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Companies bring online world to Baldwin Article reprinted by permission.
by Curt Chapman Baldwin Countians are logging on to the Internet more than ever before and two companies here are making sure that residents and businesses alike can make the most of the online experience. PROGRESS BY DESIGN Richard J. "Dick" Scott, Jr., president of Montrose-based Site One On the Internet, a web design and hosting company, said that in Baldwin County and other areas the firm serves, businesses are finally "waking up to the fact that the Web is there." Scott said that when he founded Site One in early 1997, his biggest challenge was to explain what the Internet was. Now, the challenge is to provide content and keep it fresh, something which Scott seems to have mastered. Site One cut its teeth during its first year in business by building and maintaining a web portal designed to provide "a whole variety of information about what's going on up and down our greater Gulf Coast," said Scott. The site - www.greatergulfcoast.com - still exists and contains links to a variety of information about businesses and organizations in a 12-county area spanning Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. After tackling that first project, Site One began designing Web sites for companies and government agencies in the area. Scott said that those are his company's "bread and butter." Site One began with only two or three paid sites, said Scott. The company now has between 300 and 400 clients. Scott said that in fact, his company has "probably built more Web sites for organizations and companies than any other Web design company on the Gulf Coast." Scott noted that Site One's four full-time and two part-time staffers do not try to build the most sites though, but rather those which will bring success to the client. The company has "achieved a quality standard," said Scott. That may be why the former IBM executive does not need to advertise on a large scale to keep the company growing. Much of Site One's business actually comes from referrals and from business owners who see sites that the company has built. But, no matter how impressive a site looks, it must still meet the needs of the Web surfer who is hungry for bells and whistles. Scott said that a race is under way between access providers and content providers to meet those needs. "Those of us who provide content want to put more and more and more on," said Scott. "We want virtual tours. We want pictures that move. We want voice-over. We want all of those things to enrich the experience of visiting the web." Scott said that a conflict exists though because as more people log on simultaneously, analog phone lines get jammed and the "response time can be terribly slow. DSL, cable modems and satellite connections are changing that, said Scott, allowing Site One's work to be more readily "seen and enjoyed." The body of work is extensive and diverse. Scott's client list includes the Baldwin County Association of Realtors, the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Perdido Vineyards, the Mobile County Commission, the Mobile chapter of the American Red Cross, the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce and Honduran Disaster Relief. Scott said that he believes strongly in giving back to the community and some of the Web pages that Site One has designed for non-profit groups have been done at no charge. As Site One has grown, it has also helped south Alabama grow. The company developed a software program which allows Baldwin and Mobile county real estate listings to be uploaded twice a week and viewed online. In the past, only real estate agents had access to properties placed on the Multiple Listing Service. Several of Baldwin County's small businesses are also growing rapidly, thanks in part to Web sites designed by Site One. Not only are the companies getting their message out to a wider audience, but some are also able to provide online ordering for the first time to customers around the county and around the globe. Scott isn't shouldering the burden of helping Baldwin County grow all by himself. Among those employed by Site One and working from home are Kathy Hicks who designs graphics and layout, Darrell Dufour who provides technical support and database expertise and Linda Burris who handles office management and customer support. Scott expects that Baldwin County and the rest of the Gulf Coast will benefit even more from the Internet as time goes on. Scott called online libraries an "awesome resource" and said that there is much to be gained by obtaining health information, mortgage rates and other financial information on the Web. Scott said that time and money can often be saved just by logging on. Because the Internet never closes, Baldwin County residents can conduct business or gather information any time of the day or night. Even though Scott earns a living through Web page design, he believes that "by far, the greatest use of the Internet is e-mail." "I think my kids would have no record of the fact that I exist if they depended on a stamp and the US Mail to hear from me," said Scott. "With e-mail, it's easy and the response is easy." Scott said that demographically, use of the World Wide Web is split down the middle. Half of those online are male while the other half are female. At first, most Internet users were 20 to 30 years old and younger, but Scott said that there are signs the tide is beginning to turn the other way. "I'm glad to see that more seniors are getting involved," said Scott. But, he regrets that even though Baldwin County has a growing senior population, "by and large, they are not as involved" as the other age groups. Scott has plans for even more growth. Site One is on the verge of a major expansion to handle a growing customer base which includes clients from as far away as New York and Washington. The focus will remain on the Gulf Coast though. Scott said that in the company's primary service area, there are 1.6 million people and over 25,000 businesses, giving Site One plenty of room to grow right here at home. Scott himself is not likely to outgrow the area either. "I feel strongly about the community," said the lifelong Montrose resident. PROGRESSIVE CONNECTIONS GulfTel Internet, an offshoot of the Foley-based Gulf Telephone Company, has made a large footprint on the online landscape as well. The Internet service provider (ISP) has grown with the county, giving residents and businesses a local connection to the World Wide Web. GulfTel started with 100 customers six years ago and today, more than 12,500 such connections are in place in South Baldwin, the Eastern Shore, Bay Minette and Mobile. DSL was added to the lineup for commercial clients in Aug. 1997 and the digital service was first offered to residential customers in Jan. 2000. Bobby Hudson, director of Internet and help desk services for Madison River Communications - parent company of Gulf Telephone - said that since the provider began offering dial-up access in May of 1995, growth has been strong. Over 2,000 GulfTel DSL modems are currently in use although right now, that service is limited to the south end of the county where the majority of Gulf Telephone's lines are strung. Hudson said that over the next five years, he expects GulfTel will experience "tremendous growth" and plans to work toward providing all homes in its service area with high speed data capabilities. According to Hudson, GulfTel is also exploring emerging technologies which might be used to "deliver a variety of services over [its] current facilities." Hudson said that the company hopes to provide a means of data delivery to enhance the leisure needs of its home users and provide its business clients with a "vehicle for more cost efficient business practices." Unlike Site One, GulfTel does not currently offer web design services, but Hudson did not rule out the possibility of one day adding them to the menu. The company does however offer Web site hosting. Hudson noted that the Internet and other uses of new technology, such as telecommuting (working at home via the computer) and distance learning, can only improve the quality of life for all Baldwin Countians. FYI:
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