TechniArtist brings
firms, Internet together

by: Gene Stowe, Tribune Correspondent

Patrick McIntire, who grew up with the Internet in the 1990s, now introduces his old friend to Michiana businesses so they can enjoy the benefits of the relationship.

McIntire, who started helping with print and direct mail for his parents' real estate business, was still a teenager when he started helping other businesses with technology.

"Through the early '90s as I watched the Internet begin to redefine itself as a corporate marketplace rather than an education tool, I started investigating how to carry over my skills to the World Wide Web," he explains.

"I started working on web-specific design in 1996, before many has even heard of the phrase 'dot-com.' Over the years as Web sites, marketing philosophy and the ways in which to reach consumers have grown more complex, so have I."

McIntire, who lives in Granger, started TechniArtist Media in 1999 to put his interest on a more businesslike basis.

"TechniArtist Media was formed in 1999 when I felt that all my freelance work required a more official umbrella," he says. "It became evident that it was easier to get and keep work by being able to refer to myself as a business entity rather than 'that McIntire guy.'

"As the years have crept on, I have continued to expand our services and available personnel to match emerging technologies. On the one side, we're technologists and on the other we're artists. Hence the name - TechniArtist."

Since 2000, McIntire has developed a national network of subcontractors who can work on individual projects.

"We offer Internet marketing solutions including Web site and logo design, content creation, database programming, e-commerce including secure shopping carts, audio and video streaming, search engine optimization and submission, and hosting solutions," he says.

"Our main niche is helping businesses build sites that have the national-scope look and feel at local-scope costs so everything remains affordable and realistic for the Michiana market.

"We specifically target businesses and organizations in the Michiana region that are new to thinking of the Internet as a profitable marketplace. We pride ourselves on our excellent assistance in alleviating the fears that businesses unfortunately have regarding how complex Internet marketing can be.

"We also focus on helping businesses already established on the Internet better hone their appeal to B2B and consumer surfers. As well, we have been known to take on larger projects from other areas of the nation. That's the power of the Internet: the freedom to do business outside of your regional boundaries."

Current projects include Web site redesigns for an electronics engineering and fabrication firm in Elkhart and for a steel fabrication corporation in LaPorte, and publicity Web sites for performances on this spring's season of HBO Def Poetry Jam.

The business also focuses on industries such as RV manufacturing and steel fabrication that are concentrated in Michiana and need to reach international markets.

"Many of these industries could benefit greatly from better online marketing to reach their customers; however, many of these businesses find the Internet to be a frightening new frontier.

"That's where we come in to help alleviate those fears. The internet doesn't have to be scary. We like to show them how."

About the Author

Gene Stowe is a Tribune Correspondent for the South Bend Tribune of South Bend, Indiana. His articles can be found frequently in the Focus section of the South Bend Tribune Business Weekly, and at the South Bend Tribune website.

This article was originally published in the March 22 2004 edition of the South Bend Tribune Business Weekly.