2009 Review, and Looking ahead to 2010

2009 was an interesting year. The US stock bottomed in mid March. There is a high umemployment and underemployment (folks working part-time) rate in both California and the United States. Our financial system is trying to fix itself, with a lot of help from the Federal Government, but most importantly, there is a sense of optimism in the air for the American people. Almost everyone agrees that the worst is behind us, the question now is, how long will this recession/downturn last, and what can everyone expect in 2010.

I'm not a economist, nor do I provide business forecast and prediction for a living. However, given the number of businesses Web Advanced works with each year, we get to see a glimpse of the business world through the eyes of our clients. Almost everyone that we work with believe that 2010 will be a better year than 2009, and everyone is optimistically cautious about building, protecting, and growing their businesses this year.

Web Advanced, like the rest of the world, had its ups & downs in 2009. We had a relatively slow start to the year, picked up momentum in Q2, and finished out the last 6 months extremely well. Amongst the accomplishments, WA was awarded the interactive contract for Bosch Siemens Home Appliances in North America, built relationships with Disney, Black & Decker, Allergan, and many global brands, as well as extended our relationships with numerous regional and local small & medium size companies. Additionally, Web Advanced was named one of the fastest growing companies in the country (#599 out of 5000) by Inc Magazine, as well as being awarded for 3 interactive media awards - link.

While we are proud of our accomplishments, we are more proud of the cohesiveness of our team, as well as the bonds formed & successes that we built with our clients.

As many of our clients tell us, they associate Web Advanced with three things. Responsive, flexible, and very business-minded. These qualities are our best qualifies and form the foundation of our brand. It is our goal to continue to support and build our companies through strategic and close relationships, as well as helping our customers to become successful. As we approach 2010 with cautious optimism, we would like to remind all of our friends, families, clients, website visitors, and blog readers - be careful, stay frugal, and always save for the rainy days (especially if it rains longer than you expected).

Web Advanced and Inc 5000

Hello Web Advanced Blog readers!

I am proud to announce that Web Advanced made the 2009 Inc 500/5000 list, as the 599th fastest growing company in the country. What it means to be on the Inc 5000 list? I think Janine Popick of Vertical Response said it best in this Inc article. Web Advanced is in good company with other growing businesses, the ranking and recognition will continue to help us attract top talents, and improve our company morale. Most importantly, the inclusion of Web Advanced in this list, meant that we have been working hard and doing things right for a few years in a row.

Next year, we'll need to improve by 99 spots (at least!) and get on the Inc 500 list. We are motiviated to work hard for all of our clients, and look forward to being a bigger & better organization in 2010.

Thank you for reading this, and for all of your support.

Sincerely,

Vic Liu
CEO
Web Advanced

California Lifestyle & Felt Bicycles

Orange County (especially Irvine) is known as a wonderful place to live, and a great place to work. Recently, I was quoted in Business Week for supporting Irvine as one of the Best Small Cities for Startups, and I truly meant what I said. We are fortunate to live & work at a location that is sunny year round, and has temperate climate.

On a similar note, Web Advanced was fortunate to pick up Felt Bicycles as a new client. Felt is well known in the cycling world, as a primary sponsor for the Garmin-Slipstream team. Recently, Garmin-Slipstream finished 2nd in the team competition at Tour de France, behind Lance Armstrong's Team Astana.

Web Advanced is currently updating the 2010 Felt products into the website, and is excited to launch the website by September. Not only are we excited to be participating on such an exciting project, we also look forward to the latest road & mountain bikes, and other new products.

If anyone is interested in cycling around the local area, the Mountain to Sea Trail is one the best and most scenic trail around. You can take this trail from the hills of Orange, all the way to Newport Back Bay, and end up at the Pacific Ocean.

Web Advanced's New Office Location!

Web Advanced is moving to a larger office on May 12, to keep up with our growth and client demand. Our new location will be 9200 Irvine Center Drive, still in Irvine, CA. In fact, we can see our old office from the new one! We'll be updating our Contact Us page on Tuesday, but for the moment you can take a look on Google Maps.

As always, our customers are our top priority and they will remain so throughout the move. Our website and toll free phone number, 888.261.7414, will remain up throughout the move. Please give us a call or fill out our contact form if you need anything.

We are excited about the new opportunities that the new location will bring, and wanted to share a few photos of the new space. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Update: The move went great and we are into our new space. Phones are still "in transition" so please give us a few minutes on Wednesday morning. Email at info@webadvanced.com is probably the best way to get in touch with us. Thanks!

Irvine - Great Place to Start a Business

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/03/0327_smallcity_startups/6.htm

Irvine is a great place to do business. I have lived in this city for over 18 years, and find this city to be very small business friendly. UC Irvine has a strong local presence, as resources and talented employees are readily available. Additionally, the lifestyle factor is very inviting for new and existing businesses to open up offices in the area. Orange County is probably one of the nicest place in the world, and it shows in the number of physically active young professionals working in this area.