Press Release - October 29, 2003
Youth Hockey Player Brings
Thrashers Web Site To The Cutting Edge
By Kevin McCormack, Atlanta Thrashers Hockey Club
Fifteen-year-old Keith Peiris of London, Ontario, Canada, is
like a lot of teenagers in high school. He's a sports fanatic,
loves computer games and looks forward to leaving home and heading
off to college.
But something sets Peiris apart from his peers. While other 10th-graders
his age enjoy computer games, Peiris actually designs them. In
1999, at age 11, Peiris founded Cyberteks Design, an interactive
web design company that specializes in hockey Web sites. As an
avid youth hockey player, creating Cyberteks Design was the perfect
way for Peiris to combine his passion for both hockey and web
design.
Cyberteks Design is run out of his parent's basement, but despite
the low-tech surroundings, Cyberteks Design is a cutting edge
company that recently designed the NHL's first-ever Dynamic Screensaver
with live NHL scoring for the Atlanta Thrashers and created a
package of interactive games for the team's official Web site.
"Atlanta gave us a great opportunity with this project,"
said Peiris. "They said show us what you can do with an interactive
screen saver. This is the kind of project we really enjoy, working
with a top-class organization like the Thrashers and creating
something brand new. "
The success of Peiris' company has led to a list of business
awards (The National Post named it one of the 100 best IT companies
in Canada), an opportunity to travel to China and Hong Kong on
a Team Canada trade mission; and the chance to work with numerous
hockey organizations on improving their Internet presence. Besides
working with the Thrashers, Cyberteks Design has designed sites
for the NHL Officials Association, Ontario Minor Hockey Association
and the London Knights (OHL).
"What separates Cyberteks Design from a lot of web companies
out there is that Keith and the rest of the company have a true
passion for hockey," said Thrashers Vice President of Sales
& Marketing Derek Schiller. "That love of the game shows
through in the quality of the work that they do."
A huge Patrick Roy fan, Peiris says that his favorite team growing
up was the Colorado Avalanche. He closely followed the Avalanche
when former Avalanche head coach and current Thrashers Head Coach
Bob Hartley was behind the bench, leading them to the 2001 Stanley
Cup. And Peiris' success with Cyberteks Designs has allowed him
to meet numerous NHL stars, including a recent meet-up with Red
Wings goalie Dominik Hasek.
One unique aspect of Cyberteks Design is that Peiris is actually
a talented hockey goalie and brings that knowledge to his Web
design business. Peiris recently attended Junior B, C & D
Training Camps in Ontario, an outstanding accomplishment for a
player of his age. And while his first love will always be hockey,
his interest in web design is a close second. Cyberteks Design
allows Peiris to meld his two passions into a business that continues
to grow.
"Initially, I was playing with Internet technologies for
recreation. However, I learned that there was great potential
in the web development market," said Peiris. "Also,
starting a company would give me a portal to showcase my abilities.
Cyberteks Design has been very successful in the hockey market.
We have been working on many hockey-related projects, therefore
my experience in hockey has given me insight into hockey-based
projects."
The work with the Thrashers was the first time Cyberteks Design
worked directly with an NHL club, but if the results are any indication,
it won't be the last. Peiris' work with the team includes creating
a desktop application that users can install on their computers
to provide an interactive screensaver with live game results,
rosters, team news, video highlights and links to player pages
and schedules. In essence, it's a screensaver that allows the
user to access real-time information on the Thrashers.
Cyberteks Design also worked with the Thrashers to improve the
content of the Kids Club section of the team's Web site. Peiris
and his staff of five designed an interactive hockey video game
and an e-card creator, which will allow kids to send Thrashers-themed
email greeting cards to their friends and family.
Launched in conjunction with a redesign of the Thrashers' official
site, Cyberteks Design helped add a layer of interactivity to
Atlantathrashers.com that promises to keep the club at the forefront
of the league's official team sites.
"One thing our new site does is expand our outreach to the
local, youth and grassroots hockey communities," said Schiller.
"Working with the youth players in the entire Southeast region
is an important goal of our fan development initiatives and it
made sense to work directly with Keith, who as a youth player
himself, knows exactly the type of web offerings that would appeal
to this community."
So what's next for Peiris after traveling the world and starting
up his own web company?
"My dream is to attend Harvard University."
Memo to the admissions office: Sign the guy up.
For more information:
Kevin McCormack
Web Specialist
The Atlanta Thrashers
One CNN Center
12th Floor, South Tower
Atlanta, GA 30303-2762
Phone: 404-878-5587
E-Mail: Kevin.mccormack@turner.com
Website: www.atlantathrashers.com
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