Lara Kisielewska, Optimum Design & Consulting
Going Beyond ‘Off the Shelf’
Lara Kisielewska’s Manhattan-based company specializes in logos, websites, and marketing materials. “We only build WordPress websites,” Lara explains, “and we do all of our own coding in-house using standard off-the-shelf, open-source tools.”
What Optimum Design & Consulting does not do, however, is custom coding. “On the occasion that we need to provide a custom plug-in,” she says, “Stellar Webdev is the only company I would work with.”
Prior to working with Stellar Webdev, Optimum outsourced to a number of different web developers, and had frustrations with each in different ways. “The worst experience was getting burned by a developer who said they could do something that it turned out they couldn’t do,” says Lara.
Working with Stellar Webdev, however, has been great. “They’re extremely communicative, and super reliable,” she says.
“I’m a big fan of Stellar Webdev,” Lara says. “They’re the most dependable web development partner a design firm could have.”
Ling Wollenschlaeger, Pittsburgh Fresh
An Amazing Experience
“We go around the world with our menu.” That’s how Ling Wollenschlaeger describes her company, Pittsburgh Fresh, which offers 30-minute delivery of fully prepared food in the Pittsburgh area.
With a constantly changing menu and online ordering, Pittsburgh Fresh’s website had to be dynamic and bug-free. “We can’t afford any downtime,” Ling explains. “If my website is down on a Friday, we can lose a lot of money.”
The company had engaged a marketing and web design firm but found themselves high and dry when the developer left the firm. “There was not a whole lot of documentation,” she says. “We had no technical support. With a website as complicated as ours, it was a struggle.”
Ling reached out to several different web dev companies, but most wouldn’t take the job because it was “way too complicated,” she says.
Enter Stellar Webdev.
“To take over a website as complicated as ours with custom plug-ins, online payment options, and security, it’s pretty amazing that Stellar Webdev could do that, and fix a lot of things that were not working,” she explains.
“Stellar Webdev is very good at responding, and that’s a big part of the job,” she says. “Availability, being able to support us when things go wrong, Stellar Webdev really does that well. It’s been such an amazing experience with them.”
Lori Antonacci, Antonacci Development & Marketing
Exceeding Expectations
Lori Antonacci has been on both sides of the nonprofit world – first as a board member and officer, then as staff or consultant. “Over the years,” she says, “I’ve sat on seven different non-profit boards. And at a certain point, I started Antonacci Development & Marketing, offering marketing communications and fundraising services to nonprofits.”
Lori’s first business relationship with Stellar Webdev was for a complex proposal for a New York City-based nonprofit. While the client ultimately postponed this project, Lori reached out to Stellar Webdev again for consulting on a number of website projects. “I really appreciate their guidance when I run into website issues or I’m pitching a new client,” she explains.
For a Connecticut-based organization, Lori put together a team for a complete rebranding, name-change, and logo, tasking Stellar Webdev to code the all-new website.
“When I hire Mark Beck and his team at Stellar Webdev for a web development project, I know I can count on them to provide exactly what’s promised, in terms of expertise, skills, budgets, timeline, service, quality, and ethics,” Lori says.
Stellar Webdev’s ability to deal with last-minute changes and unforeseen issues cemented their working relationship for future projects.
“There are always challenges in the midst of web projects – always – but no matter the challenge, Stellar Webdev remains focused on solutions,” she says. “And every website that they’ve developed for me has been successful at meeting client marketing and development needs, and exceeding client expectations.”