Students

Cloud Creative Group: Young entrepreneurs' business takes off

When James Kallof Jr. and Joey Calca were undergraduates in W. P. Carey School's Computer Information Systems program, they learned to "walk the walk." By graduation, the pair had learned how to manage technology to create advantage for companies: how to use databases, design for the Web, program new applications, address Internet security -- you name it. But they learned something else too: how to "talk the talk." That includes communication skills, the fundamentals of best business practice -- and always, always dress the part. As new graduates they launched Phoenix-based Cloud Creative Group -- a promising new player in the regional web and mobile design and development market.

2010-09-02

When James Kallof Jr. and Joey Calca were undergraduates in W. P. Carey School's Computer Information Systems program, they learned to "walk the walk." By graduation, the pair had learned how to manage technology to create advantage for companies: how to use databases, design for the Web, program new applications, address Internet security — you name it. But they learned something else too: how to "talk the talk." That includes communication skills, the fundamentals of best business practice -- and always, always dress the part. "At W.P. Carey, that idea of acting and working professionally really was hit on hard," Calca says. "We took it to heart. And I'm grateful for it." Just over a year after launching Phoenix-based Cloud Creative Group as new graduates, Calca and Kallof are well on their way toward establishing their firm as a promising new player in the regional web and mobile design and development market. The fledgling company has worked with a full range of clients -- from small businesses to large corporations to educational institutions -- and has expanded its expertise to include everything from web design and implementation to social media and e-commerce to the creation of cutting-edge, customer-friendly apps for iPhones, Androids, Blackberries and other smartphones. The firm, Calca and Kallof say, believe, is off to a great start. By focusing on the future, continuing to hone their business skills, and expanding their expertise to encompass pretty much everything of note in the Internet world, they aim to make sure that their great start doesn't go to waste. "Initially we were just a Web development firm, but now we're moving into other industries, too," says Calca, who serves as the company's president. "So while we're still tied to the Web, we also like the mobile sector, and we're now moving into all kinds of other development products." Plotting a change of course Calca says his plan back in college was to get into the Internet security business — not Web design and development. Unfortunately, when the economy tanked, so too did the job market for security professionals. "The first department that gets cut when things go bad is security," Calca says. But rather than pout about their circumstances, Calca and Kallof decided to make the best of a bad situation. Both had been doing freelance web design to make ends meet, and when it became clear that they weren't going to get the full-time jobs they hoped for, they went ahead and created Cloud Creative Group. "Web design really wasn't what I thought I'd be doing at all," Calca says. "It was basically something that we were doing on the side. It wasn't what we were planning to do for a long time, but it's turned out that we've had huge amounts of fun. We've met all kinds of clients and gained massive amounts of experience." The company now has seven full-time employees, as well as partner firms — designers mostly — scattered all across the country. In the year since the company launched, Calca, Kallof and their team have traveled to and made valuable connections from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The company has also changed its focus, expanding its suite of services to match the demands of the marketplace. The plan going forward, the partners say, is to make the firm a truly full-service web and mobile development firm. "Basically we started out as a web design firm — that was what we started out doing in our first year," said Kallof, who serves as Cloud Creative Group's Director of Marketing. "Then we started branching out into software development, and driver development for Apple and Windows, music devices, mobile phones." "A lot of people are looking for a mobile app today," Calca adds. "Mobile is a really huge thing. These smartphones are Internet-capable now, and it's just a logical thing to do. These apps can be as dynamic as you want them to be." Apt expansion The world of "apps," as it turns out, has become an unexpectedly large focus of Cloud Creative Group's business strategy. Timing is a big reason why. Smartphones — iPhones, Blackberries, Androids and Palms — are becoming more and more ubiquitous, and as they do so, the demand for smartphone-based apps is soaring. Corporations, organizations, institutions of all kinds are rushing to get their apps built — if for no other reason, it seems, than simply to have a presence. It may be a mad scramble. But it's a mad scramble that makes sense, Calca and Kallof say. In their minds, apps represent the Web of the future — a Web that will offer everyone precisely the information they want, at the touch of a button. "Back in the days of dial-up, there was a huge move toward this idea that information was power. The Internet opened up information to everyone," Calca says. "Now we're seeing that idea come back again with apps. All of that information out there is no longer just available on your computer. It's in your pocket, everywhere you go." "You push a button and it's up," adds Kallof. "It's kind of obvious. It's about simplicity. It's having a computer in your hand." Given the dynamics of the market, the partners say, the challenge in the apps market going forward isn't going to be finding clients. Clients, as it turns out, are there for the picking. The challenge instead, they say, is explaining how apps differ from the Web — and convincing clients that when it comes to apps, one size really does not fit all. In the world of apps, they say, it's well worth the money to create one app for iPhones, one for Androids and yet another for BlackBerries. These different platforms, they say, don't work the same way, and apps must take that into consideration. BlackBerries concentrate on email and text communication while iPhones are very interactive, making them a great gaming platform. Android falls somewhere in between, a mix of apps and productivity-style communication. "What we're trying to explain (to clients) is that, if they build a dedicated Apple app and an Android app, they take advantage of the different consumer markets offered by each platform," Calca says. "You don't want to limit yourself to a single platform, because you're going to miss out on a large amount of exposure in the overall mobile space. In the end, it's really up to the client, and at the end of the day, we'll try to show them that the user experience should be the most important thing. It's not for you to use. It's for your customer to use." Any advice? One piece of advice the entrepreneurs offer to current CIS students is to get involved with DISC — the Department of Information Systems Club. "Dr. Robert St Louis was the department chair while we were attending, and his involvement with DISC and support of the activities we wanted to pursue — in particular the AVNET Tech Games — really made the program hands-on valuable for all of us," Calca said. Added Kallof: "Matt McCarthy was the faculty advisor for DISC while we were all members. He was not only involved with the club, but full of great advice and very approachable — two things we are extremely grateful for." Calca and Kallof agreed on a few other points as well: That networking is key. That working with talented people helps. That dressing the part truly is important ("Every time we meet a client — suits and ties. Every time," Calca says). And, of course: That hard work does pay off. "It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication," Calca says. "You have to be able to handle that."

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