Minneapolis SEO firm SlickRockWeb Inc. and Ability Building Center Join Forces for Web Development Training and Employment of Individuals With Disabilities

Minneapolis, MN January 8, 2008 - SlickRockWeb, Inc. (www.slickrockweb.net), a leading Minneapolis SEO firm, is pleased to announce a ground-breaking collaboration with southern Minnesota’s non-profit Ability Building Center to train tech-minded individuals for careers in web development and search engine optimization. Since April, Ability Building Center (ABC) participants have worked with SlickRockWeb on a range of web-related projects for the Twin Cities-based company’s roster of national and international clients.

SlickRockWeb accessed participant’s skills through an alliance with ABC’s Supported Employment program, which helps persons with disabilities obtain and maintain employment at a variety of businesses. In recent months, the innovative program has expanded into the fast-growing field of search engine optimization (SEO), web analytics, search engine marketing (SEM), and other internet technologies.

“We have been really pleased with the results from our unique partnership,” said Eric Nelson, Ph.D., owner and chief technical officer of SlickRockWeb. Dr. Nelson hailed the seven-month collaboration as “a terrific way to tap into the underutilized talents of ABC’s motivated workforce and a great model for future partnerships with similar businesses.”

Steve Kelley, ABC’s business developer and liaison with SlickRockWeb, likewise described the arrangement as a boon for his center’s resident “techies,” who have received valuable training as well as fulfilling employment opportunities. Reflecting on the non-profit center’s mission, Kelley said the alliance has helped improve the quality of life for ABC participants by finding an employment outlet that makes use of their interests and aptitudes. “I think it’s been a perfect fit and a nice affirmation of our center’s motto, ‘Everyone benefits when people with disabilities work,’” Kelley said.

During face-to-face sessions, participants from ABC receive training from Dr. Nelson and work on current SlickRockWeb projects. Other duties, include processing raw data from web reporting tools into useful reports and performing web site quality assurance reporting. Befitting of a web-focused venture, the team can also communicate remotely via Microsoft Sharepoint, an online collaboration tool utilized by ABC.

Dr. Nelson hopes to expand the partnership by training the workers on additional software applications and web development languages that will help them hone their programming skills. Much of the training and guidance will be done over the Internet using Sharepoint and other Web 2.0 technologies that ABC’s Kelley has been instrumental in bringing to the partnership.

About SlickRockWeb

SlickRockWeb Inc. (www.slickrockweb.net) is a leading provider of affordable SEO (search engine optimization) and online marketing services. SlickRockWeb creates and manages cost-effective PPC (pay per click) campaigns and can improve a website’s organic search engine rankings through a variety of proprietary SEO methods. SlickRockWeb also provides a full suite of web development tools, web makeovers and custom designs, e-business solutions and web marketing strategies. SlickRockWeb’s clients hail from across the United States and three foreign countries. For more information, please visit www.slickrockweb.net or call (651) 698-3998.

About Ability Building Center

The mission of Ability Building Center (www.abcinc.org) is to improve the quality of life in southern Minnesota by providing rehabilitation and employment services for persons with disabilities and other special needs. Since 1956, ABC has been fulfilling this mission in part by establishing commercial partnerships with hundreds of businesses in the United States, bettering thousands of people’s lives through their participation in community employment opportunities and vocational development. For more information, please visit www.abcinc.org or call (507) 281-6262.