Well, technically, Schmidt Technologies was launched. BizStream was initially launched under Schmidt Technologies Incorporated from two computers on one folding table in another tech firm’s space, and even some days at an apartment in Grand Rapids, MI.
Many may not realize our journey began in the realm of portals. It all started when our first large client, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of audience seating, came to us with a need to manage all their internal information and communications. So, we built them a custom intranet-based portal to do just that! Over the years, our core focus has grown to provide easy solutions for complex problems enterprise companies face, but portals will always hold a special place in our hearts.
As we moved away from contract work and started landing more complex projects, our company started to change. To better reflect our work, we expanded our team and rebranded from Schmidt Technologies Incorporated into what is now known as BizStream!
In 2005, NoWaterBall hit the market in full swing! While these novelty golf balls didn’t actually clear water, sand, or annoying trees with their super-advanced technology, as suggested, they did provide us with a fun avenue to make our first eCommerce site! NoWaterBall may not have panned out to be the multi-million dollar company we unrealistically hoped for. Still, we had fun, gained a ton of experience, made a few bucks, and have had enough golf balls to last 17 years and counting …
To accommodate our growing team, BizStream rented our first office at Engine House No. 9 in Grand Rapids, MI. We frequently visit the old building while enjoying a pint, as the building is now home to The Mitten Brewing Company!
The GeekAid Music Festival was a one-day music event co-founded by BizStream’s founder, Mark Schmidt. It aimed to grow the West Michigan technology scene by raising scholarship money for Grand Rapids Public Schools graduates entering the art and technology fields. The events featured bands, silent art auctions, beer tents, and food trucks!
In 2008, BizStream made another office move! This time we headed West of Grand Rapids, MI, to a town called Allendale. The new office had so much room for activities like a Foosball area, a gym, and even our very first conference room!
Remember back in 2003 when we built an intranet for a client? Well, we took the foundation of that project, did A LOT of customization, and launched it as a product called YouthCenter. Thirteen years later, YouthCenter is one of the top Juvenile Case Management Software solutions for Juvenile Probation, Diversion, and Detention Centers. Today 33 counties across 6 states use YouthCenter.
In 2010, BizStream officially became a Kentico Gold Partner! BizStream has completed yearly partner surveys, passed bi-yearly Partner Quality, and staffed Kentico-certified developers and marketers to maintain our status as a Kentico Gold Partner. Being a Kentico Gold Partner allows us to deliver projects to our clients faster as this badge of honor gives us access to many resources and training not otherwise shared. In 2020, we celebrated ten years as a Kentico Gold Partner!
BizStream solidified its immense love for foosball by buying its very own professional foosball table! The fun doesn’t end there because when you give a bunch of geeks a foosball table, they’ll eventually put their techie twist on it. Built during BizStream Lab Days, our team used AI to make the games more fun with an internal foosball application. Rigged up to the foosball table is a computer and interface that auto selects teams, predicts the winners, makes game announcements, and even throws in crowd sentiment! Unsurprisingly, this is the favorite tour stop among our visiting student groups.
This program was born out of a desire to get the younger generation interested in coding. Our first BizStream University session started in May 2012 with only eight students and one mentor. Shortly after, in November of that year, our first student was hired to work at BizStream! Between then and now, we changed our name to BizStream Academy and refreshed our logo a few times. Since launch, we have taught over 250 students how to build web pages with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript!
In 2013, BizStream bought a 20,000 square-foot warehouse-like building. After a complete renovation, the new office furnished multiple conference rooms, a unique developer’s loft with a firefighter’s pole, a sales and administrative area, a full kitchen, and more!
In 2014, our founder Mark Schmidt was selected from over 170 nominees for Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list! Mark was selected based on his work with BizStream Academy, GeekAid, and BizStream’s unique company structure.
Read the 40 Under Forty – 2014 – Grand Rapids Business Journal Issue
Our implementation of the BDO USA, LLP site was shortlisted by Kentico executives and voted on by Kentico users beating out thousands of entries submitted by Kentico’s 1,000+ global partners!
Over seven years later, BDO is still one of our largest clients!
In 2016, BizStream received the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch award, sponsored by Michigan Celebrates Small Business!
The theme for the year was ‘Inspiring Progress and Prosperity: Michigan Entrepreneurs’ and judges examined companies on their innovation within their fields and growth.
BizStream was one of the first companies in the world to get a deep dive into Kentico’s Headless CMS solution, Kontent.ai! In 2017, we were recognized as a Kontent.ai Premium Partner, the highest partnership level attainable, for our extensive knowledge and work within the platform!
In 2018, we were recognized as a National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® winner! We’ve been recognized for the award ever since, making us honorees for five consecutive years!
In 2019, it was Brian’s time to shine as a Grand Rapids Business Journal 40 Under Forty business leader! McKiever was recognized for his influential impact on the local and global tech communities.
Read the 40 Under 40 – Business Leaders – 2019 – Grand Rapids Business Journal Issue
With the help of our trusty contractors, BizStream constructed a 6,200-square-foot expansion! The expansion adds extra bathrooms, a four-season room, a slide, accommodations for up to 50 people, and more.
In 2020 our long-anticipated move-in date had finally arrived! We were promptly met with a pandemic lockdown soon after, but we are now finally back in full swing, thoroughly enjoying the space!
In 2021, BizStream had 224 solar modules installed on our roof! These panels allow us to offset 95% of traditional electrical usage and produce roughly 88,977kW annually! We even installed an Electric Vehicle Charging Station for our team members!
Now that we’re officially 21, we’ve decided to exchange our fake IDs for a creative license. We’ve come a long way over the years – from exclusively building portals, fearlessly diving into complex websites, building a few products of our own, to now offering in-house design services – whew! The culmination of this growth resulted in the need for a brand that better represents who we are, what we do, and why we do it.
It’s been a wild but fantastic 21 years! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who helped us along the way! Cheers to many more years to come!
In 2023, BizStream was recognized as one of the awardees for the Michigan 50 Distinguished Alumni—Great Place to Work Award, presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. Our founders were honored on stage at the prestigious in-person awards ceremony held during the 19th annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala!
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