BINGHAMTON — A Web-design firm launched last year is making the leap from home offices to a physical location in downtown Binghamton. FreshySites began unofficially and 2011 and its founders formed their company just last year. They built their business from their homes to a base of 77 customers. They opened their 1,300-square-foot office, at […]
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BINGHAMTON — A Web-design firm launched last year is making the leap from home offices to a physical location in downtown Binghamton.
FreshySites began unofficially and 2011 and its founders formed their company just last year. They built their business from their homes to a base of 77 customers.
They opened their 1,300-square-foot office, at 37 Court St. in Binghamton, in January. Four of the company’s five employees are originally from the Binghamton area, but left to attend college.
Four of the firm’s employees are based in Binghamton and the fifth works from Fairfax, Va.
The partners decided to launch the company in Binghamton in part because it offers a host of potential customers in the small and mid-size business space, says Ben Giordano, FreshySites’ co-founder and lead developer. Many of the local companies also don’t have an updated Web presence.
There’s a need in the market, Giordano says, for a firm that can help local businesses improve their Web sites quickly and inexpensively.
He adds that FreshySites is trying to offer Web design almost as a retail product. The company’s office is in street-level retail space. The idea is for potential clients to be able to walk in off the street and talk about their sites easily.
Giordano also notes that the company’s goal is customer volume. He says the firm can put together a basic website for $250 and is aiming to grow its client roster quickly.
“The way websites are built…has changed,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars to do this.”
FreshySites expects to grow its customer base to 200 by the end of the year. The firm is also likely to add another employee in 2013, Giordano says.
The company’s price points open the door to businesses that might have been able to afford a Web presence previously, he adds. And he says that just because the company offers an inexpensive product doesn’t mean it’s of poor quality.
Giordano’s background is in advertising and marketing. While working in that space, he says he saw the need for Web design aimed squarely at small companies that don’t have massive budgets.
The new office is also a key part of FreshySites’ strategy.
“We want customers to be able to come in and meet with us and feel comfortable stopping by the office,” Giordano says. “If they have a request, we want them to stop by. We want to put a big public face on it. We want to get to know our customers.”
FreshySites is not focusing on any specific industry niche, but rather concentrating on its geographic market. Eventually, that will mean expanding with offices in other cities, which could include Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, and Scranton, Pa.
The headquarters and much of the development work will remain based in Binghamton, but sales and support staff will be located in other cities, Giordano says. If things go well in 2013, he adds, the company could be looking at another location by the end of the year.
Giordano co-founded FreshySites with Vincent Consumano, who grew up in Manassas, Va. Giordano and Consumano, who works from Fairfax, Va. now, were roommates at Virginia Tech.
Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com