greater:SATX
Moving beyond the "reskin." Discover how we transformed an institutional site into a high-security, tiered investor hub with custom dashboards, interactive maps, and a "systems-first" approach to regional economic development.
Rhonda Negard
Web Design, Web Development, Maintenance
https://fatdogcreatives.com/about
greater:SATX (formerly San Antonio Economic Development Foundation) is the regional economic development corporation for the San Antonio area. They serve as the primary "Front Door" for businesses relocating to Texas, managing a complex network of investors, regional partners, and public stakeholders.
The Challenge
From "Reskin" to Reconstruction: The project was originally scoped as a simple "facelift." However, a systems-level audit revealed that a fresh coat of paint wouldn't fix the underlying structural issues. The "Hidden" Resource Problem: Crucial news and documents were buried, and there was no central repository for archival content. Underutilized Real Estate: The hero section was occupied by ineffective sliders, wasting the most valuable space on the site. Security & Access Friction: The organization needed a way to provide private, tiered content to investors without a clunky, manual gatekeeping process.
The Strategy
Accessibility as a Business Driver: We pivoted from a "reskin" to a complete UX and UI Rebuild. Using William Lidwell’s principle of Hierarchy, we stripped away the noise (the sliders) and replaced them with the organization’s highest-value assets: membership content and regional news. We also applied a Systematic Color Plan—standardizing colors for actions, headers, and content to ensure the site wasn't just "pretty," but fully compliant with accessibility standards.
Project Scope
Full Site Redesign & UX/UI Architecture
Tiered Membership & Protected Content Logic
Custom Investor Dashboard & Directory
Interactive Regional Mapping & Document Management
ADA/Accessibility Compliance & SEO Optimization
The Solution
Custom-Built Investor Infrastructure: We moved the site away from generic modules and toward a Custom Post Type (CPT) architecture that functions like a private member club. Tiered Investor Dashboards: We developed custom user roles and protected content. This allowed for a private Investor Dashboard where content is served dynamically based on the user's investment level. The "Organized" Backend: We built custom engines for a Job Board, an Investor Directory, and an interactive Regional Map. By creating global modules, we ensured that staff could update a document once and have it reflect site-wide. Search & Navigation Overhaul: We integrated an advanced search function and added first-level page links to the homepage, giving users an immediate overview of the site's entire content map. Invisible Authority (SEO & Accessibility): We performed a deep-level SEO and accessibility sweep—adding alt tags to every image, context labels to links, and optimizing the backend for screen readers.
The Result
"We've Never Been So Organized": The project evolved from a cosmetic update into a total operational transformation. By prioritizing organizational goals over visual trends, we delivered a site that functions as a high-utility tool for San Antonio’s economic growth. The result is a platform where investors feel valued, users find answers instantly, and the greater:SATX team spends less time "babysitting" their tools and more time driving regional investment.
“We’ve never been so organized with our website tools!”
—Integrated Communications at greater:SATX
Building a High-Utility Hub for Regional Growth
Rebrand, logo design, and brand standards provided by BTY Creative in San Antonio, TX.
