Mediumhigh.com Owner: Shawn Barrieau When Shawn Barrieau was studying television and films at the University of Southern Maine three years ago, he took a computer technology course. That class sparked an interest in Website design. Since then, Barrieau moved to Bellingham to study at Western Washington University and started his own video production company, AIM Multimedia. About a year ago, he set out to create a Web site for his business as part of a class. After this assignment, I began to look at Web-page designing as yet another production medium that has a great impact on our mass media and a terrific appeal to a creative person as myself, he explains. Barrieau found a number of his existing video clients who needed Web sites created for their businesses. I jumped right in, he says, “and it s been one of the most enjoyable things I ve ever done. The business was formally renamed AIM Multimedia and Web Design in July, then became Mediumhigh.com to reflect its Web site. Barrieau says the new name came from his theory that our culture is on a “high with media. We re so connected to every device and every medium in every way in our lives, he observes. “It s definitely the wave of the future. Mediumhigh.com has no employees, but Barrieau consults with a network of people who specialize in various fields such as databases and graphic design. For example, its Web site is connected with Computer Systems and Services of Bellingham, which has been designing and maintaining networks since 1988 and is certified in Microsoft and Novell. Also, Barrieau says his wife, Heather, a chemist at Georgia-Pacific, is a primary source of encouragement and provides help on Web design. Besides designing sites, Barrieau also can recreate or update existing sites. He is also working with a number of businesses to develop e-commerce sites. Internet strategy for any business is a good plan for its future, a solid investment of minimum cost that will more than pay for itself, he explains. While at the University of Southern Maine, Barrieau was general manager of the campus television station, creating student and faculty productions, managing a $20,000 budget and overseeing 25 student employees. During the past five years, he has worked on many video productions ranging from weddings to informational documentaries for businesses. Barrieau says his film production work is not going by the wayside. He sees this expansion into Website design as an opportunity to increase his skills in this area through the Internet, with Web television in the future. We re in an age when there should be no shortage of new ideas in an economy that can support them, he says. “We have the gift of freedom of expression and a responsibility to uphold the virtues on which that freedom was created. Urban
Edge Gym Owners:
Mel and Quinn Young For a head-to-toe session on improving your body and health, the owners of Urban Edge Gym say they can help in innumerable ways. The complete-service fitness facility is the culmination of 10 years of planning and learning about the industry, says Quinn Young, co-owner of the club with her husband Mel. Between them, they hold licenses and certification for fitness, exercise, diet planning, herbal nutrition and martial arts that emphasize self-defense. Our idea began with a salon, then it expanded into a ‘day spa, (i.e., all the services and atmosphere of a spa, minus the hotel-like environment), Young declares. “We wanted to combine a fitness center that has the spa service, so the fitness aspect was going to be part of it all along. Urban Edge has programs that run the spectrum of health and beauty services, including several features that Young says are unique to the area. We have a live DJ for our aerobics classes and the result is a lot more energy, Young remarks. “We ve put in club-quality sound systems, and one thing we re really excited about is our cycling classes. We re planning on installing video screens that riders can watch while they work out. They ll see things like mountain bike trails, and that makes the whole experience much more enjoyable, she adds. “It ll be like a ‘mini-IMAX theater. Urban Edge opened Nov. 15 in a business center across from Izzy s Pizza. Its hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Urban Edge offers massage therapy, a hair salon, tanning services, espresso, juice and protein drinks and numerous health-related retail products. Customers can break a sweat on top-of-the-line equipment in the fitness area, Young says. Along with our suspended aerobics facility, we re the exclusive club in Whatcom County for Star Trac cycles, she states. “We have the latest gear in weight machines and the biggest selection of Life Fitness equipment. We have instructors who are being taught how to use different equipment, so we re constantly working on education. The club has six tanning beds and the spa section offers massages and facials. We want to establish ourselves as the one-stop spa and fitness choice, Young says. – Craig Parrish 2 Louies Ballroom Owner: Louie Gadini In the movie “The World According To Garp, Robin Williams tells his wife they must buy a house that has just been rammed by a falling airplane. His reasoning? Since the house has been “pre-disastered, the odds are astronomical that anything bad could happen to it again. In a similar scenario, although not quite so severe, 2 Louies Ballroom, the impressive Blaine nightclub and restaurant that opened Nov. 19, lost electrical power on Saturday night, Dec. 11, when a wayward car struck a power pole about three blocks north of the club. The 2 Louies lost juice from about 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. However, in a scene that was part surreal, part heartwarming, most of the 300-plus people who had gathered to hear local favorite Flashback were still around at midnight, agreeably munching complimentary chips and salsa by candlelight. Gleaning a positive result from potential disaster bodes well for the club s future. It has attracted a stellar lineup of national and international acts, including Leon Russell, Canned Heat, Jumbalassy, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Loverboy and Blue Oyster Cult. The club is owned by Louie Gadini, owner of Seattle s Ballard Firehouse and a 20-year veteran of the restaurant and entertainment industry. Running the show at 2 Louies is manager Bart Leland. While the club s entertainment calendar emphasizes national touring groups, he says local talent won t be ignored. We ll be doing a multi-formatted quality entertainment calendar and this community has been very receptive so far, Leland remarks. We will feature local acts as often as possible and the level of musicianship is going to be far and above what you probably would see. Leland is quick to point out the 11,570-square-foot club s numerous attractions: room for 1,000 patrons, a sparkling refurbished bar designed for high service, and impressive sound and lighting systems adorning the 700-square-foot stage. The marketing plan for 2 Louies, which opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, will include equal parts entertainment and restaurant, Leland states. He has high praise for the kitchen crew and the dishes they produce, and the menu oozes with items such as ribs, barbecued chicken, steak, pizza, sandwiches and pasta. The marketing aspect is just beginning and I can t say enough about our kitchen, Leland says. “Our chef is a wizard with fettucine and lasagna. I ve tasted pizza at every place in the county and the pizza here is first rate, and we ll have it ready for delivery starting in January. The club offers music fans from Everett to British Columbia an option they ve not been often afforded – a world-class facility with room enough for the big names – but it also begs the question: Why this location? Louie (Gadini) is a very shrewd real estate investor and he discovered this building in foreclosure, Leland observes. “I prowled around from Everett to B.C. and found that there wasn t much in the way of venues. We also did some research and found that for some of the Ballard Firehouse shows, as much as 25 percent of ticket sales came from Whatcom County. Quality entertainment creates such a draw and we want to add to the tourism in the county, Leland adds. “We re used to opening national-act clubs and our marketing for 2 Louies will be similar to several other clubs we ve been involved with. We look at it on that large a scale. – Craig Parrish |
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