Kirei USA: Website Transformation & Marketing Automation

Lead Web Engineer and Client Manager for Kirei USA, a manufacturer of sustainable acoustic panels, on a 3+ year improvements retainer (via Solspace Inc.). I led a team of 2 developers and 1 designer while also serving as the primary developer, meeting weekly with the client to plan improvements and deliver continuous value.

What started as rescue tasks evolved into a complete website transformation. I rebuilt their rigid, hardcoded Craft CMS website into a flexible, component-based system that empowered their marketing team to work independently. The relationship grew because I consistently planned ahead with the client, identifying future improvements and delivering undeniable value at every phase.

The Journey: From Rescue to Transformation

Phase 1: Stabilization & Rescue

The engagement began with urgent fixes and stability improvements. Their existing website had accumulated technical debt, with hardcoded content that required developer intervention for even simple updates. I focused on resolving immediate issues while documenting the underlying architectural problems.

What I delivered:

• Resolved critical bugs and stability issues
• Assessed CMS architecture limitations
• Established reliable development and deployment workflows
• Built trust through consistent, quality delivery

Phase 2: Section-by-Section Redesign

With stability established, I led a comprehensive redesign of every major website section. Rather than a risky full rebuild, we took a systematic approach: redesigning and rebuilding one section at a time while maintaining the live site.

What I delivered:

• Homepage transformation: From static layout to dynamic, marketing-controlled content
• Products section rebuild: New architecture supporting their acoustic panel catalog
• Quote request system: Streamlined lead capture for their B2B sales process
• All supporting sections: About, resources, and marketing pages rebuilt with consistent component architecture

The key improvement: transforming their CMS from rigid, hardcoded templates to a flexible component-based system. Their marketing team went from needing developer support for basic content changes to managing their website independently.

Phase 3: Marketing Automation & Integration

As the website matured, focus shifted to marketing technology and lead capture optimization.

Faceted Product Search

I implemented instant, faceted search for their acoustic panel products. Customers could now filter products by specifications, materials, and applications without page reloads, dramatically improving the product discovery experience.

Pardot to Marketo Migration

When Kirei USA decided to switch from Pardot to Marketo internally, I led the website integration work. This involved updating all lead capture forms, ensuring proper tracking, and maintaining data flow between the website and their new marketing automation platform.

Salesforce Integration Discovery

I planned and architected a direct Salesforce integration for their quote builder. The discovery work defined how quote requests would flow directly from the website to Salesforce, eliminating manual data entry and accelerating their sales team’s response time.

Removing Workflow Friction

The core value of this engagement was removing friction for both the marketing team and their customers:

For the Marketing Team:

• Eliminated developer dependency for content updates through flexible CMS components
• Marketing team went from filing tickets for every content change to publishing independently
• Reduced time from content idea to published page from days to hours
• Streamlined marketing automation with clean Marketo integration and zero data loss during migration

For Customers:

• Faster product discovery through faceted search with sub-second filtering
• Streamlined quote request process capturing more qualified leads
• Better user experience across all redesigned sections

For the Sales Team:

• More qualified leads through improved quote request forms
• Planned direct Salesforce integration to eliminate manual data entry
• Faster response times through automated lead routing

What This Engagement Demonstrates

This 3-year relationship illustrates the value of long-term partnership over one-off projects:

• Continuous improvement over big-bang redesigns: Systematic, section-by-section transformation reduced risk and delivered value continuously
• Trust built through consistent delivery: Starting with rescue tasks and growing to strategic planning
• Technical depth with business understanding: CMS flexibility, marketing automation, and CRM integration all connected to real business outcomes
• Team leadership combined with hands-on development: Leading a team while remaining the primary developer ensured quality and consistency

Implemented solutions:

• Custom E-commerce Functionality
• Flexible Content Management
• Marketing Content Components
• Website Redesign Implementation
• Website Performance Optimization
• CRM Integration
• Newsletter Integration
• Website Core & Stability
• Lead Capture Automation
• Website Technical SEO Optimization
• File Storage Integration
• Website Accessibility Optimization
• Quote Builder Implementation
• Development and Deployment Pipeline
• Fast Data Search

Used technologies: