For almost 25 years, immediaC has been offering professional website development services to help businesses achieve their goals. With many local clients such as Windows Plus Home Improvements, Cabinetworks, In-Vogue Home Design, Xtreme Pizza and Aurora Aesthetics, immediaC delivers engaging and creative websites and apps.
“We're really about small businesses, and most of our clients are small to medium sized businesses,” says John Leahy, Founder and CEO of immediaC. “We help them get online, which is great for us.”
“Yet, we're the only company in town that has been around for that long and almost nobody knows who we are or what immediaC does.”
Established in 1998, immediaC boasts Canada's most experienced web design team. One of their first products was a content management system (CMS), which has been very well received by several clients. With several renditions developed over the years and a very recent one, the CMS’s editing system is hassle-free and extremely easy to use––compared to that of Wix, WordPress or Squarespace. It's making prospective clients eager to switch over.
“Websites are still really websites; that market has changed a lot and a lot of companies that used to build websites are gone and all that's left are agencies,” says Leahy. “We love building websites for under $5,000, and agencies generally don't do that kind of work that helps small-medium sized businesses build their own websites.”
immediaC’s multiple CMS renditions allowed the team to build almost 4,000 websites so far. Used by organizations all over Nova Scotia and across Canada, the responsive websites are custom designed for both mobile and desktop usage. Not only are the websites Google-search, customer and mobile friendly, but they’re also built with immediaC’s conversion funnel tools to enhance website efforts. They make the websites work harder and drive more business.
“immediaC was actually my second attempt to build a company,” says Leahy. “And we have a great team who continuously come up with great ideas like our new InCamera platform.”
Similar to ZOOM and MS Teams––but designed to operate right within web browsers––InCamera allows clients to hold virtual meetings with just a simple yet secure link. Without downloading software or installing plug-ins, attendees are able to join meetings and enjoy similar features. The Canadian-based platform is a one-click connect service with simple controls. It’s regulation compliant in Canada, U.S. and Europe, mobile-browser compatible, video-recording capable, and can be branded to the organizations using it.
“It was challenging making this software work in the browser, because they are always changing and can be challenging, but it works,” says Leahy.
“Digital Nova Scotia has, numerous times now, successfully done networking on InCamera; they set up five rooms with the ability to see who's in which room and bounce from one to the other.”
InCamera has already received positive feedback as a flexible and easy-to-use toolset. The Black Business Initiative has conducted job interviews and held a job fair through the platform. “It's flexible because multiple rooms can be set up like a trade show but also for networking,” says Leahy.
“We're really excited about this platform because it's Canadian and could be, in theory, used for several other purposes like medical appointments. So, we're working on that type of health offering now.”
Every day, immediaC’s team meets on the InCamera platform as a group to stay in touch, go over the agenda and discuss ongoing projects. Then they break up into smaller groups and different meetings throughout the day.
immediaC’s business philosophy aligns with that of small business, and business in general: being a force for good. “Business really makes the world go round, and it's not just business in its purest form, but any organization is a force for good. And internally, our fundamental philosophy at immediaC is exactly that but also to have fun and get sh*t done.”
One of immediaC’s graphic designers, who has been working with Leahy for almost 15 years, moonlights as a professional bass player. He always strives to play good music, and he brings that attitude to his graphic design work as well. The entire team at immediaC gets inspired to do the same as they recognize how busy with projects they’ve recently become. They too strive to bring only their very best work to the table and to their clients.
“Whether it's a website that we're building for Tampa General Hospital or a redo on a Massage Addict website, we want to play good music. And we want to do good work,” says Leahy.
Leahy embraces that most of his team was unprepared to the COVID-19 impact, even though they have stepped up to the plate. He credits that to the easy-going culture immediaC fosters. “At one point, everybody was under 30 except me and one other staff,” he says. “Today, we're a team of 15 developers, designers and programmers, most of whom were hired as new grads.”
In the past year, immediaC has doubled in size and saw a big increase in productivity. For some employees, working on Leahy’s team was their first job and they remain with the company to this day. Some even have started managing and making decisions about operations, HR and hiring. “At one time, I did all the interviews,” says Leahy. “Now, I don't do any.”
“I think the other important thing about our culture is that we're on the way to becoming an employee-owned company,” he says. “I've owned all the shares for over 20 years, but we have a management team now that's made up of people who are enjoying the company.”
immediaC and its team of friendly web experts continue to work hard for their clients. Their unique website designs are not templates but custom-made to reflect the uniqueness of our local business community. They strive to make businesses stand out in the market, from right here in Halifax. ■
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