Following her passion
Former Logansport resident helps businesses with Web design and marketing.
by Denise Massie
Pharos-Tribune staff writer
Ever since Angie Curts-Commorato was 7 years old, she knew she wanted to own a business one day.
Growing up, the former Logansport resident spent time in her father’s business, the Gallery Home Furnishings. She recalled the times she would beg her dad, Mike Curts, to take her to work with him on the weekends.
While she didn’t specifically have an Internet-based business in mind, that is exactly what she started.
“I actually wanted to be a veterinarian until my junior year in high school,” she said. “In 1996, I went on the Internet for the first time and thought ‘this is the coolest thing.’”
Curts-Commorato graduated from Logansport High School in 1997 and Purdue University in 2001 where she majored in computer information systems.
“I went to school for computers because they didn’t have anything for the Internet,” she explained.
After graduating she worked for five years at a company in Indianapolis to gain experience.
“That job is what prepared me to do this,” she said.
In March, she finally decided to quit her executive management job to pursue Web design and marketing full time with new business, a&g Digital Consulting. Curts-Commorato decided she wanted to give the business and her customers full-time attention.
“I love it,” she said. “I’m a true geek. I love technology.”
Curts-Commorato wanted to branch out on her own full-time the last couple years, however she said different reasons kept coming up to stop her from going out on her own.
“Everyone told me the timing wasn’t right,” she said. “We’re in the middle of a slow economy.”
Despite what others said, Curts-Commorato had the drive and determination to give it a try.
“I don’t think I second guessed myself, until I pulled the plug,” she added. “It was scary and it’s still a little scary, but I never questioned it.”
Curts-Commorato lives on the northeast side of Indianapolis, but she serves customer throughout the state. She especially likes to work with Cass County businesses, since she is originally from the area and has family here.
The business offers customers a variety of services from Web design to marketing. For example, Curts-Commorato can design a Web site and than market it.
Her focus is on small- to medium-sized businesses, which typically do not have an in-house Web design or marketing departments. She is able to develop affordable Web sites and online marketing packages to fit the budget of businesses.
“I always say you can have the best Web site, but if the customer can’t find it than it’s not working,” she said.
She also designs logos and print designs for customers.
“My customers need a lot of things,” she said. “It keeps me busy, but it’s nice.”
As the sole owner of the company, Curts-Commorato also has a team of four additional workers for larger projects. Her team consists of two designers and two developers. When focusing on smaller companies, she is usually able to complete the project on her own.
Curts-Commorato works with all budgets and is able to work within a specific price range.
If a business is interested in her services, she will meet with the owner face-to-face in order to get a feel for what the business does and to see what the business looks like.
Her biggest challenge r so far is adjusting to the freedom the job provides. She does not have set hours or have to go to an office daily. This allows her to spend more time with her family.
Managing her new full-time business is also rewarding, especially since Curts-Commorato knows she is building something she can do for a long time.
Her main goal, other than building a strong business, is to make enough money to buy a large farm for her family.
No matter how large her business may grow, Curts-Commorato wants to remain the only person meeting with others for consultations.
“I love what I do,” she said. “I wouldn’t have started the business if I didn’t.”
• Denise Massie is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5151 or denise.massie@pharostribune.com
New business
Name: a&g Digital Consulting LLC
Phone: (317) 417-7070
Web-site: www.consultagc.com
Blog: www.commorato.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/commorato
http://www.pharostribune.com/business/local_story_296165041.html
a&g Digital Consulting would like to welcome Machelle Young to our team of talented marketing extraordinaires. In the Project Manager role, Machelle manages all aspects of client project organization and completion, ensuring processes run smoothly, goals are achieved, and deadlines are met. With a business degree focusing on management, Machelle has the education and background to tackle complex projects with ease. She is no stranger to managing design projects as well as online marketing and analytics, having spent the past 10 years as a Marketing Services Coordinator and Project Manager. Her former roles taught her the importance of following a job through from start to finish, while giving 100% attention at each stage of the process. Prior to working in Marketing, Machelle spent 4 years in Business Management and Recruiting. She is dedicated to supporting clients by helping them through the process of making strategic changes to their websites and/or online marketing efforts.
Fun and useful WordPress plugins for your blog
Monday, January 18th, 2010As WordPress blogs gain in popularity, the extensive list of plugins continues to grow. Here are a few WordPress plugins that can be great additions to your blog.
1. WPtouch iPhone theme plugin: Are you unhappy with the way that your WordPress blog looks on your iPhone, Droid or Blackberry? This plugin allows you to view your site on your mobile device using an alternate iPhone style theme. This theme also allows the user to switch to your regular theme if they choose.
Download it at: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/
2. Sexy comments plugin: According to the description, this plugin allows you to “sexify your comments” section of your blog, including optional avatars, an Ajax comment preview and CSS override. There are lots of customization options and this plugin will save some coding time.
Download it at: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sexy-comments/
3. My Page Order plugin: If you are not a PHP coder or don’t want to mess with the actual theme code, use this plugin to set the display order of your pages with a drag and drop interface. It’s easy to use and again, saves some coding time.
Download it at: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/my-page-order/
4. Google Analyticator plugin: This plugin allows you to easily implement your Google Analytics code to your blog, adding the necessary Javascript to the pages. It also allows you to pull basic stats through your WordPress admin.
Download it at: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analyticator/
5. Broken Link Checker plugin: If you are not regularly checking your blog analytics, be sure to download this plugin. It will alert you to any broken pages or images on your blog. No one enjoys the dreaded 404 error.
Download it at: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/broken-link-checker/
These are just a few of the nearly 8,000 plugins available. To shop the full list, visit the WordPress plugin directory.
Angie Commorato is a indianapolis based web consultant and web designer and owner of a&g Digital Consulting, LLC.
Tags: a&g Digital Consulting, Angie Commorato, broken link checker plugin, Google analyticator plugin, My page order plugin, sexy comments plugin, Wordpress plugin, WPtouch iphone theme plugin
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