(March 7, 2005) -- A locally-based high tech firm has turned an initial foray onto the internet into a cutting-edge business venture, using its its expertise in online techniques to promote LB area small businesses.

Internet servers and computer drives whrrr at the offices of the C3B Group, where president Chris Birmingham and a modest staff create and disseminate ValuesAt.com, which offers local residents coupons for local businesses via the internet.

ValuesAt.com is created using TreePilot, software written by C3B. "We began by designing software and initially created a local coupon site to show what our software could do," says Birmingham.

ELB residents began seeing fliers for "CouponHog.com" in 2003...which grew into the more sophisticated ValuesAt.com web site. It now serves small businesses in ELB/Lakewood and more recently expanded into Bixby Knolls.

In fall 2004, ValuesAt.com started placing ads on LBReport.com...which produced additional "click-throughs" for ValuesAt.com. The upgraded ValuesAt.com site has now added links to LBReport.com headlines.

Birmingham says it's a logical expansion of his plan to build an internet resource that serves LB area residents and small businesses.

"We see ourselves as a collaborative effort for local small business using a combination of home delivery fliers, Internet banner advertising, a persistent Internet site and cooperative email marketing. Our goal is to get local small business working together and maximize exposure while keeping costs to a minimum to compete with corporate stores," Birmingham told LBReport.com in an email.

And he adds in an email to subscribers on his site: "Long live Small Business!"