Watts Consulting

More than you ever wanted to know about Alabama native Joe Watts

Work

Finishing Up Several Projects

by

Lots to do this week, but have gotten a few things behind me. I finished a quick brochure for Alabama Communities of Excellence last week. More work to do for them in the coming week.

Now, I’m wrapping up a web newsletter for the American Institute of Architects, Birmingham Chapter this afternoon. Tomorrow, I’ve really got to get going on the Alzheimer’s calendar for 2009 before an afternoon meeting with my friend from ALZCA, Vance Holder.

Also on the agenda this week, the Bibb County tourism website, more preparation for the Alabama Byways Signage workshop and a quick update to the CGH Insurance Group website–it seems we broke it when moving it to another server (well, it didn’t really break as much as get replaced with an older version).

There’s always something, but tonight it is time for another sourdough pizza–last night’s was extremely good, if I do say so. The new, wetter dough I’m experimenting with in my recipes seems to be making a difference with a more flavorful, more bubbly dough. Let’s see what a night in the refrigerator will do for it!

The Week To Come

by

Monday already? So much to do, but so much depends on getting information from clients. I just finished a website for Aztec Construction last week (www.aztecconstructionco.com)–it is a small scale website with just a few pages and mostly photos. But one thing I have to say is that these were really nice people to work with. They knew what they wanted, made understandable changes once the initial work was done and boy did they pay fast! If they weren’t commercial only construction, I’d look into having them do work on our house!

I’m working on finishing up a quick workshop/conference brochure for Alabama Communities of Excellence. I should have something finished for that this week sometime. I’ve made a good many additions to the Alabama’s Front Porches website (www.alabamafrontporches.com)–a website I’m very excited about because I grew up in the Black Belt. Tourism is one of the answers for the black belt economy (certainly not the only answer, but it is a cost-effective way to bring in some economic development and tourism is clean, non-polluting economic development). There is still a long way to go in developing this website, but we’ve got almost 50 different attractions in the 11 county region listed with photos for most of the attractions. And, we’ve gotten some hits from interesting locations including Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Interesting evidence that tourism and a positive spin on quality of life issues makes an impact on economic development.

Much more work to do this week, including working on the Alabama Byways Wayfinding workshop to be held next month, working on a architect website and the usual work on my ongoing projects (just made several updates to my Your Town Alabama blog: www.yourtownalabama.org/blog).

A Busy Week

by

No time for family updates (well, as soon as I say that,I’m sure I’ll break my word). I’m busy working on several projects this week: Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) has some website updates and also needs a new brochure for an upcoming event. Alabama’s Front Porches (www.alabamafrontporches.com) has been languishing for the last few weeks in need of updates. I want to get more information out there for all the remaining counties represented. I still don’t have all the information I need, but I’ve gotten some additional information and placed some of it online (most interesting is a birding trail that they have developed called the Piney Woods Birding Trail–has a lot of potential).

In addition to these projects, I’ve got my usual work to do, an Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama patient art calendar to put together for 2009–I can’t begin to imagine that 2009 is coming around so very soon!, and some work on the upcoming Bibb County tourism website. Lots to do and it is around 100 degrees here today. No desire to go outside.

Monthly Newsletter: Off to the Printer

by

Another newsletter for the Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club. One of my favorite newsletter projects as I have the schedule for this newsletter down to a science.

In other news, I’m getting ready to ramp up work on the Alabama’s Front Porches website again. I’ve taken a month off, but plan to add a good deal of content in the next couple of weeks. Check out the website: www.alabamasfrontporches.com.

I’ve also got to continue working on the wayfinding / wayshowing workshop I’m working on with ALDOT and the National Byways Program. The workshop should be great–it will be an all-day workshop and we’re holding it at the very nice Barber Motorsports Museum. Should be really helpful to lots of tourism-oriented people in Alabama. Helping people understand that signage is important, but so many other things are even more important should really help move Alabama’s tourism and visitor experience in the right direction.

And this is the week to get really started on a website I’m working on in Bibb County. More on that later!

New Website: Aztec Construction Company

by

I’m just about finished with another website, this time for someone who found me through, as usual, another client. My friend Laura Nichols at Tyler Eaton (whose website I did several years ago) suggested that the folks at Aztec Construction contact me. They did and the result, still in draft form, is below.

AIA Newsletter

by

Another newsletter completed for AIA Birmingham. Originally planned as a short newsletter, it grew a bit. Still much, much, much shorter than the Design Awards special edition last month. Overall, pretty pleased. We announced the completion of the redesign of the AIA website and I’ve been making small edits to the site to tighten up small issues (mainly spacing issues and wording changes). www.aiabham.org.

In addition to this newsletter/website, I’ve been working on completing the Aztec Construction website. We’re still in the design phase, but think it is pretty much complete.

I’m working with the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Scenic Byways Advisory Council to set up a workshop at the end of August for all of Alabama’s scenic byways. The workshop will be held in Birmingham (well, actually in Leeds, Alabama: Home of the Stagecoach Route Scenic Byway) at the Barber Motorsports Museum. Should be a great venue and will probably help make it even more attractive to folks! The workshop will last all day and we’re bringing in several trainers from the National Scenic Byways Program to conduct the workshop. The basic premise of the workshop is on way finding and way showing as they relate to the byway traveler. The workshop will be particularly helpful to byway leaders around Alabama, but should prove useful to anyone interested in tourism in Alabama.