Connecticut

RDH Software

Location: Windsor, Connecticut
Website: https://rdhsoftware.com/
+3.2 million app downloads in the Google Play Store

As a road cyclist, Mike Falk launched RDH Software and his flagship app, My Elevation, in 2014. “I realized my phone's ability to give good elevation data was pretty poor, so I wrote a little program to correct that … It was just a side interest, but it inspired me to quickly go on and create My Elevation,” he says. Now, with more than 3.2 million downloads from 100-plus countries, My Elevation lets cyclists, hikers, and tourists explore elevation conditions around the globe. It also offers users a list of nearby areas and attractions to explore. Mike relishes the opportunity RDH Software gives him to create. “I’m still fundamentally a maker, so this lets me satisfy my desire to get my hands in things,” he says.

Mike distributes My Elevation through the Google Play Store, where the app has earned an average of 4.7 stars from more than 25,000 user ratings. “I know how to build a good app, but the distribution part would’ve been really hard,” Mike explains. “The Play Store is what it comes back to. It’s a trusted platform for people.” Inside the app, Mike uses Google Cloud functions to serve critical elevation data to the app. “They’re extremely affordable, easy to maintain, and pretty lightweight,” he says of the functions. “They’ve really become core infrastructure for me.” And Gemini is Mike's coding assistant, helping him write specific functions, debug complex error reports, and critique code. “There are lots of little uses where it’s a big time savings,“ he notes. Mike advises other small business owners “to lean into AI and learn it, because it’s a ‘force multiplier.’ Someone with base knowledge can really excel with it.” Even with that force multiplier, Mike is still in awe of what he’s been able to accomplish. He says, “The idea that I could be upstairs in my house, write an application, and then distribute it to the world… it’s life changing.”

Stafford Coffee Company

Location: Stafford, Connecticut
Website: https://staffordcoffeeco.com/
12 employees

For Stafford Coffee Company owners Brad and Michael Daniels-Demers, coffee has always been more than a drink–it’s a way to connect people. Michael had been roasting his own coffee beans and Brad is a trained pastry chef; the couple met in the Army and dreamed of running a shop that paired great coffee with fresh baked goods. When they moved to Connecticut, they found out a local café was up for sale and took the leap–despite Michael working as a firefighter paramedic, Brad as a nurse practitioner, and both serving in the Army National Guard. “We didn’t need to add this to our plates,” Brad laughs, “but we ran with it.” Today, Stafford Coffee Company is a community hub for locals, UConn students, and commuters looking for a better brew. The shop is committed to local sourcing–from milk and maple syrup to their local Connecticut roaster–so every cup supports small businesses and farms in the region.

To keep it all percolating, Stafford Coffee Company uses Google tools. Google Workspace helps their 8-person team collaborate in real time from anywhere, so they’re agile enough to create menus and marketing materials for short-notice events and requests. “Having that connectivity back to the coffee shop is extremely helpful,” Michael says, especially when he and Brad are on National Guard duty. Their Google Business Profile attracts newcomers with their 5-star reviews and customer snaps of baristas’ beautiful latte art. “You want to see that we put out a good product, a good experience. It tells a story,” Brad says. Google Ads help them grow beyond word-of-mouth: “We’re trying to reach people who are looking for something different beyond national chains,” Michael says. Now, Stafford Coffee Company has plans to grow their retail offerings, introduce more house-made baked goods, and continue building a brand that represents quality, community, and a deep love for the craft.

Our Green House

Location: Newtown, Connecticut
Website: https://www.ourgreenhouse.com/
203% revenue increase from Google Ads

Mike and Pam Davis, founders of Our Green House, believed in “green living” before it was called such a thing. In the 1990s, they ran an environmental assessment service in New York City, testing real estate for “mold, lead paint, and other hazards,” notes Pam. Once they had children, Pam became more aware of toxins in cleaning products and began seeking out organic alternatives. “My husband said, ‘You should start selling what you believe in,’” Pam recalls. So in 2003, they opened a small shop, selling non-toxic cleaners, natural toys, and organic baby clothes. In 2005, they launched a website featuring organic gift baskets; it did so well they decided to pivot to e-commerce. By then, many more organic merchants had come online. “We decided we had to rebrand,” Pam says.

That’s how Our Green House evolved into a go-to place for personalized, eco-friendly gift baskets that give back. Customers shop for artisanal, Fair Trade goods for baby, pet, him, and her, as well as corporate gifting. “Our tagline is Gifts that Give,” Pam says: Five percent of purchases goes to the shopper’s choice of charities, such as endangered animal causes, wish-making charities, or environmental nonprofits. Google Ads helps them reach their eco-conscious audience; as ad impressions have risen, so have their revenues, which shot up 203 percent from 2021 to 2023. “We use Google for everything,” says Pam. She connects with her whole team–from designers to international vendors–on Google Workspace, storing and sharing product lists, designs, and more. Google Analytics helps them decide where to focus their advertising, and also shows how customers journey through the website. Now they use AI-powered Performance Max campaigns across Google channels to grow even more–and do a world of good. Says Pam, “Google has allowed us to give back in ways that we never thought we could.”

Hartford Prints!

Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Website: https://hartfordprints.com/
30% MoM growth

Hartford Prints! has gone through a few iterations in its 14 years of life: What began as an educational space to teach high school students letterpress printing morphed into a custom stationery business and, finally, a gift shop. Run by Rory Gale, the shop still offers stationery, but they’ve added home goods, accessories, and apparel, much of it Hartford-themed. “It’s about giving people from Connecticut a way to show pride for their state,” Rory says. “So much of what we do is about showing love for this place that raised us.” Local customers returned that love by helping Hartford Prints! emerge from the uncertainty of the 2020 economy stronger than ever. They’ve seen 30 percent month-over-month growth since reopening, which allowed them to launch a second location in 2022 at Bradley International Airport.

Digital tools have played a part since day one, particularly Google Business Profile, which has directed over 2,500 people to the Hartford Prints! website in the last six months. Google Ads helps Rory reach the right audience, and Google Analytics helps her understand her customer base to tweak marketing and increase conversions. “We were having a little bit of brand confusion as a gift store from people calling about printing services,” she explains. “I put new keywords in my Google Ads, and it’s really helped us find our customers. Now that I have all those keywords in place, we're coming up in Google Search.” Rory now looks forward to sharing her success with new neighboring businesses in what was once a struggling downtown. “We've been an island all by ourselves, and now all these other artists and small businesses are going to be able to open,” she says. “It takes small businesses and the community to support them to bring a downtown back to life, and that's what we're seeing here in Hartford. It's magical to be on the other side of it.”

Good Boy Studios

Location: Greenwich, Connecticut
Website: https://www.gbs.pet/
16 employees

When Viva Chu adopted his labradoodle, Coder, he was the typical proud dog dad, oversharing photos of his fur baby on social media. Ever the entrepreneur and with a background in gaming and coding, Viva came up with an idea to gamify the experience, and Pet Parade was born. The app lets users create a profile for any pet, share photos, and enter cuteness contests to earn gift cards. But Viva soon realized that his idea had greater potential. “As we started talking with sponsors, we understood that there was a much bigger opportunity around data,” Viva explains. “We launched Good Boy Studios in 2017 as the world’s first Pet Demographics Audience Platform, so marketers can reach pet owners and fine-tune their advertising spend based on demographics like size and age.” Today, Good Boy Studios is rapidly growing its advertising base, with major brands like Purina and Zoetis among its clients.

On the end-user side, Pet Parade Android users make up approximately 50% of its user base. The company has been using Google Ads from the beginning to help drive app installs, and they A/B test to optimize the app using Google Firebase and Google Analytics data. “Google has been a great partner for us, and they make their tools easy to self-manage and fund at our own pace,” Viva says. About a quarter of Pet Parade’s user acquisition comes from Google Ads, and Viva conservatively estimates that 20 to 25 percent of the company’s overall growth comes through Google channels. Good Boy Studios is now focused on its second app, Pet Star, a subscription-based service that lets users create music videos starring their pets. “Whereas Pet Parade is only available in the U.S., Pet Star is our international app,” says Viva, “so we’re excited to grow our user base and take our Pet Demographics Audience Platform global.”

Rug Pad USA

Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Website: www.rugpadusa.com
75 employees

Rug Pad USA manufactures padding used to keep area rugs in place. As their name suggests, all of their products are made in the U.S. “This gives us full control over what goes into them,” says Co-founder and CEO Will McDonald. “We use high-grade materials, such as 100 percent natural rubber, which not only grips better, but also lasts longer, stays plush, and doesn’t damage your floors.” Founded in 2013, Rug Pad USA began as a small operation working out of a vacant retail space. Will and his business partner, Karl Froehlich, spent nights personally cutting and shipping each order. They brought on their friends, Anthony Liso and John Drozdz, shortly thereafter, and together the four-person team grew the business to a 1,600-square-foot facility, then 8,000, and eventually to their current 220,000 square feet of warehouse space. Their business is “super niche and not glamorous,” describes Will, “and that’s why we like it.”

As a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business, Rug Pad USA invests heavily in their online presence. They are frequently the number one search result for “rug pads” on Google. The company also uses AdWords, Google’s advertising program, to reach customers nationwide who are looking for durable and sustainable rug pads. “AdWords lets us scale our business. Nearly 40 percent of our online sales come through it,” says Will. Beyond search and ads, the team uses Google Analytics and G Suite tools, such as Gmail, Docs, and Drive, to manage their day-to-day operations.

Rug Pad USA ships roughly 2,000 packages a day and over 700,000 a year. In the last two years alone, they have hired around 60 people, mostly manufacturing professionals, to keep up with demand. The company’s growth has been positive for the broader community as well. The 19th-century buildings they occupy in Ansonia and Bridgeport had been vacant for years prior to their opening. Being able to infuse the cities with a renewed sense of energy is an experience that Will can only describe as “incredible” and “very humbling.” And with plans for steady growth, he hopes to continue spurring excitement for years to come. “We’re always looking to grow, but we want to do it ethically and at a sustainable pace,” shares Will. “That being said, I think we have a shot at doubling within the next few years.”

Junzi Kitchen

Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Website: www.junzi.kitchen
30 employees

Junzi Kitchen serves innovative Northern Chinese cuisine, but its culture reaches far beyond the food. Founded in 2015 by Yale University graduate students who missed the flavors of their hometowns in Northern China, Junzi “uses food as a starting point to bring cultures together,” says Events and Communications Director Reed Immer. Co-founder Yong Zhao sees Junzi as a model for “how a foreign culture can share its true values through a business in modern society.” It’s a “platform for collaborative projects between local chefs, artists, and entrepreneurs,” Reed adds. Connecting with today’s culture is core to Junzi’s business model, and they’ve found the Internet to be an indispensable tool for reaching their audience.

In terms of foot traffic, Reed considers Google Search a basic necessity. Junzi stays on top of their search results with Google Analytics, which helps them optimize both the discoverability and functionality of their website. Google Analytics also reveals how their site is performing as a channel for storytelling. “Understanding how users move from our menu page to our about page, which tells the deeper brand story, helps us understand how visitors get curious about the story behind our food,” Reed explains. As for their block parties, summer cookouts, and other community-wide events, Junzi relies on G Suite tools to keep the planning process running smoothly. “Google Drive is where all of our collaborative work with chefs, artists, and advisors from around the world happens. Google tools allow us to measure and create the things that we want. Without them, this would all be a dream way off in the future,” Reed says.

More Junzi dreams will be realized on the heels of 500 percent annual revenue growth. Junzi Kitchen plans to open two more restaurants in New York City in 2017 and more than double their workforce. As they grow into the new locations, they hope to highlight the “special aspects of each neighborhood, while tying in Junzi’s larger story.” From New Haven to New York, they will continue to be “a platform that features the creative work and ideas of awesome people in the community.”

The Treehouse Internet Group

Location: Seymour, Connecticut
Website: www.treehouseinternetgroup.com
85 employees

The Treehouse Internet Group began as the online marketing department for Basement Systems, Inc., generating sales leads for specialty home contractors across the country. The group renamed itself in 2010, and in 2013 began serving other, non-competing contractors outside their established dealer network. Employees enjoyed operating from what the website calls “the coolest work environment in Connecticut,” office space designed and built to look like a treehouse. “The workspace is not only unique, it’s a place that helps us attract the very best people to work here,” says Richard Fencil, Internet Marketing Director. It was also part of their rebranding as The Treehouse, distinct from their parent company.

The group uses a performance-based business model, meaning they only charge home-improvement contractors when they deliver qualified sales leads. Treehouse relies heavily on AdWords, Google’s advertising program, which produces about 40% of those leads. “AdWords gives us incredible control over that,” says Todd Hugo, Performance Director. They also see that their contractors use Google My Business, “a place for us to make sure that they are represented if somebody is searching locally,” Todd adds. Google Analytics helps them track the performance of contractors’ websites, particularly for mobile users. Treehouse employees use Google Drive and Google Sheets to collaborate and communicate internally.

The Treehouse now provides lead-generation services for seven dealer networks in the U.S. and Canada. Fifty to sixty percent of all the leads flowing through the contractor networks arrive via The Treehouse or their web program. They host two large dealer events every year, are the fastest-growing digital agency in Connecticut, and have been named one of the best places to work in the state. The group sees a healthy annual growth rate of about 20%. “But our main goal is always to drive our clients’ growth,” Richard says. “If they don't succeed, we don't succeed.”