Designwerks, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of VACREF, we administer funding for medical research for veterans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Designwerks, Inc.?

They created our website for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Designwerks, Inc. built our website from the ground up, handling the front- and backend for us. They built the platform on WordPress. A feature within it allows ou board members to open the page and get minutes and allow communication within our board. He even made a logo for us.

They maintain the site every year and add new information, like a new employee handbook and security updates. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Kevin (CEO).

How did you come to work with Designwerks, Inc.?

There were several other foundations who had used his services, so we went that way, too.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $7,500. We spend about $1,000 per year for his services and maintenance. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–May 2014. The site was up and running in about 30 days. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Especially in the last six months with COVID-19, we’ve seen quite a few hits and more visitors and people submitting questions to our emails. We’re getting 200–300 new visitors viewing our website everything month, which is great for our size. 

How did Designwerks, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Kevin lets me know when something needs to be done with the website as far as updates and maintenance. The communication is excellent. We use email and phone calls. On a quarterly basis, he reviews our website, catches any broken links, and fills us in. He’s really on top of the security of the site and ensuring we have all the features we need. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our collaboration was just very easy — he knew exactly what we needed and delivered it. They’ve helped make our site be quite professional-looking. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve definitely met our needs. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having Kevin as our only point of contact helped make everything streamlined and it worked well that way. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the executive director of a nonprofit organization called the Bay Pines Foundation. It’s a research and education organization that works for the federal government in accordance with the Veterans Administration (VA). 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Designwerks, Inc.?

At the time, we were a small foundation with between $4 million–$5 million in annual revenue and were in sorrow need of a decent website that could promote our offerings. We wanted to make sure that we had a professional site that people could find on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Designwerks, Inc. offered a full range of services to redesign our site. After purchasing the domain, we worked together to figure out how to highlight specific focus areas in our research. We focused on improving the site design so that we would appear higher in Google. In total, it was close to 30 pages of content, and they provided the copy and the graphics.

Beyond that, Designwekrs, Inc. also installed a secure portal area with dual-factor authentication for our board of directors. That was where we housed our confidential data like our financials. Members could use the portal to preview key documents that we reported on.

What is the team composition? 

Kevin was my primary point of contact, though I don’t know if he had any other team members working on the project. You couldn’t ask for a more responsive guy. He always met deadlines.

How did you come to work with Designwerks, Inc.?

I reached out to Kevin and compared Designwerks, Inc.’s value with other local houses in the Tampa Bay area. Working with the government, we have to consider at least three quotes for an RFP process. Kevin wasn’t the least expensive, but he offered the most value for our money and had the knowledge regarding SEO and web design.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost between $10,000–$12,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with Designwekrs, Inc. from November 2013–February 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Kevin did a phenomenal job — it was way more than I had anticipated. Our site had the look and feel of a multi-billion dollar organization. 

Our staff was also super happy about the board member portal. It met all security protocols, which was a big deal since we were a part of the VA. An information security officer reviewed the portal and found that it passed with flying colors.

How did Designwerks, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Kevin is a meticulous individual who builds realistic project plans and keeps you informed along the way. If there was a hitch in the process that would affect the timeline, he’d tell us far in advance. But that was more the exception than the rule. We adhered to his project plan to the letter of the law and ended up completing the project almost a week earlier.

I’d also like to mention that Kevin always checked back in with us to make sure we were satisfied with the work even after he finished the job. There was no cost to it — it was just a part of his continued customer service.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Kevin has a long history working in the business, first from a marketing perspective and then from a web design and implementation perspective. As a result, these projects are almost like second nature to him. He thinks about how the information will present itself on a web page and how a responsive design should look. 

Not everyone can think that way, and it’s helpful that he can communicate that point of view to someone like me who might not know much about designing a website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Kevin is such an enthusiastic guy and is so amped up and excited about what he does. I’m a bit more low-key, so I can feel a bit exhausted after I get off the phone with him. But, that’s more about our personality types.

When it comes to working with him, I always think of Kevin first for my web design projects. He’s a pleasure to work with, and I know he’ll do a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time to listen to him. Kevin has a wealth of information, and, 99% of the time, his suggestions are accurate and true to form. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director of Biomedical Research FOundation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a non-profit that supports clinical trials associated with the Central Arkansas Veterans healthcare system

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Designwerks, Inc. to accomplish?

• Make the site more secure

SOLUTION

How did you find Designwerks, Inc.?

Other

Why did you select Designwerks, Inc. over others?

High ratings, Pricing first our budget

What was the size of Designwerks, Inc.’s team?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

I enlisted them to assist in providing guidance to update our security

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Made site secure enough to pass vendor test

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

yes

What was your primary form of communication with ?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

the personal interaction

Are there any areas for improvement or something Designwerks, Inc. could have done differently?

no