Expedition Co.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founded by LA based musician/singer/composer, Laura Bradley, The Longing are a 4-piece symphonic progressive metal band, with critical world wide acclaim for their last three CD's, singles, videos and performances.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Expedition Co.?

The Longing needed a revamped website to reflect their sound and latest album.

What were your goals for this project?

To create an easily navigable website that allows the visitor to listen and view The Longing's music and videos, peruse the photo gallery, follow their social media and purchase music.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Jesse Davis of Expedition Co. has created all of my websites in the past, and when the time came for a revision, there is no one else I trust to design The Longing's website.

Describe the project in detail.

To revise and update a rock band's website.

What was the team composition?

Jesse Davis is my personal advisor. His team takes over and delivers layout and design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Working with Jesse Davis and Expedition Co. is always a delight and was an enormous success. Jesse and his brilliant team took my project (this is the third) by the reins, created incredible designs that fully represent my symphonic metal band,

The Longing, with strong and beautiful imagery and an easy to navigate website. Jesse understands the connection between music and the art of design and draws the viewer and fan into a visual experience that looks and feels like a Longing concert. I've written 7 albums, and have a very specific idea about what I want at all times lyrically and artistically, yet I've never brought any ideas to the table with Jesse about my website desires.

Jesse brings his ideas about what he thinks represents my project to me and he's never been wrong! Jesse's experience, talent and intuition with his clientele and subject matter bring to life a simple website and creates a magical and artistic experience for the fan and the viewer.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. A simple email detailing what their team needs from my team generally was the strategy and works every time. Tasks were deliverable in a very timely manner and nothing was deemed to challenging.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am always impressed with the turn around time and follow through.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I am very pleased with the working relationship and the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Easy Life Brands, a company that creates products to make life easier.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

I wanted to create an app that turns photos into emoji-sized cartoons. In essence, I wanted users to upload a selfie and then have that photo turned into a cartoon emoji. They could then text those cartoons to their friends.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Expedition Co. developed the app and launched it in the App Store. I came up with the idea, and they figured out how to make it all happen. As for functionalities, users can take their cartoon and add text, change the background color, or crop it into different shapes.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about six people—four for main tasks and two for specific ones.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

They were recommended to me by a different company.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested about $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April–December 2019. There was a month-and-a-half break in the middle due to vacation time on both ends.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of work was exceptional. I have nothing negative to say about them. They even visited me in my office a couple of times. Their team was easy to work with, diligent, and up-to-speed on the latest technology.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

They were absolutely great. Their communication skills were fantastic, and their team was professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They outlined the entire project before they gave it to me. Then they created timelines and met each of them, even with my many requested changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they could have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There’s nothing I can think of. They were great—they listened, paid attention, and made needed changes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Luck Companies is a provider of crushed stone aggregate for highways and buildings. I’m a digital marketing strategist in charge of social media and web design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

We have an annual impact report and we wanted to digitize that product to make it more available to our web audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took the digital PDF of our report and turned it into a beautiful web experience. It’s a standalone website but it’s linked to our existing websites. They slimmed down the PDF of the report, kept its core functionality, and added really cool animations to bring it to life digitally.

What is the team composition?

They wanted to make sure there wasn’t a large amount of bureaucracy getting in the way of efficient delivery, so we worked with a small team. Isaac (Partner, Expedition Co.) led the project.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

We had experience with a web development firm who recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July–August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It blew our minds that they pulled off this project in a month. We’ve gotten feedback from customers around the world who were happy with the convenience.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

The short timeframe of this project was like building a car as you drive down the road, and they had the best speed of communication I’ve worked with. If I sent an email at 8 p.m. on a weekend, I would get a response. They’re very responsive and the feedback loop was really good.

We’re on East Coast time and they’re on the West Coast, but they would always respond quickly. I think they’re vampires—they don’t sleep. They really came through for us and that was a huge relief.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had the technical ability to do everything we wanted and the imagination to bring it to life. Even though they were up against a pretty tight timeline, their innovation was amazing. We expected a little bit of sizzle on the site, but nothing like what they delivered.

They listened and didn’t push back on changes we suggested throughout the process. It was also amazing to work directly with Isaac. I can’t wait to work with him again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wonder if we did a real website build—with project management and planning—what the process would be because I didn’t get a good sense of that. I’m not sure how they’d handle project management, change requests, and quality control in a larger full-scale project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t pen them in, let them run.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Everhem, a custom window treatment solutions platform. Our business lets users customize their own products based on their window measurements and then order the products directly.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

We needed someone to develop our e-commerce site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Expedition Co. did everything from UI/UX design to front- and backend coding of the site. They designed the site, built the site, and were very involved in finding other vendors to create anything that they couldn’t do. The e-commerce platform is entirely custom and uses Stripe as its only third-party API.

Expedition Co also helped to find partners to create some assets that we couldn’t make on our own, like 3D renderings of what our products would look like on a window. We needed rendering for each of our 32 different fabrics across three distinct product lines, along with a bunch of different options that change how it looks. In the end, we needed a few thousand renderings. Isaac (Partner, Expedition Co.) found our rendering partner in Bulgaria, and we got a reasonable price on it.

Before starting this company, I was working as a designer at an advertising agency focused on branding. The first thing I did was name the company, create a logo, and then I developed the brand guideline. I also created some website screens. We met with Isaac’s team, and they took everything in and built the site map. They used a lot of what I created, but they changed a fair amount to make it better than I ever could have.

What is the team composition?

Isaac was always the main point of contact. Kevin (Lead Product Designer, Expedition Co.) was my second go-to for frontend stuff. Borin (Software Engineer, Expedition Co.) was the backend guru working off all the economic models that I built and coding them into the site. That way, when users place an order, it works. Kevin (QA Lead, Expedition Co.) also was involved, along with a few other junior designers and coders. There were probably 5-7 people working on the project.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

I found Expedition Co. on Clutch. They were one of the top names that came up. I started looking at websites of web development agencies to help me decide if I trust them to build my website. Expedition Co. was the first one I looked at, and I loved it much more than the other sites I saw. Within half a day of filling out their contact form, they got back to me. The next day we were on a call with them. They understood what it was that we were trying to build, and we felt they could make it. They even met with my wife and me at our house for a good 1–1.5 hours to spitball ideas. 

At that point, we were very excited about going with Expedition Co., but we still did our due diligence and got a few more bids. Each of those came in exactly about double what Expedition Co. was proposing. I reached out to Isaac and asked if he was charging too little. He said they don’t ever pack extra time and padding into a bid for the unknown. He said there aren’t any unknowns for them and if there were, they’re confident they can figure it out and would stick to the bid. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2018 until August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a long ride, but a successful one. We completed the development about 30 days ago. Expedition Co. is still fixing little bugs if I find them or things that aren’t working exactly how I want it. However, they’ve yet to charge hourly for it—they’re still honoring the original contract.

The site speaks for itself. What we were hoping for was an e-commerce destination for window treatments that would blow everything else that exists in the marketplace out of the water. I firmly believe that our site does that. The frontend is beautiful, and the backend is fully functional.

Everyone that has visited the site is very impressed. Any sales that we make will be 100% attributable to the website. Once we focus on brand awareness, I’m confident we’re going to get even more.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was always very transparent about how long things would take. The things that made the project take a lot longer were out of their control, such as when other vendors would come through with deliverables Expedition Co. needed. Their project management was pretty on point—they did everything they said they were going to do. The project took four months longer than anticipated, but I don’t fault them for it. We used Slack to communicate throughout.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by Expedition Co.’s cool-headedness. When they encounter what seems like an insurmountable problem, they’re always able to find a solution. When we first hired them, we believed that we could probably do this in Shopify. Expedition Co. said they didn’t think they could, but they could build a custom solution instead. Their team never came across a problem they couldn’t solve. I always felt that I was in good hands.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes there were little issues with the site that we would notice. Expedition Co. fixed them, but they didn’t find them themselves. However, I don’t expect anyone to be perfect like that either.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Always have an open line of communication. Don’t be afraid to contact Expedition Co. through Slack at any time—day or night. They will respond as soon as they’re available. You’re also going to get as much out of it as you put into it. If you’re in constant communication and asking questions, they’ll be transparent with you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an online financial research publisher called Phinaz. We cover topics such as investment advice, stock market analysis, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

After our CTO left, we reached out to Expedition Co. to provide technical services and become our go-to development partner. They’re now working on two major projects, including an internal online marketing platform and a new, client-facing SaaS investment tool that would help us move into the software space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Expedition Co. built an internal marketing platform from scratch, integrating it with our CRM, email service provider, and other existing servers to better track our incoming leads. For each lead, the platform would pull up the data and report the relevant numbers before placing the lead in the correct database.

To augment this process, Expedition Co. set up our Google Analytics account and integrated it with our site and CRM. We can now draw our data from multiple sources and view it in a single, aggregated dashboard.

The team is also concurrently working on our SaaS product. While I can’t go into too much detail, they’ve started development four months ago and are working from the ground up.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Vincent (Technical Project Manager, Expedition Co.) across both projects. He acts as the liaison between us and the background engineers, prioritizing our tasks and sending it to the appropriate resource. When the engineers run into a particularly challenging wall, Brian (CTO, Expedition Co.) and Isaac (Founder & Partner, Expedition Co.) will often step in and resolve the issue.

I also have a fantastic working relationship with Jesse (Founder & Partner, Expedition Co.). If there’s something that I need done but don’t want to bother the team with, I’ll message him, and he’ll handle the task—as long as it’s within his knowledge base. That way, I don’t disrupt the team’s focus.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

We found them while looking for a new CTO. I happened to be in conversation with Jesse and decided to give his team a shot.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work started in June 2018 and is ongoing. Expedition Co. finished the marketing platform in about six months and have worked on the SaaS product for about four months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve just launched the marketing platform and are currently working on some live campaigns. While things are working well so far, there are still bugs that need to be worked out before we can fully utilize the software. After the work is done, we plan to bring in an external contractor to check for security risks and vulnerabilities.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re remarkably responsive and nearly always kept to schedule. There have been times when we’ve mutually missed the deadline, but that was due to external factors (e.g., a data provider didn’t give us what we needed quickly enough). We use Google Docs and Slack to coordinate the projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re fantastic about providing updates, and it’s easy to communicate with the team. If we post anything in the Slack channel, it’s sure to be taken care of quickly. In that sense, it feels like we’re their only client.

I also commend their organizational skills. We often throw a lot of information at them in updates, but they’re able to digest it, document it, and produce a written statement. This helps us better manage our ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because Expedition Co. is relatively new to marketing projects, the team isn’t used to working with companies like us. However, it’s essential to have a working concept of digital marketing to understand the project scope and how the tools work. Occasionally, we had to redo parts of the platform because an engineer lacked the necessary marketing knowledge to develop a function as expected. I’ve since talked to Jesse, and they’ve worked to resolve the issue moving forward.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of The International Legacy Film Academy, or TILFA. We have devised and created a new global film awards show. Every year, we host an award show where our academy selects the best in the world in 30 different film categories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

Expedition Co. was responsible for the overall design and development of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our biggest challenge was to convey something modern and different from all other award shows while also proving that we are relevant within the movie industry. We relied on Expedition Co. to design and develop the entire website. I outlined specific features that I appreciated from various other websites, and they were able to implement many of those requests. The site is quite content-heavy, but they have built it in such a way that it’s easy to navigate without sacrificing quality. In addition to the front-facing side, Expedition Co. developed an intranet for employees to access and manage all content.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an initial account or intake manager and have since worked only with a project manager and an engineer. We don’t interface directly with that engineer, but we receive regular reports and updates.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

We worked with two companies prior to finding Expedition Co., but neither was the best fit for us. Our interview process is fairly straightforward. We explain the project, tell them about our company, and finish with a video screen share of what information we’re working with. Then we request a proposal. Expedition Co. understood our needs well and offered the best proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our website project spanned September–October 2018, but we already plan to work together again on upcoming projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site and our social media accounts are still new, so we don’t have much growth to speak of. But we’re more concerned with making an impact in the industry and showing that we’re legitimate, and Expedition Co.’s work has helped us accomplish that in our early stages.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication was excellent. We’ve operated through the WhatsApp platform, and they’ve adapted well to that. There was never a 24-hour window when we didn’t hear from them. They understood the importance of our internal deadlines, and they made sure everything was delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They fully immersed themselves in the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Their business sense and their creative sense complement each other well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are an expensive agency, but the quality of their work is well worth it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a freelance producer. I provide digital solutions to clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

I reach out to Expedition Co. when I need their digital solutions for an end-client’s project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For most projects, the end-client supplies the style guide and we pass it to Expedition Co. Their team then creates the wireframes and design comparable. I hire them on a case-by-case basis and the scope follows the client’s specifications and preferred workflow. For example, on one project they only did the UX design and not the backend functionalities. Expedition Co. has done two mobile application projects while other engagements focus on web development.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with two or three people per project, usually a lead and a subordinate. Those contacts have a cross-departmental team working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

I found them through word of mouth from suppliers I had previously used. I kept re-engaging Expedition Co. for different web projects because my stress level goes down when I work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them about five years ago and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Expedition Co. always schedules projects up front to prevent surprises during the timeline. They always deliver on time or early. For one project, we were on a tight timeline and our team ran two hours late with an item. The team held us accountable to the deadline, which resulted in an on-time delivery for the end-client. They don’t use a ticketing system, which I appreciate because the multiple communication funnels keep us honest and on track.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

I don’t care about their team size as long as the work gets done. I like being able to pick up the phone and call somebody; there are times when I just want a simple text or email. The communication tool depends on the situation, but Expedition Co. is responsive on all channels. If I call my contact when he’s in a meeting, he texts me right back and lets us know when he’ll respond. He puts everyone at ease when he’s on a call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team speaks in non-technical terms to make team-wide meetings and different conversations accessible for all stakeholders.

Any advice for potential customers?

Ask them questions in a meet or face-to-face because they have an incredible amount of knowledge. Whenever I talk to them, we realize there are better methods available. For one project, the team didn’t use PSP files because it was too cumbersome; the new approach worked much faster.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive producer at an online marketing and app development provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

We have a longstanding partnership with them. This particular project was an app for a multi-purpose arena with a three-month turnaround time. We knew their work and felt they’d be able to handle the task.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the creative elements and the layout and they completed the whole build for both Android and iOS. They helped us come up with a succinct app with a fully retooled UI that fit our client’s needs. We worked through the overall interface and made a completely functional app. They made sure map positions were properly placed and we’re discussing options for payment possibilities and augmented reality for future versions of the app.

What is the team composition?

We work with one of their partners, a project manager, and about four other team members.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

We found them several years ago through a search.

How much have you invested with them?

This specific project was close to $30,000. Our total spend over our years with them is closer to $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this specific project for three months in 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They set realistic expectations for timelines and nothing seems to scare them. They achieve goals within short timelines and are extremely proactive to fix any bugs or glitches that occur.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a really good rapport with their team and their response times are quick. They always meet our expectations and we know we have a trustworthy resource.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good partners. They have a good technological vantage point and are willing to share ideas and make suggestions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they should improve. They’ve always hit the mark for us and they’re always quick to make corrections, if needed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They will work better if you come to them with a clear plan and outline of your timeline and budget. They’re very good with parameters and will help you achieve your timeline, pricing, and final execution goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior manager of national sales training for Hyundai Motor America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

We hired them for web development before branching out to design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Expedition Co. has done a complete redesign of our sales training site. They made it responsive and user-friendly with new search capabilities. The redesign is ongoing and may include additional development components. Pending budget approval, we plan to start app development. In addition, they manage our live events and handle backend support for our live webcasts.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with the two partners. They then brought on a team for the web redesign, totaling about six people. Each resource has a dedicated role.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

One of our partner vendors worked with them. We learned about their capabilities and mission. Expedition Co.’s relentless pursuit of innovation impressed us.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve done development and technical support for six years. The redesign project started about four months ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A cutting-edge company, Expedition Co. is always looking for the next best thing to improve the client’s product. The responsive site has helped our sales team serve customers more flexibly—removing their dependency on desktops.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

We contract them through our main vendor, but I’ve requested direct communication in addition to the traditional third-party arrangement. Our vendor receives updates and then keeps us in the loop to ensure timely deliveries. For direct communication with Expedition Co., we use email, text, and phone as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work blows me away because every time we ask for something, they consistently exceed our expectations. The team goes outside the scope to improve a component because they believe in their work and want to deliver the best product possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish more people knew about them because their work is outstanding.

Any advice for potential customers?

Expedition Co. is personable and client-focused. Consequently, there are no boundaries when working with them. Clients should be open-minded during the engagement because no task will be too big.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of an educational platform for entrepreneurs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Expedition Co.?

We needed to find a firm that could build out our entire platform with a high level of quality and sophistication.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Expedition Co. designed and developed our web platform to support at least 20 million members. The platform allows members to pay their fees online and progress through video classes.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and backend and frontend developers.

How did you come to work with Expedition Co.?

They were referred to me. I liked their portfolio of work and the type of clients they had experience working with.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2017 and we just recently launched the platform. They continue to provide support as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're very happy with the way the platform turned out. They've been quick to fix any bugs as needed in a timely manner.

They did a great job of working through the many software integrations I requested. There were a few additional features we'd still like incorporated, but we're happy with their work overall.

How did Expedition Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is excellent. They're easy to get ahold of and very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by the quality of their design work and how well they communicate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there's nothing I can think of.