Internet Solutions Inc.

Internet Solutions Offers Web Service, Computer Consulting

It’s a familiar story, to a certain extent: People who want better, faster Internet access get together and buy a dedicated, high-speed connection to the Internet. They enjoy it so much that they decide to sell the access to others. Next thing you know, they’ve got a thriving business on their hands.

That’s part of the story at Jonesboro’s Internet Solutions Inc., the brainchild of James Martin.

But as ISI pursued Internet access business in the Jonesboro area, a twist on the typical formula emerged: Martin discovered that in order to convince the big hospitals and banks in town to hook in to the Internet, he had to help them upgrade their computer networks.

So ISI slowly started selling and configuring hardware and network software for customers. Today, about 50 percent of the business’ revenue comes from such consulting, and the other 50 percent from a combination of dial-up Internet access and web publishing – creating and hosting client web pages.

One of the reasons Martin started the business was that he was suffering “burnout” from working in the family business, office furniture company David Martin Inc. “I was a registered interior designer,” Martin says. “I worked on a lot of really larger interior design projects.”

The work familiarized him with computer-assisted drawing (CAD) software network maintenance, and ultimately led to his interest in the Internet.

The 15-employee company now does business with some of the biggest operations in town, including St. Bernards Regional Medical Center, Hummelstein Iron and Metal and the city’s three largest real estate companies.

It took $50,000 to start the business, Martin says, and the investment has probably risen to $250,000 over time. ISI pulled in about $1.2 million in revenue last year, up from $750,000 the year before.

Soon, Martin hopes to develop specialized Internet software applications that can be customized for clients around the country.