At 26 years old, Michael Spinosa was about to become the youngest vice president at an international research and advisory firm. But in a discussion about his future, he was told he needed to earn a master’s degree before he could move up in the company, regardless of his achievements. Mike, undeterred by this sudden obstacle, left the meeting and called his friend Scott Greenwell, asking if he wanted to start a web development company together. The business story for Unleashed Technologies began at that moment.
Unleashing Clients’ Potential
By: Aimee Stern, President of Brave Now PR
At 26 years old, Michael Spinosa was about to become the youngest vice president at an international research and advisory firm. But in a discussion about his future, he was told he needed to earn a master’s degree before he could move up in the company, regardless of his achievements. Mike, undeterred by this sudden obstacle, left the meeting and called his friend Scott Greenwell, asking if he wanted to start a web development company together. The business story for Unleashed Technologies began at that moment.
In the first couple of years, Spinosa and Greenwell built websites for as little as $500 apiece. But in 2009, they began using Drupal, a rapidly maturing open-source web technology. This platform offered enterprise-level solutions that could handle large, complex websites. Drupal also turned out to fit the needs of membership-based organizations seeking the flexibility to engage with multiple audiences and the structure to empower marketing teams to drive a regular communications cadence. That year, the company landed its first marquis client, the U.S. Naval Institute. Eleven years later, Unleashed Technologies is a $7-million company building dynamic websites to help clients meet their goals and grow their organizations.
Today, Unleashed Technologies is one of Maryland’s fastest-growing digital strategy and web development firms. The company’s name represents its pledge to use technology to help clients realize their digital potential. Spinosa’s mantra is to empower his clients to grow, and Unleashed Technologies delivers on that commitment.
Last year, Spinosa and Greenwell were approached by investors looking for a growing tech company with a proven track record. In November 2019, Linc Partners, a Charlotte, N.C.-based firm, acquired Unleashed Technologies with plans to fund its growing digital expertise and expand into new markets.
As it has grown, Unleashed Technologies has added capabilities such as e-commerce and digital marketing to set itself apart from other web developers. According to Spinosa, Unleashed Technologies does not build static solutions. As the web is always in motion, the firm develops that can evolve too.
While many web developers finish a project and move on to the next one, Unleashed Technologies helps their clients businesses over time by continually exploring digital solutions based on their goals. Spinosa believes this approach differentiates Unleashed Technologies from its competitors. Based on this philosophy, the company offers growth packages that give clients the option of drawing in different digital skills as they are needed rather than having fixed resources to serve a more static business. This helps clients respond quickly and shift focus based on market demands and needs.
One of the main tracking measures for Unleashed Technologies is Key Performance Indicators, more commonly called KPIs. While the web may not control all the KPIs of a client, Spinosa says it can show you patterns in the data and allow you to test hypotheses. Whether it is using online ads to grow revenue, new keywords to drive traffic, or personalization to improve user experience and increase visitor satisfaction, a data-focused approach allows marketing teams to quickly assess the impact and return on investment of these tactics.
Association growth is a hallmark of what Spinosa’s approach delivers. Ongoing data analysis and rapid responses help clients forge deeper connections to the much sought after young professional audience.
As an example, mobile is popular with younger audiences and can help keep associations in regular contact with members. Unleashed Technologies enables clients to provide valuable streams of content to their members through responsive design or web apps. In turn, this brings members closer to each other and closer to the association.
Other industries that are benefiting from this customized approach are publishing, military non-profits, pharmaceuticals, retail, banking, professional services, and manufacturing. These tactics have helped Unleashed Technologies build stronger client relationships as both the company and its clients grow together.
“We have a 95-percent client retention rate and a 95-percent satisfaction rating,” Spinosa said.