Fountain City, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of AI Governance Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

AI Governance Group helps organizations with responsible AI adoption - through literacy, policies, guidelines and guardrails. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Train a small language model to respond to human conversations with new insights
• Support a global manufacturing firm with pilot programs using AI in a multi-country use case

SOLUTION

How did you find Fountain City, Inc.?

Conference Speaker

Why did you select Fountain City, Inc. over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Fountain City, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

SLM technical specs, development and training. 

Workflow capture, orchestration support and AI Agent development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Met all project milestones, added value from PoC to MVP and now to extended Beta, which we're now embarking on. All quality metrics have been met and / or exceeded. 

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

I've worked with Sebastian across two substantive AI projects: a complex RFP engagement and an applied research initiative. In both contexts, he's shown the kind of technical depth that's increasingly rare — he doesn't just understand AI agents and small language models conceptually, he builds them. 

What sets Sebastian apart is how he combines that technical fluency with genuine strategic curiosity. He asks the questions that reframe the problem. Not to slow things down, but to make sure the work that gets done is actually the right work. In fast-moving projects where the scope is still being defined, that instinct is invaluable. 

He's also a workflow thinker in the truest sense. He sees the full map — where the friction is, where automation creates real leverage, where the humans still need to be in the loop. That's not a common skill, and it changes the quality of what gets built. 

On the practical side: responsive, organized, and someone you can trust to carry a piece of work without losing the thread. 

If you're looking for an AI practitioner who can operate at both the architecture level and the implementation level — and who will make your thinking sharper in the process — Sebastian is that person.

What was your primary form of communication with Fountain City, Inc.?

Virtual Meeting

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

He's not only got technical depth and AI experience and expertise, he's come on to support the work as a trusted team member. And, he teaches along the way if you're open to it. 

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

I can't think of any. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Business Manager of TATLife

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

TAT teaches the individual how to help him/herself -- with the support of a certified Professional if desired.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• PPC Google and FC ads
• Ongoing support and maintenance
• Web design

SOLUTION

How did you find Fountain City, Inc.?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Fountain City, Inc. over others?

• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Fountain City, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

They helped us grow our practice by reaching more individuals and they also kept our website safe and secure. They started off by helping us rebuild our online store.

They did SEO work and ran ad campaigns for us on Google and Facebook. Our Google Analytics account shows we have a significant number of new users. Additionally, the length of time they spend on the site is four times longer than with our old platforms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our google analytics showed positive returns from all the work they did. We also saw a positive return on our Facebook ads which helped us get more clients and grow the practice.

Our new website was also great and people told us right away how much better it was. Though we looked at a few companies, we followed a referral to work with Fountain City. We had worked with several developers in the past, so we knew this team felt right. They had a strong grasp on our goals after a ten-minute conversation.

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

Our project manager was amazing, we were kept updated on every stage. They were highly responsive and communicated with us via text, email, video-based meetings, and tickets. If we ever had emergencies, they answered quickly. Even if there were delays on our end, they were helpful and felt like a part of our team.

We valued the way they supported us throughout the project, everything was on track. We were always made aware of our budget and timelines.

What was your primary form of communication with Fountain City, Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

they understood us, showed a genuine interest, and understood our goals quickly. They were able to really focus on what we needed to help grow our small business through targeted ads and we appreciated them taking the time to show us the results.

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

None that I can think of.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on January 30, 2019. 

Terri Chamberlin
Business Manager, TATlife, Inc.Healthcare
Los Angeles, California
1-10 Employees
May 2017 - Ongoing
$10,000 to $49,999
Verified

Project summary
Fountain City, Inc. developed a custom e-commerce on WordPress to consolidate multiple sites. They managed the entire design and creation process for the website and used an agile approach.

Feedback summary
The improved platform has earned significant traffic and users spend more time on the site. The Fountain City Inc. team showed a high level of commitment to the success of the project. They delivered the work in a timely manner and were a valuable resource.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business manager of TATlife, Inc. We’re an acupuncture healing company. We sell recordings and offer live webinars, workshops, and private sessions. We have students, professionals, and trainers all over the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We’ve never had a functioning, efficient website which impedes our goal of creating an easy-to-use online store with all of our resources in one place. We wanted to have one main site that displays our offerings and resources clearly and cohesively. Due to this need, we hired Fountain City, Inc. to create our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We held an initial meeting in which we explained our company and project goals. From this, the project manager visualized our ideas and began the work. They developed an aThemes website so we’d have the ability to make future changes as necessary. Their developers paired the site with WooCommerce and build on WordPress. Their team handled the graphic design, colors, flow, UX, etc.

What is the team composition?  

To begin the project, Sebastian (CEO/Owner, Fountain City, Inc.) assigned Anthony (Project Manager, Fountain City, Inc.) to our project. David (Web Developer, Fountain City, Inc.) was our main developer, and there were others working with us, too.

How did you come to work with Fountain City, Inc.?

Though we looked at a few companies, we followed a referral to work with Fountain City, Inc. We had worked with several developers in the past, so we knew this team felt right. They had a strong grasp on our goals after a ten-minute conversation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $28,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May 2017–March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our Google Analytics account shows we have a significant number of new users. Additionally, the length of time they spend on the site is four times longer than with our old platforms.

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

Our project manager was amazing—we were kept updated on every stage. They were highly responsive and communicated with us via text, email, webinar-based meetings, and tickets. If we ever had emergencies, they answered quickly. Even if there were delays on our end, they were helpful and felt like a part of our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We valued the way they supported us throughout the project—everything was on track. We were always made aware of our budget and timelines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing they could have done better.

STAR RATINGS
Overall rating: 5
I can’t say enough wonderful things about them.
Quality: 5
They created a the website in a cost-effective way.
Cost: 5
They were less pricey than previous companies we worked with.
Schedule: 5
Everything was always on time on their end.
Willing to refer: 5
We’ve already given them referrals.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Owner of Tiger's Eye LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide virtual assistance to healthcare practices specializing in natural medicine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Automation of systems
• Custom AI solutions
• AI Consulting/Training

SOLUTION

How did you find Fountain City, Inc.?

Referral

Why did you select Fountain City, Inc. over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Fountain City, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

they first reviewed our way of working with our clients and found opportunities to automate our repetitive actions. They looked at all the repetitive things we were doing and found ways to make it automatic while mindful of security and HIPAA compliance, which we really appreciated. I also really liked that they started off by calculating the total cost-benefit the system would have against the up-front costs and ongoing costs it would incur so I could have a clear picture of the benefits this would bring us.

For automations they set up solutions and automation systems (using something called n8n) for us that we can then use for ourselves and now also re-sell to our clients. We're still learning how best to use AI and so it is great to have these tools in place. They will help us retain our personal touch and voice in our communications with clients, while also saving a ton of time!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a system that automates the most repetitive aspects of our job, and helps us save a lot of time by creating drafts for responses and follow ups that we can just go in and edit. We're also excited about future options to further improve these tools over time! Sebastian is the best.

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

It was just a couple of people working with us on this, so there wasn't a project manager per say, that said the whole process went pretty smooth and everything was clear. Most of the delays were really on our side since we have to find time to review and integrate these systems into our workflow, there wasn't any specific deadline here we were working against.

What was your primary form of communication with Fountain City, Inc.?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I think my mind is still expanding from how AI can help you, there are so many new ideas appearing all the time in our heads. It felt great to be working with a team that is so knowledgable in this regard. I felt taken care of personally and they are really good at explaining everything.

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

I am trying to think of something but for our needs this all went really smoothly and I don't have any recommendations I can think of right now for how they can improve! We were happy with the work and we will be sure to call them back up for more features once we have integrated all these workflows!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Game Design and Balance of NeoCrux

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We build digital software applications, with a focus on digital games and experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Operational Management
• Website Hosting
• Automation Systems

SOLUTION

How did you find Fountain City, Inc.?

Referral

Why did you select Fountain City, Inc. over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Fountain City, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

I had an excellent experience working with this team. Fountain City played a crucial role in streamlining our operations by setting us up with automations that helped improve our workflows. They also helpoed us get our websites interconnected, secure, and running smoothly.

The most complex thing they did was developing a custom database for our game data, they had to integrate 3 servers together to do this. They did this to help build a synced data customization  system for our app users. They also implemented a single sign-on system between our mobile app and web interface (using I believe Laravel), so that game data could be built and loaded directly into the game. Something that made it so much easier to use and also enable our app to be cross platform.
They also did an excellent job on our branding and UI/UX work. The logo and and design of the website was really beautiful.

Sebastian stood out as a strong operational leader, he helped bring the team together and has a really strong vision that helped everyone stay focused even when things got tough. Thomas also tood out as playing a key role in the project.

Overall, their contributions were invaluable, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for top-tier development, automation, and game system integration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our project would not have been possible without them. They built and managed our websites, helped set up the supporting infrastructure for all our different servers. Set up automation systems and tools to help streamline our work, and overall kept everything on track and moving in the right direction. They were the glue we needed to succeed.

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

Sebastian was attentive and jumped in to solve problems as they came up. When mistakes were made he took good care of us to try and figure out the problems and make things right. The few items that were delayed were explained to me in a way that made sense, I felt like Sebastian did a good job of anticipating problems and keeping me out of the dark.

What was your primary form of communication with Fountain City, Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

For such a small company I was impressed with how many different things they could do, how quickly they could adapt and the skill level of the people they brought in. I was also impressed by their genuine level of care and passion for what they did and my interests. They were great, and I recommend them to anyone reading this!

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

Even though they are great at handling a lot of novel problems and issues, sometimes they got a bit in over their heads and needed to correct to get back on track. While Sebastian is really creative at coming up with solutions and has a strong desire to help his clients with any and all of their problems, I think he could also focus more on delivering less things and make his life less complicated by doing so! If you are a client considering working with them, I would say make sure you help Fountain City by keeping your goals very clear and well communicated so that you can in turn help them to stay focused on what it is is actually the most important to you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Flora Bowley Designs Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Flora Bowley Designs Inc. is an arts education platform featuring the offerings of painter, author, and facilitator, Flora Bowley. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Update outdated website
• Improve customer experience

SOLUTION

How did you find Fountain City, Inc.?

Referral

Why did you select Fountain City, Inc. over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Fountain City, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

My small team of two worked closely with Fountain City for over three years, and in that time, Fountain City did an incredible job updated and optimizing our sorely outdated Wordpress site. There is a robust and customized online learning platform on our website and great care was taken to ensure that the user experience was not interrupted while the many updates took place. Each team member we worked with at Fountain City was sincerely invested in our success and went above and beyond in their excellent work and support. We now have confidence that our website is secure and the user experience is better than ever. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A secure website and improved user experience. 

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

Yes, work was delivered on time and needs were always met. 

What was your primary form of communication with Fountain City, Inc.?

Email or Messaging App

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

The personal care and professionalism found in each team member were impressive.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marcom Director of OnPath Testing

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

QA Testing and QAOps

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Finish rebrand
• Campaign building

SOLUTION

How did you find Fountain City, Inc.?

Referral

Why did you select Fountain City, Inc. over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Fountain City, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

SOW: Develop customer journey and personas, complete a visual rebrand, bring website pages up to date, move into executing lead gen strategies on LinkedIn. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fountain City completed customer journey and persona studies, an updated brand guide, and two web pages. 

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

They did not deliver on time. Getting assets was like pulling teeth. The project manager assigned to us was new, had no experience, and was basically turned loose with no oversight - we lost a full month of activity. When asked for specifics, we were told "yes, no problem," but nothing happened. 

What was your primary form of communication with Fountain City, Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Sorry, I wish I could say something good. 

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

Internal communication and management of resources — it was very clear from the outside that management had little sense of what was happening with their own team members. Stop relying on AI for delivery of items - it was blatent that minimal work was put into items we received, and instead, team members were using AI and spitting out assets without reviewing or editing, including graphics. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager for Vital Leaf, a consumer goods company creating health and wellness products. We focus on both retail and wholesale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Initially, we brought Fountain City to help us with web management for our e-commerce site because we weren’t having a good experience with our previous service provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fountain City’s role has changed over the years, and our intentions have also been dynamic. They originally took over the website management work done by our previous web development company. Since then, they’ve made a lot of improvements to our WooCommerce site related to its UI and cleaned some of the bad development work our initial web developer did.

One of the most significant projects that Fountain City has supported has been adding a B2B shop on our site separate from our B2C one. Additionally, they take care of our website’s maintenance, hosting, and basic cybersecurity updates. Throughout our engagement, we’ve also explored the possibility of doing more e-commerce work with Fountain City, although we haven’t moved forward with all the initiatives and opportunities we’ve found.

Users can primarily buy our products on our site, but it also has a consumer education component. We deliver this component in the form of a blog, and Fountain City has provided us with guidance on improving our SEO through our blog.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with Sebastian (CEO) and his business partner, as well as with 2–3 web developers. One of these developers has worked with us in a very consistent way; he has been our main point of contact. Additionally, we’ve worked with 3–4 project managers who have come and gone from the project.

How did you come to work with Fountain City, Inc.?

They came as a word-of-mouth recommendation. We decided to work with them due to the quality of the recommendation; the person who recommended them was very affirming about the quality of their work and the ease of engagement. Still, we did a couple of informational interviews and were very impressed with the quality of Fountain City’s relationship-building skills.

We immediately felt comfortable with them and trusted them. Moreover, Sebastian’s desire to do due diligence on his end to better understand the needs of our business was very reassuring. During our initial meeting, he asked many in-depth and pointed questions to gather the right information and work with us effectively. That was very valuable for our team because it felt like an honest relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around mid-2019, and our engagement is ongoing. Unfortunately, our budget is very low right now, so we haven’t used Fountain City to the extent we would like to.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with Fountain City, we’ve noticed an increase in site traffic. Additionally, they’ve significantly improved our site’s UX by installing plug-ins, smoothing things out, and correcting glitches and bugs. They’ve fixed a lot of problems with our website and integrated new plug-ins that have been highly beneficial for our site.

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

Throughout our engagement, Fountain City has been very responsive, flexible, and collaborative in determining the best fit between our company and theirs. Their team is especially helpful in moments when our site doesn’t work properly because they’re great at prioritizing emergent needs.

One of Fountain City’s strengths is creating very clear proposals for scopes of work with defined outlines for budgets. The proposals they generate are very considerate of our business needs and our budgeting.

Moreover, I really appreciate all the people from Fountain City we’ve worked with. Their communication is very clear, and their troubleshooting process is always clear and creative. I’m not knowledgeable in web development, but everyone from their team has been very good at explaining things to me and helping me understand their work.

We communicate via Zoom meetings, text messages, and phone calls. We’ve also done very few in-person meetings because their team is located in different places. Fountain City also uses a project management app through which we communicate. This app has been really helpful for streamlining our communication and keeping our information in one place. It also allows us to watch the project’s progress and track things in a more efficient way.

As for time management, Fountain City has done their best to deliver things on time, but our site has provided some consistent challenges. Thus, they’ve faced some unforeseen issues that have required a longer time to troubleshoot than expected.

Another thing that has impacted their timeliness is that we’re a very small internal team. Sometimes, they require critical information from us that we haven’t provided in a timely manner due to our limitations.

Moreover, They’ve been responsible for some delays whenever we’ve needed to transition between project managers because we’ve needed to get new people up to speed on our business, website, and project progress. Still, we’ve been satisfied with the timeliness of Fountain City’s deliveries for the most part.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been very impressed with the clarity of Fountain City’s work and the foundation of their knowledge; customer focus is one of their strengths. Sebastian is very committed to finding the best possible solutions for everyone, which for him, represents a higher priority than telling us what we want to hear or providing us with easy solutions. They always have our best interests at heart and come to the table with suggestions based on their experience and understanding of our business.

Moreover, their whole team values working relationships greatly, which is wonderful for us as clients. For the most part, they’ve been extraordinarily easy to work with, and they’ve been very patient with me. Overall, working with them has been a very positive experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

An area that Fountain City could improve is the number of project managers who have come and gone. It feels as if our business has passed through many people's hands, creating a slowdown in the project and a lack of clarity. Still, Sebastian has tried his best in those moments to step in and provide direct support to our business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your available budget for the project and communicate that upfront. Additionally, have realistic expectations about how much progress can be made given your available budget; it is important to set the right expectations. Moreover, be clear about your business’ high priorities and be open to suggestions and feedback regarding the best approach to reach your goals.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was a Group Account Director at CMD, a marketing and advertising agency in the PNW, and was responsible for our B2B tech portfolio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fountain City, Inc., and what were your goals?

We contracted Fountain City for their development and project management services. We were scaling a new relationship within one of our Fortune 50 tech accounts within a new incubation group that was bringing new technologies to market quickly and launching new start ups that required a scalable digital marketing and web presence that we did not have the tech resources in house to scale to the opportunity and speed at which the work would come.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We interviewed multiple partners and contractors but eventually landed on going with Fountain City because of their flexibility and scalability. They also had a well tuned project management team and methodology that help navigate client requests and changes. I found them to be timely, professional, and got the work done.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope of the work was I/A, Development and QA in developing new websites for the start ups coming out of this incubator program. This included direct to consumer ecommerce sites which was new for this B2B client

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Account manager, Project manager and the principal owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Speed to market was the key in this engagement along with agility to last minute client changes. Fountain City responded quickly and put in late nights to achieve the end clients goals.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They were professional, organized, and had great communication throughout.

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

Expertise and hungry to grow and do great work.

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

We threw a lot at them and they always responded quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Hello Again, a cannabis company. We make vaginal suppositories for the relief of different physical symptoms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had an existing website full of glitches, so we wanted to upgrade it with a tight budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fountain City, Inc. did web design for us; they revamped the site by making several changes to it — we’ve had three different iterations with them so far. They’ve helped us cleanly implement a store finder map and our branding to the platform. We rely on them for creative input, incorporation of widgets, and SKUs and relicensing revisions.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with Sebastian (CEO), Carlos (Full-Stack Engineer), and a couple of project managers,

How did you come to work with Fountain City, Inc.?

They were referred to us.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We’ve spent about $45,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, they did a great job. Our SEO has increased, and we get great feedback on the website’s informative, dynamic, and inviting look and feel. We also have a significant retention time from our website visitors.

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

We’ve been using a ticketing system; they always have easy-to-use tools in place for us. Also, they’ve been very responsive throughout the engagement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of care and concern is outstanding; whenever we come up with ideas, they let us know if they’re going to work or if they might cause us trouble as we scale up, which is something I appreciate. Also, Sebastian is great at helping us with our budget to avoid spending too much on something that might be a problem in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the outreach and education legal liaison for SHALVA, a domestic violence counseling agency located in Chicago. I’m in charge of our communications, including our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I was tasked with working on a grant to build out a new interactive tool. Before coming up with this idea, we were trying to find a new and innovative way of helping people who were worried about a friend or family member who might be in an abusive relationship. Thus, we came up with the idea of creating an interactive set of videos and questions. We wanted this tool to be hosted on our website, but it required us to update it, so we hired Fountain City to help us out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fountain City has helped us rebuild our website on WordPress, as well as the interactive tool we required. They were in charge of migrating a lot of our content and information from our former site to the new site, too. Since then, we’ve had an ongoing relationship with them for website maintenance and other related projects.

Fountain City recently helped us update the interactive tool after collecting two years' worth of data. Additionally, they’re currently helping us with some Google Ads and Analytics, and we’re moving towards SEO.

What is the team composition?

I work with Sebastian (CEO), Carlos (Full Stack Engineer), who has been our main developer throughout the entire engagement, and Marcel (Account Strategist). Besides Marcel, we’ve worked with a couple of other account managers.

How did you come to work with Fountain City, Inc.?

We hired a consultant to help us out with the grant we received for the project, and they were the ones who brought Fountain City into the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019, and the new site with the interactive tool was launched in 2020. We’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website has vastly improved thanks to Fountain City’s work, according to people in our community. We’ve definitely seen more traffic coming into our new website, especially when we’ve launched social media campaigns to promote the tool.

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

Fountain City is very responsive and great to work with. Whenever there is an emergency, they’re easily reachable and solve the problem immediately. They also keep us on track and continuously ensure that we’re setting goals and meeting them.

Throughout the project, Fountain City has provided a lot of great feedback, which helped us during the building process and continues to help us for improving the site. We currently use ClickUp to manage the project. Before, we were using a different ticketing system, but we decided to make the change. Additionally, we communicate via Zoom, Google Meet, and email, as well as via phone calls whenever there is an emergency.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Fountain City offers an excellent personal touch and is very approachable while being very professional still. They’re very mindful and appreciative of our work, and they truly feel like a part of our team. We’ve developed a nice team-effort environment. For example, we had our virtual luncheon recently, and a couple of their team members attended and made donations. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Whenever we’ve had issues, they handle them right away, so we haven’t had any negative experiences. If anything, I can say that we’ve had various account manager changes, but they haven’t been an issue because, whenever it happens, Sebastian quickly jumps into that role.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Working with Fountain City, you’ll be in good hands. Try to find out if the project manager they assign to your project has some time working with them because they seem to have some issues retaining them. However, if they happen to change project managers during your engagement, be sure that it won’t affect their work.