Espress Labs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Communications of Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Castle Building Centres Group Limited (Castle) is the oldest Canadian-based, cooperatively-owned buying group of lumber and building materials. Castle members do not necessarily fly a 'Castle' branded banner, as the store owners are independent and can choose to fly any non-competitive banner. Many stores do not even have a brand associated directly with the name of their store, opting for something more familiar in their market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Espress Labs to accomplish?

• Redesign and modernize castle.ca with full bilingual CMS capabilities to better serve our dealer network
• Develop a custom events management platform with mobile app and integrated purchasing system to streamline dealer event operations
• Implement a strategic email communications program to improve engagement with our dealer network

SOLUTION

How did you find Espress Labs?

Referral

Why did you select Espress Labs over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Espress Labs were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Over our 12-year partnership, Espress Labs has delivered multiple strategic digital initiatives for Castle Building Centres:

Website Development (castle.ca) Three complete iterations of our main website, each building on the previous version with enhanced functionality. The current site features a fully bilingual CMS (English/French) that allows our team to manage content efficiently, custom dealer locator functionality, and responsive design optimized for desktop and mobile experiences.

Custom Events Management Platform A comprehensive event management solution including a mobile app for attendees, backend administrative system for our team to manage registrations and communications, and an integrated purchasing platform for event-related orders. This system streamlined our entire dealer event process from registration through post-event follow-up.

Email Communications Strategy Implementation and optimization of our Mailchimp email marketing system tailored to our dealer network, including template design, segmentation strategy, and ongoing performance optimization. This initiative transformed our email engagement, achieving consistent 50%+ open rates.

Key Deliverables:

• Three complete website redesigns with full CMS
• Custom mobile event app (iOS/Android)
• Event management backend system
• Integrated purchasing platform
• Mailchimp template design and implementation
• Email segmentation and automation strategy
• Bilingual content management capabilities
• Ongoing technical support and optimization

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Email Engagement Transformation Our email communications achieved consistent 50%+ open rates, significantly above industry benchmarks for B2B communications. This translated to stronger dealer engagement and improved event attendance.
• Event Management Efficiency The custom events platform reduced our event registration processing time by approximately 70%, eliminated manual data entry errors, and provided real-time visibility into attendance and purchasing patterns. Event capacity management became seamless, and post-event follow-up improved dramatically.
• Website Performance & Engagement The redesigned castle.ca delivered improved user experience metrics, with mobile traffic increasing substantially as dealers increasingly accessed resources on-the-go. The bilingual CMS empowered our team to publish content updates in hours instead of days, improving our ability to respond to market needs.
• Operational Impact The integrated platform approach eliminated data silos between our website, event system, and email communications. This cohesive ecosystem improved our team's efficiency and provided a more professional, consistent experience for our dealer network.
• Strategic Partnership Value Beyond the technical deliverables, Espress Labs' industry understanding and strategic guidance helped us make smarter decisions about our digital investments, ensuring each initiative aligned with our broader business objectives.

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

Espress Labs has consistently demonstrated excellent project management throughout our 12-year partnership. They establish clear timelines at the project outset and maintain transparent communication throughout development. When scope adjustments were needed (which is inevitable in long-term digital projects), they proactively flagged impacts and worked collaboratively to find solutions.

• Delivery & Timeline Management Projects were delivered on schedule, and when unexpected challenges arose, they communicated early and adjusted plans accordingly. Their team understands that our business has seasonal demands, and they've been flexible in accommodating our operational calendar, particularly around our major dealer events.
• Responsiveness & Communication What stands out most is their responsiveness. Dan and his team are accessible when we need them, whether it's a quick question, an urgent bug fix, or strategic planning for a new initiative. They respond promptly to emails and are available for calls when needed. This isn't just about speed—it's about understanding our business context and priorities.
• Problem-Solving Approach Rather than simply executing requests, they bring a problem-solving mindset. When we present a challenge, they ask thoughtful questions to understand the underlying business need, then recommend solutions we may not have considered. This consultative approach has saved us from costly mistakes and led to better outcomes.
• Proactive Support Beyond active projects, they provide ongoing technical support and proactively suggest optimizations or updates when relevant. This long-term commitment to our success, rather than just project completion, is rare and valuable.

What was your primary form of communication with Espress Labs?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Industry Understanding Without the Learning Curve

What truly sets Espress Labs apart is their genuine understanding of our industry. They didn't need us to explain the complexities of dealer networks, co-op marketing dynamics, or the unique challenges of serving bilingual markets. This meant we could focus on solving business problems rather than providing context. Many agencies claim industry expertise, but Espress Labs actually has it.

• Strategic Advisors, Not Order-Takers

They challenge our assumptions in productive ways. When we request something, they ask "why" to understand the underlying business objective, then often suggest better alternatives we hadn't considered. This consultative approach has prevented costly missteps and led to superior outcomes. They're invested in our success, not just completing projects.

• Long-Term Partnership Mindset

Over 12 years, they've demonstrated genuine commitment to our success beyond individual projects. They remember our business context, understand our constraints, and proactively suggest improvements when they see opportunities. This continuity is invaluable—we're not constantly re-explaining our business to new teams or starting from scratch with each project.

• Technical Excellence Meets Business Acumen

They balance technical capability with business pragmatism. Solutions are sophisticated where it matters but appropriately simple where complexity doesn't add value. They build for the long term, considering maintainability, scalability, and our internal team's capabilities.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Espress Labs could have done differently?

Honestly, it's difficult to identify significant areas for improvement given the quality of our partnership. If I had to mention something, it would be minor and more about optimization than problems:

• Documentation & Knowledge Transfer

While their work is excellent, more comprehensive documentation for our internal team on system administration and troubleshooting would be helpful. They're always responsive when we have questions, but having more robust self-service resources would give us additional confidence in managing day-to-day updates independently.

• Proactive Strategic Planning

They're excellent at executing projects and responding to our needs. Even more proactive quarterly or bi-annual strategic planning sessions to discuss emerging technologies, industry trends, or optimization opportunities would be valuable. They do this informally, but formalizing it might surface additional opportunities.

These are truly minor points in the context of a 12-year relationship that has consistently exceeded expectations. The quality of work, responsiveness, and strategic value they provide far outweighs any small areas where there's room for enhancement.