Follow-Up File: Building Web communities from SLO

Name: Justin Couto

Job: Founder and chief executive officer

Business: Couto Solutions Inc.

What they said then: In July 2010, The Tribune reported that Couto Solutions Inc., a San Luis Obispo-based software development firm, was the second to move into Cal Poly’s Technology Park.

The company signed a lease for more than 3,500 square feet, and CEO Justin Couto planned to move the business in by the end of the year.

Couto Solutions creates software for customized social media platforms.

“We are pleased to have Couto Solutions in the largest available suite of our Tech Park,” said Jim Dunning, project administrator for the university’s California Central Coast Research Partnership. “They are truly a success story we would like to replicate many times over — talented graduates of Cal Poly creating and growing high-wage, technology based jobs in our region.”

Couto noted a challenge finding qualified engineers locally. The company was developing an internship program.

What he says now: With 13 employees plus two new programmers being hired, Couto Solutions is steadily growing into its office space at the university’s tech park.

“We are continuing to add jobs to the local economy as well as importing money,” Couto said. “We don’t have any customers in the county.”

With plans to expand into the music industry, Amy Pruett was hired in the new role of vice president of business development.

By leverage tools it has already built, Couto hopes to help musicians build online communities for their fans. Those who promote the site or the artist can earn rewards and swag.

“You’re building an exponential marketing machine,” he added. “You’re mobilizing an army of people that love you and already want to talk about you in an organized way.”

Couto has software that automatically tracks every individual’s progress toward goals predefined by the customer. It can also be tied to popular platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, to increase visibility.

“By having their own network, the artist has control and owns that content,” Couto said. “We look at it as reaching into their fan’s pocketbook. You’re driving people to your site where you can continually sell them your product lines.

Couto Solutions has won two marketing awards for an online community it developed for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

The Summit Creative Award considers entries from small- and mediumsized agencies in 50 countries. Couto’s award was for This Way to CPA, a community designed specifically for college students interested in becoming accountants.

Launched about a year and a half ago, the community has attracted about 20,000 users, he said. The first year the organization put its scholarship application online, applicants more than tripled to about 2,600 — even with increased application requirements.

The San Luis Obispo developer also won an AVA Award from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals for an online community it designed for AICPA members.

It allows nearly 377,000 members in 128 countries to communicate and network. Couto said almost 23,000 people visit the site each month.

Being located at Cal Poly makes it easier to scout and recruit top student talent. But Couto has concerns about whether the region can accommodate his company’s growth.

He believes one key is building its reputation as a center for technology. Like the Economic Vitality Corp. of San Luis Obispo County and others, Couto encourages local tech companies to be more visible.

To help develop local talent, his company sponsors the Central Coast Code Camp for area software developers.

It also runs the Central Coast Design Group and the SLO.NET   User Group, both linked with the Central Coast Software & Technology Association Inc. (Softec). Since 2008, Couto Solutions has donated an estimated $240,000 in labor to enhancing Softec’s website.

“We want to grow the talent pool here,” Couto said. “There’s lots of ways of solving the problem.”

Have an idea for a follow-up? Each week, The Tribune checks in with a business it has reported on before. Send suggestions to: followupfile@thetribunenews.com.

This story was originally published March 11, 2012 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Follow-Up File: Building Web communities from SLO."