THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 23, 1996 TAG: 9610220098
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: EARNING A LIVING IN VIRGINA BEACH
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 82 lines
Several years ago, Tom Kasmark designed a glow-in-the-dark light switch plate for the McGruff ``Take a Bite Out of Crime'' program.
Now, he it trying to take a bite out of the Internet.
The crime fighting dog's light switches sold well enough. But if Kasmark had had the computer web site options he does now, who knows how many would have been marketed.
``That's the whole idea behind web sites on the Internet,'' said Kasmark, a 36-year-old Virginia Beach resident and creator of a new business, Web Wiser World Inc. ``It's such a powerful tool. Web storefronts can look the same for a guy selling a T-shirt as they can for a guy selling large commercial properties.
``They can be made simple or extravagant.''
Kasmark, a 1979 graduate of Kellam High, has used his business sense in the past. He got started in screen printing while in high school, skipped college and started his own screen-printing company, designing, printing and marketing for firms such as Walt Disney and Champion Sportswear, and for some celebrities.
He later sold his business interests and discovered the computer world.
The idea behind his new venture is simple. It basically puts customers on-line, where anyone logged on can call up the particular web site and get information on the customer's business and/or service.
Kasmark operates out of his home office in rural Virginia Beach and employs eight data entry and programming people who work out of their homes, too.
Everything is done on-line through E-mail and faxes.
The opportunities are vast, he said. ``The sky's the limit with this stuff.'' More than 100 million people worldwide are on the Internet every day and nearly 85 percent of all web sites are in English. Nearly 2 million people sign on to use cyberspace technology every month, and updates on sites can be done as often as needed.
``Think of the potential to a business,'' Kasmark said. ``More than $7 billion in commerce was spent on the Internet last year and that's going to do nothing but grow. No matter if it's reading updates on magazines or tips on making wine, it's all on there.
``I've seen mom and pop companies that were just scraping by get on the net and explode into major corporations because of the people they can reach on the computer.''
Because of contacts made over the years in the screen printing and textile business, Kasmark has already lined up some major clients.
But Internet web sites aren't just for the big players in business. ``You can do a $500 site that will no doubt help your operation tremendously,'' he said. ``Or you can have a $50,000 site that is incredible to see. Whatever fits your budget or needs, it can all be done.
``And the bottom line is that your product is going to reach a larger audience by being on-line.''
Programmers in Kasmark's firm can constantly update information on any site, making last-minute pricing changes or any other useful corrections.
``The problem with most web sites is that they get lost in cyberspace,'' Kasmark said. ``There is so much information out there that lots of it is hard to find. That's where we come in. We design the storefront and constantly push it to areas where it's going to be easy to find.
``It's just amazing all the stuff,'' he said.
Like he did in other ventures, Kasmark jumped into the Internet with a vengeance and learned as much as possible.
He attended an Internet marketing school in Provo, Utah, and learned from Gary Cochran, an infomercial guru who has helped sell $88 million in products on the Internet in the last two years.
Cochran's technicians and programmers developed a package Kasmark said is unique in the fast-growing stages of on-line marketing.
``It appears to me that to make it big, or to just improve things, going on-line is a must,'' Kasmark said. ``It's the fastest-growing informational tool in the world.''
And Kasmark plans to take a bite out of it. MEMO: Web Wiser World Inc. and Kasmark can be reached at 518-5201. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LEE TOLLIVER
Tom Kasmark, 36, operates Web Wiser World Inc. from his home in
rural Virginia Beach and employs eight data entry and programming
people who work out of their homes, too. Everything is done on-line
through E-mail and faxes. by CNB