If you type in “Web Parts” and see what autocorrect tries to suggest for you, you get “Wet Farts” way down the list. Well, that’s close enough of a description of the company for me.
Our #2 entry on the “Biggest Job Announcement Busts” series of articles is making a strong move to take over the top spot…
The wheels are falling off the WebParts LLC wagon, folks. When we last left the Web Parts saga, Brad Mainland (the owner and proud recipient of ONE MILLLLLLLION Tobacco Commission Dollars) was down to running whatever the hell he had left of the business out of his house on Main St. with the last 10 employees that he had. SouthsideCentral’s on-the-spot field reporter are now telling us that all the employees except one are gone, and so’s everything in the house. It seems that some moving vans were at the house this week and cleaned the place out. (We’re not sure if the remaining employees were loaded in the moving vans as well, but that would be a better life for them than working for Brad Mainland).
Our reporters have also done some very good detective work and linked Mainland to a newly-incorporated business in Cincinnati, OH called “Sweet River Designs”. They believe that he’s relocated the last employee (the winner of Web Parts Survivor) to that business so that he can sit in Cincinnati and make more websites that will be updated a few times and then fade away into obscurity like everything else that Mainland has touched.
By now, you’re probably wondering if you’ll get a chance to use that Wonderful Internet Cafe that Mainland said would be on the ground floor of the building he bought in downtown, right? Unfortunately for you, you’ll probably have to bring your own bottle of aspirin when you visit downtown because Mainland’s Vending Machine Extravaganza is on a permanent current hold. Our reporters also noted that in order to get the final part of his Tobacco Commission Jackpot, Mainland had to buy his own building for the company. Hmmmmm.
So what’s in the future for this spiraling disaster? More spiraling disaster, I fear. We’ll keep you posted here.
Editor’s Note: I’d like to think all of the SouthsideCentral reporters that have helped me compile this article. They’ve given me some information on background so if they want to identify themselves, they’re very welcome to do that here.
As one of the ‘un’lucky few who actually worked for Mr. Mainland, I am not surprised to hear any of this. It was clear when I worked there that he had no clear vision for the company and was simply ‘throwing things at the wall and hoping something would stick’ (and that is giving him a very wide benefit of the doubt). Have I been watching him closely to see what he does? Yes, I have. His disappearance from Danville and abandonment of both business and building just makes it clearer that his intentions were less than benign from the beginning. And Bruce, you are welcome.
I’m a reporter now? Hot damn! Um… is this a paying gig?
When friends told me that Mainland’s house had moving vans there just in time to get him out of paying rent for August, I grabbed my camera and headed toward Main Street. Just as suspected, the house is has been cleaned out. Nothing left but garbage on the porch and the stench of failure. I got a couple of photos for posterity.
Next, I did what I should have done a couple of months ago when news first broke of the new Web Parts LLC World Headquarters and Aspirin Emporium: I headed downtown to take a look-see. The building permit, still posted, says “new front patio and elevator renovations”, and values the work at $130,000… hardly the extensive renovations required to make this building habitable to 260 employees and legions of internet surfers with headaches. The first floor is still a big mess, and any sign of further construction is absent. That’s all folks!
So, is Mainland in the wind? My Magic 8 Ball says “signs point to yes”. Will we ever get the pleasure of seeing Mainland doing the perp walk into the James Ingram Courts and Jail Building? “Reply hazy, try again”.
Well, it seems http://www.techniki.com has become http://www.webpartsmarket.com — I guess Brad is trying to re-brand himself. Ironically, I know a few people who used to work for him, and I have to say, I saw this thing getting ready to crash and burn WELL before it actually happened from the day he hired me to setup the new server he had just gotten. Then Sid took over, and he fired Sid too. It seems the one thing he’s really good at is. . .oh wait. . .nevermind. 🙂
Eric, You can’t even navigate http://www.webpartsmarket.com without running into fatal errors. It’s a bust, just like the rest.
This individual (Brad Mainland), had offered me a job and luckily I declined. It was a red flag to me that he wouldn’t provide me an offer in writing and would only correspond with me via his minion. I recall a lot of chaos in setting up the office and white boards with fragmented scribble when I did visit with him there. Never did I see any product, idea of product, outline of service – nothing to generate revenue. The only thing I did see was some graphic design of a web site (he said his ex-wife did), and that was novice at best. Thankfully I made the right choice and declined the offer. Now I see that was a good decision.
I am a former employee of WebParts, LLC and Mr. Mainland. There are many things tht could be said of a thing like Brad, and, yes, I said thing, but his initials sum it up pretty good, “BM”. :p
I hope Southside Central will keep a running tab showing the cumulative effect of all these scam artists. Word has really gotten around that we are what they used to call “an easy lay.”
Wow…http://www.webpartsmarket.com looks as if it’s been hacked! A bunch of random articles varying from dating advice to bogus business opportunities out of Singapore. It’s still linked from Sweet River Design’s page though. Hmmm…
Anyone interested in putting this guy away: get in touch with me IMMEDIATELY.
Carlos, I’m sure there’ll be a long line, but you didn’t leave any contact information.
How did it go? A lot of people want to see Brad in jail or busted out financially!
Any luck putting Mainland in jail?
Rob:
The city did file a lawsuit against him last week, and I seem to recall “fraud” being mentioned in the suit. That’ll take an eternity to make its way through the courts and if things heat up, Mainland can always flee to Guatemala and stay with the inlaws to avoid prison, although that might be a tough choice.
That’s bananas!
Jim,
Getting him out of the US or busted out financially is good enough for me!
Thank you for the update and please keep them coming.
Take care!
Wow. . .
There are several interested parties. Please let them know how to contact you. Thanks!
Keep tabs on the Mainlands! – Brad’s FB page: https://www.facebook.com/papadechapina and his wife’s FB page: https://www.facebook.com/extreguera looks like they haven’t left yet!
Any word on the progress of the lawsuit against Mainland?
It’s in the pretrial motions phase now.
Is it civil or criminal?
Civil. I’ve said before that Mainland has had plenty of time to make himself judgment-proof. The city (through outside council) has to go through the motions of getting the judgment, but it’s pointless.
Nothing criminal now or on the near horizon. That could develop later.
Mainland’s Facebook is no longer available. Only one post on his wife’s page and that was back in November.
I’m sure that is another step in making himself judgment-proof.