Grand Rapids marketing firm launches custom software company, iPhone app for beach bums

Deborah Johnson Wood

Grand Rapids-based Steketee Greiner Co. dove headfirst into the digital marketing waters this week with the launch of a new company and the release of an iPhone 4 app for water sports enthusiasts.

SGC, formerly ContextMG, 44 Grandville Ave. SW, has formed Catalyst SGC to take over the development of customized software solutions and applications, mobile development and traditional online development for Fortune 1000 clients who want to leverage the digital marketplace.

And the iPhone 4 app, Beach Bum, advises users when weather and water conditions are right for fishing, boating, sail boarding and other water sports in any of the Great Lakes or United States coastal regions.

"It's tied into national systems and measures air and water temperature, wave height, the UV index and wind speed, and includes a synopsis of the weather forecast," says David Greiner, SGC's chief creative officer. "It has real time radar plus warnings and alerts for severe weather, and is customizable."

As for the launch of the new company, Greiner says SGC acquired another Grand Rapids firm, Access Programming Group, Inc., and brought aboard two of its programmers – one experienced in artificial intelligence, the other in application development.

"SGC has always been focused on the digital marketing space, and kept a small team of creative people and programmers," Greiner says. "It made sense to put that team out on its own as Catalyst SGC and create a new business model independent of Steketee Greiner."

Catalyst SGC has eight employees. Greiner says he hopes to build it to 10 in 2011. He says Steketee Greiner hired five people this year and gross sales are up 30 percent over 2009.

Beach Bum sells for $1.99 at the iTunes store.

Source: David Greiner, Steketee Greiner Company and Catalyst SGC

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].