As RiverBender.com revels in its tenth birthday, the staff members celebrate the many accomplishments the company has achieved over the past decade. RiverBender.com is what it is today because of the dedicated employees behind the scenes.
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It takes a group of assorted individuals with many selective talents to create such a widely attractive digital media company for a region. RiverBender.com has just that.
As Systems Engineer at RiverBender.com, Michael Hall is responsible for writing and maintaining all of the software that helps RiverBender.com run smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Having literally built the website from the ground up, Hall has worked closely with owners John and Dawn Hentrich to make their goal of creating a great source of local news and information a success.
While in college, Hall went from a pre-med student to a software engineer when he began writing HTML code at 18.
“The Internet is where I found my true passion,” Hall said. “I’m a geek.”
For software engineers like Hall, a great work environment is crucial to productivity.
“At RiverBender.com, we have such a relaxed working atmosphere,” he said. “It gives us the ability to be creative.”
Hall has truly been a part of all of the changes that the website has gone through over the past decade. Through his extensive knowledge of computer systems administration and coding, he hopes to be a part of RiverBender.com’s growth for years to come.
Hall said he thinks marking 10 years in the digital media business is “a great achievement.”
“We’ve come a long way in the past 10 years,” he said. Hall was there in the early stages when the company started in John and Dawn Hentrich’s basement. He said it was a lot of work in the beginning.
“When I was hired the site was very small and at that time it was just me and two sales people,” he said. “At that time I was building the site, writing code, creating graphics, ads and data entry. We moved in 2010 to the RiverBender.com building site in Downtown Alton.”
Asked what it took to write the different coding and material for the site, Hall responded, “Recently I wrote an in house CRM (Customer Relationship Management) that we migrated to from Salesforce. That alone has over 90,000 lines of code, so you can imagine how long the other 300-plus websites we've created took.”
Hall said he sees web-based news and live broadcasts as the future of the business.
“We have seen a huge amount of growth on mobile devices, most everyone now has a phone capable of reading the news and watching video, from anywhere at anytime. You can't get that from paper, only web-based news. Also, younger people want their information this way.
“Our business has really taken off. We have built and hosted over 350-plus websites not only for the River Bend region but across the country. If you're a business owner you've got to get online. And we can help you do that from building you a 100 percent custom website to social media consulting to online remarketing and retargeting advertising.”
Hall said what separates the RiverBender.com site from the other news/advertising outlets around this Region is pretty simple: “We are 100 percent local."
Wendy Wickenhauser has been with RiverBender.com for over eight years. She joined the team as one of its first sales people, and is now Sales Manager. While she worked in automobile sales at Roberts Motors, she became aware of the brand new RiverBender.com shortly after it was launched.
“I was intrigued by RiverBender.com and knew it would grow into something great,” she said. “So, I bugged John Hentrich until he hired me!”
The mission of RiverBender.com really attracted Wickenhauser to the company. Its emphasis on community and helping local business thrive is extremely important to her.
“It’s wonderful to work for a company that provides all of this great local content in a digital format that can be accessed anywhere at any time,” she said, “And to be able to provide proven effective and affordable marketing solutions for local businesses is exciting. The success of small business is so important to a community.”
Wickenhauser said the service to customers and being a one-stop location for multimedia needs for clients have been the plusses for growing the business.
Wickenhauser said, “Our clients appreciate working with a local company and the personal attention we provide that is often not received from large corporations and do-it-yourself website and ditial advertising providers. This technology and its capabilities are still confusing to many business owners, and they appreciate working with someone they can meet with and trust. RiverBender.com and the people within the company really care about the mission, our clients and our community. We've come a long way from our days in the basement of John & Dawn's house, and it's exciting. Also, we all feel cared for as employees, so it's a great company to be a part of.”
Wickenhauser loves the fact that RiverBender.com has always and will forever be dedicated to our local market, and that everyone in the company shares that mission.
“We work hard and we laugh hard, too,” she said. “We are family, and it is a blessing to work for people like John and Dawn Hentrich who truly care about their employees. I'm very proud to be a part of RiverBender.com, and to know that I played a role in where we are today. I am looking forward to the next 10 years!"
Advertising and Marketing Consultant, Laura Catalano is the newest member of the sales team and her focus is predominently in the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon market. As a native of Edwardsville, Laura knows and loves the area, and is excited that RiverBender.com launched EdGlenToday.com with the same emphasis on community and the success of local businesses.
Laura has over 15 years of sales experience and a passion for the company's mission. In her work at RiverBender.com, Catalano enjoys working with local business owners to provide effective marketing solutions, and that her co-workers and employers have such great compassion for the local community.
“I know the company will continue to grow by leaps and bounds like it has for the past 10 years, and I love that I'm now a part of that.” Catalano said.
Consulting with clients regarding advertising solutions, website development, and finetuning social networking strategies are all a part of Advertising and Marketing Consultant Pat Schwarte’s day to day duties at RiverBender.com.
Schwarte has over 23 years of information technology, marketing and sales experience.
“I really enjoy the creativity that I am surrounded by,” Schwarte said. “The flexibility that digital advertising offers and the ability to track our advertising’s effectiveness is second to none.”
In the future, Schwarte knows that the site will continue to be the area’s predominant source of local information.
“The resources here are committed to providing interesting and timely content in the form of articles, pictures and videos,” he said. “RiverBender.com will lead the market in building websites for local and regional business because our determination to remain early adopters of the most innovative technology and concepts in website design and development.”
Kari Yates serves as RiverBender.com’s Graphic and Web Designer. Using her technological know how and amazing artistic skill, she designs and develops most of the websites RiverBender.com creates. She also designs logos, advertisements and other promotional materials for our clients at RiverBender.com and manages the art department.
After receiving her associate’s degree in Graphic Design from Lewis and Clark Community College and working for a local newspaper, Kari came to RiverBender.com and has been here for eight years.
“We have a very fun and laid back atmosphere,” Yates said. “Our bosses are great to work for and I love my co-workers. We strive for customer satisfaction and will always try to find a solution for whatever their needs are, even if we don’t provide that product or service.”
Yates said she is proud of what the group has developed over the years.
“We were so small when we started and now it is huge with so many components,” she said. “It is great how we have grown in the community from people not knowing who we are to now everyone knows who were are. I feel we have limitless potential.”
“I hope that when people hear RiverBender.com, they think of a company that provides great customer services and has everything they could need in a local portal website,” she said.
Graphic Designer Rose Coolbaugh brings some of the advertisements one sees on RiverBender.com to life, creating an interactive experience that consumers love.
“I set up online advertisements to run on the sites of RiverBender.com, EdGlenToday.com and our radio station clients,” she said.
Using RiverBender.com’s CMS Website Management Tool, Coolbaugh also makes changes and additions to some of the clients’ websites.
Having graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design from Maryville University, Coolbaugh began her design career by working for Ronnoco Coffee in St. Louis.
“I enjoy the variety of work I receive, being involved with a locally rooted company and working with the talented RiverBender.com crew,” Coolbaugh said.
With great passion for her job, Coolbaugh hopes that RiverBender.com continues to expand as the leading digital media company in the Riverbend area.
“I know we will stay the number one source of everything local!”
Content Director Dan Brannan uses his near 30 years of editorial experience to bring RiverBender.com to the forefront with its amazing features, news and sports stories, editorials, spotlights and various other articles.
In the fast-paced news environment in which he works, Brannan is on top of the planning, writing, editing, photographing and the plethora of other job duties that his job at RiverBender.com requires.
With a resume that editors in even larger markets would love to possess, Brannan has huge respect for the heart of the business; its owners. In his opinion, John and Dawn Hentrich’s mission to serve the community with the RiverBender.com Communty Center and in numerous other ways in the area sets them apart.
“The two of them are known by nearly everyone around the River Bend area for their kindness,” Brannan said. "John and Dawn are two of the best people I have ever worked for in my career. Both are extremely innovative and caring about their employees."
With the digital and social media age rising to the forefront, Brannan is proud that RiverBender.com has been so progressive and willing to change to reflect the market.
“We are fortunate to have a man, Mike Hall, who put the site together and knows more about the technical side of the business than anyone I have ever worked with over the years,” he said.
Brannan also commends Wendy Wickenhauser and her staff for setting customer service as their top priority.
As the digital age continues to grow, there is no doubt in Brannan’s mind that RiverBender.com will continue to grow.
“I think now and even more in the future, people will get the majority of their information through a digital and social method,” he said. “As things continue to change, we will evolve with them.”
As Content Manager at RiverBender.com, Brittany Kohler has many day-to-day responsibilities. By publishing press releases, updating the community calendar, covering events, writing features, posting baby announcements and managing RiverBender.com’s social networking platforms, Kohler ensures that the public is in the know with the best and most current information.
Kohler’s love for the media and journalism was sparked while serving in the United States Marine Corps as a Media Communications Relations Chief and a combat correspondent.
“I learned a lot and met a lot of amazing people,” Kohler said. “I think my time in the Marines set me up for success here at RiverBender.com.”
The constantly changing marketplace that RiverBender.com fits into is one of Kohler’s favorite parts of working with the site.
“RiverBender is always evolving and doing something new and I love being a part of that process,” she said.
“I love knowing all of the latest and greatest news, gossip and happenings in the area and sharing that information with others,” she said.
Kohler knows that RiverBender.com will continue on its growing path to success.
“We have so many assets that can be utilized in so many ways to only get better and better,” she said.
Kohler also manages the latest offering of Riverbender.com called ShopLocal.
"'Shop Local is a great opportunity for small business and I'm excited to be the one chosen to manage it," said Kohler. "I'm ready to give it everything I've got to make it a huge success!"
Charles Thomas’s skills in video production have raised the bar here at Riverbender TV. (RBTV) He is responsible for producing, directing, and editing commercials, live sports broadcasts, and news packages. He also enjoys shooting a ton of community video and has even done a good bit of photography for the company.
Before coming to RiverBender.com, Thomas worked as a marketing assistant as well as a copywriter. While working with Feast Magazine and spearheading a food and alcohol column with the Riverfront Times, he developed a small wedding video business. After taking freelance jobs in the St. Louis area, Thomas gained the experience that allowed him to showcase his talents for the audiences of RiverBender.com.
“I enjoy being a part of the community,” Thomas said. “In my work, I get to meet a lot of people who are making an effort to better the area. It is refreshing to meet new people and learn what they are passionate about.”
“Whether it’s sports, ghost hunts, bird trainers or ice carvers; there is always something exciting or new for me to cover.”
Since he was hired on two years ago, Thomas has seen RiverBender.com grow even stronger.
“We keep adding content and seeing record views every single month. Local awareness has increased along with awesome input from our viewers. I'm excited to keep this pace up, RiverBender.com is doing great things.”
Staff Writer and Photographer Madelaine Gerard is settling in quite nicely into the wonderful crew at RiverBender.com.
With over 200 published articles, photo galleries and short videos, Gerard has created quite a portfolio after beginning an internship at the company in June 2015. After completing her internship, Gerard was offered a position where she can grow and fine tune her writing and photography skills.
“I am very gracious for the opportunity that John, Dawn, Dan and Mike have given me,” Gerard said. “It isn’t very often that a student can land a job in her field before they even graduate. I am extremely fortunate.”
In May 2016, Gerard will graduate with her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
“In my four months here at RiverBender.com, I have covered concerts, benefits, rendezvous, ribbon-cuttings, and much more,” Gerard said. “Having the opportunity to talk to famous musicians and to the average joe resident of the area makes my job all the more rewarding.
“In my classes, I'm always reminded that the constantly changing digital landscape will affect journalism for years to come,” she said. “I am proud to say that I now play a role in that change, and that I couldn’t be happier to help RiverBender.com grow even larger in the future."
Brent Feeney is a Sports Writer for Riverbender.com. He is a native of Granite City and graduated from Granite City High School South in 1978 and from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston in 1988. He has worked with Dan Brannan at newspapers in Sikeston, Mo., Rocky Mount, N.C., and Clemson/Seneca, S.C., in his career. He also has worked with the St. Clair County Suburban Journals and with the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier in Charleston-Mattoon."I like the flexiblity of what we cover at RiverBender.com and getting out in the community seeing sports and covering some of the top area teams," Feeney said. "There are a lot of stories that need to be told."
