Build, Enhance, Promote: Re-envisioning the Army Heritage Center Foundation’s Website

Intrada Technologies, PRworks and the Foundation joined forces to engage visitors with a modern look and honed messaging

“The [U.S. Army Heritage and Education] Center is a unique national treasure. Its rich collection of knowledge, memory, and connections affords users and visitors an unparalleled perspective and ability to draw upon past lessons and apply them towards future challenges. We must remain responsive and adaptable, as the needs of our users continue to evolve over time.” -Mr. Geoffrey Mangelsdorf, U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) Director, Spring 2020 newsletter

When Intrada Technologies began working with the Army Heritage Center Foundation in 2013, our mission was to strategically rebuild their site in a way that minimized expense and provided staff with full control of the resource. We delivered.

In 2020, the Army Heritage Center Foundation’s strategic planning process identified future goals and objectives for modernization and growth, calling for another website rebuild to support them.

Returning to Intrada Technologies as its website partner, the Foundation set out to launch a new site with a contemporary visual design, increased functionality, updated messaging and a modern visitor experience.

Intrada Technologies recommended the services of our sister company, PRworks, Inc., to address the Foundation’s goals with an evaluation of the organization’s current messaging and a strategic approach to site planning, design and content.

“Our first step was a messaging audit,” said Jason Kirsch, APR, partner, and senior counselor at PRworks. “We gathered and assessed the Foundation’s messaging to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. The result was nine key insights which we applied to develop fresh content that tightly aligned with the Foundation’s vision, goals, strategic plan, and programs.”

Based on the new insights and content, our team went to work. Developing a custom template and specially-tailored plugins, Intrada built the site to enhance the visitor experience and ensure both security and functionality. Utilizing a custom template on WordPress minimized a purchased template's overhead, providing extra cost-savings for the Foundation.

“Also crucial was transforming the Foundation’s messaging to support the next phase of its capital campaign for the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center,” Kirsch said. “Honoring the heritage of the American Soldier is personal. When you support the Foundation’s mission, you are personally ensuring that soldiers’ stories are preserved and will be told for generations.”

The new site design and content welcomes visitors into the compelling story of the American Soldier and U.S. Army, inviting them to join the Foundation’s mission to honor, maintain and grow the vital history and matchless resources provided by the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. 

Enabling visitors to support the Foundation’s mission required excellent functionality, an updated point-of-sale system and thorough site security. 

“Given the nature of the Army Heritage Center Foundation and its association with the U.S. Army, hackers have a natural proclivity for the site,” said David Steele, owner of Intrada Technologies. “Any interruption to the Foundation’s work due to a cyberattack could be costly and damaging. All efforts were made to minimize vulnerability. Intrada’s continued monitoring and management services work 24/7 to ensure site security and operations.”

Integrating the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center’s point-of-sale system into the new site created new challenges. However, Intrada found a solution to bring all store projects online with a single inventory management system, streamlining processes, and freeing up time and resources for both the Foundation and the Army Heritage Center.

“While we strive to deliver strategic, innovative and effective solutions with technology for every client, serving the Army Heritage Center Foundation is especially rewarding,” said Steele. “Working with the Army Heritage Center Foundation allows us to honor the men and women who have served our country and learn about their contributions in the process.”