Tech organization founder displays on two a long time in business enterprise

As a community web improvement agency celebrates just around two decades in business enterprise, its founder displays on the agency’s growth although wanting in advance to the future.

Luanne Brown started eTool Developers, a Grand Rapids-primarily based supplier of net-centered software package options for the automotive aftermarket, in 2001.

Brown, who has a qualifications in technologies and e-understanding, had the idea to start out a organization in the field right after attending a Specialty Tools Marketplace Affiliation (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.

At the time, she set out to begin her business enterprise endeavours with a concentrate on promoting methods for the sector — specially animated schooling applications.

Brown, even so, started out to understand a hole in internet existence inside of the sector early on in her new venture.

“When I obtained into this field, I realized they were about 15 yrs powering the relaxation of the planet and weren’t even on the web at all,” Brown stated.

She started attending other trade shows, networking, producing article content and operating to position herself as an qualified to assistance enterprises in the automotive aftermarket business transition to an online presence. Her 1-woman, boots-on-the-floor approach commenced to get traction, and she expanded her team and scope as the company started to increase.

“I set alongside one another a staff and begun doing internet sites specially for the automotive aftermarket and sort of what is distinct about them,” she stated.

Nowadays, eTool Builders fills the gap Brown very first witnessed by assisting shoppers with web page progress, facts management, e-commerce implementations and web internet marketing methods to improve their enterprises.

The corporation presents a tailor made articles management system for shoppers to edit and command their have content, as nicely as a item details manager for customers to sustain regulate of their possess data.

Info administration, in point, has been the niche for eTool Developers’ solution approaches. Brown and eTool Builders have labored to establish information criteria for the automotive aftermarket field and build out databases to make info obtainable and structured for companies and investing partners.

“You have to select your specialty, and what we recognized we needed to target on was details for the reason that which is what would make web-sites get the job done very well and it is what suppliers fully grasp,” Brown mentioned.

At the exact time, data administration has appear with its distinctive troubles. Cybersecurity threats are on the increase, especially with extra of a shift to on the net operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s an ongoing menace due to the fact it’s a shifting focus on,” Brown said, emphasizing her company’s commitment to preserving shoppers and guarding their data.

With today’s at any time-transforming periods, Brown also sees an surprising emphasis on motor vehicle aid for employed automobiles.

“People are hanging on to their utilised vehicles, and now used vehicles are costing as a great deal as new vehicles. So, people are acquiring pieces to assist the autos that they are retaining. I would hardly ever have guessed that 5 decades ago,” she stated.

Searching forward to the future of eTool Developers, Brown reported she anticipates much more of an curiosity mobile application development for her clients. 

“Everyone wants to do every little thing on their telephones, together with enterprise, and applications allow us to do that greater,” Brown explained.

She also claimed eTool Developers could potentially extend into other industries in the future, while she is privileged to have picked the automotive aftermarket sector as her firm’s focus.

“Everybody drives and everybody’s functioning on their cars,” Brown explained. “People nonetheless really like their cars. I’m glad I picked this market.”