Helical Pier Plus: I thought I may be "screwed" on this one!

What the heck is a helical pier? Embarassed to ask, I got to work researching and learned it is a screw pile. What the heck is a screw pile?

One doesn't need to be an expert in someone else's business to put together a website. The project completed for Nathan "Nate" Pulver represents his business, Helical Pier Plus LLC. Nate is a contractor that provides this specific solution for new construction foundations.

Helical piers are screw piles - and they're used to provide solid foundations in unfavorable soil conditions.

As a new business, this was the first "brochure" website launched. And, as a new business, no library of project photos, logo, or any other supporting imagery was provided. That was not a problem, however, as I found a few good images available for licensing at Shuttershock and got to work.

This site was designed in Wix Studio, the platform's newest design environment, allowing for complete control over responsiveness. I learned with my first Wix Studio project, for Projects with a Purpose, that designing for multiple breakpoints allows superior results. Though the learning curve was a little steep, I came out on the other side very pleased with the enhancements to my toolbelt and the results.

Helical Pier Plus LLC

The only hiccup on the Helical Pier Plus LLC project has been with regards to attempts to establish a Google Business Listing to help drive better SEO results. For the first time in my experience, Google suspended this small business's listing, I believe, because the business does not engage in doing business at a specific location. In other words, this is a home-based business not open to the public.

Not having a Google Business listing makes the work of search engine optimization more difficult, but not impossible. I plan to continue tweaking - and learning - to help Helical Pier Plus enhance their position in search results.

This website development and digital marketing game is ever-changing and while I do not claim to be an expert in every facet, I am happy to help raise the bar for local small businesses when and where I can, at an affordable rate. Give me a call, maybe I can help you, too!

Former colleague goes all in on Projects with a Purpose

I had the pleasure of working in local economic development for five years. One of the first positive experiences I had during that time was the day that Tena Woenker came up to me at a regional meeting and introduced herself.

Tena was, at that time, the Town Manager for the Town of Waterloo, home to an historic - and still in use - Amtrak train station in a small Indiana town that sits alongside one of the nation's longest highways, US Route 6, also known as the Army of the Grand Republic Highway.

As it turns out, Tena and I experienced changes in our career paths at nearly the same time in 2024 - and we both decided to pursue our passions as our "own boss;" mine through Catchy Creations and Tena's through Projects with a Purpose.

Though our passions are similar, we both love to help others be successful by helping to move their ideas from concept to results, our skills are quite different - and complementary. Having worked pretty closely with Tena on some municipal projects, it was fun to sit down and help pour into a new website her visions for Projects with a Purpose. The result is a new, responsive website designed in Wix Studio.

This new, brochure website incorporated Tena's own archive of photos and lists of projects to help her audience understand her immense array of experience and talents. In addition to the website. Tena trusted me to also develop a new logo and rack card to help promote her venture. I used Canva Pro for those projects.

Learn more about Projects with a Purpose and let Tena help your community blossom and your projects bear fruit!

Projects with a Purpose

Bringing Hidden Ego Events out of hiding

Doug Ebey is one of Noble County's busiest entrepreneurs. Ebey's first business was the launch of Hidden Ego Gym in Albion in 2015. Two years later, Ebey opened Hidden Ego Volleyball, an outdoor sand volleyball recreation center and bar, in Kendallville.

Fast forward to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic when, in 2020, Ebey's desire to keep people active resulted in his use of a vacant space in a Kendallville strip mall to host an indoor corn hole league. That sport later moved out to his outdoor recreation venue, which he now calls Hidden Ego Event and Recreation Facility. The venue is much more, however, featuring lighted sand volleyball courts, pavilion bar (full service), restrooms, and often live music and food trucks.

Maybe in an effort to make sure boredom is never an option, Ebey also remodeled that indoor former corn hole space and opened his second Hidden Ego Gym there, right next door to the bowling alley he and a partner also purchased, upgraded, and renamed as K-Vegas Bowl.

Catchy Creations' latest project was the launch of one of three websites we designed for Ebey's businesses, this one for Hidden Ego Event and Recreation Facility. (Previously, Catchy Creations also designed new websites for Hidden Ego Gyms and K Vegas Bowl.)

For the event center, we once again opted to use the Wix platform, because the need was for a simple "brochure site", not a lot of bells and whistles. The audience is primarily those looking for a local event venue - and Hidden Ego has just the place for their summertime gatherings!

This project tapped into basic marketing skills, requiring that we make sure all of the "who, what, why, when, and how" questions a visitor may have were adequately answered within the pages. All the basics are covered - what services are available, who they are for, where to find them, when they are offered, and how to take part.

From a design standpoint, we opted for the blue and green color scheme to evoke the great outdoors. Some fun scrolling effects were also used, along with shadowed text headers both to enhance visibility, but also to add a little depth.

Ebey is one of those clients who is less interested in "how it looks" than "it's out there to find." He occasionally sends updates to hours or prices, but is otherwise seemingly satisfied knowing he can count on Catchy Creations to keep his digital presence out there, up to date, and looking professional.

Hidden Ego Events