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WEBSPINNERS New Groove
Mi-Biz West, April 2001

Anthony Blair, President of WEBSPINNERS plans some momentous changes for the four year old Muskegon-based company at a time when plenty of WEBSPINNERS contemporaries are wondering where their next venture capital meal will come from.

Blair told MiBiz that WEBSPINNERS will have a downtown Grand Rapids sales and marketing office open May 1st at 38 West Fulton. "This is the right time to move into Grand Rapids for two reasons. First, it is such a large market. And second, because no one is really established as the source for Web development. There just isn't a number-one n Web development like McDonald's is number-one in hamburgers."

WEBSPINNERS employment will reach 11 when the Grand Rapids office opens. Blair is not going to forget about the firm's Muskegon roots Its headquarters will remain the center of the company's Web development, programming and production operations. Blair also plans to offer a wide range of new services in the coming months, under the umbrella of a new division, Flair New Media.

In the next two months, Flair New Media will begin offering Multimedia services like video streaming. Add those services to the e-business and strategic development consulting that WEBSPINNERS has offered since day-one, and Blair said he feels the company is offering a complete package."

"The days of just having a brochure on a company Web site are history. This is the way the game is played now. A lot of companies are searching for ways to make their operations more efficient and cost-effective. We will be able to give companies the competitive edge they need."

How is it that WEBSPINNERS can grow, while other high tech companies have been crashing left (on the West Coast) and right (on the East Coast)? The answer is simply that Blair has kept his eyes and ears open. By watching the misfortunes of others, they have learned what can be done on the Internet and what should never, ever be done again on the Internet. All the while, WEBSPINNERS has experienced phenomenal growth.

One lesson that many high tech start-ups have learned the hard way is that good ideas need good money. That lesson has not been lost on Blair. He believes the bottom line supports his plans. Revenue grew by four percent in 2000, compared to year ago figures. But that is nothing compared to this year. First quarter 2001 revenue has already out-paced the entire calendar year of 2000, Blair said.

Blair's goals for 2001 include much more than just improving the companies bottom line. He also wants WEBSPINNERS to become a force for bettering the Muskegon Community.

WEBSPINNERS' PC Gift program division is one way that Blair wants to attack the problem of the digital divide. Working in conjunction with the Muskegon County Family Independence Agency, the Urban League of Greater Muskegon and Muskegon Community Foundation, the company is creating a pilot program to provide refurbished computers to low income households.

"Hopefully, we will be able to pitch that to Lansing and make it a statewide program," Blair said.

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