Since 1999, e-websmart has helped hundreds of businesses and organizations across the U.S. to develop and improve their Web sites and brand identities.

E-websmart’s owner, Michelle Tjelmeland, brings a team of expert designers and copywriters together to develop your content and image. Together, we create insightful, sophisticated, and enlightening Web sites and marketing collateral that reflect your facility’s personality. We understand that each nursing home, assisted living, and supportive living facility has its own special qualities, and we focus on revealing your facility’s individual character and persona.

Michelle Tjelmeland, Owner
Darcy Meinke, Project and E-marketing Coordinator/Copywriter
Maria Singleton, Online Systems Consultant & Graphic Designer
Kim Martin, Educational Trainer & Technical Support
Kelly Taylor, Art Director & Graphic Designer
Amanda Fowler, Senior Graphic Designer

Michelle has over 10 years of experience in Web design and the technology industry, and she is a savvy small business owner who understands the challenges of running your own business. In October 2009, Michelle became certified as a Social Media Specialist by the ISMA and is a founding member of the International Social Media Association. She has a passion for her work that is contagious, and when you work with her, you’ll quickly see why she is an award-winning business owner.

Michelle has a Master's degree in Education and Computer Technology from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and a Bachelor's degree in Education from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. Her achievements in the industry speak volumes about the time she invests in each site and the quality she instills in her work. Some of her accomplishments include:

• Trained Social Media Specialist by Mari Smith
• 2009 Woman of Influence Award from the Springfield Business Journal and Security Bank
• Preferred Web vendor for Apricot Lane USA
• Volunteer of the Year from Rochester School District, May 2009
• Inventor and co-owner of Alerts Made Easy ^TM, the original 4-in-1 Web, e-mail, text, and phone messaging service
• Recipient of the "Woman on the Rise award" by Illinois State Treasurer, March, 2008
• "Silver Addy Award" from the American Advertising Federation, March, 2008
• "Inc Magazine Winner for Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Reader and Editor's Pick", November 2007
• "NAWBO Mirassou Business Optimist 10k Award Recipient", May 2006
• "Silver Addy Award" from the American Advertising Federation, February 2007
• "Silver Addy Award" from the American Advertising Federation, February 2006
• "Innovate Illinois Regional Semi-Finalist", March/April 2006
• "Milliken Regional Entrepreneurial Network 5k Grant" recipient, January 2006
• 1st place winner in the national Microsoft "Start Something Amazing" Campaign in the culture and community category, November 2005
• "National Inspirational Deaf Person of the Year Award" by Oticon, February 2005
• "Small Business Owner of the Year" by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, June 2003
• "Gold Award" by the World Wide Web Awards Association, July 2003
• "40 under 40 Award" by the Springfield Business Journal, 2002

After working with Michelle, many people are surprised to learn that she is profoundly deaf.  She lost her hearing just as she was starting her teaching career in the Springfield, Illinois school district. Today, she hears with the help of an amazing technology, the cochlear implant, a small electronic device that translates sound in the environment into electrical impulses which the brain can interpret. Both she and her daughter are bi-lateral cochlear implant recipients, and her life experiences motivated her to begin a non-profit organization, the Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation.

As an e-marketing coordinator, copywriter, and technology assistant for e-websmart, Darcy Meinke has the skills and resourcefulness to assist with many different types of business projects, both online and on paper. Her experience with Constant Contact, Blogger, TypePad, and other Web-based programs allows her to create attractive blogs and newsletters. As an expert copywriter, she concentrates on conveying her client’s voice by finding just the right combination of words, tone, and style to capture your personality and relate to your audience.

Darcy graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and a minor in public relations. Her work experience includes 2 years as a legislative representative and 2 years as a marketing associate.

Darcy enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 young girls on their farm in southeast Nebraska. She also volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for a local rural fire & rescue department.

Maria Singleton is a full time multi-tasker, driven by creativity and her thirst to share knowledge and understanding. She graduated from The Art Institute of Phoenix in 1998, and holds a degree in Visual Communications.

Her experience in the creative world ranges from print to Web design for in-house corporations as well as Phoenix based Marketing and Design studios. Her passion however, lies in being serviceable and customer service oriented but always with a hint of productivity. The rest, in a way, follows her along the path.

Originally born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, Maria now lives in Surprise, Arizona with her husband of 8 years Jamel and two little girls, Isabelle and Olivia, whom are now 7 and 3.

Kim is our project manager extraordinaire. From putting the polish on finished Web sites, to making sure that shopping carts and links are working, to setting up email accounts and walking our clients step-by-step through the training process, Kim does it all with professionalism and grace.

She graduated from Illinois State University grad in 1990 with a Bachelor's Degree in Middle School Education and, after teaching for a few years, returned for a Master's Degree in Mathematics. Working on Web sites was certainly not something Kim imagined herself doing, but after partnering with e-websmart on a site for her comedian father-in-law, the relationship with Michelle and the rest of the team blossomed into a supplemental career path.

The teacher in her is still there, though. She loves working with e-websmart clients and says that it's always fun to see how delighted they are when they see the finished sites. Clients say that Kim makes the learning process interesting and is always there to lend a hand when they require technical support. Kim resides in Springfield with her daughter.

After attending Texas State University, Kelly Taylor eagerly entered the Advertising/Marketing Industry in Dallas, Texas. As an Art Director in such a diverse and competitive market, she has gained invaluable experience working alongside clients such as GE Consumer Finance, Wal-Mart, Dillard's, Sam's Club, JCPenney, and many others. Kelly specializes in corporate design, print, Web design, radio and outdoor advertising.

Kelly resides in McKinney, Texas with her loving husband Rob and her two year old daughter Peyton.

Amanda Fowler joins the e-websmart team as a talented and vibrant graphic designer with over 23 years of design experience. She enjoys experimenting with different design techniques and tools, but relies on Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create most of her artwork. Having once worked for local printing company as a typesetter, Amanda's interests have expanded as the industry has evolved, and she now works as a freelance designer creating for Web sites, print, and advertising.
 
Amanda is married and they have a 3-year-old daughter. They enjoy spending time in the garden and creating "edible messes" in the kitchen.