When Community Papers of WNY abruptly shut its doors in July of 2016 after claiming bankruptcy the previous December, the fate of more than 80 businesses with websites invested in the company was uncertain. But thanks to two determined former employees who refused to see the businesses lose out on something they’ve worked so hard for, the websites were saved.
“It was our goal to save the websites when they went out of business,” said Marie Emer, partner in SM Digital Creations. “We didn’t think it was fair for those sites to go down without any notification, so we decided to do it on our own.”
Emer and Steve Kruse, owners of SM Digital Creations and former employees of CPOWNY, have worked together for the past nine years. Kruse worked on the website development side of things while Emer helped create the content. Together they found that they were an unstoppable team.
“Building websites is something we both like doing and when we had a chance to make a whole bunch of people happy by not letting their sites go dark, it was a way for us to create a business together,” said Kruse. “We valued the relationship we had built with these clients and we didn’t feel it was right to have their businesses be affected negatively that way.”
Emer and Kruse quickly set up a dedicated server where they could host the sites. The server acts as a safety net for their clients. By having only their own clients’ websites on the server, it allows Emer and Kruse to be website watchdogs so no outside intruders can harm the websites.
“A dedicated server allows our clients to be protected against abuses that often happen in a shared server environment.” said Kruse.
Emer says what makes SM Digital Creations stand out from the rest is the excellent customer service she and Kruse are able to provide. If there are website issues, Emer and Kruse are there locally to assist in a very timely manner.
“The client will be able to easily get in touch with one of us to address any questions or concerns,” she said. “We can customize all of our websites and we work with the client to do that, meeting with them when necessary to achieve desired results.”
“Yes, there are free website services out there, but when you sign up for one of those you’re in the dark unless you really understand what you’re doing and have the time to dedicate to such a project,” said Kruse.
SM Digital Creations can create any type of website you want from a business website to a blog or an eCommerce website. The duo said the best part about creating websites is knowing that they are helping local businesses to succeed.
“For example, We have an eCommerce website that started out small quite a few years ago and have we have seen that business grow and expand with the client indicating the main reason for its growth being the website we created. To know that we played a part in helping someone succeed in business is absolutely wonderful,” said Kruse.
SM Digital Creations in now in their new office located in Boston, NY at 7350 Boston State Road. Contact them at 716-254-6130 or via email to contact@smdigitalcreations.net.
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