Architectural specs, after all, are essentially meticulous instructions on construction details like what kind of concrete or roofing a project requires. But from a business perspective, Interspec may be onto something. The construction field has boomed in recent years, and architects spend hundreds of millions of dollars on spec-writing each year. Interspec began selling its services about a year ago, and has built its customer base to close to 30 clients in 16 states without actively marketing itself. It expects to turn a profit this year.
Most Internet companies can only dream of such a thing.
In so doing, it enables companies to increase their productivity in a small yet substantial way. The company also demonstrates how the Internet can empower a small enterprise on Commercial Street to extend its markets to virtually anywhere on the globe. Michael Brennan, Interspec's chief executive, said the market potential for e-Specs is huge. In Internet time, Interspec is almost ancient. It dates back to the fall of 1997, when Brennan, Letourneau and two other partners who live out of state started the company.