Authored by on Friday, Mar 1, 2013
At Greane Tree Technology, we are especially happy when we can use our skills to contribute to our community. Such was the case when we recently worked with the Commission on Economic Opportunity to rebuild their website, www.ceo-cap.org. CEO has long been one of our favorite organizations, and we were deeply gratified to assist them in their mission to empower local people.
The Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) was formed in 1965 as part of the network of Community Action Agencies created to administer Head Start and other programs that help people rise out of poverty and become independent. CEO now has over 25 programs, addressing the needs of everyone from infants to grandparents. In its own words, "CEO gives people the tools they need to build financial stability and lead healthier, happier lives."
In 2012, CEO embarked on a website redesign to create a site that would better serve as a platform for communicating the agency’s mission and activities with the public. The redesign process resulted in an updated look, but still lacked many of the navigation and usability features consistent with current trends in web design. The site was also not optimized for search engines, making it difficult for someone to find.
Annmarie Lanesey is on the board of the CEO Foundation. She was aware of CEO’s struggles, so she offered Greane Tree Technology’s services at cost. Within two months, Greane Tree Technology was able to design and build a website that gave visitors a well-organized introduction to CEO’s philosophy and programs, offered CEO staff an easy way to add content and create custom forms, and in general expressed CEO’s energy and enthusiasm for its mission.
The site is built in the WordPress content management system, using the Gravity Forms plugin to facilitate the creation of custom forms. The site’s customized CSS expresses CEO’s brand, and adheres to the principles of Responsive Web Design, automatically adjusting its layout to fit the device (desktop, mobile, etc.) on which it is viewed. The site’s new architecture facilitates Search Engine Optimization (SEO), so CEO can make sure its programs are easy to find on the web.
Emily Cote, CEO’s Director of Marketing and Communications, says, "Working with Greane Tree was an absolute joy. Both the design and the development phases moved quickly and smoothly. We couldn't be happier with the final product, and we feel that our visitors will appreciate the new design, both for how bright and crisp it is, and for how easy it is to navigate. We’re proud to have this as the new 'face' of CEO online."
Greane Tree Technology is grateful for the contributions that CEO makes to our community. We’re delighted that our technical expertise can help CEO offer people in the Capital Region the tools they need to become self sufficient.