Back in 2003, the three original partners (2 remain @ Joppa) were given a chance to jump from the cozy corporate nest and venture out on their own. In other words, there was a layoff. It was one of those “blessings in disguise”. Today 4 out of the 5 members of that company’s complete web department are still working together in some fashion and are still creating great web sites and products. Hey, we all loved what we did for a living and really enjoyed each other’s company - so why change a good thing, right?

The business was housed initially in a 1-bedroom efficiency apartment (about 250 Sq. ft) behind a partner’s garage. When that became a little snug for the 4-man team (a design intern was also onsite), we moved to a little larger office space at the end of that first year. Pictures of the Joppa families standing outside that apartment are fond reminders of the start of this company ... and the journey. With our team’s versatile work experience, we were able to focus not only on our client’s web sites but also their databases, print design pieces, multimedia sales tools and their overall marketing and brand needs. Fun stuff!

In 2007, four years after the first page of the story was written (and after more business growth, team changes and additions), Joppa was selected as one of “The Top 10 Most Dependable Web Design Companies in Texas”, as promoted in the Texas Monthly (possible link). In 2008, we were selected again - 2nd year in a row. Getting recognized for our commitment to our clients and our work was exciting. It certainly didn’t happen without having great clients and friends. It also reminded us that we were still hitting the mark as a one-stop shop for web services, which remains a primary goal of ours.

With the great flexibility of technology and the ability to literally work from a person’s location of choice, the dynamics of our workplace is ever changing. After occupying a modest-sized office for the past 5 years, the team is going to share a virtual office. With social networking & communication technologies, the availability of shared online calendars and schedules, virtual job ticket and time tracking services, multiple Internet connection points, etc., the team’s combined strength remains intact.

We celebrated our six-year anniversary in April of 2009. We feel a company needs to adapt and change with the times, gain growth by helping their clients to grow, gain wisdom on the way, keep getting educated and never feel they have it “all figured out”.