Here in Smallville, Alta., a mild-mannered computer nerd rises from his middle-class pillow each morning, then spends the workday in pursuit of Internet solutions.

But about once a week, he ducks inside a phone booth – or a real big e-mail inbox. He emerges wearing an attitude, a colourful jersey and a smash-mouth logo on his chest.

Mike Sturk, Business Edge
As president of HyperLink-Design Inc., John Kilbride is ready to take aim at the competition.

Clark Kent? No, the name’s John Kilbride, but you’re on the right page.

Please forward fan mail to John Kilbride, president, HyperLink-Design Inc., c/o Bankers Hall East Tower, downtown Calgary.

Or to his alter-ego: John Kilbride, aging but productive rookie gunner for the Calgary Roughnecks of the professional National Lacrosse League.

Back when the 31-year-old Kilbride was chasing a twin science major (zoology and neurosciences) at the University of Calgary, the goal was a medical career.

Somehow, he got derailed into cyberspace. For the past few years, he and sales/marketing VP Leslie Churchill have been building HyperLink-Design, a full-service web design and Internet problem solver that aims at what Kilbride believes is a sky’s-the-limit market: small businesses.

“Our clients aren’t seeking to promote or sell their products and services in an international market,” he explained.

“You should be able to market your products to the local community. If I’m looking for a book, I want to look for my favourite book online, then truck over to the store and buy it.”

The diversity of the products and interests of HyperLink-Design’s client list provides an insight into the Internet’s effectiveness as a grassroots business tool.

Kilbride’s customers represent all four corners of the target micro-market: bars, restaurants, churches, sports clubs, landscape companies, dispensers of online greeting cards, graphics and software suppliers, even a goat farm near Vulcan.

“I was a little surprised to hear from them,” confessed the twin threat.

Last spring, Kilbride heard something else that got his blood up. He was knee-deep in clientele, contracts and all-around computer geekdom when the grapevine alerted him that pro lacrosse was headed for Calgary.

A little background may prove enlightening. Unlike most Calgary-spawned youngsters, Kilbride seemed immune to the hockey bug. Instead, he was welcomed by an invisible minority, i.e. those who prefer lacrosse, Canada’s FIRST national game.

Once an alternate for the Canadian national team, Kilbride is a former first-round draft choice of the Vancouver Burrards of the highly competitive Western Lacrosse Association. Kilbride went to the coast and played a couple of WLA seasons. But he walked away in his early 20s to pursue pressing matters at home – namely, his education.

But when his sources assured him last spring that the pro game was coming to his home town, he called the head coach of the WLA’s New Westminster Salmonbellies (without question, the greatest team nickname in sports history).

Kilbride began commuting to the coast, his laptop tucked in his carry-on luggage, in an effort to reacquire his game legs after a seven-year layoff. He managed to appear in 10 games with the ’Bellies until his HyperLink obligations began to catch up to him, and he scooted back home.

“It was mission accomplished, though. I got my skills back,” he grinned. “But it was a lot of work.”

His muscles toned, he showed up at Roughnecks’ training camp as a walk-on.

“I hate to say it, but I think I had to show a lot more than most of the other players, after a seven-year layoff,” said Kilbride. Coach Chris Hall’s punishing two-a-day workouts would’ve sent a less-committed jock screaming back to his keyboard.

But Kilbride stuck it out, establishing himself as one of the more effective shooters on a team loaded with 24-year-olds.

In fact, he scored the Roughnecks’ first-ever goal in the Saddledome opener against Montreal.

To clarify one point: the NLL is a pro league, but the average National Hockey League rookie leaves restaurant tips bigger than Kilbride’s weekly paycheque (about $500).

But the modest slate of 14 regular-season games, limited travel and civilized practice schedules makes it a snap for the team’s players – they include a professional lifeguard, an auctioneer, a plumber, a firefighter and one corporate president – to show up to the day job on time.

“Sometimes it gets pretty tight,” confessed Kilbride, who takes his laptop on the road so he can provide system support and draft proposals for prospective clients.

Anyone in particular? Well, he’s almost got the Roughnecks talked into hiring HyperLink-Design to redesign the team website.

He’s not Clark Kent, but he may be the Superman of moonlighters.