A group of local men and woman gather in their swim attire on a January day. Standing on the rocky winter beach of Three Tree Point they begin the countdown.

A voice yells, "...4, 3, 2, 1!" and everyone runs straight for the frigid Puget Sound water. The rush of cold over their bodies as each one submerges themselves fully and rises back to the surface is heard in a mix of screams and laughter. Shaking and smiling they come together on the beach for a post-swim photo.

As they stand on the beach wrapped in towels one of the men says, "I feel great! There's this amazing warmth all through my body."

Everyone nods in agreement as they take in the moment.

This is a scene that has taken place each year for the past seven years, all thanks to Point resident Andy Kleitsch.

Kleitsch is more than the CEO of Billing Revolution, a mobile billing company that launched this year; he is also the founder of the Three Tree Point Polar Bears Club.

The 37-year-old entrepreneur was born and raised in Burien. He attended Highline High School and graduated in the class of 1989.

He went on to attend Emerson College in Boston.

By the time he moved back to Burien, his father had asked for help with the family business.

"I drove an oil truck around town for two years," Kleitsch said. "Pretty soon I knew where all the major gas tanks were in Burien."

At the same time, his girlfriend, Jana, was studying graphic design at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

"The Highline Times (one of the Robinson Newspapers) was looking for a graphic designer so I cut out the ad and mailed it to her," Kleitsch said. "It was my plan to get her back to Burien."

In the mid-'90s people had just begun buying items online. The online market was in flux as consumers were apprehensive about using their credit cards and many industries couldn't imagine selling online, Kleitsch said.

One such industry was wedding planning.

Andy and Jana were looking toward marriage and decided to build a Web site called Wedding Channel that would allow companies to sell wedding products online.

The wedding industry wasn't quite ready for online markets, but that didn't stop Andy and Jana.

"We asked Macy's to move their bridal merchandise online and they laughed at us," Kleitsch said.

Nevertheless, Wedding Channel eventually found success.

"Our site was named site of the day by MSNBC at one point," Kleitsch said.

After working to improve AT&T's mobile Internet interface, marrying his girlfriend, Jana, and having two daughters, Kleitsch has launched his newest venture.

Billing Revolution is a mobile phone interface that allows merchants to sell products to mobile consumers. The mobile consumer enters their credit card information on the first transaction and every transaction afterwards is automatic with the click of a button.

Billing Revolution saves your information for future use making it safe and easy to buy anything from pizza and movie tickets to a hotel reservation or even a wedding dress on your mobile device.

"This area of commerce is still pretty new to people," Kleitsch said. "People are still warming up to the idea of buying things on their mobile devices."

Kleitsch said sales have recently "hockey-sticked" or grown sharply in the last year as more companies are warming up to the idea of a mobile marketplace. Some of their clients include Yahoo, Myspace.com and The Weather Channel.

The current mobile market is reminiscent of the online market back in 1996 when Wedding Channel was first launched, Kleitsch said.

Kleitsch said his mother sparked his eye for business opportunity.

"Every time I had an idea she would bring out the calculator and begin crunching the numbers," Kleitsch said.

That eye for opportunity was recognized in November when Billing Revolution won Under the Radar's "Juror's Choice" award. The conference, hosted by Dealmaker Media, judged business presentations from thirty-three up-and-coming firms.

Kleitsch may be pioneering the next stage in mobile commerce but even he needs a holiday. On New Year's Day the local CEO will take part in the eighth annual Polar Bear swim off the tip of Three Tree Point.

The annual swim has definitely turned into a community celebration

Last New Year's Day there were about 50 spectators and 25 swimmers.

This year's swim began at noon on Thursday.

Kleitsch said costumes were welcome and hot drinks were provided.

Seven years ago, Kleitsch and a few neighborhood friends were sitting around drinking on New Year's Eve.

Kleitsch proposed taking a swim in the Puget Sound the next day as a way to reign in the New Year. Before the end of the night, Jana had printed out 70 flyers to post around the neighborhood.

"Eight people came out the first year and we all decided it was the perfect cure for a hangover," Kleitsch said.

Kleitsch said the annual swim is one of the only risky activities his wife will allow him to do anymore.

"I used to kite surf until Jana took out a life insurance policy on me," Kleitsch said. "It doesn't help that I have a ruptured disc in my back either."

Kleitsch said the water is usually around 42 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit but it feels like 48 degrees. He theorizes that the shock of the cold water releases a great number of dopamines in your brain causing a feeling of warmth and utter happiness.

Dopamines are released when the body experiences positive stimulation; they tell the brain that an experience is pleasurable.

Kleitsch said some people "soak up" less dopamines than others so they need extra stimulation in order to trigger the chemical release.

Whatever the reason, local residents have continued to celebrate the New Year with a bone-chilling swim.

"It's the perfect cleansing ceremony for the New Year," Kleitsch said.