Rudy Malmquist, operations manager for
Mindutopia, was providing Macintosh software and hardware support for Computer Products and Resources (CPR) when a supervisor approached him about creating a website for the company. Malmquist explains, "They said, 'design is done on a Macintosh. You can fix a Mac. Here's a book on HTML. Make a website for us.'" With that, the roots for Mindutopia were planted.
Once CPR's website was online, the company immediately began receiving compliments and inquiries into where their clients could get something similar. CPR began offering website design services and Malmquist realized how much he enjoyed his new role.
When CPR was purchased, Malmquist made the decision to venture out on his own. He approached CPR with a business plan in which the company could continue to provide website design services through his new company, Intrepid.
Malmquist explains, "I took what business I had there and we still do that to this day. We still have a strong relationship with CPR. They bring us leads for development. We, most of the time, allow them to do the hosting, which is what they do. We almost work as employees, but we are not."
That was in 2007. As business increased, Malmquist realized he was going to need some help handling his company. He placed an ad on Craigslist and found Bryan Esler.
Esler had graduated in 2008 from Aquinas College before deciding in 2009 to start his own company in Traverse City with a high school friend. The pair named their new business MindUtopia and landed Aquinas College as a client, but within a few months, Esler's partner left their new business for another job.
Malmquist and Esler began working together in 2009, and shortly thereafter decided to merge their growing businesses. They are now operating Mindutopia as a partnership out of Grand Rapids. They have one part time developer, Nate Reist, and an office at 645 Cherry St. SE. Their services include website design, website programming, search engine optimization, hosting and e-mail, creative direction, photography, social media promotion, branding, print design, social media design, and sustainability consulting.
The pair compares their jobs to being on episodes of "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood," explaining that they regularly have the opportunity to step inside of a new business and see firsthand the production process. They meet the individuals behind the company and hear about the unique mission and company culture of each organization they work with.
It's a bit of a surprising analogy coming from two guys seated in Aeron chairs in front of Mac computers and without a cardigan sweater in sight, but it becomes more clear as they explain their personalized approach and commitment to providing a customer service experience to all of their clients.
This approach includes face-to-face visits and tours of the company's operations. The company operates under the slogan, "What's on your mind," reflecting their commitment to listening to the client and working hard to ascertain what the client truly is asking for in the end product.
"I've been in and seen how
Scott Group Custom Carpets uses a custom made reciprocating saw that turns into a yarn shooter that makes custom rugs," says Malmquist. "So it's cool to get to go into all these different businesses and see how they are run and how they make their product. It's kind of exciting."
The company works often with
Slingshot Bikes, recently completing a website design and currently working on two separate design projects.
Aaron Joppe, president of Slingshot Bikes, says, "I'm very impressed with their work. What I find most interesting about the experience I have with them is I can take an idea and I can relay it to them and they can take that idea and make it better."
Joppe appreciates Malmquist and Esler's enthusiasm for his company's projects as well.
He says, "We are working on a virtual bike builder. It's an application that's going to be built within the site. It's going to allow the customer to come in there and virtually build up a bike. It's really unique in the industry -- I don't think anyone else in the industry is doing it the way we are going to be doing it. These guys have kind of taken the lead and tried to find a way to make it happen."
It is this face-to-face approach (Joppe estimates that 70 percent of his professional communication with Mindutopia occurs in person) that Malmquist and Esler believe sets them apart and keeps them competitive in a wide and varied industry. They explain that often, companies will hire a firm that relies on phone calls and e-mails to convey information and even the client's vision. This type of communication can lead to an entirely different relationship and therefore, an entirely different final product. Maybe sometimes it works, maybe other times it doesn't, but it will be a different outcome than the one that the Mindutopia relationship offers.
"We like to hear what the customer is interested in, if they have current marketing materials that they like," Malmquist says. "A lot of times, a website is created and then neglected. It's old and nobody updates it, and (the client) says, 'we hate it, and oh my gosh, why do we even still have this? We need to get it fixed.' But in the meantime, maybe they had to develop a new brochure or proposal folder and they invested money with a print designer to do that. They like the direction that it took and now they want something similar done to the website."
Malmquist and Esler are also committed to philanthropy, utilizing their design skills to help several organizations reach out via easy-to-navigate websites. In particular, they work with Miles for Special Smiles, a non-profit dedicated to helping families provide a higher quality of life to their special needs child.
The free website Mindutopia provided for
Miles for Special Smiles has helped the nonprofit gain greater exposure for their mission. They have also been involved in helping the organization become a recipient of money raised in several different bicycle races.
Mindutopia has clients in Grand Haven, Holland, Muskegon, Detroit and Canada, but 80 percent of their business is focused here in Grand Rapids. They say that their mission for now is to continue to engage with new companies and to focus on slow, controlled growth.
"We enjoy what we do. This isn't work; it's fun. These are tools I suppose, but they are toys as well," Malmquist says.
He points to all the gadget boxes scattered about and lined up on the window ledge above his computer. He says, "That's how it started for me -- because it was fun. You pose a problem and it's not really a problem, it's like a puzzle."
Charlsie Dewey is a professional writer located in Grand Rapids, MI. She also contributes articles to the Windy City Times in Chicago.
Photos:
Rudy Malmquist
Bryan Esler
Designs by
MindUtopia (4)
Photographs by
Brian Kelly -All Rights Reserved