Enlighten got its start in 1983 as one of the first digital interactive agencies, marketing products for major brands like Microsoft and Lotus. That was 27 years ago.
Since then it has evolved with technology, expanding to the Internet in 1995 and mobile media recently. Today the Ann Arbor-based company continues to build on that initial success, bumping its revenue up 10 percent over the last year. It has also added another 10 people to its staff of 100 employees, plus five interns and independent contractors.
Enlighten's latest venture came from its policy of allowing employees to set aside some time to focus on side projects they like. Three separate employees came to management with the idea of WhatWasThere.com, a project that combines historic photographs of buildings with current ones to create a fascinating collage of past and present.
"When the second person told me, I said, 'Have you been speaking to Laurel?'" says Steve Glauberman, CEO of Enlighten. "This was just too bizarre."
Enlighten's founder is pushing forward with the project even though a revenue stream for it has not been found. Glauberman sees big potential down the road in controlling a database of historic photos, many of which are offered up by people trying to relive a small piece of the past. And if it doesn't pan out to be profitable, WhatWasThere.com promises to be a big employee morale booster and another way to attract talent to a company that looks to enjoy double-digit revenue growth for the next three years.
"It's a great project and it's great for the world," Glauberman says. "Our employees love it and they can say, 'Hey, I worked on WhatWasThere.com."
Source: Steve Glauberman, CEO of Enlighten
Writer: Jon Zemke
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