From Dot Matrix Paper to the Cloud: Our VP Reflects on 20 Years at SiteCrafting

20 years ago SiteCrafting Founder and President Brian Forth met with a Pacific Lutheran University graduate at the RAM Restaurant and Brewery in Lakewood, Washington.

The grad’s name was Mike Ash. What began as a contract position for Mike turned into SiteCrafting’s first official hire on January 1, 2003. 

Today, Mike is Vice President of Technology at SiteCrafting. Meet Mike and find out why he maintains the same excitement and enthusiasm for our company, our team and our clients 20 years later.

There was a trash can in the tree of Mike Ash’s Parkland house where Brian Forth delivered his first SiteCrafting computer.

Mike had just graduated from the computer science program at Pacific Lutheran University and was happy to be employed doing work that he wanted to do with the flexibility of working from home for a company that appeared to have promise.

On June 18, 2002, Mike Ash published the following on his blog: 

“It turned out that SiteCrafting wanted to offer me a job. I was thrilled. I’m going to be doing some contract work at first, just to get used to the company and so that they can see how I work and how well we’ll match up. Brian said that if everything works out good in these first couple months of contract work, I should be brought on full-time. I have no doubts about this not working out, so I am pumped.”

An Early Interest in Computers Hints at a Future Career

A career in web development was not a stretch for a young man who grew up amongst reams of dot matrix computer paper in his home and passed the time in high school by building websites for his various Scouting activities.

In 2002, however, website development was a relatively new field and job opportunities in South Puget Sound were few and far between.

“Trying to find companies that might be hiring was tough because the web was still fairly young,” Mike said. “I found this company called SiteCrafting that was based in DuPont and it had a position listing for a developer so I applied.”

Brian (the sole proprietor and developer at the time) replied.

Mike recalls instantly feeling aligned with the type of company Brian wanted to build. 

“Some of the things Brian said stuck out to me,” Mike said. “We shared similar values. Brian had a vision for business he was building and it matched up with the kind of workplace culture I wanted to be part of. There was a lot of being on the same page that made me want to work with him.”

The Early Days, a Small Team and Big Wins

In the beginning, it was just Mike and Brian doing the work to update text and images for a small client roster in SiteCrafting’s first office on St. Helens Avenue in Tacoma.

In addition to the first office space, Mike recalls many milestones in the early days of SiteCrafting.

There was the addition of Ken Foubert to the team in March 2003.

There were those first hosting servers made from hand-me-down parts and pieces from local IT infrastructure company Optic Fusion.

There were the long lunches spent at pool tables at Jillian’s Restaurant (if you know Jillian’s Tacoma circa 2003, you know) where the trio dreamed about what they could do as a business and together.

Then there was the time dreams turned to sleepless nights after the team moved to an office near Fireman’s Park. When a company needed help launching a website for portable entertainment devices bound for flights on Alaska Airlines, Brian, Ken and Mike agreed to help build a fully-functioning website that would do inventory management, track customers and take reservations so people could gain access to these devices.

It was a two-week turnaround time fueled by Mountain Dew, all-nighters and belief in the team’s ability to deliver — and they did it.

“It was a major accomplishment for us,” Mike said. “We delivered a sophisticated product on a tight schedule. We knew we could deliver quality applications and websites that helped solve problems for people and organizations but this project made us particularly proud because it was a high-pressure project with a high-caliber deliverable that had a uniquely tangible impact at 30,000 feet.”

Acquiring New Talent, Capabilities and Clients

In 2004, SiteCrafting acquired the company Dynamics in Design. Mike remembers this as a moment when he realized he was more than just an aspiring web developer with a trashcan in a tree.

“It was the first indication that SiteCrafting was starting to grow up,” Mike said.

From there SiteCrafting’s client roster grew to include Airstream, MetroParks Tacoma and what was then the YMCA of Tacoma & Pierce County. The office moved and moved again. The team partnered with local and national organizations including Tacoma Public Utilities, MultiCare, Darigold and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and the Association of Washington Business. New team members were added, growing the team from 3 to 35, and the service offerings grew to include user experience, digital marketing and design.

Through it all, Mike maintains the confidence and excitement of his 2002 blog entry.

Mike in a SiteCrafting office circa 2006.

“Every move we made seems like obvious steps forward. From the beginning, I had no reason to not trust Brian and no reason to think we would not be successful,” Mike said. “We’ve surrounded ourselves with really good people who are capable of doing the work. I know we are always going to produce great work because our team is made up of incredibly talented people who also believe in supporting clients.”

Looking Ahead with Enthusiasm

Looking at the next 20 years, Mike says he still believes in the power of being part of a company that empowers people to share ideas and solutions — and take ownership of the work.

“There’s not a question in my mind about who we are as an organization. I love the variety of work that we do and the variety of clients we work with because no problem is the same. Every job requires a unique combination of people and skills and solutions.”

Today Mike lives in Spokane with his wife Sam and their three Newfoundlands Hoonah, Kobuk and Milka. He hasn’t had a trashcan in his tree since 2003.

2023 marks 25 years of SiteCrafting.

Over the course of the year, we will be sharing stories about what it’s been like to be Tacoma’s biggest little tech company since 1998.

Were you in Tacoma 20 years ago? We want to know what you were up to. Email us a memory to hello@sitecrafting.com.