Michael Bryanton, proprietor of Hampshire Hosting

Why does an Island business man give a false company name and address on his website? The clues kept piling up.

I had to track down an local business last week. Hampshire Hosting LLC has a nice website about their hosting business.

When I got to the address listed on the website, it wasn’t a business at all. The address at 490 Queen is an apartment building and no one there had heard of Hampshire Hosting.

All of the Internet addresses for Hampshire Hosting pointed me back to 490 Queen Street, like when the Blues Brothers gave the cops 1060 West Addison Street in the movie. The cop John Candy had to go there before he realized Jake and Elwood Blues had given them a false address at Wrigley Field as their home.

Hampshire Hosting LLC show their address as 490 Queen an apartment building

I put on my Sherlock Holmes hat and started digging.

Whois gave me some listings on 490 Queen Street for Hampshire Hosting but I wasn’t going back there again.

Then I struck pay dirt! A whois listing for Hampshire Hosting at 33 Maplewood Crescent, Charlottetown, PEI in the name of Michael Bryanton.

I moseyed over to 33 Maplewood, which was not the home of the Chicago Cubs but a quiet residential semi-detached bungalow.

Knocking on the door, a sign said – “Hairdressing at the other door.”

I stood my ground since I had just gotten the worst haircut in ages. Someone said I looked like Clifford Lee.

A man approached me from the street. “Are you looking for Michael?” he asked in a French accent.

“Well I’m really looking for Hampshire Hosting. Are they located here?

“I don’t know. Michael is into computers but he is gone until Saturday.”

“Do you know Michael’s last name?” I asked.

“No,” he replied curiously despite the fact he was staying with “Michael”. Strange eh? Usually when I leave strangers in my home I give them my name but I’m old fashioned that way.

Armed with these clues, I quickly returned home and called the number for Hampshire support 902 393 8014. A man answered right away.

“Hi,” I said “I have a package for Hampshire hosting. Is that you?”

“Yes.”

“We could not deliver the package at your address 490 Queen Street. Is there another address?”

“I’m…” his voice faltered. “Can you deliver it to my work? On Sydney Street at the Culinary Institute.”

“Sure, is that in Charlottetown,” I asked incredulously. “What name shall we ask for? Do they know Hampshire Hosting?”

“No, say it’s for Michael Bryanton. I work there.”

“OK, thanks buddy.”

Aha! I had all the clues in the clues closet.

I checked out Holland College and indeed he was telling the truth. He is a culinary instructor at Holland College.

Taking another tack, I looked up the company listing for Hampshire Hosting LLC.

An LLC is an American type of corporation. Hampshire Hosting is not listed as a Federal Corporation in Canada. There is a PEI listing for Hampshire Hosting but it is a proprietorship.

Hampshire Hosting PEI listing as proprietorship

So Hampshire Hosting isn’t an LLC, a fact Bryanton confirmed when we met for the first time on Saturday evening to serve him some legal papers.

I figured out the last clue too – Bryanton graduated from high school in Hampshire PEI and has a soft spot of his old alma matter.

Some people claim they are incorporated so when you sue them, the court papers are wrong and they get off. You have to name the defendant exactly or the claim is invalid. Cute eh?

Some people tell you they are incorporated to avoid personal liability. That only works if you pay a lawyer and get incorporated. Looks like Bryanton would be personally liable for any judgments against Hampshire Hosting since he is Hampshire Hosting.

Some people list a wrong address to send the cops or a process server to the wrong address and temporarily avoid legal problems just like in the Blues Brothers.

Why is Mr. Bryanton going to all this effort to hide the real nature of his business and where it is located?

Most people want you to know they own a business and where it is located. Perhaps he is a shy person.

We asked Byranton for his comments but he didn’t reply.