardie stress that there company is not geared toward larger companies who may have lost some of the ideals that the team tries to promote through their business practices.
"I view web sites and the Internet as a tools for social change and communication for people," said Hardie. "[Mark and I] both have strong tendencies towards social action and we see the Internet as a great medium for that."
By offering lower rates for higher quality web service, specifically giving discounts to non-profit organizations, Hardie and Stosberg intentionally keep Summersault accessible to non-profits and other organizations who may need spots in cyber-space but are lacking in funds.
This conscious business practice seems rooted in the entrepreneurs' separate Earlham experiences.
Going beyond the Computer Science degree that Stosberg has and Hardie will soon have, both admit that the totality of an Earlham education helped them to develop a sense of how they conceptualize business practices.
Stosberg remains aware that being a politically conscious businessman is difficult.
"One thing that's been humbling about all this ... is choosing between two companies that are not the ideal companies you'd seek out because you have to pay the bills ... It's impossible to be a totally Green company or to find one to work with," Stosberg said.
The idea for the company was a result of a trip to South Carolina, where the two future business partners spent four days juggling, lying on the beach, and assessing what opportunities would exist for them after graduation.
"We thought how cool it would be not to do the big job search, to have our own company," said Hardie.
Although Summersault is in the start-up phase, the owners are quick to defend their inevitable success in the future.
Stosberg lists three steps to success. First, the web site business is lucrative in general, requiring little or no start-up capital. Second, the two are passionate about their work and are constantly challenging each other, and, third, they feel they have strong connections and a growing network of business ties.
In fact, Summersault, and the people who work there, have become part of Richmond's downtown business district in their short year of operation.
Their office is located on the old Promenade, within the network of all the other small, private Richmond companies.
Summersault can be reached at their office, at 939-9301. Their e-mail address is info@summersault.com
Check out their web page at http://www.summersault.com/
