IronGlove Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m an economic development officer at the commerce chamber.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?
We needed to update our organization's website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
Initially, we explained to IronGlove Studio that we needed to completely rebuild our website and replace the domain names. The team divided the project into parts and provided independent quotes for each task, providing a work plan with pricing for each section. Our site is built in an antique CRM system that we must keep using since it's embedded in our organization's system. Still, we've asked IronGlove Studio to build custom functionalities using WordPress. 

IronGlove Studio performs backend development and has added maps and class links that we can update regularly, allowing us to sell ads on our website. An important aspect for us is being able to update the site as required instead of going to an external provider. We plan on continuing to add pages, and after launching the website, IronGlove Studio will manage our SEO and connect our social platforms. 

What is the team composition?

I've worked directly with Derek (Founder), an SEO specialist, and a marketing specialist. 

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?
IronGlove Studio is a member of our commerce chamber, and we contacted Derek for this project since we prefer to work with local businesses. The team was clear and upfront about the project's cost, which we liked. Additionally, we had previously worked with IronGlove Studio on other projects of our organization.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $17,000 with IronGlove Studio.
 
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve been working together since January 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
IronGlove Studio has delivered high-quality work and created a hand-crafted website according to our needs, improving the general look and feel.
 
How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

IronGlove Studio is fast, efficient, and organized. The team sticks to the project's calendar and is excellent at notifying us via email and ActiveCollab. IronGlove Studio is easy to contact, and we can request additional meetings on Calendly as needed. The team is very responsive and shares their work progress through Zoom meetings. We can ask the team questions in these meetings and request additional work. When we've requested changes, IronGlove Studio has been extremely fast.

What did you find most impressive about them?
I'm mostly impressed with IronGlove Studio's hand-crafted solutions. The team asks additional questions to ensure they understand what I'm looking for and are flexible with my timeline.
 
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can't think of anything for IronGlove Studio to improve — they've guided us through the process.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
I recommend discussing with IronGlove Studio what you envision for your end product, even if you can't afford the entire project at the moment. IronGlove Studio can start crafting functionalities as you go along and ask more in-depth questions to achieve the final product. For instance, we know we want our website to be more robust eventually, and all the work IronGlove Studio performs is thought out to continue to build the website and make it even smoother and easier to use. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a former manufacturing engineer at a company that manufactured chemicals used in the semiconductor industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?

Our company implemented a manufacturing management system. We also used an intranet app with plenty of hand-coded interfaces. The company that provided us with a consultant and support people was acquired 2–3 times, and the company that acquired them was no longer a good fit for us. As a result, we no longer had any support for our system. Given that, we hired IronGlove. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IronGlove’s job included code review and troubleshooting. As our firm grew and changed, we needed modifications and enhancements to our customer code. They worked on understanding our existing intranet PHP code and matching it with our current standards so that we could move forward. Simply put, the team redeveloped and expanded the code to meet our needs. 

Our basic goal was to reengineer the code of our intranet app, which was connected to another piece of third-party software. We aimed to make the third-party software more flexible in the future.

IronGlove used their understanding of our intranet to work on our manufacturing management system and the code that went with it. Moreover, they provided us with maintenance services for some things that were necessary to keep the system running optimally.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two teammates from IronGlove: the owner of the company and a developer. 

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

IronGlove was referred to us by our IT department. Our IT team used IronGlove to support our intranet system, and we had discussions about whether or not they could support our management system. In essence, we asked if they could expand what they were working on since they were already covering a part of our infrastructure. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from January–April 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

IronGlove did a great job of bringing the code up to current standards and best practices even when we asked for a lot of modifications. I liked how everything was set up and designed — I was excited by what I saw. 

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The entire team did a great job building the project and keeping us updated regularly. IronGlove met our time and budget requirements; delays were caused by internal resources. We used ActiveCollab for our back-and-forths, and it was highly useful. On top of that, we did periodic conference calls and exchanged emails and voicemails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

IronGlove had great knowledge of PHP, .NET, and database apps. They were willing to learn and tried to develop whatever they could. Overall, they were flexible in what they were doing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. If anything, they did well in working on an old, non-supported software. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

IronGlove is great at keeping communication lines open. As long as you maintain that kind of communication, you’ll get everything you need. You just have to ensure everybody understands the deliverables and timelines. Additionally, make sure you’re on top of any internal issues. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of the Lake Oswego & West Linn Business Recovery Center and the West Linn Chamber of Commerce. We’re a federally-funded business recovery program that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. We uplift and support small local businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?

Two years ago, before we received federal funding, we created a makeshift Wix website to help us connect Lake Oswego and West Linn. Once we got the federal funding, we knew we needed a bigger connection and broader reach, but our website wasn’t cutting it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we sat down with IronGlove Studio and talked about all the needs to laid out a plan. We decided to create a web-based platform instead of a mobile app. We discussed adding educational features, events, and our business resources. IronGlove Studio built the website’s outline based on what we wanted it to look like. When we got the logos and imagery we needed, they sent over snapshots so we could approve them or ask for changes.

The website will have 12 layers, and the most exciting part about the collaboration is building an interactive map to highlight all the businesses we have through Lake Oswego and West Linn. The map will have different filtering options in case users want to look up only veteran- or women-owned businesses, for example. Also, it’ll feature different celebrations each month to connect, uplift, and amplify these businesses throughout the year.

Currently, we’re actively working on building the map. IronGlove Studio will also include an event page and calendar.

What is the team composition?

IronGlove Studio has a whole creative team. At one point, we had 3–4 coders.

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

I knew Derek (Founder). I reached out to him and asked if he had time to address the project. Our launch date was in December, and I was constantly working on different platforms, programs, campaigns, and methods to uplift the five most shuttered categories of business in our areas. I was doing constant things to reach out and connect with those folks. I shared everything with Derek, and he said they were able to build a website to help us amplify our projects.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial quote was for $25,000, but we decided to place a budget cap of $30,000. We have to do federal reporting, so IronGlove Studio has added different avenues for us to gather that data. If we get close to $30,000, they’ll let us know.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2022, and they officially launched the website in December 2022. However, the collaboration is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had 700% more engagement on this new website; it’s unbelievable. We get daily updates and can read the analytics, so it’s been a massive improvement. We also appreciate the elements they’ve put in place.

We’re now working on a marketing campaign for website awareness; we hope to implement it in the next 1–2 months to get a greater reach.

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is spectacular. The process has been smooth, and the communication is excellent; there’s nothing we can fault them on. We had a great back and forth because we had a tight timeline during development. In general, the collaboration has been very interactive; they can ping us when they need to ask a question.

IronGlove Studio has set up two management tools to touch base: ActiveCollab and Slickplan. Both tools have made everything seamless and allowed us to get everything done instead of getting stuck in the mire.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their way of communicating and offering the chance to share their strategic plan is outstanding. IronGlove Studio puts their knowledge, wisdom, and team behind to build something that exceeds our expectations. They take our ideas and help them blossom into something fantastic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have anything. They’re efficient and quick, and their communication has been spot-on. Although they’re a boutique designing firm, they’re a mighty group and a well-oiled machine. Working alongside them has been fantastic; it’s been a seamless experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want an impactful and exciting website to reach your target audience, IronGlove Studio is worth it. Call them if you want someone who can listen to you and put your strategic plan into action.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at NW Veterans in Technology, a nonprofit organization that assists veterans with finding workplace placement post-separation from the military. We also help them if they’re already part of the workforce but are looking for changes in their career and trying to make the first step into technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?

For the last 6–7 years, we’ve focused on the Northwest region of the US, but we’re looking to expand our presence. However, this venture has come with many challenges, so we hired IronGlove Studio to help us overcome them. One of the main challenges was that we needed a more concise way to provide information to our members, and our lack of a digital presence outside social media was one of our gaps.

Although we’re a fairly robust meetup group with a presence on social media platforms, we didn’t have a dedicated and professional landing page where we could place important information for veterans, partners, and sponsors.

In addition to that, we needed help with data collection. We could only get so far with what our members provided through social media, and it was very important for us to gather data so that we could tailor our services to the current market and the needs of our veterans.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IronGlove Studio has helped us with a number of things. One of their key deliverables has been a fully functional website for us to post our information. On it, we have contact forms that allow us to collect additional information from the veterans.

In addition to the website development, IronGlove has helped us with its SEO and data collection, designing its architecture to make it more effective for veterans looking for help. On this site, they’ve integrated an analytics component. Other SEO efforts include posting our event information on social media and our website so that we can get more visibility on our other offerings and services.

Moreover, we’re working with IronGlove Studio’s marketing team on our marketing efforts, and they’ve helped us with a couple of strategies. For example, we have a certification program where we provide veterans with grants to get technical certifications in their preferred field of study. Before, we used a SharePoint form for veterans to apply to this program, but it wasn’t ideal. Thus, IronGlove Studio has helped us create a landing page for this program, integrating a new form where veterans can apply.

What is the team composition?

We’ve primarily worked with Derek (Founder), who had a team of 3–4 people working on the website development.

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

I found them through an online search. They had good reviews and had been working with a recruitment agency I’m familiar with. However, our first meeting with Derek was what sealed the deal for us. We had already looked at 3–4 other organizations, but Derek came in with the most thorough response to our RFP at the better price point.

IronGlove Studio was very reasonable and accommodating to our needs as a veteran-run organization. Derek understood that our funds were limited, but he ensured to be pragmatic in his recommendations based on our available budget.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent close to $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed our contract around late April 2022, and our engagement is ongoing. The site is live now, but we’re going through continuous refinements. Additionally, we’re looking to sign another statement of work with them to develop some additional features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new website went live recently, so we’re still gathering statistics. However, we were able to launch press releases quickly, and we saw a noticeable increase in participation at our last events.

The site has already received very positive feedback from the Department of Veterans Affairs — the group we’re working with and one of the organizations that provided us with the grant for the site itself. They’ve said our site is polished, clean, relevant, and easy to navigate.

Moreover, our new site has allowed us to have a fully functioning CMS, which we needed in a number of ways. Thanks to this site, we’re now able to launch social media posts and have our event information pulled into our website.

Overall, having a website to point people to has been great. When companies are looking to sponsor a nonprofit veteran-run organization, they can go to our site to get information about our group, our past efforts, and our current programs. Additionally, they can access that information in a clean and readable way, which is a big plus.

IronGlove Studio’s detailed approach to creating more than a simple website to post information is absolutely noticeable. Derek has dived deep into a lot of the things we would need to run the site, implementing SEO tactics and configuring the site to our needs.

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

IronGlove Studio has performed well. Derek has done a great job managing the project, and he is exceptionally good at keeping us within scope. Throughout the development process, he always let us know when he needed answers before they could move forward.

At one point, we brought in a project manager on our side to help IronGlove Studio keep moving forward so that they had one point of contact as well. During development, they were very transparent about where they were in the process, and their estimates were very good. Derek was very clear about the entire process, including requirement gathering and design, and everything went smoothly. Overall, he has been a great partner through and through.

As for project management tools, Derek has gotten us to work with him on some of the platforms he uses for other clients. Those tools are great for content organization and task management, and they give us the visibility we need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

IronGlove Studio’s depth of knowledge, passion, and involvement are their most impressive qualities. They’ve not only brought professionalism and expertise to the table, but they’re also veteran-owned. Dereck is a veteran himself,  and there is clear passion in what he has provided; I can’t speak to his collaborativeness enough.

Initially, we were looking for an organization that could take the lead and drive the project forward. Thus, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by Derek’s ability to walk us through his recommendations and provide us with reasons behind those recommendations.

IronGlove Studio clearly cares about their client’s success. For example, they’ve added a lot of things to the project that we’ll benefit from in the long run. Derek has invested his knowledge and time, working until midnight to get the site rolled out and tested. Moreover, he has always been there for us, answering questions quickly, which is impressive considering how busy he is.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Using the project management tools that IronGlove Studio uses has been fine, but it initially created a learning curve for us because we weren’t used to those tools. It would have been great if they spent more time upfront understanding how we communicate the best. Additionally, I would appreciate it if we had a recurring touchpoint with Derek. Still, he’s always very responsive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be detailed in your requirements and provide additional context about your company to help them architect your site properly. Moreover, not having a dedicated individual to work with them could add a little bit of administrative overhead.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the website administrator for a local nonprofit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire IronGlove Studio?

Our website was very outdated and the person who had been volunteering to do edits had a baby. So we needed to move on, find a local website developer and change our very old website.

SOLUTION

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

First, we needed someone we could talk to and meet with. So I looked in the Oregon/Washington area. Then we needed to see a company that had a history, a good track record and would work within nonprofit budget limitations.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We needed a complete redesign, including mapping and themes. We needed to get rid of a bunch of extraneous plug-ins but still be able to accomplish our goals. We also needed someone who would have patience with our delays, as we have few hands doing many tasks. So the first stage of the project, having a design, took a very long time with many interruptions on our part.

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

Our main contact at all times was Derek. He assigned work tasks as appropriate with his team. Our project was small and so was our expertise, so this was a good fit.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have noticed that their expertise with design for clean and well-placed listings, and insistence on proper SEO practices, are paying off with more views. We also love the color scheme and the general design of the website now. Derek continues to work with us in his usual professional, patient and gracious manner.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Especially given all of the delays from our side of the project, I felt that their team remained prompt and accurate.

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

Derek is in charge and he knows what he's doing. The team he's put together is excellent. They did a lot in a well-coordinated fashion and they offered results. They are concise, and also very flexible when they see that what we've asked for may not be what we really want.

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

We needed to communicate in more detail up front about what the project results would be. But that, again, was our time constraints. In the end, Derek saw what we needed and made the adjustments so it was available to us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of recruiting technology and operations for VanderHouwen. We’re a professional recruitment firm based out of Portland. We focus on staffing for IT, accounting and finance, and engineering.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?

Our website wasn’t built with the best practices, so we were experiencing problems with the functionality and performance. In a nutshell, it was a mess. It had over 60 WordPress plug-ins along with a bloated database.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IronGlove Studio stabilized our previous website and then helped us build a brand new, custom-coded site to suit our business needs better. First, they did a complete website audit of our previous product to understand how to stabilize it. They did some development repair work just to get the website back to a good state so it could serve us while we developed the new one. The process involved strategizing our business needs and understanding how to optimize our sales funnels. We partnered with them to optimize the design and streamline the customer experience.

Then, we moved on to develop a new solution. IronGlove Studio built the website from scratch. They minimized the plug-ins and went with a custom-coded option that made the site more secure, stable, and faster.

We strategized the user journey on our site for two sets of customers. We’re targeting job seekers and hiring managers from companies that want to engage our firm to recruit top talent. The job seeker experience was customized to deliver quick access to search jobs and enhanced filtering on our job board page to show positions that are relevant to them. Also, the application process for job seekers was streamlined with a custom integration that delivers the applications directly into our CRM. For the hiring managers, we streamlined several places on the website where they can engage and let us know they want to use our services.

Additionally, IronGlove Studio offers maintenance, and they’re involved in monitoring our hosting services.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Derek (Founder); he organizes his team effectively to execute deliverables. He manages it based on their software and marketing strategy roles.

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

We’d worked with Derek in the past, so we already had a relationship with him.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in October 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just went live with the new website; they moved us off the previous product, and it went very smoothly. Moreover, it’s been amazing to work with them. They understand our business and the two sets of customers we’re trying to target. Also, their development capabilities are excellent; they’ve successfully developed strong integrations with our CRM, created a custom job alert application from scratch, and optimized our marketing funnels across the site.

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done an excellent job. They’ve stayed on time and within budget. Also, they’re highly communicative; the team has kept the project timeline very organized.

We used ActiveCollab to track the budget and manage tickets; it worked well for us. Additionally, we typically communicate through emails and video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most significant strength is that we can communicate with Derek directly. He always has our best interest in mind and is extremely responsive. Also, he provides great insights about the things we don’t have a knowledge base around. Overall, the customer service is impeccable; we’re glad we can support a veteran-owned business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, nothing comes to mind. Communication is fantastic, and they make sure we’re educated in website best practices and functionality. Also, they ensure we have all the information we need and deliver it in a way we can easily understand it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to learning about best practices and willing to test and measure solutions. They’re interested in building a strong relationship, so be responsive, give feedback, and ask questions. Also, outline your business goals from the beginning; it’ll help you make the most out of the partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a custom jeweler business in Atlanta, Georgia. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?

We wanted a website we could manage 100% from the backend and have total control over instead of a web-based app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IronGlove has designed our website from scratch, and the development has been a collaboration between our teams. We give our input on how we want the website to look, and they work on it. 

In terms of functionality, the website connects to a Facebook store. We plan to have a small e-commerce website down the road. At present, the site only lets our customers know about our business. It also allows people to review our services and contact us. They don’t currently provide SEO services to us, but we may look into that in the future.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Derek (Founder). He works with his social media manager and contractors. 

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

I was referred to IronGlove by a friend. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve enjoyed working with IronGlove. They provide high-quality services and are concerned about the health and security of our website. Overall, they provided a great and professional service. 

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

IronGlove manages the project well. They’re competent and have clear communication. Derek is 100% involved in the process. He informs us what his contractors are doing and how things are going. We communicate using the phone, emails, and texts. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re honest, and I like that they’re based in the US.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you’re asking for so that IronGlove can do their job. Be organized — they can only be as organized as their client. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I manage the IT department of TOK America Inc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?

We hired IronGlove to work on our external website, where we wanted to feature our products. The site also needed a fresh, new look. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IronGlove worked on the external website that customers used to contact us. We provided them with the documentation of everything we needed, and they worked based on that. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Derek (Founder) and a PHP developer. 

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

I found IronGlove through other projects. They were working on our internal projects, so I requested to see whether they could help us with the website. That was when we started working on this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

The whole project cost around $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted from October–November 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

IronGlove accomplished the project on time and did what we asked them to do. Once all deliverables were provided, we took over the website. That was good for us because we were able to do everything in-house instead of hiring other people to do things for us. 

Moreover, we also gained more hits on our website; more people visited it than before. The site helped them navigate our platform and contact us more easily. 

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We had an active collaboration with IronGlove, so we communicated every day. We also used Google Analytics to see what they were doing throughout the engagement. Meanwhile, Derek was on top of everything. I liked him — he was responsive and took care of everything. As a result, they met our deadlines and goals. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our active collaboration was impressive. We could get a hold of the IronGlove team any time of the day. With other companies, we had to wait for somebody to get back to us whenever we called them. 

Overall, their communication distinguished them from other providers. They were literally one message away as opposed to other teams that took a long time to get back to me.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

While I was content with their services, IronGlove could be a little more helpful to other people who couldn’t understand computer lingo well. They should help those people understand their work using basic language. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them. Their team is reliable, which is truly important. Their communication is good. Simply put, if you’re looking for a team with top-notch reliability and communication skills, then go for IronGlove. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for Classic Pool Spa & Hearth, a retail company that sells hot tubs, pools, grills of different sizes, and fireplaces. I handle our marketing efforts, including the site’s backend, reviews of the website, and everything in between. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio? 

Our website was old. An in-house team member previously worked on it and used a simple template. It was also a hardcoded website, and I only had experience with WordPress backend when I came into my role. As a result, we needed to update the site and transition it to one that I could edit. We also wanted to bring our blog page to a different domain to help with our SEO and general marketing efforts in terms of Google searches.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a full review of the website, where IronGlove came up with designs and a theme that matched what we wanted. Our $99 template was old and outdated in terms of aesthetics, so the team focused on updating the design. 

Moreover, we didn’t have any products on the website; we simply showed that we were selling products from particular brands — there were no details. The same was true for our services page, which only had PDF files. This affected our SEO and Google ranking. When Google crawled it, nothing on it said that we were selling the products we had. If someone searched for those things on Google, our site wouldn’t show up. 

As a result, we started building our product pages and filtering features once we had the new template format. We redid everything on those pages in a way that product information could be filtered easily. If someone searched for a hot tub that could fit 6–7 people, they could click on that and figure out what was available. 

At present, we’re near the end of the development. We’ve recently finished putting alternative texts on images. IronGlove also helps me ensure everything is up and running properly. 

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Derek (Founder), who’s my main point of contact from IronGlove. 

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

When we started looking for local web designers, the first one we found looked at our website and said he wouldn’t be able to handle it. He was also only familiar with WordPress. Since our site was hardcoded, it needed someone who could understand how it was made. That first person we found recommended IronGlove to us, and that was how we started working with the team. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just under $16,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site speed has increased, and our Google Ads now go to direct pages; previously, around 80% of our ads simply went to the homepage. Other Google- and SEO-related metrics for the website also improved even though we’ve only launched recently. 

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

IronGlove’s project management is fantastic. Derek is polite. I understand what he talks about because I have WordPress experience. On the flip side, our company’s owner doesn’t have any tech background, so she fully trusts the website to us. All of this is new lingo for her. Luckily, Derek is great at describing things to her. He also makes sure that everyone is on the same page and details are fleshed out. 

In terms of communication, we can go to a specific website to see our progress. We also receive email updates and check-in calls to ensure we understand what’s going on and we’re on the right track. Derek has also been open to scheduling calls at any time. Overall, the IronGlove team is open and honest about everything. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

IronGlove is great at explaining processes to people who aren’t tech-savvy. On top of that, they’re good at staying organized and keeping everything on track. Their resources are also friendly as they keep the project moving. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only major hiccup we’ve had was that some of their staff work at different hours. As a result, when we send over images, delays happen; they usually see the images when I’m already finished with my shift. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come into the engagement with a plan and make sure that everything is fleshed out and ready to go. Put everything into a detailed end goal. That way, you can keep track of everything, and everything will move along faster. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a nonprofit trade association that represents the residential building and development industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IronGlove Studio?

We had a six-year-old website that wasn’t mobile responsive and didn’t meet our needs, so we wanted to re-do our site with mobile-friendliness that could also integrate with our additional events sites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IronGlove Studio designed and developed our website and is currently working on the final details before going live. We explained our needs to them and showed them our previous site to see what was working and what was not. They then created a framework of the site to see the structure and how it’d work.

Once we went through the planning, they went into the design using WordPress and customized it according to our needs, with hardcoding to make it faster than our old website. In terms of content, we provided it to them.

What is the team composition?

We exclusively work with Derrick (Principal).

How did you come to work with IronGlove Studio?

I found them on Clutch. Before that, I contacted three different agencies, including them, but I chose them because they seemed more in-tune with what we needed. Also, their previous design work drew me to them, and I told them that I was looking for something of the same caliber as the portfolio examples they showed me. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $22,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re delighted with the ease of updating our platforms; we’ve got a lot of content that changes regularly, so our ability to refresh for our major events is vastly easier and quicker than it was on our previous site. I think that our new site has saved us dozens of staff hours. In addition to that, the traffic on our site has increased 15%–20% from last year.

How did IronGlove Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been top-notch in terms of communication and their scheduling. They also do a great job at meeting deadlines. We use Slack, Asana, emails, phone calls, and something called The Slick Plan in terms of tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design work is first-rate, and their communication skills are excellent. The fact that they’re a small agency enables us to talk directly to their principal — I’ve never felt like I’m passed off to a junior partner or someone who doesn’t grasp our project objectives. I can’t speak highly enough of our work with them — I’m thrilled.

 Are there any areas they could improve?

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

Any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of the project management tools that they offer. The Slick Plan tool that they use is wonderful in managing the project’s initial planning, so I encourage anybody to take advantage of that.