Switchback shows growth prospects of Ann Arbor's IT industry

Posted: Oct 18, 2009 at 5:45 AM [Oct 18, 2009]

The rapid growth of Ann Arbor startup Switchback offers a snapshot of the economic promise inherent in the information technology community.

The Web development firm, founded in April 2008 by two Web entrepreneurs without any venture capital or university technology, has doubled its staff in recent months to a dozen employees.

It’s a reflection of the low barriers-to-entry associated with the software and Web community - and the high demand for savvy tech developers.

Switchback’s focus on designing Web sites that integrate efficiently with content management systems is attractive to companies that want to manage their own online presence.

Switchback co-founders Mike Monan (left) and Stephen Colson have doubled their staff to a dozen employees in recent months.

Photo by Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“In this economy, people are realizing that you need a Web site that’s actually going to work,” said Stephen Colson, co-founder of Switchback. “You need it to be as agile as everybody else’s in this economy. If you can’t change on a dime, what good are you?”

A gradual corporate shift toward Web sites that focus on regular content generation, including company blogs, for example, is a main factor behind Switchback’s growth.

“You want to control your marketing message. You don’t want someone else in control of it,” said Mike Monan, Switchback co-founder and former developer for Apple Inc.

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Switchback has leveraged open-source content management software such as Drupal to provide Web solutions to their customers. Its clients include Ann Arbor-based life sciences association MichBio and the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce.

As companies begin to manage their own Web sites through content management systems, usability becomes paramount.

Monan said Switchback has conducted one-on-one user testing to ensure that anyone can update the Web site’s they’ve developed.

“In the traditional Web development model, you needed to go through a technical gatekeeper to even change a phone number” on your Web site, Monan said. “We’re trying to remove that gatekeeper.”

Contact AnnArbor.com’s Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.