Small Business Switchfast, IT News

One of our clients, iaPeel, generated some serious buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week -- they even made the local news! Congratulations iaPeel, we're proud to have built and optimized your website!

Switchfast is expanding into founder Matt Owen’s hometown of Rochester, NY, next week. Steve Gossin will be heading the effort to get things up and running. Welcome to the team, Steve! After nearly nine successful years growing up locally, Switchfast is ready to expand, replicating the same responsive, friendly, and respectful customer experience in a new market. Switchfast Rochester will officially open on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. Thanks to all of our clients for the continued support; we wouldn't be here without you!

Another new Switchfast website launch put a cap on the year. Representing two decades of expertise and integrity in real estate, Mo2 Properties is a family-owned full-service property management company providing service to private residents, owners, investors, and developers of commercial property. Mo2's website features a super clean, easy-to-navigate layout complete with hot property listings and a portal for tenants to pay rent securely online. Check it out: www.mo2properties.com

Congratulations to CH&G on the launch of their new website today. It looks great! Nice work Switchfast team! CH&G Communications is a group of Chicago-based business communication consultants offering their expertise to businesses looking to streamline operations, create specialized marketing campaigns, or redefine their brands. Armed with extremely intuitive navigation and littered with potential points of contact, CH&G Communications' website tears down barriers between their staff and their customers. Check it out! www.chg-communications.com

Microsoft has granted Switchfast Gold Certified Partner status, thanks to our growing expertise in advanced network/infrastructure implementation. Congrats to our engineers for continually proving to be at the top of their field!

Two more Switchfast websites went live this month. Congratulations to iaPeel and Anderson Glass, and may your revenue come pouring in! Click "Read More" to check them out.

Switchfast has acquired an additional retail space within 4043 N Ravenswood location. The new room is adjacent to the space that currently houses Switchfast’s help desk team, and plans to merge to two rooms are in the works. The purpose of the expansion is to accommodate future growth, but we’re sure that Nik and the help desk guys will appreciate the extra elbow room as well. Big thanks to Hayes Properties for being fantastic landlords over the years!

In a classic Cinderella story, Chris Barker led Switchfast's 15th-seeded 2009 volleyball team to this year's Chicago Sport and Social Club championship! Congratulations to the athletes, and special thanks to the Chicago Sport and Social Club for a great season!

One of only four companies in the "IT Services" category to appear from the Chicago metropolitan area, Switchfast remains among America’s fastest growing private businesses for the third year in a row. Special thanks to everyone who has helped make it possible for us to have sustained such growth. We promise greater things to come!

Switchfast is pleased to participate in the 2009 City Treasurer’s Small Business Expo at UIC Forum on July 17th. The workshops, exhibitor booths, and networking will prove valuable to the attendees interested in building their small business. Switchfast will be on hand showing how small business owners can reduce downtime and improve efficiency with our MaxPro™ managed service demonstrations, as well as informing visitors how a Search Engine Optimization strategy with Switchfast can work for their website. Switchfast will also share what’s going on at the Expo with real-time Twitter updates! As small businesses become increasingly dependent on information technology for communications and sales, they struggle to compete with big business for access to high-quality IT. Switchfast meets the IT needs of the small business owner with trust, customized solutions, and predictable pricing. As many of our clients are small businesses too, Switchfast understands our success and growth are aligned with their success and growth. We work to understand their business and support their objectives by delivering technology solutions that make sense now, and in the future.

Congratulations to Outsource Fleet Services for being featured in American Fleet Managers Buyer's Guide, and special thanks for mentioning us as their IT firm!

Switchfast was proud to be a sponsor of Assurance Agency's 2009 Client Golf Outing. The event, which occurred at the Boulder Ridge Country Club in Lake in the Hills, IL, was a great success. Switchfast’s team received the “Most Honest Score” award and some snazzy new putters! Switchfast held a raffle at its table for some Cubs tickets and gift cards. Winners will be announced in our newsletter on Friday, 6/19! Special thanks for Assurance Agency for putting on a wonderful event.

Summer’s almost here, and at Switchfast, that means beach volleyball season! Switchfast is happy to be a part of the Chicago Sport and Social Club’s summer volleyball league. This year, Switchfast’s team is poised to compete like never before. Team captain, Chris Barker, has been training relentlessly throughout the off-season and promises a dominant performance from his teammates. Switchfast’s first game will be on Thursday, June 11th at 6:30pm at Montrose Beach. Feel free to stop by, hang out, and cheer us on! For more information on Chicago Sport and Social Club’s events and activities, visit their website at www.chicagosportandsocialclub.com.

Switchfast is proud to announce the completion of its 8th year serving the IT needs of Chicago's small business and nonprofit community. When Matt Owen started Switchfast in 2001, his intent was to provide the small business community with the same type of high-end IT consulting and support that large businesses received regularly. We would like to thank all of our clients for believing in our vision and allowing us to thrive! Here's to 8 more years of satisfied clients!

Switchfast is excited to join Assurance Agency in participation of their annual, employee-driven charity initiative, ACT (Assurance Caring Together). Since ACT's inception five years ago, Assurance has partnered with several local charities in various neighborhoods. Employees of Assurance donate money and labor hours to these organizations to lend a hand to their respective causes. Like Assurance, Switchfast will be offering its employees a day off to volunteer their time this year. Big thanks to Assurance Agency for inviting us to contribute to this great cause!

The new Switchfast website promises more features, better navigation, and a sleek new look! Be sure to check out the new video testimonials page and sign up for our newsletter!

This week's Focus section in Crain's Chicago Business journal features a short interview with Switchfast CEO Matt Owen. Matt is featured in the "If They Could Do 2008 Over," speaking on the subject of marketing during a recession. You can check the article out here: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=31198

Switchfast CEO Matt Owen spoke to members of the Ravenswood Industrial Council on the topic of making the most of a company's technology budget in the face of a difficult economy. Matt highlighted several cost-cutting and productivity-increasing tactics and technologies that Switchfast often suggest for its own clients, as well as stressing the importance of an accurate technology budget to help plan and control costs going forward.

Switchfast is proud to announce its inclusion on Inc Magazine's list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America. Switchfast came in at No. 1295 in this year's list, boasting a growth of almost 300% from 2004. To date, the growth has been almost exclusively through client referrals, a testament to the quality of service that Switchfast's team provides. Special thanks to Inc Magazine for recognizing us again this year!