History

Company Founded

• At the height of the dot-com boom, founder and President, Justin Davis, age 25, registers domain name in September, trades web services for office space at 5 Milk Street, and installs broadband in October.
• Portland Webworks is incorporated, December 23.

Fledgling Team Emerges

• Chris Davis, Justin’s cousin, age 21, just out of school, joins as a developer, eventually assuming the role of Director of Technology, through present.
• Christopher Prinn, Justin’s brother-in-law, age 30, leaves L.L.Bean and joins as art director, eventually becoming Director of Creative, to his passing in 2021.
• Josh Barrett joins as client services director, and becomes first employee with a reasonably consistent salary and health insurance, to 2003.

First Major Account

• Nantucket Nectars account won to build a website for the “Juice Guys,” who got their start selling a peach nectar drink to yachts around Nantucket, through 2006.

More Brands and Team Members

• L.L.Bean account grows significantly and quickly becomes largest client, and eventually longest running, through 2019.
• Matt Cobb, the first full-time, salaried employee without a friend or family connection is hired, stays with the company for six years and is instrumental in introducing Java technologies.

First Public Sector Client

• Maine Department of Economic and Community Development account for Maine Office of Tourism expands quickly and continues to be a key client for 12 continuous years, securing Portland Webworks as a regional leader servicing the public sector in New England.
• Matthew Morse serves as account director until 2007.

First Major Java Client

• Lockheed Martin hires Portland Webworks to build a custom web application using Java technologies, central to the organization’s success in the enterprise marketplace.

Public Sector Focus Emerges

• More than 50 percent of revenue is generated servicing public sector clients.
• Ben Chute joins Portland Webworks and remains for five years, implementing significant project management improvements and operational efficiencies that remain today.

PWW Family Grows

• Jackie Davis, Justin’s mom, joins the team to handle bookkeeping, office management, and
  receptionist responsibilities through her retirement in 2014.
• Jackie’s dog, Gracie, joins Killian and Sandy, the first of many office dogs, from 2006 to 2018.

Longest Running Public Sector Account

• Custom application development begins for Maine Judicial Branch with Java and Apple technologies, through present.

First Million

• Company takes on new clients and celebrates first million in revenue at Milk Street office.
• Developer Adam Kempler and PM Miljan Bajic join the Maine Office of Tourism project. After eventually moving on to other opportunities, both return to the company and are with us today.

Business Development Department Formed

• Tom Lovering comes from L.L.Bean to expand business outreach and RFP responses as Director of Business Development, through present.
• Sappi North America project begins to support Westbrook, Maine, and Boston offices of the international paper company, through present.
• Colorado Judiciary becomes first out-of-state public sector client, through present.

First Liferay CMS Client

• Ronnie Northrup (2007-2016) customizes the Java-based Liferay content management system for use with multiple clients.
• Office renovation in July increases working space and meeting rooms.

Software Development Department Expands

• John Gordon joins from IDEXX, eventually becoming Director of Software Development, to 2021.
• Todd Merry comes on board, filling multiple roles including PM and QA, through present.
• Brett Amundsen begins as a QA tech with public sector experience and remains eight years before returning to public service.
• Portland Webworks is featured in a Maine Biz article on winning a second Gold Magellan Award from Travel Weekly magazine for the Maine Office of Tourism website.
• Clients from Alaska, California, Maryland, and Washington D.C. expand the company’s national footprint.

Project Management Department Expands

• Alison Schestopol joins as Director of Project Management, assuming additional responsibilities and roles, to present.
• Colorado Department of Law account becomes second government client in Colorado, through 2016.

First Drupal CMS Projects

• Drupal content management system and open-source technology adopted.
• First Drupal projects include Olympia Sports and Network Advertising Initiative.

State of Idaho Account Won

• State of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare account begins with idalink, an online portal for healthcare and food assistance, adding many other projects over the years, to present.
• Bitbucket, cloud services, and Angular adopted.

Agile Formally Adopted

• Agile and Jira adopted to manage projects, eventually used by all clients.
• QA team expands and Kim Carlton assumes the role of Director of Quality Assurance, rounding
  out nearly five years with the company.
• Human Resources practices and responsibilities are formalized and managed by Alison Schestopol.

Slack Joined & Best Places to Work Won

• Slack instant messaging platform becomes part of company culture.
• Best Places to Work in Maine won the first year entered, followed by winning entries in years 2015, 2017, and 2019.
• State of Iowa account won, adding to state government clients.
• Diane Bienkowski, Ezra Friedlander, and Kevin Ferguson come on board to support the State of Idaho and other projects.

$4 Million in Revenue Reached

• Project size and client numbers increase to surpass $4 million in revenue.
• Evan Rosenfield joins the business development department to focus on government RFPs.
• Washington Department of Health and Social Services site launched, later winning both Summit and Webby award recognition.

CiviServ SaaS Developed

• CiviServ, a software-as-a-service citizen portal for the delivery of social and health services by state and local agencies, is developed by Portland Webworks using the Drupal CMS.
• CiviServ implemented for Live Better Idaho, a portal to connect individuals and families to state and federal services.
• Gilbert Luong and Joseph Descalzota join the company and add developer expertise to State of Idaho projects.

GovWebworks Brand Launches

• GovWebworks, a sub brand specializing in digital solutions for public sector clients, focuses on digital tools for benefits, assistance for children and families, and workforce development.
• American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) joined and first Information Technology Solutions Management for Human Services (ISM) Conference attended.

Public Sector Client Base Grows

• Minnesota DEED’s CareerForce account won to provide online workforce development tools via a grant from the Department of Labor.
• Idaho Employment and Training program development begins, and Idaho Childcare Incident Tracker launches.
• Vermont Judiciary redesign launches, offering enhanced usability and admin functionality.
• Missouri Department of Conservation modernization work continues.

Award-Winning State Sites Launch

• Missouri Department of Transportation redesign launches, winning a Summit Creative Award in 2019.
• Minnesota DEED CareerForce site soft launches, later winning a W3 Award for digital excellence.

User Experience Department Expands

• Sarah Crossman becomes Director of User Experience, bringing a project management background to provide clients with enhanced and integrated user experience consulting.
• GovWebworks gains eligibility for federal and state contracts via the Government Services Administration.
• 20th anniversary of incorporation, December 23.

21st Year in Business

• Portland Webworks and GovWebworks enter the 2020s with 20 years of experience in innovative digital solutions for public and private sector clients.
• Maine Animal Welfare and 211 Maine work begins, bringing focus back to our home state for the Maine bicentennial (1820-2020).

Thank you for joining us along the way.

Here’s to the next 20!