City of Raleigh, North Carolina
With the recent construction boom in the Triangle came a backlog in the permitting process. Contractors were required to travel to downtown Raleigh and go into the offices of the City of Raleigh Inspection Department to file paperwork and pick up permits. The resulting bottleneck put a strain on the personnel and resources of the inspections department and frustrated the building community.

Walker Interactive, Inc. was contracted to create an interactive CD-ROM and collateral marketing campaign to introduce and educate the building community about the online development center. This web-based e-permitting and inspections tool was developed by the City of Raleigh, but no one knew it existing, much less how to use it.

The project included:

o    Branding the online development center
o    Alerting the community with postcards, posters and blast emails
o    Capturing step-by-step video of the web-based program
o    Rendering the video onto CD-ROM
o    Drafting and recording the voiceover script
o    Design and production of CD-ROM packaging
o    Tracking codes to generate reports on usage

This was a very successful endeavor. Of the 4000 units mailed, we experienced slightly over 10% viewing. (We have no way of identifying those that may have viewed off-line). The resultant usage of clients self-facilitating their e-permits online has been higher than projected, based upon other automation efforts. I have also sent copies of the CD to major software vendors and received high praise for the delivery means and the excellent content and design of the product.

Many contractors are now understanding the ability to access all of their project data. Overall, I am very pleased with the project and work that you and your team provided.
-Jim Tschupp, director of City of Raleigh Inspections Department

Chapel Hill Wine Company

Todd Wielar knows wine. What he didn't know was how a web site could help build his business.

At his two busy wine stores, Todd provides personalized recommendations, learning all his customers likes and dislikes -- and introducing them to new wine experiences at a great value. And while customers pestered him for a web site, he continually put it off until he could do it right. And doing it right meant being able to control the content himself. While he was indeed a savvy computer user, Todd had no intention of learning web design. Then he met Walker Interactive.

Walker Interactive suggested Todd consider a content management system such as Joomla!. A logo was developed, content was generated and the platform was built. Now, Todd updates his site on a daily -- even hourly -- basis, providing up-to-the-minute specials and wine events for his loyal and enthusiastic customers. The site is now a significant part of Todd's interaction with his customer base, driving a significant portion of his sales and strengthening his already strong customer bond. 

I didn't think my business needed a web site. I wasn't going to sell wine online, so what do I need a web site for? After talking with Walker Interactive, I saw the potential for a site that was a mirror of the tone I try to set in my stores--personalized, informative and fun. And there is so much amazing wine out there, but who has time? I do. So my web site now allows customers to read about wines, see what I have on special, access information on special events and stay informed on what's coming in. I'm a little obsessive about updating it, now that I'm all into Joomla, but hey, that's what it's for!

Walker Interactive also stepped up to help the community -- designing and building the web site for my annual wine-tasting event, Corks for Kids, which raised over $85,000 for the NC Children's Hospital last year alone. They continue to support this cause with sweat equity and design prowess and we appreciate all their help.

-Todd Wielar, owner of Chapel Hill Wine Company 

Premier, Inc.
SpendManager High Definition Presentation

The Premier healthcare alliance provides technology and consulting solutions to hospitals. An upcoming event promised the use of several high definition, flat screen televisions in strategic locations--and Premier wanted something eye-catching and informative to play on them.

Walker Interactive was contracted to design and develop a 6 minute, high definition "commercial" using animation and music to tell the story of Premier's SpendManager product. 

Thank you so much for a job well done regarding the Spend Manager DVD that you produced for us. Feedback from the Technology Conference was incredible! The commercial definitely caught the attention of multiple attendees and we had crowds of people watching the live demonstrations on the nearby monitors throughout the days of the trade show. I have heard nothing but good things about it and really appreciate all of the hard work you put into this. 

-Sarah Binder, Premier, Inc.

Everyday Tidy

Lori Bruhns is a professional organizer who was having trouble getting her web site, well, organized. Walker Interactive worked with her on messaging and site content, creating a friendly, informative and business-driving web site that would help her capture new clients, retain customers and build a resource for anyone looking for organizational help or products.

The web site included Flash animation as well as optimized site content. Then, in an effort to monetize the traffic Lori was experiencing, Walker Interactive helped implement Google AdSense and an Amazon affiliate store within her web site. 

After working together on Lori's personal business site, Walker Interactive was brought on board to redesign the site of the North Carolina chapter of the National Organization of Professional Organizers (NAPO). The new NAPO site is a Joomla!-based content management system (CMS), allowing various users within NAPO-NC to update and manage the content. For larger updates, NAPO still engages Walker Interactive, but is able to control costs and take ownership through the new CMS.

Walker Interactive's creative, out of the box thinking helped me streamline my website & make it very user friendly. Lauren is the nicest person to work with. She really helped me picture the final product during the initial consultation which in turn gave me the utmost confidence that the site would be better than I ever imagined. I have and would recommend Walker Interactive again and again. Thank you for making my site as wonderful as it is.

-Lori Bruhns, owner
Everyday Tidy professional organizing