Earlham grads turn passion for Web into profit
by Beth Musgrave
Staff Writer
The Palladium-Item, Sunday, Aug 22, 1999
They say things like
"data-base driven, dynamic interfaces," "e-commerce"
and "static HTML pages."
And it ain't all
talk.
While the rest of
Wayne County might be satisfied simply surfing the Web, Chris Hardie and
Mark Stosberg, of Summersault Web site design and hosting, are building
and maintaining it.
And they're doing
it right here in Richmond, in the back corner of the Infocom office on
East Main Street, far from the hoopla of San Francisco's Silicon Valley
or Multimedia Gulch.
Although there are
other cyber junkies designing Web sites either in the comfort of their
own homes or as a sideline to their business, Summersault is the only
Web site design firm with office space dedicated from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
and beyond to Web site design.
And it's the only
Web site design firm to begin in an Earlham College dorm room in 1997,
before either Hardie or Stosberg could legally enter a bar and order a
beer.
Since its rather
humble beginnings, Summersault has designed approximately 20 Web sites
and has helped maintain and redesign many more. And that's despite the
fact that Hardie only graduated from Earlham this May. Stosberg graduated
in 1998.
Both computer science
majors, Hardie, a Cincinnati native, will turn 22 on Monday. Stosberg,
hailing from Frankfort, KY., is 23.
Young? Perhaps. You
won't catch them on their Web cam wearing three-piece Brooks Brothers
suits at work.
And yes, they have
a passion for the art of juggling.
But they aren't amateurs.
They know what they're
doing, said Nancy Wilson, director of marketing and community relations
for Reid Hospital & Health Care Services.
When Reid Hospital
wanted to revamp its Web page to make it more user-friendly, interactive
and helpful to the public, the hospital contacted Summersault.
Hardie and Stosberg
were able to create a program that would allow babies born at the hospital
to be viewed on the Web site. But the program also was written so the
nurses and clerks in the Mother-Baby Care Unit could update the information
easily.
They also worked
with the hospital to produce database-backed sections to the site, including
the physician listing and employment opportunities.
"Chris only
had to come here three times in the six months we worked together,"
Wilson said. "We mostly communicated via e-mail."
And that's how Summersault
does much of its business.
"There are some
clients we've never even met," Stosberg said.
They even send out
invoices through e-mail.
"We found that
most people prefer that," Hardie said.
Although they would
like to meet clients face-to-face, it isn't always possible. Some clients
are hundreds of miles away.
Web site design can
be as complex as Reid Hospital's, which need database backed programs,
or as simple as a one page site with basic information about the company.
"We have had
people come in and know that they need a Web site but aren't sure what
to put on it," Stosberg said. "And we've had others come in
and realize that maybe they shouldn't have let their son develop the business
Web site and they need some help."
Summersault also
hosts Web sites on its secured webserver. Stosberg and Hardie are then
able to maintain the site from a central location.
But place is not
an issue for Summersault. The Earlham graduates ran the business from
two different continents for several months.
In the spring of
1998 Hardie spent the semester in Scotland while Stosberg completed two
internships in New York City. They were able to communicate and keep track
of the company's accounts on-line.
They decided to settle
in Richmond out of necessity. Hardie had to finish school. And they liked
the small-town market. They want to be accessible to small businesses,
not-for-profits and other humanitarian organizations, Hardie said.
Although both had
internships with a Web site design firm in Cincinnati, much of what they
do everyday is self-taught, Stosberg said.
Web site design is
constantly changing, he said.
"Much of the
maintenance and technical supervision (skills) we learned at Earlham,"
Hardie said.
According to its
Web site, Summersault offers the following Web site design and hosting
services:
- Web site design
- Web site hosting
- Web site maintenance
- Database development
- Online commerce
- Consulting
- System administration
As far as running
a business, they learned what they could on the Internet, through books,
from the Infocom staff and by trial and error.
And judging by the
multiple projects listed on their dry erase board above Hardie's desk,
it's worked.
But Summersault isn't just about turning a profit, Stosberg said.
"We like to think we have the most fun, too," he said.
