And we can all say

We knew him when...

Good going D.D.

Mike

On 5/9/07 4:24 PM, "Derek Drew" <derekdrew@derekmail.com> wrote:

>  
>  
>  
> 
> One of the many uses that I have had for my
> syncro was to drive it up into the mountains
> where I could have private time to invent things
> on my computer.  When I started, I did not know
> *what* I was going to invent; I just knew that
> the syncro offered the isolation I needed for
> patience and creative thinking. And I also knew
> that I needed to earn a living somehow, and that
> to help me solve this problem, I would use only
> my mind, my computer, a fist full of credit card
> credit lines, and my syncro camper.
> 
> The product of that work was the business plan
> and prototype for www.consumersearch.com. I spent
> about three years in the camper doing this work.
> Typically, I would park up roads that I knew
> nobody else in their right mind would try to
> navigate because only a syncro with a winch could
> get up them, and where the creative part of me
> felt safe and secure enough from sneers and interruptions to function.
> 
> While in the woods, I also taught myself public
> speaking so that I could communicate my ideas to
> others and raise money. I did this by booming out
> speeches to empty woods with printouts of
> powerpoint slides on the forest floor for me to
> speak to. I was too embarrassed to give these
> speeches anywhere else, where someone could hear
> the grandiose plans that I had, which seemed near
> delusional at the time going by what was actually in my checking account.
> 
> In 2000 and 2001, I gave these forest floor
> presentations to 100 investors and after being
> turned down about 70 times by millionaires and
> venture capitalists, I succeeded in raising $1.25
> million from a small group of investors. I used
> that money to launch consumersearch.com. I have
> been building it since that time while trying to
> read as many list mails as I could, and while
> publishing the occasional vanagon and syncro
> article to the lists (see some of these linked to below).
> 
> Many of you list members know that I have been distracted lately and "busy."
> 
> I have been busy with the sale of my company.
> 
> This week, I sold my business to the New York
> Times Company / About.com for $33 million. You
> can see articles about the sale here:
> 
> http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=22209&hed=NY+Times+Goes+Shopping
> <http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=22209&amp;hed=NY+Times+Goes+Shopping
> > 
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07about.html?ex=1336190400&en=469
> aa235ab908be2&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07about.html?ex=1336190400&amp;e
> n=469aa235ab908be2&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss>
> 
> Meanwhile, in the middle of negotiating my
> company's sale, I happened to catch wind of and
> acquire $150,000 of syncro specific drivetrain
> and transmission-related parts headed for a
> landfill in Europe, and I made a production run
> of another 100 of CV-900 wheels for all the list
> members who have been emailing me and asking for them.
> 
> In the coming weeks (for the wheels) and starting
> in the fall (for the syncro specific drivetrain
> and transmission parts) I hope to catalog and
> price these parts, and then let them out into the
> community. I understand that supplies of
> syncro-specific parts will begin going NLA at the
> dealers soon. I purchased these parts for us.
> Unfortunately, I cannot take any email requests
> about them before the fall because I have other
> priority issues to handle. In fact, if you don't
> hear much about what parts are available until
> next Thanksgiving, don't be surprised.
> 
> After all of this is over, I hope to get back to
> spending more of my time in syncro-land.
> 
> Red Herring Article
> 
> NY Times Goes Shopping
> 
> Seeking growth, media firm buys ConsumerSearch.com.
> May 7, 2007
> 
> By Ken Schachter
> 
> Just weeks after facing down a shareholder
> uprising, The New York Times went shopping,
> snapping up 7-year-old ConsumerSearch.com for $33 million on Monday.
> 
> ConsumerSearch, which rates products ranging from
> leaf blowers to MP3 players by distilling
> published product reviews, will be incorporated into the Times� About.com
> unit.
> 
> The move puts About.com into competition with a
> host of online product review services, including
> shopping search engines like E.W. Scripps�
> Shopzilla, where consumers can render their
> opinions; Epinions, a unit of eBay that posts
> consumer reviews; and specialty publications like
> CNET, whose reviewers rate the latest cell phones and printers.
> 
> The deal�About.com�s third in the past eight
> months�represents a vindication for the
> minimalist approach of ConsumerSearch.com, which
> outlasted well-financed rivals like Productopia.
> While Productopia burned through $22 million in
> venture capital, ConsumerSearch raised only $1.25
> million in an angel/venture round. In October
> 2000, ConsumerSearch bought the assets of Productopia.
> 
> �We built the business so it could be matched to
> the size of the market opportunity,� co-founder
> and Chief Executive Derek Drew said of his
> six-person company. �We didn�t hire a director of
> human resources. We didn�t do things a lot of
> competitors around us were doing.�
> 
> Scott Meyer, About.com chief executive, said the
> company hopes to extend the brand of
> ConsumerSearch. �By acquiring them, we could accelerate their growth,� he
> said.
> 
> ConsumerSearch has been edging toward a buy-out
> since February, when Mr. Drew decided that his
> talent for developing product reviewers was being
> crimped by his time spent looking at spreadsheets
> and fielding calls from venture capitalists. He
> went to Bank of America Securities to arrange an
> auction for the company, closing the deal with About.com on Friday.
> 
> ________________________________________________________
> Derek Drew                                 Washington, DC
> derekdrew@derekmail.com <mailto:derekdrew%40derekmail.com>  (NEW 4/2006) Phone
> 202-966-7907
> (derekdrew@rcn.com <mailto:derekdrew%40rcn.com>  is old and should be changed
> to the above)
> Email me for viscous coupling s  (Cell 703-408-1532)
> '90 Syncro Westfalia...
> ...seen off-road at
> http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/Syncro_Madness_Area.htm
> ...seen with 30.5" tall tires at
> http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/vanagon/images/dereks245_75_16.jpg
> Note: most valuable Vanagon sites on the planet (for owners) are:
>  http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon
>  http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro
>  http://www.vanagon.com
>  http://www.syncro.org
> Many of my Syncro list postings consolidated
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/messagesearch?query=212-580-6486
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/messagesearch?query=202-966-7907
> My refrigerator article:
>  http://www.vanagon.com/info/articles/Refrigerator/Reefer_Madness.htm
> All About 16" Wheels And The CV-900.htm
>  http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/vanagon/All_About_16-Wheels_And_The_CV_900.htm
> All About Viscous Couplings
>  http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/vanagon/viscous_couplings_vanagon_syncro.htm
>  Grab rates vs rpm of VCs
> http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/17172
>  Notes on off-roading and decouplers
> http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/24615
> How To Live With Heavy List Volume--Mail Filters
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7403
> My tutorial on how to strengthen your skid plates for off-road driving
>  http://www.syncro.photosite.com/ and after clicking on that click
>  on the image that says Skid Plates / Reinforcements and work your way
>  through the 10 photos. BE SURE to notice
> the text that is below some of the
>  pictures, as it clarifies what the point of some of the pictures is.
> My article that shows how to deal with insurance companies:
>  http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/auto-insurance-madness.html
> To read some material about how to add a front differential lock to your
> syncro
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/13105
> To view Wolfgang's incredibly informative wheel article
>  http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/fitbigtiresonvanagon.htm
> To view Tim Smith's incredibly useful gearing calculator
>  http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/syncrotireandgearratios.xls
> To view two articles about how to think about
> improving your gears at transmission rebuild time
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7207
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7221
> To view an overview article about choices in larger sized tires see
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/11535
> To view some 16" Trailing Arms that enable much larger tires see
>  
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/syncrolist/files/Wheels%2C%20Tires%20%26%20Geari
> ng/Wheel%20%26%20Tire%20Photos/16_Inch_Trailing_Arm.jpg
> My article about belt protectors and CV joint protectors
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/6112
> SYNCRO OWNERS WHO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD:
>  You only get to change your ring and pinions once every 10 years
>  because that's how long the average syncro transmission goes before
>  its next rebuild. If you want bigger tires and more ground clearance
>  start planning your higher number ring
> and pinion sets right now so you
>  can take advantage of your next trans rebuild.
> Vanagon Vendors For Parts To Consider At Problem Time
>  www.van-cafe.com (parts and repairs too)
> 
>  
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