Haselton could now keep only himself and one of his computers busy. He turned to Denzer for ideas about how he might put his second machine to work. Denzer introduced Haselton to the burgeoning field of multimedia, demonstrating how people were combining audio, video, and computer technology in educational and business applications. The concept sparked Haselton's imagination.
Again leveraging his knowledge of construction, Haselton developed a multimedia computer program to assess the skills of potential new hires at construction companies. Unfortunately, builders weren't interested. Then he talked with people in other businesses and discovered that they were enthusiastic about the prospect of having interactive multimedia systems aimed at their customers or employees. Haselton offered to build kiosks that could provide information in the form of music, video, and text. A computer monitor with a variety of virtual buttons would provide consumers with information. At the touch of a button, sound and images would spring to life. The kiosks would be located in high-visibility areas, such as hotel lobbies, stores, or company common areas. In addition to multimedia materials that Haselton would develop with clients, he thought he could make money by selling multimedia ads -- from, say, local restaurants or sightseeing spots -- that would run on the kiosks. His plan was to charge a daily rate for the ads, depending on how long and sophisticated they were. If he could get 100 advertisers to pay about $100 each month for an ad, a kiosk could generate $10,000 in monthly revenues. The more popular the location, the more advertisers he could draw.
In May 1994 the builder and the computer wizard went into business together. With Denzer as his partner, Gary Haselton became president of EPIC Multimedia. The team immediately began gathering the high-tech gear it would need for the venture.
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Lined up on a long conference table in EPIC's office are three Micron 486DX4-100 desktop computers, two Man & Machine 486DX2-66 computer towers, a Macintosh computer, assorted color laptop computers, two color scanners, two color printers, two VCR players, three stereo systems, and a multitude of speakers. In the next office are two more Man & Machine 486DX-66s -- one is the LAN server, the other runs demos of the company's software -- and an assortment of computer boards strewn on tables.
Using this accumulation of technology, EPIC has landed 10 contracts since incorporating. Three kiosks have been placed in high-traffic retail locations (a ski shop, a cider mill, and a ski-resort lodge). A fourth is in a corporate cafeteria; it offers information to employees about company insurance plans, shows meeting agendas, and displays training videos. EPIC has agreements to install another six kiosks this summer. Haselton adds that he has had dozens of inquiries from organizations ranging from local hotels and hospitals to Fortune 500 companies.
To help support EPIC's growth, Denzer and Haselton have added a third partner, Eileen Lunati, who is also the company's full-time director of marketing and sales. The firm now has four full-time employees, two part-time employees, and an array of consultants working for it.
Haselton's greatest fear is that EPIC will become too big, too fast. "I turned down an opportunity to do a 500-computer installation in six months because it would have left us $3 million in debt," he says. Debt financing is anathema to him. He put up $150,000 in cash -- half of it from his mother -- to capitalize EPIC. "My debt load is zero, and to me that's the key to being able to run in different directions," he states emphatically. He also turned down two buyout offers from competitors, the larger of which was for a half-million dollars.
Despite its early success, EPIC remains a start-up. Haselton began working full-time for the company last October, but Denzer is still keeping his day job. Haselton has scaled back his CAD work, which earned him about $40,000 last year; he provides only basic services to a small group of existing clients. Fortunately, Cyndi is now a practicing physician and can help pay the bills.
When asked where he thinks his love affair with tools will lead him next, Haselton buzzes with high-tech schemes. "We're already planning for interactive TV, high-definition television, and satellite broadcasting," he says enthusiastically, knowing from experience the inexorable forward march of technology. "But I've learned a number of lessons about how fast technology catches up with you. You want to try the newest technology? Then you pay the highest price."
Even with his high-tech business, the master builder continues to ply his original trade. He points proudly to an inlaid tile table he made. "It's a small sideline business I have with my father-in-law," he says, doting over the handsome piece. "I still like the smell of sawdust."
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David Goodman (davgood@aol.com) is a freelance writer living in Waterbury Center, Vt. He writes frequently about technology issues.
MOVING TARGET
1979: Gary Haselton customizes VisiCalc for project estimating; adds value to his contracting business
1982: Cheap off-the-shelf project-estimating software becomes available; Haselton's edge evaporates
1988: Hired as a surveyor; learns to use CAD software
1990: Starts a building-design business based on CAD
1992: New inexpensive building-design software hits the shelves; Haselton loses customers
1993: Develops multimedia program to assess skills of potential construction-company hires; program doesn't fly
1994: Becomes president of EPIC Multimedia, supplying interactive multimedia kiosks to businesses
