VCEDC Website — Pre-Launch Review Meeting (2025-12-02)
Overview
Pre-launch review meeting for the VCEDC website, targeting a December 15 go-live. The team worked through outstanding content and design decisions page by page, resolved several open questions, and established a clear review process and timeline for the final stretch. Attendees included Melissa Cusumano and Isalia Ramirez (AAG/Asymmetric), Kathy Schmitz and Tracey Pilsner (VCEDC).
Source: Fathom recording
Key Decisions
| Topic | Decision |
|---|---|
| Hero image | Use the tighter, cropped photo of Kathy and Tracey — removes distracting hallway background |
| Navigation: "Business Success" | Rename to "Success Stories" — more descriptive and layman-friendly; retains dropdown for sub-pages |
| Navigation: "Events and Program" | Pluralize to "Events and Programs" |
| Events page placeholder content | Remove placeholder events; add message: "Check back for upcoming events or sign up for email notifications" |
| Events page cleanup | Remove duplicate "Get news from Vilas County EDC" form and "Built with Kit" footer branding |
| Donate page payment options | Must include three options in order: Mail a check → PayPal → Stripe |
| Board bio — Emerson Coy | No photo or bio available; remove "Learn More" link, display name and title only |
| Annual Reports layout | Update to tile-based layout per report; 2022 report is a video (not a PDF) — treat accordingly |
| "Living in Vilas County" page | Fix typo "country" → "county"; add 1–2 winter-themed photos |
| Lifestyle photo (new, from Kathy) | Place on "Living in Vilas County" page if not used elsewhere |
| Review process | Kathy consolidates all feedback in the Google Doc tracker; "Ready for Review" column signals AAG can finalize; Kathy marks pages "Approved" or adds edits in "Final Review" column |
| Board communication framing | Kathy will present the Dec 12 link to the board as "98–99% complete" — minor refinements may follow launch |
Action Items
Kathy (VCEDC)
- [ ] Consolidate all feedback into the Google Doc tracker — deadline: EOW Dec 5
- [ ] Write homepage copy for the "Remote Worker" section
- [ ] Send YouTube video links for the "Success Stories" page
- [ ] Provide press releases for Dec 12 announcements (new board chair Kate Farrell; Business of the Year — Andy's Pontoon Saloon)
- [ ] Update Google Doc with final board bios
Tracey (VCEDC)
- [ ] Upscale and provide high-resolution logos for featured businesses on the Success Stories page
AAG (Asymmetric)
- [ ] Implement all approved changes: hero image crop, navigation renames, events page cleanup, donate page payment options, board bio fix, Annual Reports tile layout, "Living in Vilas County" typo and photos
- [ ] Investigate and fix broken PayPal link on Donate page (may be a pre-launch environment issue)
- [ ] Update video static/thumbnail images on homepage to match the correct YouTube videos
- [ ] Clean up resolved comments in the Google Doc tracker
- [ ] Deliver near-final review link to Kathy — deadline: Dec 12
- [ ] Conduct full site-wide test with fresh eyes (including Mark) before launch
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Dec 5 (EOW) | Kathy completes feedback consolidation in Google Doc |
| Dec 12 | AAG delivers near-final link; Kathy shares with VCEDC board |
| Dec 15 | Target go-live |
| Jan 2 | Board chair transition (Jim → Kate Farrell) reflected on site |
Page-by-Page Notes
Homepage
- Hero image: replace current grainy photo with tighter crop of Kathy and Tracey (hallway removed)
- Navigation bar: rename "Business Success" → "Success Stories"; pluralize "Events and Program" → "Events and Programs"
- Remote Worker section: needs copy from Kathy
- Video thumbnails: update static images to match the correct YouTube videos (links already embedded correctly)
Events and Programs
- Remove all placeholder/past events
- Add placeholder message: "Check back for upcoming events or sign up for email notifications"
- Remove duplicate newsletter signup form
- Remove "Built with Kit" footer attribution
Success Stories
- Kathy to provide YouTube video links for the full page
- Tracey to provide upscaled, high-resolution business logos
Donate
- Confirm three payment options present and ordered: Mail a check, PayPal, Stripe
- PayPal link currently broken — investigate whether this is a staging environment issue or a configuration error
About Us / Board Bios
- Bios to be updated in Google Doc first, then pushed to site in one pass
- Emerson Coy: display name and title only; remove "Learn More" link
Annual Reports
- Update layout to tile format (one tile per year)
- 2022 report is a video — no PDF expected; handle accordingly
- Kathy may drop 2021 report from the page in a future update
Living in Vilas County
- Fix typo: "country" → "county"
- Add 1–2 winter-themed photos
- New lifestyle photo from Kathy is a candidate for this page
Upcoming Announcements (Dec 12)
- New board chair: Kate Farrell (effective January 1; Jim remains chair through Dec 31)
- Business of the Year: Andy's Pontoon Saloon — press release + plaque presentation photo can go live before Dec 15
Related
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