Avelient Turns 20!

This year marks 20 years since Avelient began.

It’s a milestone that’s made me reflect on the people who’ve shaped this company, the progress we’ve made, and the purpose that’s guided us through it all.

I’m Mariano, Avelient’s CEO and co-founder, and I wanted to share a bit of that journey.

Avelient came together at a moment of change.

Scott Alexander and I were part of a company that was just starting to hit its stride, building systems and solving real problems.

When the owner decided to shut things down, we weren’t ready to stop. Scott approached me about starting something new, and we agreed to keep going.

We called it Avelient. The name was meant to evoke a few things: support, validation, and flight. In fact, our original logo even had an airplane in it.

We came from a world of system validation and process rigor, and we liked the idea of helping businesses move forward with clarity and confidence.

In the beginning, we stuck with what we knew: consulting and technical support for larger companies. It helped keep the lights on while we explored what else we might build.

It took time—and plenty of trial and error—to figure out what kind of company we wanted to become.

The consulting landscape was changing quickly, and small firms like ours were getting squeezed. We pivoted to website projects and eventually partnered with a small company in Washington called Bluetux.

That’s how we met Sam Howat, who joined us as a partner in 2010. Sam brought deep technical expertise and a steady focus on product development—qualities that shaped how we built scalable solutions for growing client networks.

Together, we started working with member-based organizations—groups in industries like insurance and optometry that needed professional, scalable website solutions for their networks.

Those early partnerships pushed us to think differently about design, infrastructure, and scale. They challenged us in all the right ways and helped shape the company we are today.

As our clients grew, so did their needs.

Websites were just one part of the equation; they also needed to be found online and reach their audiences in meaningful ways. So we added digital marketing to our toolkit.

It wasn’t always easy. The tools and trends shifted constantly, but we leaned into it. And over time, we became more than just a website company. We became a marketing company that grew to serve a wide range of industries, including dentistry, veterinary, ENT, and dermatology, and tackled some exciting challenges along the way.

Rebecca Schneider joined us full-time in 2017 and became a partner in 2023. She’s been instrumental in shaping how we support our clients, bringing empathy, operational structure, and a personal touch that’s helped us maintain an incredibly high retention rate—98% and climbing.

But the real story of Avelient’s growth wouldn’t be complete without our full team. Over the years, we’ve built a group of thoughtful, dedicated people who care deeply about doing great work. Their insight, creativity, and commitment to our clients have been key to everything we’ve accomplished—and they’re the reason so many customers choose to stay with us year after year.

I’m proud of what we’ve built—and even more excited for what’s ahead.

To our clients, teammates, and partners: thank you for being part of the journey.

Here’s to the next 20 years.

—Mariano