Our Story

Group shot of the folks at Cascade Web Design & Development

Elevator Pitch

Building the Web, Better Together — We’re a Portland design & web agency that turns bold ideas into fast, search-optimized websites—custom builds, e-commerce platforms, and headless CMS solutions engineered for performance, security, and growth.

Our Story

Cascade Web Development was born in 2001 when founder Ben McKinley filed the paperwork from the attic above his garage—determined to build a company that could provide for his young family, future teammates, and the broader Portland community.

Just months later a mutual friend introduced Ben to designer-developer Stephen Brewer. Over coffee, Stephen unveiled a home-grown content-management system that let clients edit sites in real time—years before WordPress or Shopify existed. The two joined forces, pairing Ben’s client instincts with Stephen’s code craft, and Cascade’s “development-shop” reputation began to take shape.

The early years were scrappy and remote: late-night coding sessions fueled by Red Bull, Christi McKinley handling finances on school breaks, and the first hire—Paul Guise—to expand capacity. Staying debt-free was a point of pride, and internal tools like the Whitepass project-management app helped the small team punch above its weight.

Ambition sparked new ventures. From 2008-2012 Cascade incubated and ultimately spun out Brandlive, a live-video platform backed by regional investors—proof that a service studio could also innovate product. The ride stretched the team, but it instilled a culture of experimentation that still shapes our work.

Fast-forward to the pandemic era: a fully hybrid model, the addition of designer-strategist Simon Hartt, and a brand "(Re)Fresh" that introduced sunset-orange hues while reaffirming our core promise—lasting relationships and tailor-made web solutions. Two and a half decades in, the same grit that started in an attic now powers enterprise builds, multi-site ecosystems, and AI-assisted authoring tools for clients across the country.

Cascade's Milestones

2001 · Cascade founded in Portland, OR as a one man shop in Ben's house.
2002 · Shortly after being introduced, Stephen and Ben launch dynamic CMS builds on the Evergreen CMS.
2003 · Whitepass Application platform deployed for intranets, project management and interactive applications.
2004 · WordPress experimentation begins for clients as the platform gains momentum.
2008 · Brandlive SaaS Live Video platform introduced for faster, client-friendly web events.
2012 · Cascade launches new Evergreen CMS on open source LAMP stack.
2015 · First multi-site deployment, supporting enterprise content governance.
2020 · Fully remote/hybrid model adopted—talent now spans 2 states.
2020 · Simon Hartt brings creative expertise to our dev focused team, becomes newest 'Cascade Lifer'
2021 · Cascade celebrates 20 yrs in business with loyal core team and clients.
2024 · Brand (Re)Fresh: new palette, refined diamond mark, accessibility overhaul.
2025 · Evergreen powers flexible multisite ecosystems for organizations managing multiple brands or regions.

Our Mission & Values

To build digital experiences that seamlessly integrate front-end design and back-end development, blending creativity with rock-solid functionality so our clients, their users, and our team can grow together—always moving toward the next horizon of continuous innovation.

Craft Excellence — We sweat every pixel and query; our dedication to excellence turns each project into a harmonious blend of creativity and functionality.

Creative-Functional Harmony — Like our refreshed palette that blends sky-blue into sunset-orange, we fuse design beauty with dependable engineering to create stunning, seamless horizons online.

Growth & Balance — Those same colors symbolize our commitment to balanced, sustainable growth—for our clients’ businesses, their audiences, and our own team.

Continuous Innovation — Each launch lights the path forward; we embrace evolving tools and trends to keep raising the bar for what the web can do.

Partnership & Stewardship — We build lasting relationships and cohesive digital identities that align with our shared mission and vision, guarding both code and trust for the long haul.