Mike Schmidt launched Anchor Wave Internet Solutions, LLC, in 2003 as a 22-year-old University of Arizona graduate with a vision: to become a leader in the website design industry. In six years, he has steadily built the business from a one-man business to a 10-person. Anchor Wave is a Tucson small business success story.

Mike’s achievements are based on dedication to clients, a belief in technology and a continual commitment to innovation. He seeks solutions to make the client experience exceptional. His website development business thrives because he helps clients make well-informed decisions.

Just out of college, Mike began developing a business model that emphasized the importance of continual communication within his organization. He refined it as he began hiring employees, and eventually made that constant communication model the centerpiece of client relationships. As a result, client referrals have helped his business balloon.

In the Community

Mike lends his website and Internet marketing expertise to community non-profits and small, startup businesses.

He assisted the Tucson Boys & Girls Club with a website to promote its annual fundraiser, “The Event.” The website was a key marketing tool that allowed attendees to pay for admission, make donations and learn about the organization’s mission.

“Because of Anchor Wave’s talent and generosity, we had over 1,200 people attend “The Event” this past April, all saying the website and the video on the website is what sold them to attend” says Lacey DeLeon, Director of Special Events for the Boys and Girls Club of Tucson.

Mike also helps small Tucson businesses that benefit the community but cannot afford the expense of marketing themselves on the internet. For instance, he built a website free of charge for a micro-business that helps keep Tucsonans healthy.

Mike and Anchor Wave regularly host high-school and college students for job-shadowing opportunities. He worked with students at Tanque Verde High School on creating a website for Corks for Cancer.

“It was an invaluable experience for my students to get hands-on experience with a professional web design company while helping out Corks for Cancer,” says Greg Miller, Career Services Director, Tanque Verde High School. “Mike and his team are so professional and really care about our community and our students’ career interests.”

Other organizations that have benefited from Mike’s assistance include The Lacey Jarrell Foundation, Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona, Habitat for Humanity, The Tucson Moms Club and The Tuller School.

Mike plans to be active in the Tucson and Southern Arizona community for many years to come and encourages his team to identify ways to give back.

A Bright Future

Mike will continue to grow his leadership in Tucson business for many reasons. His business acumen and community involvement aside, Mike has become a promising entrepreneur among business community insiders because of his commitment to ethical business practices and wonderful reputation for treating clients right.

Mike recognizes that many of his business’s finest achievements and advancements were realized because of his support for the team’s involvement. He credits his team for taking his innovative ideas to solve a problem and nurturing them into reality. For instance, his discussions with team members about the need to make the client experience more predictable led his project manager to create the Anchor Wave client organizer. It now serves as the bible for every project’s workflow, and has turned clients into raving fans of the company.

“I try to plant the seed, get everyone rowing in the same direction and then stand back and let my team do what they do best,” Schmidt says. “You get amazing results when you empower talented people.”

Mike knows that creating successful employees will keep him successful and contribute to the development of Anchor Wave and future business ventures. “I have a clear vision for my business,” Schmidt says, “and I look forward to providing opportunities to those that want to join my efforts to be an industry authority for website design and internet marketing.”

Anthony Rivera is a Tucson native. Having left for Flagstaff in 1996 in search of a Psychology degree at Northern Arizona University, Anthony changed his focus in 1998 when he decided to come back home to University of Arizona to pursue a degree in Computer Science. He has always gravitated towards computers and anything related to technology. It was fitting that he would soon take an entry level computer technical support position at Intuit helping clients with their accounting software, QuickBooks.

During this time Anthony took an interest in the world wide web. He began to develop websites in his spare time and after a short amount of time created a niche at Intuit for developing small websites to assist internal teams with managing their processes. It was no wonder that after Intuit decided to make a big push in Social Media, they would choose Anthony to manage the team to make it happen.

In 2 years Anthony and his team were able to grow a 20,000 member community into a thriving 250,000 member social network that connected small businesses and accountants. Having achieved such great success in a short amount of time, his team was asked to manage the Quicken and Accountants communities as well. During the next 2 years Anthony would become an expert in online communities by playing a strategic role in leveraging search engine optimization and internet marketing. Working in a corporate environment helping small businesses achieve their goals gave Anthony a unique skill set that would become invaluable at Anchor Wave.

In August of 2008, Anthony left Intuit to fill a position as Website Strategist at Anchor Wave. In this role Anthony would be able to leverage all of his experience and connect with small businesses every day to help them achieve their dreams. Given a blank slate to build a process to help existing clients get more out of their website, Anthony created a new division for Anchor Wave which helped drive a 53% growth in revenue in 2008 and even more importantly helped Anchor Wave’s clients succeed. He enjoys being constantly rewarded when he sees the dramatic impact his role plays in his clients’ success and continues to find new and innovative ways to push the envelope. Anthony also plays a strategic role in helping Anchor Wave take the next step towards becoming an industry leader in Internet Marketing and Design.

Eric is a front-end developer who creates appealing designs and follows web standards to create semantic code that is both SEO friendly and accessible.

Eric created his first basic website in the early 90′s and has been interested in the web ever since. He started focusing seriously on web design in 2006  when he used his college senior project to create a website. Eric received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Multimedia Design, where he learned many different forms of design rather than just web. He loves working with the web and considers himself lucky he gets to do it for a career.

Irel started doing graphic design for the family business back in High school. Playing around with Photoshop and illustrator, she designed posters, flyers, business cards, logos, etc. Irel was born and raised in Mexico, in the city of Hermosillo. After graduating from high school she had a scholarship opportunity to pursue a degree at the U of A. Irel graduated with a BA in Marketing because she thought her graphic design interest and some business skills would be a good combination.

It wasn’t until she was an intern for a local builder that her interest for web design was born. One of Irel’s duties was to update the company’s website, which was basically just emailing pictures and content to the web person. Suddenly Irel found herself wanting to learn how to do the updates herself! She decided to take a couple classes on web design and loved it. Irel strived to make designs beautiful, unique and functional. It’s not only about making things look pretty but designing a simple and easy to use site!

When Irel isn’t designing websites, she loves spending time with her husband and friends. Her family is back in Mexico, so she tries to visit about once a month. Irel also likes to draw (mostly portraits) and try oil painting on her free time!

Jane was born in England and raised in Connecticut. She moved to Tucson to attend the U of A where she studied Marine Conservation (in the desert!) and sociology. She spent several summers in Mexico volunteering with green sea turtle and grey whale conservation projects. In addition to a passion for the environment she also loves design, photography and technology.

After college, Jane taught herself to build flash based websites while working for a local architect. After that she was hooked and began creating websites and branding materials for friends and local businesses. For the past 8 years she designed and developed creative marketing materials and websites for a large local non-profit.

Random facts: Will try anything once (especially if dared). Loves to travel, has been to over 180+ cities and has two passports (US & UK). Understands but can’t speak Spanish. Can milk a goat. Considers Costa Rica her second home, but has never actually lived there. Jane joined Anchor Wave as a project Coordinator in December 2011.

Trey Wesson is a Tucson native. In 1997 he was tasked with figuring out how to build a website for his fathers real estate brokerage. He was always fascinated that something could be created and displayed for anyone in the world with an internet connection. While researching how to actually build and publish a website, he discovered HTML. He taught himself how to hand code and create graphics – He was hooked.

After further developing his skills as a hobby, Trey decided it was time to do web design professionally and was able to secure a position with DoTucson.com, a local internet startup.

While he eventually went into brokering single and multi-family real estate full time, he always had an internet project in the works. Over the last few years Trey has transitioned from web design into internet marketing and has excelled in getting positive results for clients.

When seeing that an Internet Marketing postion opened at Anchor Wave, he quickly jumped at the opportunity and survived the rigorous interview and assessment process.

Trey is married with two young boys. When he’s not on the computer, he enjoys spending time with his family and teaching his oldest son how to play baseball.

Jill, born and raised in Tucson, originally studied architecture at Arizona State University. She later transferred to The University of Arizona to study Journalism and Marketing. Post-graduation, she began a small photography company, and joined the Anchor Wave team in 2012.

Jill would say her skills include using both sides of the brain. Outside of the office, Jill enjoys all artistic media but spends most of her time in photography and acrylic paint. When Tucson weather permits it, she enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors. She loves to stay busy and encourages a challenge. She is 100% a people person, but considers animals to be on the same level.

Lilly greatly enjoyed growing up in the vast frontier of Alaska, yet made the sunshine-related decision to migrate south to attend University of Arizona in Tucson. A decision that has afforded her an outdoor-loving lifestyle in the desert with far less need for layers.

With degrees in Marketing and Graphic Design in hand, she progressed to work in roles of both specialities, including owning her own design firm for 9 years. Lilly strongly believes in the power of visual communication to fuel all kinds of good; good ideas, good social movements and especially good business. Helping clients discover and enhance the power of their smartest strategy as it unfolds in their communications is what keeps her entranced with this industry, and looking forward to what will evolve next.

A quirky family, delicious coffee, and planning the next April fools prank are among her most favorite of activities. A good documentary and a sunset bike ride are a close second. If she could hop a jet to a faraway land, it would be a repeat visit to Burundi – where she has adopted, and been adopted by, the people of this emerging country.

Tim is originally from Houston Texas, but having to move frequently with his father’s business he was able to see and live in some of the most interesting parts of the United States.
He ultimately landed in Dallas Texas, where he attended college and met his now wife of over twenty years. While studying business finance, Tim was recruited by then Wall St. giant Bear Stearns to work in their retail department. After 15 years of sitting behind a trading desk, he stretched out on his own to share what he had learned. Ultimately he and his family landed here in Tucson, where he began working as an independent financial sales trainer for Americas largest insurance provider.

During this time, being well known for his ability to create relationships, Tim was contacted about an opportunity to work on a newly created sales force for internet giant Google. Not wanting to shy away from a new challenge, he decided to join as a contracted Google Adwords representative, far before many even new they existed. Tim spent day and night, assisting small to medium business owners as they began learn, understand and utilize search engine marketing.

Wanting to get back to his family in Tucson, Tim decided to combine his new found skills as well as his original skill set and set out to find a company with likeminded goals and understood the intrinsic principles of search engine marketing. After meeting Mike Schmidt and his team at Anchor Wave, he knew he was home.

Tim now lives in Vail, Arizona, with his wife and four sons. When he’s not out communicating the importance and mechanics of online marketing, he enjoys travelling and seeing the rest of the nation he missed in his childhood.

Breanna is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She left the Land of Enchantment to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, where she knew from the start that advertising and marketing was where she wanted to be. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 2005 and began exploring her career options in the field of marketing.

Her journey began with sports marketing, working for the Utah Grizzlies hockey team, as well as Reál Salt Lake (MLS). After working with these teams she moved into a more traditional marketing role, working with Premier Mentoring, a Salt Lake based company focusing on Real Estate Investment and Coaching programs. Breanna worked in their marketing department for three years and while there took her first steps into the realm of internet marketing.

She left Premier Mentoring in 2010 to start working exclusively in internet marketing with tenBy12 Marketing Solutions. She found that she truly enjoyed the opportunity of interacting more directly with clients and helping them grow their business through the skills she has built in her career.

She came to Anchor Wave in early 2012 after moving to Tucson and loves the company and her clients. She is married and with her husband just welcomed their first child, a little girl named Lillian.

Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona

College: University of Arizona

Kyle hails from San Diego, California, but grew up in Gilbert, Arizona. He had an interest in computers, music and art from a very early age. He started using photoshop to make banners and avatars for forums in the 90s.

It wasn’t until the end of highschool that Kyle caught the design bug, when his fathers side business, a coin-op shredder company, needed an identity, website, promotional and presentational graphics. He bought a few books and taught himself web design in an effort to help promote the company.

Throughout college, Kyle fell more and more in love with design until it became his career. He worked freelance for a couple years before seeking employment with Anchorwave.

Still a student at the University of Arizona, Kyle is studying Information Science, Technology and the Arts. Aside from design, Kyle is very interested in audio/visual programming, music, and modern art installation.

Stephen was born in Orange County, California but has lived in Tucson since a young age. He started creating websites at the age of 15 and has been doing it ever since. In 2010, Stephen started freelancing but shortly missed the office environment. He’s grateful to be apart of the Anchor Wave team.