The Google Apps team is going on tour
National Small Business Week is just around the corner, and what better time for the Google Apps team to celebrate small businesses – both those that have started using Google Apps and others that are curious to learn more and meet the Google Apps team.
During the week of April 21, Google will help celebrate small businesses by welcoming all comers to special events in the most entrepreneurial city in each of the four regions of the U.S.*
For one day in each city, we'll host an all-day, hands-on information session on Google Apps, no reservations required. In addition to demos and Q&A with Google Apps specialists, visitors will meet a local small business that uses Google Apps and have the opportunity to hear about their experiences. All are welcome to attend, from the totally uninitiated and mildly curious to early adopters and veteran users.
Join us to share tips, catch up on the latest product releases, and find out how Google Apps helps small businesses do big things.
April 21: Washington, D.C. (Northeast)
April 22: Charlotte, N.C. (South)
April 23: Kansas City, MO (Midwest)
April 24: Phoenix, AZ (West)
Click on the links above to find out the event details.
*Source: National Policy Research Council, 2006
April 21: Washington, D.C.
At last count, ten streets intersect to form Dupont Circle. So take your pick (or take the red metro line) and visit us at the Dupont Circle offices of Free Range Studios, a local Google Apps customer and today's event host. Get a product demo to see what's new with Google Apps and find out how Pete and the others at Free Range Studios have become a stronger business with Google Apps.
Time:10:00am - 6:00pm
Address:
Free Range Studios
1605 Connecticut Avenue, NW 4th Floor
Washington, DC 20009
Map
About Free Range Studios
Free Range Studios is an award winning design and marketing strategy firm that for almost ten years has worked to "enable clients to communicate key messages and empower individuals to transform society through the innovative use of digital media, storytelling, graphic design and strategy." Free Range Studios currently employs a staff of 25, including 14 in the Washington, D.C. headquarters, eight in California, two in Washington state, and one in North Carolina.
One of the main drivers behind Free Range Studios' decision to deploy Google Apps was dissatisfaction with their old calendar application. Once they had switched to Google Apps, they found that Google Calendar's shared calendaring was far more helpful and easier to use, and their users also appreciated using the familiar Gmail interface for company-branded email, as most of them already had personal Gmail accounts. Since their adoption of Google Apps, Free Range Studios now relies on the Start Page, and they've even started migrating their wiki content to Google Sites.
April 22: Charlotte, NC
Today the Google Apps team will be camped out at the Ballantyne Corporate Park location of Back Yard Burgers, where you're invited to help yourself to a serving of information about Google Apps along with your 100% Black Angus beef burger, lean chicken sandwich, or sinfully rich milkshake - whichever you happen to be craving today.
Time:10:00am - 6:00pm
Address:
Back Yard Burgers
13736 Conlan Circle
Charlotte, NC 28277
Map
About Providence Restaurant Group
Providence Restaurant Group has been offering quick-service dining with a full service atmosphere in the Charlotte metro area for about four years, and today employs around 150 administrative and food service workers. The group runs three Back Yard Burgers restaurants in Charlotte, one in Concord, and two in South Carolina, and also offers on-site event catering.
Before switching to Google Apps, employees at Providence Restaurant Group used their personal Gmail accounts to communicate. Since moving to Google Apps about two years ago, around 35 employees use Gmail to send mail from company-branded email addresses, Google Docs to create and share files and forms, and Google Talk to communicate instantly between stores without having to spend time making and returning calls.
April 23: Kansas City, MO
Your work may not involve hauling 18-wheelers from coast to coast, but, like local Kansas City business TruckMovers, your company could probably benefit from the services and features available in Google Apps. Join the Google team and discuss the benefits of software-as-a-service -- as well as the smoky flavor of some Kansas City barbecue -- with the staff of TruckMovers.
Time:10:00am - 3:00pm
Address:
Kansas City Live
Corner of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64106
Map
About TruckMovers
TruckMovers was founded in 1983, and today employs nearly 40 people in four locations. TruckMovers specializes in "driveaway," which, to us laypeople, means arranging for professional drivers to transport large trucks long distances for dealers and manufacturers. TruckMovers is currently the only driveaway company with 24-hour GPS tracking, giving their customers access to up-to-the-minute information about their trucks.
TruckMovers started using Google Apps in January of 2007 and is enjoying Gmail's powerful spam filtering for their company-branded email as well as easy access (any computer, any browser) to all of the Google Apps services. They use Google Calendar to schedule corporate events and meetings and to view both personal and corporate calendars at the same time. TruckMovers also uses Google Docs heavily, both for real time collaboration as well as remote, easily-accessed document storage.
April 24: Phoenix, AZ
Joins us for a game of chess, a Google Apps demo, and a conversation with Scott and his team at the Chess Emporium about their decision to adopt Google Apps.
Time:10:00am - 6:00pm
Address:
Arizona Center
400 E. Van Buren St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Map
About the Chess Emporium
The mission of the Chess Emporium is to provide a one-stop environment for everything chess. For over 15 years the Chess Emporium has taught scholastic chess to families in the Phoenix metro area, reaching around 30,000 children. Today, 20 employees and additional volunteers teach chess to about 2,500 students a week in over 200 area schools through the Chess Emporium Scholastic Program, graduates of which have gone on to rank in the top 50 nationally. In addition to weekly tournaments, the Chess Emporium offers a full line of chess related items.
The Chess Emporium switched to Google Apps in September 2007 after hearing about it from their computer servicer. The choice was relatively easy to make -- Google Apps Standard Edition is available for free and, at the time, the Chess Emporium had no company calendar or official company email. Today, employees at the Chess Emporium use company-branded Gmail, schedule educational programming and company meetings using Google Calendar, and use the Start Page for one-stop access to their Google Apps services and other important information.