Tracy Renewable Energy is a wastewater purification company that is host to innovative energy projects and the nation’s first commercial carbon DAC plant in the US. I had the pleasure of meeting TRE’s CEO at the launch of that plant, where I learned that the company needed guidance on how to market themselves to potential customers.
TRE’s existing website was dated, leaving a poor first impression for a company this ambitious and that had grown so much in the years since it was last revised. The brand of the company was also unclear as it had gone through several co-existing iterations over the years. The public face of the company needed a rethinking, a cohesive vision to guide clients and the surrounding community alike.
My first step in creating a new face for the company was to fully immerse myself in what the company actually was. In developing an understanding of the many technologies and business components I could organize the functions of the business and communicate externally what their mission is. I interviewed people all across the company, from plant operators to office administrators, and compiled notes on what each piece of the puzzle contributed to the whole. I gave tours to visitors to test my understanding and practice explaining how the components fit together to make the whole business work. With this internalized understanding I began drafting ideas on how to compress the story into an easily digestible homepage that would catch the eyes of customers and community alike.
Now having an understanding of what they do, I knew what to ask about their customers and what to look for in their peers. These interviews, in addition to a comparative analysis of TRE’s peers, gave me insights on what their potential customers would be looking for from the website. Namely, a clear understanding of whether the company addresses their specific need, reassurance from reputable sources that TRE is trustworthy, and to be impressed by the innovation and care that the people bring to the work every day.
Through the process of interviews and research I developed an understanding of each piece of the business and what larger picture they came together to reveal. With this understanding, I could use my skills in design and information technology to relay that understanding to customers and the community on the fantastic work with climate technology that Tracy Renewable Energy does.