Cynthea Wight Hausman is all about relaxation and beauty at her Church Street business, Cynthea's Spa. It's a far cry from the fast-paced world of luge. Wight Hausman is a former world-class competitor. "It's a really incredible feeling!" she beams.
Now, a recent tragedy has the spa owner coming out of retirement. "The luge community is very small and we're very tight-knit," she explains.
The business owner will compete in a master's luge race late this month in Lake Placid, New York as a tribute to Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21 year old Georgian slider killed in a training run right before the Winter Olympic Games. "It was pretty devastating," the retired athlete says, her eyes welling up with tears.
Wight Hausman will use her race to raise money for the family of the late athlete. The fundraiser is getting some help from a new "Made in Vermont" website called inlu.com. "I expect it will be a go-to planning tool," says company co-founder Jamaica Jenkins of South Burlington.
Two moms and a tech guru have been developing the site that mixes social networking, electronic cards, and cash-gathering. Users blast out messages to friends and relatives inviting them to a party or other event. The website's name, "inlu," is a play on the French term "in lieu," meaning "in place of."
In lieu of gifts, the site suggests visitors give cash, either to donate to charity or to buy the party's honoree a specific present. "That will be great," says co-founder Monica Ostby, "because you get what you want and you're not getting a bunch of stuff that will end up in the landfill."
Ostby has a background in product marketing. Her business partner, Jamaica Jenkins, is a writer for websites. They both have struggled to organize group gifts and have had plenty of unwanted presents at their kids' birthday parties. They figured others would want a way to eliminate waste and hassle, and save time shopping by giving cash. "We've had people collect funds for a high-end bottle of champagne, {lots of} interesting gifts," Jenkins says.
The site makes it clear the owners are taking a cut of $1.25 per transaction. Users also pay a percentage to cover credit card companies' fees. In just its first few months, inlu.com has tallied hundreds of events organized with its tools.
The company says Vermont's independent and creative spirit, plus its casual attitude, make it the perfect place for web businesses. Technology manager Kevin Mara says, "It's just a great place to live and a great place to start a business like this."
Back at Cynthea's Spa, the luge athlete-turned-aesthetician has high hopes for her "I Slide 4 Nodar" project. "I'm just trying to raise as much money as I possibly can," Wight Hausman says.
The business owner is connecting to a world of donors thanks to inlu.com.
The "Made in Vermont" website has a patent-pending system that figures out carbon offsets for giving cyber-gifts instead of real gifts. The company plants trees whenever its user totals hit certain offset points.
Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment