Tarmac.IO

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of Trusted Herd.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The largest live event job and reputation site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tarmac.IO to accomplish?

• Build our web-based software marketplace platform
• Engage in a trustworthy partner with expertise
• Build our native iOS and Android app

SOLUTION

How did you find Tarmac.IO?

in-person event

Why did you select Tarmac.IO over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tarmac.IO were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
I came to Tarmac looking to build a job and reputation marketplace for both workers and companies in a specific industry. After three 30+ minute glowing calls with previous clients, I decided to go with them; 8+ years later, best decision. 

We started with a web platform, added native iOS and Android 2 years later, and now our site is up to 150,000+ members, 68,000 jobs posted in the last year, and 75,000 searchable reputations. As a non-technical founder, I feel like I hit the lottery every day, seeing how they've taken my idea and, through their technical expertise, turned it into what it is today.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We hit every milestone because Tarmac. Our site doesn't scale without them. I could look back on all the micro-measurable moments of progress, but macro picture, we're still here, growing rapidly, and it's because of them.

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

Yes, always. We communicate on Slack daily, and have daily video stand-ups. The owner of the company has always been transparent and realistic, and it resonates with the entire Tarmac.IO team. I've been involved with our development companies where that's not the case, and trust slowly erodes while the software suffers, too.

What was your primary form of communication with Tarmac.IO?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Everything. There's a reason I've continued working with them for 8 years. For Any future project, I'll go to them to do it.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tarmac.IO could have done differently?

Honestly, and I mean this after 8 years, no. The tech is there, the knowledge is there, and the sound dialogue is there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director, Product Engineering of eComEngine, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SaaS software that supports Amazon Sellers in running their businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tarmac.IO to accomplish?
Migrate from Amazon's MWS API to their new Selling Partner API

SOLUTION

How did you find Tarmac.IO?

Referral

Why did you select Tarmac.IO over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tarmac.IO were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our business is entirely dependent on data we get from Amazon's APIs. In early 2023, Amazon fully deprecated their old API, Marketplace Web Services (MWS) and replaced it with a new one, the Selling Partner API (SPAPI). This change was significant, and was an opportunity for us to rebuild our integration on a modern platform, using more streaming technologies and approaches, as well as unifying how our apps internally retrieved and used the data. 
The only deliverable was a brand new system to retrieve data for our sellers from Amazon's new APIs, and serve it to our internal applications. The key deliverable was that this needed to be completed before Amazon turned off access to the old API.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to (mostly) complete the API migration before Amazon cut off our access to the old APIs. The new system is entirely built on cloud-native technologies and a modern version of .NET, unlike our old application.

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

Tarmac provided two developers for staff augmentation on our development team. The Amazon domain is fairly foreign to those with no experience with it, but the provided developers did a good job of understanding the work that needed to be done and becoming productive developers in a short period of time. 
They worked independently while communicating with the rest of the team appropriately, and showed excellent software development habits, including regular code reviews, and writing tests for their code. The project management at Tarmac was stellar and extremely responsive to our needs and concerns.

What was your primary form of communication with Tarmac.IO?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their project management was quite good. They were balanced, but sensitive to our needs. They were also quite helpful, offering additional assistance and treating us as important partners. The developers were impressive because they demonstrated higher development standards than our company typically demands of our own developers. They did not merely operate to the standard of the team, but raised the standards. Their lead developer was particularly impressive in his communications and his handling of challenging situations.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tarmac.IO could have done differently?

No. There were some miscommunications on our part, due to a change of leadership. When they realized we were not on the same page, they did a great job of bridging the gap and working with us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Product Officer of Cahootz

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Cahootz fractional property ownership model provides all of the benefits of traditional buy-to-let but without the hassle of ongoing legal, financial and property management requirements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tarmac.IO to accomplish?

• System architecture design
• Build MVP
• Feature iteration and ongoing maintenance / support

SOLUTION

How did you find Tarmac.IO?

• Referral

Why did you select Tarmac.IO over others?

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

How many teammates from Tarmac.IO were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We chose to partner with Tarmac to help us design and build a fractional property investment platform from the ground up. Our project required a comprehensive approach to software development that would include everything from team assembly, system architecture, and DevOps setup.

We needed a software development experience that felt like an extension of our own company rather than an external agency and they understood the specific requirements of our project and handpicked individuals with the right skills and experience. Our key deliverables from the outset were:

• Design a system architecture that would be quick to build and launch, but scalable and secure.
• Launch an MVP of the platform in 3 months.
• Iterate with features from the product backlog and customer feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The development process and team followed an agile Scrum methodology. All the work was broken down into epics and user stories with 2 week sprints. We had a daily standup with the whole team every single day as well as constant communication through Slack. At the end of each sprint the team conducted a demo of the new features that had been completed.

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

The project management is excellent and process-driven. All members of the team are comfortable with multiple approaches and methodologies, with agile Scrum being what we settled on. A team lead was appointed alongside dedicated developers and DevOps engineers with constant communication and collaboration. Expectations are always set in advance and they went above and beyond multiple times to deliver. They always respond to our needs in a positive and solution focused manner.

What was your primary form of communication with Tarmac.IO?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Working with Tarmac genuinely feels like you've hired best in class people to your own company. There is no us and them, it's just us with everyone pulling in the same direction. They are always happy to provide advice or suggestions for better ways to do things and really care about the work they are doing. I've worked with many other software development companies in my career and have never experienced one like Tarmac that work with such quality and passion, as well as all being great people.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tarmac.IO could have done differently?

Open a London office so we could see them more often!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Department Head of ThinkMonkeys Ltd.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tarmac.IO to accomplish?

Develop a mobile app for a client

SOLUTION

How did you find Tarmac.IO?

Referral

Why did you select Tarmac.IO over others?

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

How many teammates from Tarmac.IO were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

To develop a cross-platform mobile app from an existing website.

1. Defining, planning, and agreeing on app requirements
2. Building mobile sitemap
3. Designing mockups
4. Integrating translation API 
5. Setting up and configuring the build environment
6. Creating build scripts
7. Developing backend and frontend code
8. Setting up deployment engine
9. Full end-to-end testing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Number of downloads of the mobile app
2. Increased audience reach
3. Greater visibility of client brand/services

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

Excellent project management skills. Utilization of DevOps methodology helped boost workflows and responses.

What was your primary form of communication with Tarmac.IO?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Excellent technical, project management, and DevOps skills. All staff were able to hit the ground running and worked effectively to deliver the project on time and within budget.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tarmac.IO could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Marketing of Go-Station

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We design and deploy EV charging solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tarmac.IO to accomplish?

• Design and deliver a native app for iOS and Android
• Ideate and develop new innovation and solutions in our industry.

SOLUTION

How did you find Tarmac.IO?

Referral

Why did you select Tarmac.IO over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Proven expertise

How many teammates from Tarmac.IO were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Design, develop, and deploy custom iOS and Android app Integrate with 3rd party EV charging partner and other 3rd party integrations Develop a custom admin panel to administer push notifications, promotions, and custom reports. Provide ongoing customer support for app issues Ensure the highest level of data security Test and QA the app

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On-time delivery 100% uptime 12-hour issue identification 24-48hr issue resolution On-budget 65% YoY app member growth

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

Project management was exceptional. Projects were delivered on time. Thorough strategic plans and tactical sprint plans were developed and executed. The team is very responsive. Working early or late to address an issue. They worked above and beyond by attending vendor meetings and providing support in areas that weren't directly related to app development.

What was your primary form of communication with Tarmac.IO?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Culture Depth of knowledge Speed Integrity

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tarmac.IO could have done differently?

There was nothing they needed to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of Information Technology of Opportunity Partners

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Opportunity Partners is one of Minnesota’s most experienced and comprehensive providers of employment, enrichment and residential services for adults with disabilities in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tarmac.IO to accomplish?

• Cloud services support
• Windows server administration
• Integration services

SOLUTION

How did you find Tarmac.IO?

Referral

Why did you select Tarmac.IO over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tarmac.IO were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Tarmac has provided invaluable technical support while building out and supporting our cloud-based architecture. Their staff is closely integrated to our successful team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have successfully migrated a majority of our infrastructure to Azure. Our systems have been secure.

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

Tarmac has been a consistent performer, across many resources, across many years of our relationship. They listen and make adjustments to schedules/staff if necessary.

What was your primary form of communication with Tarmac.IO?

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

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

The people. Located across the world, regardless of their country or origin, they unite to provide us with solid and consistent services.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tarmac.IO could have done differently?

Opportunities to educate us as a client on emerging trends/best practices.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Web Development of an it services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Digital Payments

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tarmac.IO to accomplish?

• PCI compliant AWS cloud environment

SOLUTION

How did you find Tarmac.IO?

Referral

Why did you select Tarmac.IO over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Proficiency in PCI

How many teammates from Tarmac.IO were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Concept and development of PCI compliant AWS infrastructure 
• Participating in PCI Audits 
• Automation using Terraform

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Infrastructure launched, audited and PCI certified

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

• Working in sprints. 
• Great communication via Slack.

What was your primary form of communication with Tarmac.IO?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Great across the board. 
• Outstanding individuals. 
• They're highly proficient and a great fit culturally.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tarmac.IO could have done differently?

None.