About tpappy
Terry PappySo what do you do with an awesome last name like Pappy? You use it to name your super cool website resuscitation business is what you do.
We Pappys are hard-working entrepreneurs. My dad founded a nuts-and-bolts distributor outside of Philadelphia in 1968. I was 6. He grew it to the largest fastener company in the eastern U.S., and it's still in operation today.
My brother followed in Dad's footsteps and started his own fastener company, keeping manufacturers throughout the country in a steady supply of nuts and bolts.
Even though I'd spent several high-school summers working for our family business, the fastener industry didn't ring my bell like it did my dad and brother. No. I was a creative.
In 1982 I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in Visual Communications, and later New Media at Georgia Tech. My professional career spun many turnstiles as the creative industry went through a metamorphosis from hand-drawn ads on cold-press illustration board and presstype, to computer-generated typesetters, to the onset of full-blown desktop publishing and our now best friend: the web.
In 1995 I knew that traditional media as we understood it was changing dramatically, and I found myself drawn to the electronic forms of publishing. The immediacy. The ability to make changes without penalty and on the fly. Not having to wait weeks for the brochure to be printed, bound and shipped. Powerful!
My web career began at the Orlando Sentinel, where I quickly transitioned from coordinating outside print sales to the online world of newspaper publications. It was a bumpy ride, as we were all trying to figure out how to monetize and translate this new medium into a money-making and time-saving machine. We're still figuring it out, and that will likely always be a pursuit with the speed at which technology changes.
Since then I have gotten quite adept at designing, programming and optimizing websites. I did this for many companies, from small shops to large shops like AAA and Marriott International. Ahem. But what always lies at the root of my creativity is the distinction of customer service. I saw a growing need for business to understand more about their customer, and to be able to provide exemplary service. Today, this customer focus is where the majority of organizations are spending dollars, trying to catch up. They are realizing that their success depends on their ability to serve their customers better than their competition. Talk about a big duh.
In the mid 2000s I began noticing small- to mid-sized companies struggle to keep their websites distinct, let alone current. It's as if they had their heart in the right place when they launched, but over time, business and economical factors had allowed their websites to become kind of, well, meh. Enter tpappy websites.
I love designing. I love writing. I love to listen to a customer share their experience and tell me about their world so they can be served better. I love working with the tpappy team to create amazing solutions for our clients. And above all, I love helping businesses fall in love with their websites all over again.
