Bluestem Media Team
Eric Wiinanen
Owner & Web Designer
Isaac Wiinanen
SEO & Content Strategist
How we help
Bluestem Media builds attractive websites that make more sales and give a good image to small businesses.
- We believe that every small business owner should have an attractive, sales-generating website.
- We have crafted attractive, lead-generating websites for many hard-working small & medium-sized businesses.
- Our web design and SEO services have worked for many small businesses, they will work for you, too.
History
Bluestem Media LLC was founded as a web design company in 2013 after Eric Wiinanen retired from law enforcement. He had experience working in web design as a police officer, where he created the official website of the West Fargo Police Department. During this time, he also ran EW Web Design, taking on a handful of clients per year in a side hustle role.
Bluestem Media grew its web design portfolio under Eric as the sole owner-operator. He helped many local businesses in West Fargo expand their brand online. Early clients included the City of West Fargo, Financial Strategies Group, Salem Evangelical Free Church, Red Engineering, and Dakota Storage.
In 2018, Eric hired his first employee, Isaac Wiinanen, as a Content Strategist for the business. Bluestem also built a team of contractors to round out graphic design and web development skills.
In 2019, the business relocated from Hawley, Minnesota to Navarre, Florida. Current Minnesota-based clients were able to continue working with Bluestem Media thanks to Zoom and Google Meet. The move expanded opportunities into a new local market, where clients from Navarre, Gulf Breeze, and Pensacola were acquired.
In 2020, Bluestem expanded its offerings with Search Engine Optimization services. They started with several existing clients, helping them build more momentum in search engines. This vertical of the business grew fourfold within four years.
In 2023, Bluestem took on its first intern, Ben Wiinanen. As part of the internship, Ben studied HMTL, CSS, web design, SEO strategy, StoryBrand messaging, and copywriting.