New Web site sparks youth fitness company

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Feb 18, 2005 by Tampone, Kevin

* Major players: Aaron Hart, president; Andrea Hart, staff registered dietitian; Jim DeLine, physical education specialist

* What does your company do? Station PE provides educators across the country with lesson ideas and materials for physical-education classes. Many of them blend physical activity with academic subjects like math and language arts. "We're really focused on promoting standards-based learning," Aaron Hart says. "We're also encouraging kids to develop the habits that will allow them to be active for a lifetime." Hart says he is proud of the company's approach to combining physical activity with academic learning. "It's critical that we as a society take a look at the whole child and not just put them in a chair and try to manufacture test takers," he says. "If we can really marry those two areas together, then we can support the whole child with holistic education."

* How do you foster that combination? The company's lessons feature traditional physical-education activities, but include an academic twist, Aaron Hart says. For example, during a relay race, children may have to read a card giving them specific instructions on how to proceed. Teachers can instantly tell how well children read by how well they perform the instructions on the card. The instructions get progressively more complex as students progress through their grade levels, he says.

* What's your background? Aaron Hart taught physical education in Brooklyn before settling in his hometown of Cortland in 2001. While in New York City, he developed music CDs that allowed him to time his lessons better. For example, he would set up various activities around his gym. When the music on his CDs changed, the kids would switch stations. He eventually began marketing the discs and recording information on them about physical-education standards and tips on how to run station-based lessons. The CDs are marketed in catalogs for physical-education teachers in 35 states. "From there, it seemed to me that the natural progression was to develop some kind of software package, but that seemed kind of limiting to me. Once you press them, they're out there and that's it," Hart says. "I wanted something that was more flexible and could change and evolve." That's when he says he turned to the Web.

* What is available for teachers on the site? For a subscription fee of $120 per year, teachers can access the company's library of activities for physical-education classes. The library also includes downloadable music, videos on health-related subjects, and suggestions for bulletin boards. All the materials teachers need to execute the company's lesson ideas are available for download through the site as well.

Andrea Hart, Aaron's wife and a registered dietitian, also infuses the lessons with information on good nutrition and eating habits.

* What kind of revenue growth are you projecting? The company is projecting increasing revenue this year from $80,000 to $160,000.

* Is the Web site what's driving your current growth? The increase will be caused primarily by new business from the Web site, which was launched in September and already has attracted about 300 users, Aaron Hart says. "The Web site is our main product right now," he says. "When we launched it, it was after a lot of school systems had already done their budgets, so with budget time coming up now, we're really excited about our opportunities." He says the company is in negotiations with several school districts, but he could not provide details because the deals have not closed yet. In the next year, he hopes to triple the number of Web site users to 900.

* Who are your clients? Teachers in North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, and even an instructor at an English-language school in Germany use Station's products. The company also is preparing to provide training on the products for teachers in the Maui school system. The materials are aimed at elementary-level, physical-education teachers, but the company has also sold to classroom teachers and parents in the past, Aaron Hart says.

* Will you have to add any staff to keep up with the growth in your business? Aaron Hart says he wants to keep his staff as small as possible for now. But soon he may hire full time a Texas-based consultant, with whom he has been working. If the Web site continues to grow as expected, the company "definitely" will hire more people, he says. Aaron Hart says the biggest need would probably be for trainers who would work with clients to familiarize them with the Station PE system.