I am excited to announce the launch of Portland Website Co., right here on our very own blog! After years of working in the national medical space and being unnoticed as a Maine-based digital agency, we decided to take stab at working on the local level. Local Maine businesses have become much more of a priority over the past few years as we have become engaged in the Westbrook/Portland community. Our employees have forever been asking to work on some local projects… so here we are!
17 Years in the Making
I thought it might be good to tell everyone a little bit about our 17-year journey and how we arrived at this point.
Portland Website Co. is comprised of people that work at Glacial Multimedia Inc. In 2000, I (a Maine native) founded Glacial Multimedia in Chicago, Illinois alongside Maxim Havlicek and Onur Birsen. Born out of an industrial loft in the Wicker Park neighborhood, our early days were really quite amazing. Being in the Wicker Park neighborhood, we were able to work with a diverse client base. We worked with artists, flash designers, photographers, entertainers, nightclubs, restaurants and even insurance companies and medical practices. The primary focus of the business eventually evolved into marketing and graphic design for medical practices. Working with everyone was great, but we found this niche in the field of ophthalmology and just went with it.
After some great years in Chi-town, we decided to move the business to Maine. By this point, Maxim had relocated to Prague and Onur had started an office in Istanbul. To say we operated internationally was an understatement. Thank god for Vonage phone systems (prior to Vonage, there would have been no way for me to speak with these guys.) Without those years spent in Chicago, we would not be what we are today. Chicago enabled work with companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Northwestern University and Yahoo Search Marketing. Chicago was an environment of talented designers and successful entrepreneurs. The early years were lean, to say the least, but we got a ton of experience working with clients and agencies.
Settling in Vacationland
In 2006, we moved to Maine and worked on Washington Ave. in Portland. This was a great place that enabled us to grow and meet some Maine talent. After growing out of 2 office spaces, we moved to Main Street in Westbrook. This location was a 1930’s built Catholic rectory building and we have spent many years getting it up to speed. We are settled and ready to take on some new local challenges.
We are happy to say that our endeavor into the local market has been a success so far. We have been lucky to work with local marketing experts like Bob Cott and Sam Surprise, as well as some really cool local businesses (like Portland Yacht Services, NAPA Autoparts, Sianos, Maine Eye Center, Grayson Post, Maine Credit Unions, DiMillo’s, Just Roofing, LeBeau Electric, Mary May Charters and many more.)
“Being a Maine native, I am truly happy to be here and helping local businesses with their digital marketing strategies” – Michael Dobkowski
We are going into 2017 poised to take on some local work and make a dent in the Portland web design scene. If you or someone you know is interested in building a digital presence, please feel free to reach out to Portland Website Co.! We are happy to provide a complimentary website analysis and improvement plan.
