---
title: VCEDC Website — Pre-Launch Review Meeting (2025-12-02)
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2025-12-02-vcedc-website-meeting-105716500.md
tags:
- meeting
- client-vcedc
- website
- design-review
- launch
- action-items
layer: 2
client_source: Vilas County Economic Development
industry_context: nonprofit
transferable: false
---

# 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](https://fathom.video/calls/491610522)

---

## 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
- [[clients/current/vcedc/_index]]