News Archive

History of cascade

In 2001, Cascade Web Development began building web platforms that allow the common, non-tech savvy individual to easily manage their business online. Founder Ben McKinley and Technical Director Stephen Brewer first introduced companies to the proprietary, evergreen™ Content Management System (CMS) nine years ago. In creating evergreen, we developed a content management system which is intuitive, complements search engine optimization, and puts our customers back in control of their web sites. Today, evergreen supports corporations like GM, Dreamworks and Serotta Sport.

Whitepass was developed in 2003 as a remote project management tool. Today, it is being used as a SaaS intranet/extranet system to create secure online communities for globally dispersed companies, such as Keen and AKT, as a manufacturing quality control management system and to power logistics around large events.

In 2010, Cascade Web Development introduced brandlive, a live interactive video broadcast technology. Using brandlive and a simple video camera, companies can talk directly with clients and interact using a built-in chat function. Brandlive is being used by such companies as Nordica, Korkers and Kalkhoff USA in product launches and as a training, sales and marketing tool increasing efficiency and cutting costs and travel time out of the sales cycle.

Looking Forward

Cascade Web Development is quickly breaking free of our web development tag and transforming into engineers of industry leading online solutions. With the introduction of brandlive by Ben and Fritz Brumder, a Cascade Web Development veteran, more and more national and local companies are beginning to adopt these technologies. The Portland Developmental Commission (PDC) saw this potential and recently awarded the Portland based company with a working capital loan.

“PDC is providing a loan for the working capital needed to spin off brandlive, using a loan fund designed to encourage job retention and business development in PDC’s targeted industry clusters and/or targeted areas. The primary objective is to spur development in distressed neighborhoods, build community wealth through local ownership of businesses, and creation of new jobs. The program also aims to assist expanding businesses to purchase equipment or real estate and to increase creditworthiness of marginal clients so they can attain private-sector financing.” Anne Mangan (Senior Communications Coordinator, PDC)

New Brand

To culminate our rapid growth and better explain our brand structure, we realized we needed a new identity; One that provides stronger brand recognition and does not limit our abilities in consumer's eyes. In a similar situation to companies like Apple and Google, we decided to establish an umbrella brand which houses our current solutions. With that said, we would like to introduce a new look and ideology behind our family of brands.

Cascade was chosen as the name for the parent brand using web//development as a secondary title. Cascade appropriately represents the company in a strong and memorable manner yet personifies a more modern feel than Cascade Web Development was able to accomplish. The logo specifically expresses our strengths as a web services provider and our ability to develop custom solutions to meet our client's needs.

You'll also notice a different visual expression of our three solutions: evergreen, whitepass and brandlive. Each brand features a similar style and color pattern yet individually elicit a unique and distinguishable brand image. We hope these logos will become commonplace in our industry and personify each solution's features and functions at first glance.

As always, we thank you for your commitment to cascade and will continue to support your business with innovative solutions and tools to help you evolve.