Live From Portland Vol 1: The Cascade Live Sessions

If you missed out on our brandlive sessions over the past few weeks, too bad.

Okay, just kidding. Hopefully, you'll be able to join our next live broadcast. Or, if you'd like us to set up a demo for you, just let me know.

brandlive is easy to set up and even easier to use. The brandlive videos below are obviously missing from their normal exterior skin. Here is a sample of the new Cascade Live environment (which we refer to in the videos).


Each of these presentations were directed towards different audiences as you will see from our session location and message. So check them both out and let us know what you think. We love feedback.

4/23 Product Demo
(Video begins after a moment of set-up w/ a cameo from yours truly)

4/27 Professional Services Demo
(2nd of 2 sessions)

Please feel free to send any brandlive questions or inquiries to us at the Cascade site.

Portland Vies for Google's Heart with...Hops?!

They say the best way to win a man's affection is through his stomach. So then how does Portland win the affection of one of the most popular tech companies in the world?

Beer!?
Gigabit IPA, invented by master brewers at Hopworks, is one of the ways Portlanders hope to entice Google to choose our city as the test site for Google Fiber, their ridiculously fast high speed network. For a video with the brewer and more info on the beer, please visit Silicon Florist's post on the Google phenomenon.

The tech giant has had over 200 cities respond to their RFI, and we're not the only ones with an over-the-top sales pitch.

• Peoria, IL - Deemed "Google Day" as a new city holiday and recorded a song "Google It Now"
  
• Grand Rapids, MI - Organized a large support group and steering committee, created a YouTube video, and has the largest facebook group (over 22,000 strong) supporting the city's bid. Oh yeah, the city also organized a huge rally earlier in March where people joined hands to create a "Human Fiber". These guys are pumped.
• Duluth, MN - Not to be outdone, Duluth is hosting "Googlefest" (read more in the link below). Mayor Don Ness took it to a new level and plunged into the freezing waters of Lake Superior to show his devotion to the city's Google Fiber bid.
  

Check out this Fast Company article "Cities Go Gaga for Google Fiber..." with videos and more stories on the lengths cities are going to in order to win Google's affection.

Cascade Invades the Serotta HQ

In a recent trip out east, Ben McKinley, at the envy of cyclists, stepped foot in Serotta's headquarters in New York to tour their operation and discuss the launch of the bike manufacturer's new website on Cascade's Evergreen Platform. Serotta's new site, www.serotta.com launched earlier today with a ton of awesome features, including a video giving you a look into what Ben witnessed first hand on his tour. On the site, Cascade helps bring to life the intricate science and production capabilities that go into building a custom bike. Whether you examine the technological aspects or thought placed into the size and fit system, Serotta's attention to detail is astounding.

Although the majority of Serotta's magic is done on the production floor, a substantial amount of business operations lives online and is done behind the scenes. By placing their site on Evergreen, Serotta can easily update their new online environment with reactions to the world of cycling, news on Serotta products and technology, and new opportunities. One awesome feature soon will allow both employee and customer access to production status of bikes. With this service, you'll be able to track what stage of production your bike is in similar to how you track your package with Fedex, UPS, etc. Pretty cool!

Serotta.com is as focused (if not more) on portraying their brand story (i.e. company heritage and production strategies) while promoting the community aspect of the company rather than their bikes. We [Cascade] see this strategy becoming more and more prevalent with sites built on the Evergreen platform but that is a topic for another day.

Filming the Cascade Web Development Story

Ben McKinley, Cascade's fearless leader, is making his big screen debut on April 27th. It might not be in the venue you're imagining, but I'm sure it'll still be on a large screen.

Spirit Media stopped by the office earlier this week to film a short movie they'll be showing at the Portland Business Alliance's Annual Meeting. The film highlights the importance of innovative companies in Portland. Kerry Tymchuck of the PBA sat down with Ben (along with the cameraman, Spirit Media crew, and the individual holding the light reflection thingy) for an interview about Cascade and the business environment in Portland.

We were more than happy to have Spirit Media and PBA at the train and sincerely thank them for including us in this event. It is a great honor to be noticed as one of the many innovative companies in Portland, and we genuinely appreciate the exposure.

If you're interested in attending the Annual Meeting and claiming front row seats for the movie, please visit the PBA site. We'll try and obtain a copy of the video for those of you who can't make it. Stay tuned...

Cascade and Dreamworks Hit the Big Screen

Dreamwork's newest animated film "How to Train Your Dragon" topped the box office this past weekend earning $43.3 million. Could this be in part to Cascade Web Development and AMP Agency's website promoting the film? We'd like to think so...or at least hope.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is a film about Hiccup, a scrawny young Viking, who befriends the very dragons he's been training his entire life to fight. With the plethora of marketing channels available today, Dreamwork's called upon Boston's AMP Agency to create a promotional website that would engage the audience and allow them to interact with the film. AMP Agency came up with a great idea, called upon Cascade for the development of the site, and train-your-dragon.com was born.

The collaborative effort resulted in a vivid contest site that asked amateur filmmakers (amateur might be a stretch) to submit a short video of their best dragon taming skills. Dreamwork's employees judged the submissions earlier last month sending 3 grand prize winners to LA for the premiere of the film on March 21st.

All of us at Cascade are extremely excited about the success of the site and the film, and, apparently, others are beginning to take notice as well.

The Portland Business Journal wrote a great article in Friday's edition, about our experience working with AMP and the development of the contest site. It just hit newsstands this morning but, for a sneak-peak, check out this sample at the PortlandBusinessJournal.com.

Go grab a copy of today's Portland Biz Journal for more info or check out the news article on the Cascade site for an inside look.

New Addition to the CWD Crew [Pt. 2]

Now that Cam has been with Cascade for a few weeks I thought it'd be good if we all got to know him a little better. My previous post didn't really provide any juicy background info on Cam (hence the photo) so I thought a little impromptu questionnaire would paint a better picture of the newest member of the team:

First job - Mowing lawns for some politico's

Last movie you saw in the theater - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (long flight)

Dream aspirations as a kid - Olympic skier and/or test pilot

If you could be any superhero, who and why - The Flash. To defy physics on a regular basis and prevent evil would be a great daily routine. Plus, if things go bad--I can scramble our of there in a flash

Free trip to anywhere in the world, where and why - A place with no name where the mountains are high, steep with feet of fresh powder to ski. Since its a free trip, I can afford the private jet, helicopter, snow cats, Sherpa's and satellite necessary for me to get there

Ever been in a fight, if so who started it - Not as a participant, but I've been hit trying to break them up

Favorite restaurant in Portland - Habibi. The chicken shawarma is amazing

Biggest fear - Anything that can take my life without me knowing about it. Like a spider bite while I sleep, or a rabid animal biting me while I'm walking through the brush

Nickname you had growing up - Cam (I rolled with a creative crew)

What attracted you to working at Cascade - The team and suite of products**

Career goals - To have no regrets and happy with the outcome

**the answer to your question is yes...we did pay him for that answer

Portland, From Worst to First

The public perception of Portland has made a quick turn-around since Business Week ranked Portland as the #1 unhappiest city in America. Its been almost a year since our city was given that title and oh how times have changed. A recent article by Laura Rich on FastCompany.com explains why Portland is now one of the 10 best cities in the country for start-ups. In her article, Why You Should Start a Company in..., Laura noted:

"It rains an average of 155 days of the year in Portland, Oregon, which sits near the coast between Silicon Valley and Seattle. That may be what drives some startups and engineers indoors to coffeehouses armed with laptops to hatch ideas such as MyOpenId, Voyager Capital-backed AboutUs, interactive TV company Ensequence, which raised $20 million last year, and ShopIgniter, which just closed a $3 million round from Seattle's Madrona. Quite a list. They make up part of what some call “Silicon Forest,” and the city clearly sees its future: In February Mayor Sam Adams announced a $500,000 seed fund aimed at startups and small businesses."

She then documents her interview with Jive Software chairman, David Hersh, who has some pretty cool things to say about the city. My favorite quote by the chairman is:

"In terms of the startup phase, I mean there's so much energy around that--around the ideas and going off on your own and there's so much support for doing that that I think it's one of the great things about the city. It's just the overall psyche of the city around its kind of aggressive independence that makes for a very vibrant startup culture."

I thought this was a great description of the culture in the city and the pride Portlanders carry. I know specifically at Cascade, we support PDX's business mindset in everything we do, from our train car office to our customizable, innovative web solutions (cough, cough...brandlive).

Portland might be a little sluggish getting up from the blow the recession hit us with, but we're definitely not hanging our heads. Thanks Fast Money for putting us back on top.

The entire Fast Money article can be viewed here.

Portland's Finest Find a Home

Thanks to Rick Turoczy of the Silicon Florist for turning me on to an awesomely simple site. If you weren't aware, Portland houses some of the most creative and artistically gifted minds in the country. Thanks to Chris Kalani (who also created yayeveryday.com), they now have a home.

we are PRTLND showcases Portland's community of designers, developers, photographers and a combination of innovative minds in a layout impossible to turn down. There isn't much to the site: profiles can be filtered by profession, click on a someone's witty picture and you'll be taken to their website, or select LOAD MORE to view more profiles. But that's what makes it great.


Whether you're a freelancer or employed and looking for talent, PRTLND is a fun place to explore and see what this city has to offer (the pictures are pretty awesome too)!

Reinventing American Business--One Bike at a Time

The recession, depression or just bad economy (you choose) hasn't been very inviting to new businesses ventures, however many entrepreneurs have ignored the warning signs and dove in head first. Case in point, I just read an article, "Young Guns Change Rules of Retail" from the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN).

The story showcased several young (pre-25) bike enthusiasts who've started custom bike shops in Colorado, New Mexico, Atlanta, and all across the US with a pretty cool spin on the normal retail business model. Rather than hustling customers with bikes off their sales floor, they've created an environment encouraging road warriors to hang out and tune up their bikes hoping sales will grow through a genuine relationship. They're basically selling the experience more than the product. The experience is basically a recreation of your old dorm room i.e used furniture and tight spaces. Regardless, this unique sales method seems to be working well for these young start-ups. They've found their niche and have viral marketing supporting their cause. I mean they did make it into BRAIN and (roll out the red carpet) the Cascade Web Development blog.

People in what seems like every industry have ditched their day job, whether forced or voluntary, to pursue their dream of being their own boss. The success stories sound great, but roughly 70-80% of start ups, in a normal economy, go under within the first 3 years of operation. You have to give credit to those who try but applause and pats on the back don't pay the bills.

Those new companies who do survive will be on the forefront of new business models and practices that we'll all be trying to emulate soon. New products are always popping up, but innovative thinking and breaking out of the mold might be the best solution to getting out of this mess (and the banks not throwing parties with government bailout money.....just a thought).

Okay, gather and discuss...I'll expect your feedback on Facebook.

New Addition to the CWD Crew

If you happen to visit us on the train and see a unfamiliar face, you could be faced with 1 of 3 situations:

1. A passerby saw us working and stopped in to tell us how awesome our office is (happens about once a week),
2. a hobo broke in and he/she is trying to hitch a ride to San Fran,
3. or you're staring at the newest member of the CWD crew, Cameron Clear (so don't call the cops, he's legit)
   

Last week, Cam came on board (literally, he's working on the train) as our business development lead to spread the word about CWD and our web services. We're excited to have him join the group and are looking forward to what he can bring to the company.

Brand Live Comes Alive

Without further ado, I give you...Brand Live.

(If I could insert bright flashing lights around this I would. For now, just use your imagination.)

Ahem...Brand Live is Cascade Web Development's latest brain-child. Initially launched with "Nordica Live" in October last year, Brand Live has been generating a lot of buzz in the industry. At its core, Brand Live allows product demos, employee training sessions, sales rep clinics, live event showcases, and e-commerce presentations to be streamed via a secure URL and live video feed. Invited viewers can interact with the presenter by posting messages via text providing an unscripted, live presentation mimicking the experience you would receive with a face-to-face interaction.

Here are just a few benefits Brand Live offers:

• Cost Effective - eliminating the need to travel for events or sales rep presentations
  
• Operated through a secure URL and can require login
  
• Does not require any program installation or additional hardware
  
• Live video and chat feature mimics a live shopping experience. Presenter reacts to user questions and comments in real time (sessions can be archived and recorded as well)
  
• Marketing and branding tool as the "Brand Live" identity is masked with your Brand
  
• Allows product intricacies to be showcased with live video
  
• Fully customizable allowing you to manipulate site features, appearance and added applications
  
• Sessions can be 1-to-1 (currently in development but soon to come) or 1-to-many

We first envisioned Brand Live would be great for the high-end, outdoor sporting industry, and it'd make a lot of noise in that market. However, as we've casually spread the word about Brand Live we've seen it evolve into a multi purpose tool reaching across vastly different industries. For example, Brand Live is either currently being utilized or developed for clients in Skiing, Footwear, Bikes, Financial Services, Specialty Retail, and Wine industries.

So what do you think? We're pretty into it, and our clients seem to be as well. We'd love to hear your comments on our Facebook page.

Planting the Seed for "Plant an Evergreen"

Cascade Web Development just launched our Plant an Evergreen campaign earlier today. Through our partnership with Friends of Trees and their Gift Tree program, they are helping us plant evergreen trees in Portland for new clients on our Evergreen platform. Thanks to our clients and Friends of Trees for making the world a better place, one tree at a time. (so corny but so true)

Friends of Trees also helped us out on the PR effort by blogging about the Plant an Evergreen campaign on their Friends of Tree blog.

Thanks, Friends of Trees for your partnership and support.

CWD on the pages of USA Today

Cascade Web Development's recent launch of the sweepstakes site for "How to Train Your Dragon" was recently promoted in USA Today. I snapped a picture of the ad. Pretty cool!


Check out our previous blog post on the site launch and visit train-your-dragon.com for more sweepstakes info.

40 the new 30? Recapping the "40 Under Forty" Awards

The Cascade Web Development crew had a great time last Thursday celebrating Ben McKinley's nomination to the Portland Business Journal's 2010 "40 Under Forty" list.

The event was a huge success as Portland's future leaders came together at the Gerding Theater of the Armory for an excellent evening. Kudos to the Portland Business Journal for putting together a memorable night for all of us at CWD.

Here are a few photos of the celebration (sorry about the poor quality, blame the iPhone):

Lobby of Gerding Theater at the Armory

Ben accepting his award from Senator Ron Wyden

CWD group (Left to Right: Kyle, Paul, Fritz, Stephen, Ben, Christi)

CWD's VIP Trip to the Sokol Blosser Winery

Last week, a few of us from CWD were invited to the Sokol Blosser winery in Dundee, OR to take a tour of the vineyard. Immediately after walking onto the grounds, you receive a homey, one-of-the-family type vibes and that was true throughout the day as everyone at the winery could not have been more hospitable and welcoming. Sokol Blosser is family owned and the heritage was evident throughout the tour. Aside from amazing wine, they are also on the forefront of instilling green technologies and sustainability efforts in the Dundee area.

Thanks to everyone at Sokol Blosser for the tour.

Here are a few photos from the trip:

Their tasting room and community center from the parking lot

The community room

Bottling Sokol Blosser Wine

Information Session in the Cellar

What the Sokol Blosser Vineyard look like on a good day (i.e. not the day we were there)

For more information on Sokol Blosser visit their site at sokolblosser.com.

Dreamwork's "How to Train Your Dragon" sweepstakes

If you've been watching the Winter Olympics you've surely seen the previews for Dreamwork's new animated 3D movie, "How to Train Your Dragon".

"How to Train Your Dragon" is an action/comedy (think Shrek) about Hiccup, a young Viking, who befriends the dragon he is training to fight. The film has been receiving a ton of press and great reviews, and Cascade Web Development recently got in on the action.

CWD designed the contest and sweepstakes site for the film to help promote the movie before its March release. The contest entails sending a video of your best dragon taming skills (a few YouTube sensations in the making). Three grand prize winners will receive a trip for 4 to LA for the World Premiere. You can also register to win a private premiere party through the site which would be an awesome kids birthday party for a theater here in Portland or around the US.

Visit the site, submit your skills, and enter. Happy taming.

CWD Plans a Valentines Party with Vh1

First of all, Happy (belated) Valentine's Day. Aside from planning our own love day (I wouldn't call it last minute but it was pretty close), Cascade Web Development was able to help 150 Vh1 Insiders have their own Valentine's Day parties.

The Vh1 Loves Me Party site was created in collaboration with Boston-based AMP Agency for Vh1 Insiders chosen to throw bashes to watch the channel's block of guilty pleasure reality shows. These 150 insiders were given Vh1 Loves Me decorations, party favors, games, and, everyone's favorite white elephant gift, Snuggies to help spread their Vh1 love with their friends. Party goers were encouraged to take pictures and post their Valentine's Day moments on the Vh1 Loves Me Party website with the rest of the Insiders.

(Sorry, Cascade Web Development wasn't chosen otherwise we'd post some awesome pictures of us in Snuggies)

AMP came up with a great marketing idea and promotional tool to help their loyal fans celebrate Valentine's Day. The project was a ton of fun to work on and it turned out great.

CWD's Ben McKinley on Portland's 40 under Forty 2010 List

Look out Brad Pitt.

Ben McKinley, Cascade Web Development founder, was recently nominated to the Portland Business Journal's annual "40 under Forty" list of notable business and community figures in the Rose City. He will be honored at a reception on February 18, 2010 at the Gerding Theater at the Armory. If you'd like to join us in congratulating Ben and enjoy a great night out, please register here through the Portland Business Journal.

I'll provide more information after the reception (so check back in a few weeks). In the meantime, I found a post from the Silicon Florist, a blog about NW start-ups, which provides an opinion about the type of individuals nominated.

Plant an Evergreen with CWD and Friends of Trees

Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart! (if you have the Captain Planet theme song in your head this post will be much cooler).

Friends of Trees a Portland non prof, is helping Cascade Web Development launch our Plant an Evergreen campaign.

Through this campaign, CWD will make a donation (on behalf of the client) to Friends of Trees for each new client relationship forged through our Evergreen CMS platform. Our goal of the Plant an Evergreen campaign is to celebrate new client partnerships and symbolize their growth over time while supporting our environment as well. Each donation will go toward the planting and maintenance of a young evergreen tree here in Portland.

We're stoked to have the Plant an Evergreen program up and running as the seeds were planted (it was too easy, I couldn't help myself) a while back. Our developers coined the phrase "planting an evergreen" after referring to it each time they set up a client's Evergreen account. Since then, the whole light bulb effect occurred, and we've developed an identity (much thanks goes to our graphic artist for our campaign logo) to bring this all to life. It has been great collaborating with Friends of Trees, and we hope everyone is as excited about this idea as we all are.
If you're familiar with CWD and have checked out our blog before, you know that our business operation is as green as Kermit (even before it was cool). This campaign is just another extension of that business philosophy, and we think its an awesome way to promote growth, both economically and environmentally.

For 20 years, Friends of Trees has encouraged the development of the greater Portland area by implementing green space initiatives, neighborhood tree programs, and discounted tree offerings. The Gift Tree program allows you to purchase a tree or grove of trees (which I recently learned is 6 trees) for another and have it planted in their honor. If you're interested in this or any of Friends of Trees' programs or volunteer opportunities please visit friendsoftrees.org

Blaz'n Trails from Montana to Portland

Giddy up.


Blaz'n Trails, a locally produced salsa company, has just launched their new site blazntrailssalsa.com. Juli Miller, the owner of Blaz'n Trails, has been refining a killer salsa recipe since the 1980s and, after selling caseloads from her basement, decided to offer Blaz'n Trails to the masses. In marketing her salsa, Juli wanted to ensure her brand represented a blend of her western roots and Portland based business, and she turned to Cascade Web Development to incorporate both themes in the new site. (Juli recently stopped by the CWD office and she is definitely not afraid to show off her cowgirl persona.)

Blaz'n Trails is produced here in Portland with locally grown, fresh ingredients while her sweet and spicy salsa recipe comes from her Montana heritage. Blaz'n Trails salsa is available in three varieties: EASY, HOT, and, you guessed it, BLAZ'N. Her 20 year old recipe consists of a blend of roasted green and red bell peppers, jalapeno, serrano, and habanero peppers. It also includes fresh tomatoes, garlic, onion, and a little brown sugar for a unique, sweet flavor. (Low sodium too!)


Juli recommends adding it to your everday recipes like Chili, scrambled eggs, grilled chicken and fish, pulled pork, Calico beans, or mix it with avacados for an easy but firey guacamole.

To purchase Blaz'n Trails salsa, become a distributor, or just view our work with Juli check out blazntrailssalsa.com.