The annual Windsor Shad Derby festival website is getting a facelift. After many years with a stagnant website, Paula Pierce, of Hosting Connecticut, offered to donate services to redesign the website and make it more energetic to illustrate the changes the Shad Derby committee is making to the whole event. The new website launched in mid-January and allows members of the committee to update the content easily without fear of disturbing the rest of the site's elements.

"It's a great way to keep a website up-to-date on even a daily basis if necessary," says Paula Pierce, owner of Hosting Connecticut, LLC. "We used Invisible Gold software which makes it easy for the Shad Derby committee to edit the website and keep the public aware of new events. One such event is the new Hooker Brewery fundraiser taking place on Friday, February 11th. Managers of the site can easily add the event, upload a photo, and add contact details just by logging into the site from any web browser."

Who gets something for nothing these days? A Windsor non-profit animal rescue organization, Help Our Wildlife Live (H.O.W.L.) did! H.O.W.L is the lucky winner of the free website offered by two local website developers.

"We're thrilled to have been chosen for the free website," says Kazik Skoczylas, secretary of H.O.W.L..

Windsor entrepreneurs, John Waiveris of Invisible Gold LLC and Paula M. Pierce of Hosting Connecticut LLC, decided back in August that in difficult economic times, community members and small businesses should support each other.

Hosting Connecticut, LLC is proud to be one of twenty-nine sponsors currently sponsoring dogs for the public art exhibition called "Paws for a Cause", a fundraiser for the Windsor Education Foundation.

WEF asked Hosting Connecticut to sponsor one of the dogs. "We were allowed to choose the artist who would create our dog. We selected from 100 designs submitted by local artists," says Paula Pierce, owner of Hosting Connecticut. In collaboration with PC Development and Invisible Gold, Hosting Connecticut chose the "Tech Dog" design by artist John Waiveris. The dog is not only painted; it has a plethora of different colored LED lights flashing in different patterns. It fit the sponsors, all technology companies, to a "T".

A website is a necessity for a small business; really for any business. To enhance credibility, marketing reach, and customer satisfaction, nothing beats having a professional website.

"One of my small business clients, MooseTwinkleCards.com, came to me when their webmaster skipped town. He had been taking longer and longer to make website changes and then finally he just took off," says Paula Pierce, owner of HostingCT.com.

On April 20, 2009, Hosting Connecticut LLC will offer the first in a series of free webinars (online seminars) to help clients and prospects make better use of their website hosting tools.

The webinars are easy to join. Use the sign up form and you'll receive instructions on how to join the webinar using your computer. You can either use your computer's microphone and speakers or call in (toll call charges may apply)

In June, the Windsor Chamber of Commerce elected its new slate of officers including Paula M. Pierce of Hosting Connecticut LLC as President.

Before the election Pierce served as Vice President for two years and a member of the board of directors for several years.

On first joining the Chamber, Pierce vowed to go as many networking meetings as possible and succeeded in going to every Business Breakfast and Business After Hours for the first two years. After that feat, which may have been a record, Pierce continued going to most networking events and found that in addition to meeting many new people and learning about other businesses in town, she also gained many new clients.

HARTFORD, CT May 22, 2008 Paula M. Pierce, owner of Hosting Connecticut, LLC was invited to speak with reporter Diane Orsin of WNPR (national public radio) regarding small business and the internet.

The story focuses on Delmonico Hat Company of New Haven and how they revitalized their business by going online.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has selected Paula M. Pierce, owner of Hosting Connecticut, LLC, Windsor, CT as the 2008 Home-Based Business Champion of the Year for Connecticut and the New England Region. Winners in this category have experienced the rewards and difficulties of running a home-based business and have volunteered time and energy to improve conditions while working to enhance the home-based business climate.

Pierce runs two profitable businesses out of her home in Windsor, CT: PaulaWalla Imports, an online gift shop, which recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary and Hosting Connecticut LLC, a website development company, which is currently celebrating its 5 year anniversary.