Forum

The Internet has exploded in popularity, as evidenced by the dramatic increase in e-commerce and the buying frenzy over Internet stocks. But how important is the Internet becoming to the business world? The San Fernando Valley Business Journal asks: What impact has the Internet had on your business, and is its importance growing? Felicia Clark (photo newsmaker 4-19) Project Manager, Interior Group Ware and Malcomb Architects The only thing we really use on the Internet is e-mail. It’s just helped in transferring documents quickly to consultants and customers. We send out designs over e-mail. It is growing. I use it a lot more than I used to. It’s just made business much more efficient. Lisa Gelb Gelb Enterprises/RMG Properties We use the Internet a lot. We have Lease Online. It shows all the properties that are vacant in the Valley, how much they’re selling for, where they are and who to call. (Gelb Enterprises) is on it, and we get a lot of phone calls. Vendors also have pictures on the Internet where you can look up a property. It’s definitely growing. Steve Pierce President and CEO Partners in Employment I have a PIE Web page and it’s probably one of the reasons we got our first funding through Pacific Bell. We’re a start-up company, and we’re not huge. Two years ago we knew we wanted to do motivational career assessments for high school students. The Web page involved introducing the assessment, that they can download. The Web page is a good tool for sending it out instantly instead of in the mail. Barbara Cesar President Syncro Aircraft Interiors It hasn’t had a lot of an impact on us. I imagine it probably will eventually. We don’t have a Web page now, but at some point we will do advertising on it. We don’t use the Internet daily. We don’t have time. (The Internet) really has no effect now. Duke Tonry Human Resources/Executive Director Clay Lacy Aviation We do have a Web page and use the Internet, but I’m not sure how much it affects business. There’s information (on the Web page) but it doesn’t affect how we get customers. That’s because this type of business, it’s usually person to person or established customers. Business grows whenever the economy does well. The Internet doesn’t have an effect. Gene Waldman Waldman & Co. The Internet has a pretty big impact. It enables you to not only reach customers but also do research to expand business. I just came up with a project idea about the Internet a month ago. The research I did on the Internet took about 70 hours. If I didn’t have the Internet, it would have taken at least six months to a year. I’m not exaggerating. There’s a lot of real detailed information. You have available information in front of you and can cross-reference. For research, I rely on it a lot.