Photo courtesy of The Puyallup Tribe
If you know me, you know I’m a fan of a few specific things: community, community and community. Oh, and did I mention I love community?
It’s the heartbeat of our business. On our website, our vision is clear: “Thriving employees, organizations and communities. Creating impact through technology. ” We’re driven by a shared purpose to help people succeed and make the web better for everyone. If you scroll down, you’ll also see a Land Acknowledgement in the footer of every page. It’s not just words on a screen, it’s a commitment. Our partnership with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians is our core vision brought to life.
Every once in a while, a project comes along that redefines what community means. This goes far beyond creating a beautiful digital space; it’s about honoring history, serving a sovereign nation and preparing for the global spotlight. Here is a look at where we’ve been, what we’re building next and how this work is making waves on the world stage.
Building the Foundation
Before we teamed up, the Tribe’s digital footprint was carrying a massive weight. The Puyallup Tribe provides an incredible wealth of services, resources and cultural storytelling, but over time, almost all of it had crowded onto the homepage. If you were a tribal member looking for a specific service, you had to scroll through a mountain of text, alert banners and menus to find it.
Our user experience research team rolled up their sleeves and got to work, hosting stakeholder workshops and surveying tribal members to find out what they actually needed.
We completely restructured the digital experience. We introduced a customized, user-centric Member Services menu organized not alphabetically, but by reliability and relevance based on what members searched for most. We pulled the Tribe’s history, language programs and Tribal Council updates forward, turning the site into a modern, accessible and responsive “source of truth.”
More recently, we expanded this digital ecosystem by partnering with the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority (PTHA) for a complete website redesign, weaving beautiful, traditional basket-weave designs and Twulshootseed language directly into an intuitive, accessible portal that connects the community to quality, culturally respectful care.
Growing with Community
We aren’t done yet. Right now, our teams are hard at work driving the next generation of the Puyallup Tribe’s digital ecosystem, expanding member services and launching specialized portal features. This collaborative effort includes establishing the core Member Portal foundation, introducing secure document uploads for critical workflows like address updates and launching a Heritage Kit management and rental system for educators. The rollout of this system will enable teachers to bring hands-on resources and language-learning tools into the classroom to deepen students’ understanding of the history and legacy of the Coast Salish peoples.
As we continue to refine how information flows, our priority remains ensuring that technology never gets in the way of the people it serves. The goal is simple: to make the digital experience as seamless, welcoming and resilient as the Puyallup community itself.
Storytelling Through Data
We don’t just guess whether a website is working; we let the data do the talking. And right now, the data for the Puyallup Tribe’s digital landscape tells a beautiful story of connection, accessibility and efficiency. Since launching the major redesign and the new website, insights have shown a massive shift in how people interact online. It turns out visitors aren’t just clicking away; they are staying, exploring and connecting.
The main Puyallup Tribe website saw a big surge of traffic, with overall engaged sessions skyrocketing by 768 percent. This tells us that members are increasingly relying on the site as their primary hub. They’re sticking around much longer, too, as shown by a 626 percent increase in average engagement time per session. The event count per active user has climbed to 5.3, meaning visitors aren’t just dropping in anymore; they are actively engaging with the content and diving into deeper exploration across the board.
What’s more, PTHA’s redesign project was a major win for mobile accessibility. With over half of all website traffic coming from mobile devices, this fully responsive site meets people where they are, on their phones and on the go.
We are ecstatic about seeing these numbers and how they reflect a stronger connection to the community. We can’t wait to see the continued impact our new projects will have on Tribal members, the Washington education system and beyond.
Celebrating on the World Stage
Here is the thing about doing work that matters: sometimes, the rest of the planet takes notice.
Let that simmer.
Right now, the eyes of the entire world are on our region for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and the Puyallup Tribe is stepping directly into the center of the international spotlight. In a historic, absolute first for the tournament, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians has partnered with Seattle as the Official Legacy Supporter for the host city. Let me repeat that:
It is the first time in the history of the international tournament that an Indigenous nation has entered into a formal partnership agreement with a host city.
I’m resisting the urge to blast that sentence in all caps and emojis, so just picture me using a festive megaphone.
The Tribe isn’t just supporting behind the scenes; they are welcoming the world with an incredible lineup of signature cultural activations and events hosted right here in Tacoma. We’re talking about a massive June 12 Opening Celebration featuring a community parade down Portland Avenue, a traditional welcoming ceremony, Lushootseed storytelling and an epic fireworks display.
And that’s just the kickoff. Throughout June and July, the Tribe is hosting a World Cup Powwow, the Puyallup Tribal Stickgame Tournament, a Coastal Protocol ceremony and a series of energetic watch parties. We hope to see you at some of these events.
When the eyes of the world are on our region, the Tribe’s digital presence isn’t just a utility map anymore; it’s a global handshake. It is a declaration of sovereignty, culture and leadership. We are proud to build a digital infrastructure that stands tall under the monumental international spotlight.
A Partnership Built to Last
At the end of the day, this isn’t just another launch case study for us. It’s a masterclass in collaboration. Partnering with the Puyallup Tribe’s communication teams, leadership and members has pushed us to do some of our absolute best, most intentional work.
We are deeply honored to support them on this journey, building a digital future that celebrates the Tribe’s rich heritage while effortlessly commanding the world stage.
🎉🎉🎉 (I couldn’t resist.)
