NEW WILMINGTON

Man builds career online

At age 23, Jeshua Lutgens, who graduated from Wilmington High School in 1996 with a 3.68 grade point average, has his own Web site design business.

"Not bad for a kid with cerebral palsy," he said.

Lutgens found the traditional route of college a "very slow way to get into the working world." So after a semester of classes at Westminster College, Lutgens launched JP’s High Tech World, Inc., in 1997.

Lutgens can be found at his computer in his family’s New Wilmington home, designing Web sites with the aid of a pointer attached to a head set. He works "crazy hours" seven days a week, interrupted by trips to the therapist and breaks to watch television or to play computer games.

JP’s High Tech World, Inc., specializes in small to mid-size Web sites and offers Web hosting. Lutgens also does "clean-up work" on existing Web sites and helps re-work them to make them more visible on search engines.

His mother, JoAnn Lutgens, said her son has been interested in computers since he was small.

"He knew computers were going to be in his life," she said. "He started on a Commodore 64 when he was seven years old."

Mrs. Lutgens went on to say that Lutgens often got calls from people who had problems with their computers.

"He decided he didn’t want to fix computers, he wanted to do Web design," she said.

Lutgens taught himself the Web design business in a couple of months by reading books on the subject. His library of books on HTML and related subjects in the Web design business lines the wall of the room where he works.

Lutgens started the business because it was something he could do at home. With his disability -- which requires constant care -- and his family’s rural location, holding down a regular job would be difficult, his mother said.

Some of Lutgens clients include Varley’s Dodge City in Hermitage, Galbreath Motors in New Castle, West Penn Hospital, Med/Aid, Inc., Orcon Industries Corporation and Tech-Link, a program that links students with disabilities with careers in technology. Lutgens was involved in Tech Link in high school, Mrs. Lutgens said. Two of his sites have received three awards each for design and content.

Lutgens gets clients mostly through word of mouth, but he recently started advertising.

"It takes a special person to work with him," Mrs. Lutgens said. "It’s a longer process."

The business is a family affair. Mrs. Lutgens and her husband, Karl, both help out, and younger sisters Rebecca and Abigail have taken computer and journalism classes in school to understand Web site layout, Mrs. Lutgens said.

"We’re very small time, we haven’t done a lot," Mrs. Lutgens said. "But considering where he is, we’ve done a lot."

New clients can e-mail Lutgens at sales@jpworld.com.