Well, technically, Schmidt Technologies was launched. BizStream was initially launched under Schmidt Technologies Incorporated from two computers on one folding table in another tech firm’s space, and even some days at an apartment in Grand Rapids, MI.
Not many people know we started out building portals. It all started when our first large client, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of audience seating, came to us with a need to manage all their internal information and communications. So, we built them a custom intranet-based portal to do just that! Over the years, our core focus has grown to provide easy solutions for complex problems enterprise companies face, but portals will always hold a special place in our hearts.
As we moved away from contract work and started landing more complex projects, our company started to change. To better reflect our work, we expanded our team and rebranded from Schmidt Technologies Incorporated into what is now known as BizStream!
In 2005, NoWaterBall hit the market in full swing! While these novelty golf balls didn’t actually clear water, sand, or annoying trees with their super-advanced technology, as suggested, they did provide us with a fun avenue to make our first eCommerce site. NoWaterBall may not have panned out to be the multi-million dollar company we unrealistically hoped for. Still, we had fun, gained a lot of experience, made a few bucks, and ended up with a lifetime supply of golf balls.
To accommodate our growing team, BizStream rented our first office at Engine House No. 9 in Grand Rapids, MI. We frequently visit the old building while enjoying a pint, as the building is now home to The Mitten Brewing Company!
The GeekAid Music Festival was a one-day music event co-founded by BizStream’s founder, Mark Schmidt. It aimed to grow the West Michigan technology scene by raising scholarship money for Grand Rapids Public Schools graduates entering the art and technology fields. The events featured bands, silent art auctions, beer tents, and food trucks!
In 2008, BizStream moved offices again. This time we headed West of Grand Rapids, MI, to a town called Allendale. The new office had plenty of room for activities like a foosball area, a gym, and even our first conference room!
Remember back in 2003 when we built an intranet for a client? We took that project’s foundation, added a lot of customization, and launched it as a product called YouthCenter. It grew into one of the leading Juvenile Case Management Software solutions for juvenile probation, diversion, courts, and detention, and it is trusted by organizations across the country.
In 2010, BizStream officially became a Kentico Gold Partner! Maintaining this status includes annual partner surveys, bi-yearly quality reviews, and certified developers and marketers on staff. It also gives us access to resources and training that are not otherwise shared, which means we can deliver projects faster. In 2020, we celebrated ten years as a Kentico Gold Partner.
This was the year we bought a professional foosball table. Give a bunch of geeks a foosball table, and they will eventually build something on top of it. Built during BizStream Lab Days, our team used AI to make the games more fun with an internal foosball application. Rigged to the table is a computer and interface that auto-selects teams, predicts winners, makes game announcements, and even factors in crowd sentiment. Unsurprisingly, this is the favorite tour stop among our visiting student groups.
We started the program to get the younger generation interested in coding. Our first BizStream University session ran in May 2012 with eight students and one mentor. That November, we hired our first student to work at BizStream. Along the way, we renamed it BizStream Academy and refreshed the logo a few times. Over the program’s life, we taught hundreds of students how to build web pages with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
In 2013, BizStream bought a 20,000 square-foot warehouse-like building. After a complete renovation, the space gave us multiple conference rooms, a loft with a firefighter’s pole, a sales and administrative area, a full kitchen, and more!
In 2014, our founder Mark Schmidt was selected from more than 170 nominees for Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list. Mark was selected based on his work with BizStream Academy, GeekAid, and BizStream’s unique company structure.
Read the 40 Under Forty – 2014 – Grand Rapids Business Journal Issue
Kentico executives shortlisted our implementation of the BDO USA, LLP site, and Kentico users voted on it, beating out thousands of entries from Kentico’s 1,000+ global partners.
BDO remains one of our largest clients.
In 2016, BizStream received the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch award, sponsored by Michigan Celebrates Small Business!
The theme for the year was ‘Inspiring Progress and Prosperity: Michigan Entrepreneurs’ and judges examined companies on their innovation within their fields and growth.
BizStream was one of the first companies in the world to work with Kentico’s headless CMS, Kontent.ai. In 2017, we were recognized as a Kontent.ai Premium Partner, the highest partnership level attainable, for our extensive knowledge and work within the platform.
In 2018, we were recognized as a National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® winner! We have earned the honor multiple times since.
In 2019, Brian was recognized. McKeiver was named to Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list for his impact on the local and global tech communities.
Read the 40 Under 40 – Business Leaders – 2019 – Grand Rapids Business Journal Issue
With help from our contractors, BizStream built a 6,200-square-foot expansion. It added extra bathrooms, a four-season room, a slide, accommodations for up to 50 people, and more!
Our long-anticipated move-in date arrived in 2020, and a pandemic lockdown followed soon after. The space did not go to waste for long, and we have been enjoying it ever since.
In 2021, BizStream had 224 solar modules installed on our roof! These panels allow us to offset 95% of traditional electrical usage and produce roughly 88,977kW annually! We even installed an Electric Vehicle Charging Station for our team members!
Now that we’re officially 21, we’ve decided to exchange our fake IDs for a creative license. We’ve come a long way over the years, from building portals exclusively, to diving into complex websites, to building a few products of our own, to offering in-house design services. This growth led to the need for a brand that better represents who we are, what we do, and why we do it.
In 2023, BizStream was recognized as an awardee for the Michigan 50 Distinguished Alumni—Great Place to Work Award, presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. Mark and Brian were honored on stage at the 19th annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala.
In 2024, BizStream acquired Refactored, a leading digital agency. Refactored brought marketing strategy, deep Storyblok expertise, and a custom Web Accelerator that speeds up technology adoption. It gave us strengths we didn’t have before and changed what we can take on.
Our leadership team was paying attention early. The prediction was that any agency waiting for AI to settle down would get passed by the ones that moved first, so we started working through every new platform we could get our hands on. We also kept a close pulse on our technology partners, watching how Kentico, Kontent.ai, and Storyblok were building AI into their own products so we could answer client questions instead of guessing at them.
Developers tested where AI could speed up their work without sacrificing accuracy. Our marketing team leaned on it to move faster through content drafts. In May, Brian took the stage at Stir Trek in Columbus to show .NET developers how to build their own Copilot.
By the end of the year, we were taking it to clients. We published our GEO Introduction Guide, covering how to get found in AI search, and we saw excitement start to build.
Twenty-five years after two computers on a folding table, we are still here and still building. We made the Inc. 5000 for the third time this year, with our best ranking yet.
The work has changed a lot since 2001. Portals became complex websites, which became enterprise platforms, which now come with AI questions attached. A quarter of a century in, we still look forward to coming to work every day, and that comes down to our team and the clients who trust us with the work.
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