Sean Bumstead

Stanwoodonline.com is the resulting efforts of Sean Bumstead. Forever fascinated by his hometown’s charm, as well as the surrounding beauty of its farms, lakes and wilderness, he has spent a vast amount of time researching and hunting for its tucked away history. It is through the collection of old photographs, memorabilia, and other tidbits of information that he hopes to unlock Stanwood’s past.

Mr. Bumstead was raised for the most of his youth in the small town of Stanwood, Michigan, which is 35 minutes north of Grand Rapids. It was here that his parents owned and operated several businesses, including a family restaurant, party store, and sporting goods store. This dynamic ultimately cultivated an entrepreneurial outlook on life and gave him a solid understanding for the principles that make up free enterprise, business management and customer relations.

Soon after completing high school, he enrolled at Ferris State University, where he excelled through the institutions curriculum, graduating with degrees in both Technical Illustration and Communication Technology. He later went on to secure his graduate degree in the field of eCommerce, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

His ability to understand complex technical designs and his passion for newly emerging computer technologies led him to the Detroit metropolitan area. It was here that he accepted a position within an illustration engineering and design firm. Leveraging cutting edge Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems, he architected detailed concept illustrations and models for Chevrolet, Pontiac, and General Dynamics.

Over the years Mr. Bumstead went on to work for a variety of industries including automotive, military, manufacturing and advertising. At each he increased his knowledge and understanding for computer and networking technologies and took on greater levels of responsibility managing budgets, staffs, and research and development.

Today, Mr. Bumstead's interests are in robotics, the Internet and the grass-roots movement of product modification and personalization. Individuals close to him will tell you that he is a backyard engineer. He's developed several pneumatic and propane canons, a hi-resolution LCD video projector, a personal hovercraft constructed out of PVC, mp3 touch-screen jukebox, and a 60" Dobsonian telescope. Additonal items worth noting is his working Theremin and Vandergraph. He's also credited for authoring and developing the first interactive CD ROM based comic books.

It was in August of 1992 that Mr. Bumstead married Karen Smerecki, from Sterling Heights, Michigan. Today they reside in Clarkston, Michigan and have a five year old daughter. Together the family enjoys boating, fishing and spending time relaxing at their cottage in Canadian Lakes.

June 2006