Schrock Innovations’ Accomplishments of 2008

I started writing a post about everything that I had accomplished, been a part of, or facilitated in 2008.  I quickly realized that that post was wayyyyy too long.  I’m not bragging.  Just take a second to write a list of every major thing you did professionally, personally, and otherwise in 2008 and then write a couple paragraphs about each one.  It adds up fast!

I decided to break my personal accomplishments out from those of Schrock Innovations and post them as separate posts.  Here is a list of some of the more memorable things Schrock Innovations has done in 2008.

Official Launch of the Schrock Desk – January 2008

The Schrock Desk is a technology help desk that customers subscribe to for $30 a month.  We launched the service officially in January of 2008.  For their subscription, customers get unlimited technical assistance on any problems they might be having with their computers.

The service uses Citrix software to connect to our customers’ computers and provide assistance.  In the first year of operation the Schrock Desk has reduced our warranty support tickets on repairs, attracted over 300 repeat subscribers, and has given Schrock Innovations a massive competitive advantage in our marketplace.

Moved Our Omaha Service Center (again) – March 2008

In 2008 our Omaha customers started to get frustrated because every time they called on us we seemed to have a new location.

The first move came in 2007 after a contentious lease renewal disagreement with Investor’s Realty.  We decided to move our Omaha office to a new location in mid-town Omaha.  We even cut a video to document the process.

We ended up taking over the second floor of the Omaha Midtown Realty Company building.  The owner of the building had some serious technology challenges and she agreed to give us an irresistible deal on rent if we would solve her problems.

We did, and for 3 months we enjoyed the space.  Then one of our customers stumbled coming in and almost fell down.  This freaked our landlord out, and even though we had the proper insurance for such an event, she gave us 30 days notice to be out.

We weren’t exactly prepared for a move in Omaha at that point, so after some searching we found Seth Campbell with Campbell Properties.  We moved into our current location and Seth was amazing to work with.  If we needed it, he got it to us.

Our lease is up there in about 8 months.  There might be one more final move in Omaha near the end of 2009, but now I am getting away from the past and into the future 🙂

Produced a Video about the Wrapping of our Company Vehicle – October 2008

Schrock Innovations started as an in-shop computer repair service provider.  When the Geek Squad entered the Lincoln marketplace that changed the way consumers expected computer repair to be done, so we had to launch a mobile component of our Service Center.

After driving though the city with unmarked cars for a number of years, we decided it was time to give our fleet of Oldsmobile Aleros a more “noticeable” presence.

We called on our friends at Revolution Wraps to design a whole new look for our vehicles that would match the look of our new website and new Service Center.  They did a spectacular job and we were there to film the process!  Watch this video to see how it is done!

Launched a New Company Website – October 2008

You can check out the Wayback Machine and see that the Schrock Innovations website has undergone some pretty dramatic changes over the years.  Our previous website did all right for the company, but it did not have the look and feel that I wanted it to have.  I didn’t think it reflected the spirit of our company.

For the first time ever I decided I would allow our graphic designers to build a new look – including the drastic step of updating our logo – to bring Schrock Innovations’ digital image into the 21st century.  After all, how does it look to be designing awesome websites for others while our own website suffered the pains of time?

The new site is visible at www.schrockinnovations.com and is built on a WordPress engine.  This allows any person on our staff to make a change or update with ease and is MUCH more SEO friendly after a little tweaking than a standard HTML website.

Broke Ground on a New Lincoln Service Center – November 2008

Speaking of new locations, In November of 2008 we broke ground on Schrock Innovations new Service Center in Lincoln, NE.  This location will be more than three times the size of our current Service Center and will feature a retail sales floor as well as a new data recovery center that will be the only one of its kind in the Western plains.

The logistics on this project were immense, and Krueger Development was instrumental in getting everything done on schedule and to specification.  The new Service Center should be open in February 2009 – just in time for our 10 year anniversary!

First Ever Black Friday Sale – November 2008

Also in November, Schrock Innovations did something we have never attempted before.  We opened the day after Thanksgiving and openly competed with all of the big box stores for Black Friday business.

Everything went according to plan except for when the Journal Star newspaper stiffed us out of our ad space for our city-wide newspaper circular.  Instead we spend the $5,000 on radio ads and that got the job done.  Listen to our ad entitled “Freebie” and our other ad entitled “Big Deals.”

We sold out of everything we had in a matter of hours, and took a number of rain check orders.  Next year we will have an advertisement in the Journal Star, so watch for it!

Launched our First Television Commercial in 4 Years – November 2008

Primarily because of its high cost per impression, Schrock Innovations has stayed away form major television advertising.  Instead, we have become adept at using radio and organic search results to generate business for our company.

That changed in November of 2008 when we signed two contracts with Channel 10/11.  The first was an Election 2008 by.  No one can dispute that there was intense interest in the election in NOvember, and we wanted to be in the middle of it.

The second contract was an annual buy on Channel 10/11 for the year 2009.  Our advertising representative showed us an offer that we just couldn’t pass up, so we signed.

Here is the TV commercial we ran in November that poked some good natured fun at the Geek Squad’s Hiring practices.  It received almost 70,000 views on YouTube to date.

Tomorrow’s Post

You might notice a pretty big gap between March and October.  Stick around for tomorrow’s Personal Accomplishments post and you will understand why.