Partner Spotlight: Palm Beach Software Design
Applied Innovations and Palm Beach Software Design go way back – since 2001, in fact! We’ve seen them roll out some impressive products over the years, and thought it was high time to sit down for a friendly chat with Mark Turkel, PBSD Founder, CEO and Senior Software Architect.
AI: Wow, we’ve been working together for over 10 years. Hard to believe so much time has passed!
MT: Yes, we’ve done some great work together. We use Applied Innovations for everything we do that’s web based. And we recommend you to all our customers.
AI: But Palm Beach goes back farther than that. When did you open your doors?
MT: We started up in 1989, but I’ve been a programmer since 1984 when I started dabbling in BASIC and COBOL during college.
AI: So how do you characterize Palm Beach Software Design? A VAR, a Reseller? Code shop?
MT: PBSD is primarily a software developer. We build custom software applications for businesses of all types, mostly in DotNetNuke, but also recently have been creating a lot of Android applications for mobile devices. We’ve also modified the nopCommerce open source shopping cart and have done lots of custom apps with that since then.
AI: What does your team consist of?
MT: The executive team consists of myself and James Wright, our CTO, CFO and a skilled Software Architect / DBA. We also have four senior software developers, a research analyst and two QA techs. It’s a great team.
AI: Do you focus on any particular industry?
MT: Not really. We’ve done robotics for Gillette, optical recognition for Lear Corporation, lots of database application development, stuff for retail, medical, manufacturing. You name it. When there’s no good “off-the-shelf” solution, we develop custom software and integrate it to support our clients’ specific business objectives.
AI: What are a few of your big wins?
MT: We developed a suite of business applications – Startersuccess.com – that includes a CRM component, a sales management tool, a couple of HR applications, and a business risk assessment tool. We also wrote a software application that’s being used by 2,500 insurance agents across the country: CompassFinancialTools.com
AI: You also have a couple of cool apps currently available in Google’s Android store, right?
MT: Yes! We are really proud of these. There’s Dogs in the Bed for Android and Android tablet, as well as soon-to-be-released flashcard application that uses voice recognition to teach pre-K children numbers.
AI: And you have a new website uptime monitoring service, right? Trying to keep us honest?
MT: Hey, if all webhosts were as reliable as Applied Innovations, we wouldn’t have a market! AreWeOnline.com is a website uptime monitoring service that lets site owners know if there are problems, such as latency. It monitors every 5 minutes and provides real-time notification.
AI: Lots of good stuff. What’s next?
MT: Look for the rollout in May of our newest site – AreWeRated.com – a service that monitors review sites like Yelp, Google Places, Trip Advisor, or Web MD. Anywhere customers would rate your business. It’s a really accessible and affordable reputation management tool that will be indispensible for any SMB who can’t afford to subscribe to one of the big services.
AI: Well, Mark, we look forward to seeing lots more good stuff from you in the future. And we want to take this opportunity to thank you for trusting us with not just your business, but the hosting needs of your clients.
For more information about Palm Beach Software Design, see their website or contact them directly at 561-572-0233.
