Pop Labs News & Press

Pop Labs Executives Named "Professionals on the Fast Track" by H Texas Magazine

Jillian Fortin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:02:04 -0800

Pop Labs President, Gene McCubbin, and Vice President of Technology and Operations, Kelsey Ruger, were named "Professionals on the Fast Track" by Houston Magazine. The list, which includes professionals from many different industries, was released in H Texas Magazine's January 2009 edition.

"It is always nice to be recognized for one's accomplishments and contributions," said McCubbin. "Being recognized alongside Pop Labs VP Operations, Kelsey Ruger, makes the honor more rewarding. Being two of only three Marketing professionals in Houston on the list... well... That just makes us much more cognizant of our responsibilities to the industry, our peers, our employees and our clients."

H Texas Magazine listed three professionals in the marketing/advertising, two of which were McCubbin and Ruger.

About Pop Labs Inc.

Pop Labs is an interactive marketing agency specializing in Web and search engine marketing that targets small to mid-size businesses in a large variety of industries nationwide. Pop Labs Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information about Pop Labs and all of our services, please visit www.poplabs.com or contact us directly at 713-243-4500.

http://www.poplabs.com
http://blog.poplabs.com
http://www.twitter.com/gopoplabs

About H Texas Magazine

H Texas Magazine is a Houston-based lifestyle magazine dedicated to defining the unique Houston experience. Topics of interest include dining, events, people, places and more. For more information, visit www.htexas.com.

Kelsey Ruger Nominated for Texas Social Media Awards

Jillian Fortin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:42:40 -0800

Kelsey Ruger, Pop Labs's Vice President of Technology and Operations, has been nominated for the Statesman's Texas Social Media Awards. The Stateman's Texas Social Media Awards recognizes the Top 25 Social Media Users in Texas.

"I can never deny my love for technology, I grew up with it," said Ruger. "Social Media, however, is more about the 'social' than the 'media'. Most of the change we see happening is really about finding ways to help people re-connect with each other and companies learning to show their 'human' side. It just so happens that there is a lot of cool technology to help make the shift easy."

Ruger, an active member of the Houston tech community, has presented on numerous topics related to social media, the most recent of which include "Crucial Conversations in Social Media" and "New Gangs in America: The Story of Organizing with Organizations."

"I first embraced social media because it really the embodied the ideas that I was reading in books like 'The World is Flat', 'The Cluetrain Manifesto' and 'A Whole New Mind,'" said Ruger. "These all talk about shifts in the way people think and interact, but more importantly they talk about how those shifts are forcing businesses (and individuals) to re-evaluate how they see themselves, their employees and their customers."

In addition to his executive position at Pop Labs, Ruger holds positions as a board member for organizations such as the Houston Interactive Marketing Association (www.houstonima.org), Knowbility (www.knowbility.org) and Westwood College (www.westwood.edu). In addition, Ruger is an influential advocate of groups like Refresh Houston (www.refreshhouston.org) and Barcamp Houston (www.barcamp.org/BarCampHouston).

The list of nominees was released on Monday, January 19, 2009. The Statesman will name the top 25 on February 18, 2009.

About Pop Labs Inc.

http://www.poplabs.com
http://blog.poplabs.com
http://www.twitter.com/gopoplabs

Pop Labs Ranked #9 On Houston Business Journal's FastTech 50

Jillian Fortin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:26:31 -0800

Houston, TX - November 17, 2008 - Houston's Top 50 Fastest Growing Technology Companies were honored at the FastTech 50 Awards Luncheon on Friday, November 7, 2008. After posting 724.4% revenue growth since its conception in 2001, Pop Labs was honored as Houston's 9th fastest growing technology company.

"We are honored to be on Houston's FastTech 50 once again," says Gene McCubbin, Pop Labs president. "We are encouraged by not only our company's growth in revenues, but in the quality of our staff, and the continued efficacy of our service offering. The Pop Labs team shines!"

Some of this year's Top 50 honorees included Globalogix, The Planet and Stone Bond Tech. The FastTech 50 Awards presented to 50 high-tech businesses in the Houston area that experienced the greatest percentage of revenue growth in 2008. This marks the Pop Labs management team's third year being ranked in the top 10.

Recipients of the FastTech 50 Awards were also featured within the FastTech 50 Focus Section the Houston Business Journal's November 7, 2008 issue.

The event was hosted by the Houston Business Journal and was presented by PKF of Texas. It was co-sponsored by Oracle, Pierpont Communications, Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, the Houston Technology Center, Capital One Bank, Phillips & Reiter, PLLC and Fox 26 KRIV-TV/ My20 KTXH-TV.

About Pop Labs

Founded in 2001, Pop Labs is one of the nation’s leading full service digital media agencies. Employing a unique holistic hands-on approach to search engine marketing and social media, Pop Labs helps clients achieve better online marketing results by focusing on what web users really want. Serving thousands of small to mid-sized business owners (in addition to the occasional multi-national conglomerate) allows Pop Labs to develop key processes and efficiencies that yield better results and enhance business ROI.

http://www.poplabs.com
http://blog.poplabs.com
http://www.twitter.com/gopoplabs

Pop Labs’ Employees Receive First Place Awards at Web Accessibility Competition

Jillian Fortin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:22:16 -0800

Houston, TX — November 14, 2008 — Pop Labs, one of the nation’s leading full service digital media agencies, received the first place award in the Formula One Division at Knowbility’s fifth annual Accessible Internet Houston Rally, which took place on Saturday, October 18, 2008. The award was announced Thursday, November 14, 2008, at the AIR Houston Awards Banquet, which was held at the University of Houston.

AIR Houston is a one-day, eight-hour Web design and development competition hosted by Austin-based Knowbility, an organization whose central goal is to create programs that engage the entire community in understanding how and why to meet the technology access needs of children and adults with disabilities. Knowbility’s AIR program has been raising accessibility awareness in web communities all over the United States since 1998.

During the competition, teams of Web designers and developers, along with non-profit organizations from the Houston area, work to build new Web sites or enhance existing Web sites with the goal of making them fully accessible for people with disabilities. Pop Labs has competed and placed first in each of the past five years. This year’s award-winning team, Ctrl.Alt.Delete.Your.Face, consisted of Jillian Fortin, Melissa Garcia, Chris Pratt, Lonnie Minter, and Jonathan Jackson. They built a fully-accessible website for the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council.

Two other teams representing Pop Labs also received awards in the Stock Car division. The team Electric Coats obtained a first place award for the site they built the Fresh Arts Coalition. This team consisted of Jane Vora, Molly Rodriguez, Jairo Pineda, Ryota Masaki and Adem Sengul. Another Pop Labs team, Codelicious, obtained a third place award for the site they built the Hearing Loss Association of Houston.

"The importance of these competitions grows greater each year," said Kelsey Ruger, Pop Labs' Vice President of Technology. Ruger also serves as a board member, trainer and AIR Houston judge. "As the number of internet users grow, so does the need for optimized, accessible websites- not only from a user standpoint, but a business standpoint as well."

About Pop Labs

http://www.poplabs.com
http://blog.poplabs.com
http://www.twitter.com/gopoplabs

About Knowbility

Knowbility is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 to support the independence of children and adults with disabilities through accessible information technology - barrier-free IT! For more information about Knowbility, visit www.knowbility.org.

Pop Labs Ranks Among Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Companies in the U.S. List

Jillian Fortin — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:34:04 -0700

Houston, TX – Inc. magazine announced its 27th Annual Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Companies in the U.S. list for 2008. Pop Labs Inc., the leading interactive marketing agency specializing in web and search engine marketing, ranks No. 440 on the list with a three-year growth of 724.4%.

In addition to the overall ranking, Pop Labs ranks at No. 32 in the Top 100 Advertising and Marketing Companies in the nation and No. 9 in the Top 50 Businesses in Houston-Sugarland-Baytown, TX metroplex. The Inc. 500 list is available in the September edition of the magazine.

"Being recognized on the Inc. 500 list is a tombstone in any entrepreneurial company’s growth. As the saying goes, ’you are who you associate with,’ and Pop Labs is proud to hang out with the other cool kids on the Inc. 500 winner’s list!" said Pop Labs president Gene McCubbin. "Our success comes intrinsically from the fact that we are the only national provider offering small-to-midsized businesses top-notch consultative search engine marketing services, including SEO, web design, social media, and pay-per-click management... for a small monthly retainer that costs less than hiring a direct employee. Our unique model finances their growth through effective application of our intellectual property."

The Inc. 500 ranks privately held companies according to year-over-year sales growth from 2004 through 2007. The companies of the Inc. 500 represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000. The 2008 Inc. 500 reported aggregate revenue of $13.7 billion and a median three-year growth of 1,046%.

About Inc 500.

Inc., http://www.inc.com, the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. It provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Inc., a Mansueto Ventures LLC publication, inspires and informs, with cutting-edge coverage that reflects our readers’ energy, brashness, and imagination.

About Pop Labs Inc.

Pop Labs Sponsors Charity Speed Networking Unleashed

Administrator — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:47:54 -0700

Houston, TX – April 15, 2008 – Houston based Pop Labs will sponsor Charity Speed Networking Unleashed which is being held on Sunday April 20th from 6pm-9pm. This must attend event is open to the public and 100% of proceeds from tickets ($10) and a silent auction during the event, will be donated to the Youth Development Center.

$10 gets you in the door for a night of "speed networking," drinks; munchies and a performance by Pop Labs own the Poetic Prophet (AKA the SEO Rapper).

“I am really looking forward to this event because it’s one of the few times a conference that wasn’t planned by someone in Houston, was held in Houston. I first met Jennifer, the Editor-in-chief for Search Engine guide at Got Social Media in January and I know firsthand that she has been working really hard at making this an event that you will want to attend” says Creative Services Director of Pop Labs Kelsey Ruger.

Charity Speed Networking Unleashed is a precursor to Search Engine Guide’s first Small Business Unleashed Conference held at the Northwest Forest Conference Center. Jennifer Laycock, the Editor-in-chief for Search Engine Guide says "Building your brand has always been about building relationships, so it was only natural to create a pre-show networking mixer that would give our speakers and attendees a chance to mingle with the Houston small business and marketing crowds and since we are Houston based it makes sense to team up with a Houston organization that's helping at-risk youth build a foundation for their life."

The first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference is being planned by the team behind Search Engine Guide and Small Business Brief, two sites that have devoted themselves to demystifying online marketing for small business owners.

Small Business Marketing Unleashed is different from all others because it gives the stage to one expert who knows how to explain the nuts and bolts of their topic to the small business audience. With this conference you'll get the information that's vital to improving your online marketing techniques and you'll get it without the techno-talk and industry jargon that’s common in larger online marketing conferences.

"This show was created based on years of feedback from small business owners and marketers who found larger conferences a bit overwhelming. We were looking for a way to help companies build a strong foundation in online marketing while respecting the fact that not everyone has the time or money to hire a top tier agency. Small Business Marketing Unleashed is really about taking what we've been doing online for a decade and putting it in a classroom" says Jennifer.

For More Information Contact:

Kelsey Ruger

Office: (713) 243-4500

Fax: (713) 781-9272

Website: http://www.poplabs.com

About Pop Labs

About Search Engine Guide

Search Engine Guide, is an educational web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand.

Pop Labs Sponsors SMX Social Media Marketing

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:53:54 -0700

Houston, TX – April 21, 2008 – Houston based Pop Labs has been named one of the sponsors for SMX Social Media Marketing Expo This must attend event takes place at the Westin Long Beach Hotel on April 22-23 in Long Beach, California.

During the SMX Social Media Marketing Expo internet markers will learn how to engage the fast and growing audiences of social media sites like Digg, del.icio.us, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Reddit and Wikipedia.

This event features practical advice from trail-blazing marketers who have mastered the art of marketing on social media sites. The agenda highlights include:

• Social Media Marketing Essentials

• Linkbait - Chumming for Traffic on Social Media Sites

• Extra! Extra! The Social News Sites

• A Marketer's Guide to Social Bookmarking & Tagging

• Effectively Leveraging Social Networking

• Evangelist - The Marketer's Role in SMM

• Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers & Answer Sharing

“The nature of marketing your business has really changed over the last few years. With so many ways for consumers to generate new content and participate in conversations about your brand it's really important to have a good understanding about the basic of social media” says Pop Labs President Gene McCubbin.

SMX Social Media Marketing will teach you how to be a master of social media marketing and Pop Labs is proud to be a sponsor.

For More Information Contact:

Kelsey Ruger

Office: (713) 243-4500

Fax: (713) 781-9272

Website: http://www.poplabs.com

About Pop Labs

About SMX Social Media Marketing Expo

SMX Social Media Marketing Expo is a marketing conference started by Search Marketing Expert Danny Sullivan and the conference focuses on traditional online and social media marketing techniques for businesses.

Pop Labs' SEO Rapper Debuts “Design Coding” at SES New York

Administrator — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:56:51 -0700

Houston, TX – March 17, 2008 – Charles (Chuck) Lewis, also known as the SEO Rapper (Mo Serious), from Pop Labs will debut his latest marketing rap video entitled “Design Coding” at the Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo (SES) in New York on Monday March 17.

“SES is a great conference to attend because it provides the opportunity to learn more about Search Engine Marketing and it presents the opportunity to network. This year I have the opportunity to debut my fifth SEO marketing rap entitled “Design Coding” and it’s truly an honor”, states Chuck

Not long ago, Chuck began his SEO marketing rap videos during a “Pop Labs SES Explosion” which was a seminar where Pop Labs employees made presentations about all sorts of online marketing related topics. Chuck teamed up with Brad Pecot, a Pop Labs marketing specialist, and they presented on the topic of link building. “To keep it interesting so it wouldn’t be a standard presentation using powerpoint, I wrote a rap about building a link campaign. After several people asked where they could watch the video and the lyrics request started coming in, I figured I’d post it [the video] on YouTube”, says the SEO rapper

Chuck has four prior SEO marketing raps which include: “Link Building 101”, Social Media Addiction”, “Paid Search 101”, and “Conversion Closing”. The SEO rapper has tons of fans and the base extends from the United States to India. Loren Baker, Editor of the Search Engine Journal, states “I just cannot get enough of these search marketing rap videos from Mo Serious at Pop Labs. They’re smart, witty and entertaining … very clever and relevant lyrics and excellent hip hop style.”

About Pop Labs

About Search Engine Strategies

The leading global conference & expo series that educates delegates on search engine marketing (SEM), including optimization (SEO) and advertising strategies, tactics and best practices. SES Search Marketing Events provide instruction from the industry's top Search experts, including representatives of the Search Engines themselves. Look below for an event near you or read on to find out more about our conference & expo series.

Pop Labs’ People’s Choice Award and 2nd Place at AIR Competition

Administrator — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:48:19 -0700

Houston, TX -March 12, 2008- Pop Labs, one of the nation’s leading full service digital media agencies, received the People’s Choice and 2nd Place awards at Accessible Internet Rally Interactive (AIR-Interactive) for the Arts 2008. The awards were announced Tuesday, March 11, 2008, at the AIR Awards Banquet.

This version of AIR gave the developers a chance to really shine and participate in one of the most talked about events in Austin – the SXSW Interactive Media Conference – which was held in parallel with the SXSW Music Convention and the SXSW Film Festival.

The competition allowed teams of four to design accessible, highly interactive, rich media sites for Austin-area musicians, artists and arts organizations. Pop Labs competed and earned the coveted People’s choice award along with 2nd place. The award-winning team, Robot Kittens, built a fully-accessible website for Girls Rock Camp Austin (www.girlsrockcampaustin.org) and Tammy Schmidt from the team states “It was an honor to participate in Air Interactive because it’s a great competition with many real world benefits. We had a talented team that worked well together but we couldn't have done it without the ladies at Girls Rock Camp. The ladies rocked on getting us the information we needed, when we needed it.” The other members of Robot Kittens consisted of Suzanne Blair, Lonnie Minter, LaToya David, Tammy Schmidt, Nathaneal Campbell and Christina Dowers.

The AIR program has long-term results and provides benefits for the whole community. Web developers learn about how and why to create accessible online applications and then apply their new skills by creating an accessible website that is reviewed by national accessibility experts.

“Participating in AIR competitions is always satisfying on a few levels. First, it's always fun to compete against your peers. Secondly, it simply makes you a better web developer by learning how to reach the widest possible audience. But most importantly, there is the satisfaction of having done something special for an organization that otherwise may not have benefited from having such an accessible site, says Lonnie Minter”

Kelsey Ruger, Pop Labs’ Director of Creative Services, who also serves as board member and, trainer of AIR Houston states “The AIR competition is an excellent way to reinforce the techniques we use in everyday work, and make sure that the sites we build have the greatest reach for our clients.”

About Pop Labs

About AIR Interactive

Knowbility's AIR-Interactive focuses on arts organizations, encourages accessible development of sophisticated multimedia applications, and extends the time allotted to development teams to build their entries.

Pop Labs to Participate in 1st Annual Got Social Media Conference

Administrator — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:25:18 -0800

HOUSTON - January 3, 2008 - Kelsey Ruger, Director of Technology and Creative Services at Pop Labs (www.poplabs.com), will present his expertise on the basic fundamentals of conversation at the first annual Got Social Media? Conference on Jan. 24 at 10:30 a.m. at the Houston Technology Center.

Ruger will discuss the ways in which you can overcome the obstacles of conversation, participate in conversations and make them true and meaningful stories that move people to action. He hopes that attendees will learn why poor communication is hurting businesses today and what can be done about it.
“Conversation is a basic human activity, yet many businesses either choose to ignore the fundamentals of conversation or have simply forgotten,” Ruger said. “My hope is that I can introduce them to why this is hurting their business today and what they can do about it.”

The Got Social Media? Conference is an annual, workshop-based conference that is geared towards social media—those in advertising, public relations, marketing, technology, as well as entrepreneurs or owners of small businesses. This year’s speakers include Steve Latham of Spur Digital, Ed Schipul of Schipul: The Web Marketing Company, Chris Bernard of Microsoft and Erica O’Grady of Peanut Butter Media.

Various topics will be covered at the conference, including search engine optimization, social networking, Web 3.0 and designing for social media.

“The Got Social Media? Conference is a crash course in Community Marketing that is perfect for both designers and marketing professionals,” O’Grady said. “It is a great opportunity for small to medium sized businesses to spend the day in conversation with the Who's Who of social media and design.”

Pop Labs will be one of the sponsors for the event. Other sponsors include Peanut Butter Media and Startup Houston.

For More Information Contact:
Kelsey Ruger, Creative Services Director
Office: (713) 243-4500
Fax: (713) 781-9272
Website: http://www.poplabs.com

Kelsey Ruger to Speak on Visual and Creative Thinking

Administrator — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:40:47 -0800

Kelsey Ruger, Director of Technology and Creative Services of Pop Labs (www.poplabs.com) will present his expertise in Creative Thinking at the Lake Charles Ad Federation. He presentation “Visual and Creative Thinking? What I Learned From Peter Pan and Willy Wonka” can be seen at a meeting of American Ad Federation in Lake Charles on December 11.

Kelsey will explore how professional in all fields can apply creative and visual thinking skills to their work as well as why people ignore the talents that made them naturally creative as children. He will discuss the myths that people hold about creativity, why they exist and how you can overcome them.

“Professionals in all industries have a lot of misconceptions about creativity and creative activities like drawing” Ruger said. “By learning a few simple techniques and habits; and getting a grasp on why they believe what they believe, they can open up a whole world of possibilities in all fields of practice.”

Ruger's Visual and Creative Thinking presentation begins at 11:30 AM on December 11 at Reeves Uptown Catering located at 1639 Ryan St., Lake Charles, La. 70601.

For More Information Contact:
Kelsey Ruger, Creative Services Director
Office: (713) 243-4500
Fax: (713) 781-9272
Website: http://www.poplabs.com

Pop Labs launches new corporate web site

Administrator — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:40:26 -0700

Houston, TX (July 2, 2007) – Pop Labs on Friday unveiled a redesigned corporate Web site. Houston based Pop Labs said the new site is designed to introduce users to new social media services and introduce a new brand that reflects the evolution and present scope of its business.

Pop Lab’s Director of Technology and Creative Services, Kelsey Ruger said “The new site is just the first of many changes and launches we are planning for this year. We are excited about where our industry is headed and wanted to make sure we had a site that communicated who we are and where we are going”.

After recording breaking growth over the last few years, Pop Labs is looking to take advantage of rapid changes in technology. Ruger added, “Technology now allows us to deliver richer consumer and business experiences particularly when it comes to marketing and brand management. With new frameworks like Ruby on Rails and Django software solutions can be delivered much faster. Our new Web site is a part of our evolution to keep pace with this changing environment.”

Based in Houston, TX, Pop Labs is a top search marketing and social media consulting agency. Pop Labs delivers search marketing industries solutions for small to medium sized businesses. The company focuses on delivering focused traffic with predictable conversion results. For more information about Pop Labs, visit (www.poplabs.com) or call 713-243-4500.

Pop Labs Director Kelsey Ruger to present on Social Media at ITEC

Administrator — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:20:10 -0700

Houston, TX (June 02, 2007) – Kelsey Ruger, Director of Technology and Creative Services at Pop Labs is scheduled to address ITEC on May, 15 2007, at Reliant Arena in Houston, TX.

Ruger’s lecture, entitled “Social Media and Web 2.0" will dive into all the myths and misconceptions about social media, web 2.0 and the affects these fast changing concepts will have on your business. As an expert is design, usability and software development Ruger has a very unique take on how all these disciplines will converge in a “Web 2.0” world.

Ruger said, “My goal is to teach attendees that Social Media and Web 2.0 didn’t just ‘happen’. They are actually the tipping point of an evolution that has been happening over the last few decades. I will explain why they really aren’t about technology as most people assume.”

Ruger added, "Yes, we’ll talk about blogging, podcasting, Twitter and Facebook, but really the focus is on creating an understanding of how these tools and activities will dictate a change in how companies approach marketing, branding and PR." Mr. Ruger will also be presenting this seminar at the Dallas, Detroit and Indianapolis editions of ITEC. You can check the ITEC website (http://www.goitec.com) for schedules.

Kelsey will be available for interviews following his address on an appointment basis only. Please contact Pop Labs to arrange an appointment.

Based in Houston, TX, Pop Labs (http://www.poplabs.com) specializes in search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, web analytics and web site design. Kelsey Ruger is a nationally published author, has addressed conference audiences across the nation, and operates a blog (http://www.themoleskin.com).

Pop Labs Director Kelsey Ruger to present on Evolving IT needs at ITEC

Administrator — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:23:54 -0700

Houston, TX (June 02, 2007) – Kelsey Ruger, Director of Technology and Creative Services at Pop Labs is scheduled to address ITEC on June, 6 2007, at The Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, TX.

Ruger’s lecture, entitled “The Evolution of Web Centric I.T. Services" will address the changing technology needs of businesses large and small. He will also address how new ‘Web 2.0’ software services can significantly reduce the cost of running a business. As an expert is design, usability and software development Ruger has years of experience in providing commercial and corporate software and hardware solutions and will be teaching the audience about new and exciting approaches to IT.

Ruger said, “There is so much going on technology wise these days. If a start-up or existing business isn’t careful they could end up spending money on a solution for which this is a more cost effective solution. The field is wide open for creative companies that are willing to think differently about their software and hardware needs.” Mr. Ruger will also be presenting this seminar at the Detroit and edition of ITEC. You can check the ITEC website (http://www.goitec.com) for schedules.

Kelsey will be available for interviews following his address on an appointment basis only. Please contact Pop Labs to arrange an appointment.

Pop Labs President Gene McCubbin to present on Search Marketing at ITEC

Administrator — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:30:14 -0700

Houston, TX (May 12, 2007) - Gene McCubbin, president of Pop Labs, a Houston search engine marketing and social media agency is scheduled to address ITEC on May, 15 2007, at Reliant Arena in Houston, TX.

Mccubbin’s lecture, entitled “Search Marketing Concepts for client acquisition” will dive into the fast changing world of search marketing and the tool that small to medium sized businesses can use to create effective online marketing campaigns. During his address Mccubbin will cover everything from search engine optimization to press release management.

Mccubbin said, "I am glad we have this opportunity to speak to the audience at ITEC. I think there are still spots of people out there who don’t really understand the impact that online marketing can have."

Mr. McCubbin will also be presenting this seminar at the Dallas, Detroit and Indianapolis editions of ITEC. You can check the ITEC website (http://www.goitec.com) for schedules. Gene will be available for interviews following his address on an appointment basis only. Please contact Pop Labs to arrange an appointment.

Based in Houston, TX, Pop Labs (http://www.poplabs.com) specializes in search engine optimization, search engine marketing, web analytics and web site design. Gene Mccubbin is a successful entrepreneur, published author, has addressed conference audiences around the world, you can hear more from Mr. Mccubbin on his blog at (http://www.genemccubbin.com).

Pop Labs’ Employees Receive First Place Award at Web Competion

Administrator — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:15:39 -0800

Houston, TX—December 3, 2007—Pop Labs, one of the nation’s leading full service digital media agencies, received the first place award in the Stock Car Division at Knowbility’s fourth annual Accessible Internet Houston Rally, which took place on Saturday, November 3, 2007. The award was announced Thursday, November 29, 2007, at the AIR Houston Awards Banquet.

AIR Houston is a unique one-day 8-hour Web design and development competition hosted by Austin-based Knowbility, an organization whose central goal is to create programs that engage the entire community in understanding how and why to meet the technology access needs of children and adults with disabilities. Knowbility’s AIR program has been raising accessibility awareness in web communities all over the United States since 1998.

During the competition, teams of Web designers and developers along with non-profit organizations from the Houston area work to build new Web sites or enhance existing Web sites with the goal of making them fully accessible for people with disabilities. Pop Labs has competed and placed 1st in each of the past four years. This year’s award-winning team, the Paparazzi Juggernauts, consisted of Melissa Howse, Charles Lewis, Chris Pratt, Tammy Schmidt, Marie Weber and Tarkeisha Williams. They built a fully-accessible website for Citywide Outreach Ministries of Houston (http://www.citywideoutreach.org).

Kelsey Ruger, Pop Labs’ Director of Creative Services, who also serves as board member, trainer and judge of AIR Houston 2007. According to Ruger, “This competition is of great importance to us because search engine optimization and accessibility have a lot in common. The content is read by a machine in both cases (screen reader or search engine spider). With the evolution of how people view the web, it's important to know how to make your content as accessible as possible.”

Contact:
Kelsey Ruger, Creative Services Director
Office: (713) 243-4500
Fax: (713) 781-9272
Website: http://www.poplabs.com

About Pop Labs

About Knowbility

Pop Labs to Participate in Design Workflows Panel at SXSW Festival

Administrator — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:18:37 -0700

Houston, TX (January 15, 2007) – Houston-based Pop Labs will again be represented at this year’s SXSW Interactive Festival. This year Pop Lab’s Director of Technology and Creative Services Kelsey Ruger will be moderating a panel entitled “Design Workflows at Work: How top designers work their magic”.

Ruger said “I’m a big fan of GTD, so I thought it would be useful for the SXSW audience to see how some of the best designers in the world get through their day. We’ll be talking about the tools they use, what techniques work and don’t work when it comes to managing a busy schedule.”

Mr. Ruger won’t be alone on the panel. He will be joined in this discussion by some of the best designers in the world. The other panelists are Bryan Veloso of Avalonstar, Veerle Pieters of Duoh and Jeff Croft of World online.

Ruger added, “I am really excited to be working with these top designers. They are among the best at what they do and we can learn a lot from them. We even plan to put together a resource site that people can refer back to after the panel is over.”

Pop Labs wins first place in accessibility competition

Administrator — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:08:35 -0700

Houston, Texas (November 16, 2006) - For the 3rd year in a row a team from Pop Labs has placed first in the AIR Houston accessibility competition. Teams from Pop Labs also won in 2005 and 2004. Team from Pop Labs competed in the Stock Car and Formula One divisions of the annual competition.

AIR-Houston is a unique one-day 8-hour Web design and development competition created to raise awareness about Web accessibility. During the competition teams of Web designers and developers along with non-profit organizations from the Houston area work to build new Web sites or enhance existing Web sites with the goal of making them fully accessible for people with disabilities.

The AIR programs have won national acclaim because they engage the entire community in understanding how and why to meet the technology access needs of millions of children and adults with disabilities. With more and more countries and companies beginning to make an effort to accommodate the needs of all visitors to their Web sites, Web accessibility has been thrust to the forefront of today's most vital Web usability concerns.

The event was held on October 21nd on the University of Houston campus. The winning was lead by HTML Production artist Andy Nguyen and included Brand Emmons, Melissa Garcia and Nathanael Campbell. The winners and competitors will be featured in a special section of the Houston Business Journal.

Pop Labs to Participate in Design and Social Responsibility Panel at SXSW Festival

Administrator — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:44:16 -0700

Houston, TX (January 20, 2006) – Houston-based Pop Labs will be represented at the 2006 SXSW Interactive Festival.

Kelsey Ruger, Director of Technology and Web Operations, will be speaking on a panel entitled “Design and Social Responsibility” that will discuss how to balance the preferences of your clients against good practices in usability, accessibility, standards compliance. The panel will also delve into how to address other socially responsible elements of information architecture and how to communicate effectively about them. Ruger was invited to speak by Sharron Rush of Knowbility, the session leader and his long time colleague.
“I am excited about this panel because the topic is conveniently overlooked by a lot in our profession. It’s something that I am passionate about so I’m always happy when I get a chance to educate others on designing for usability.” says Ruger.

Ruger added, “There is a great deal of power in being basic. It’s at the core of every great design. Some people don’t understand that “great technology” isn’t technology packed full of features or with the most eye catching interface. Great technology solves a wide range of human needs/problems – it shouldn’t create a whole new category of problems.”

Started in 1994 the SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of panels, keynote discussions, trade show and exhibition events. The wide variety of programming offered at SXSW Interactive in addition to the presence of SXSW Film and SXSW Music helps make it a completely original event.
Based in Houston, TX Pop Labs (http://www.poplabs.com) specializes in search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media and web site design. Kelsey Ruger is a nationally published author, has addressed conference audiences across the nation, and operates a blog (http://www.themoleskin.com).

Pop Labs Sweeps 2005 AIR Houston competition

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:26:10 -0700

Houston, Texas (November 11, 2005) - Houston, TX - Nov.11, 2005 – In its 2nd year of competing Pop Labs has swept the AIR Houston accessibility competition by winning 1st place in both divisions. 2005 marks the 2nd year for AIR Houston, an annual Web design and development competition created by Austin based Knowbility. The teams from Pop Labs competed in the Stock Car and Formula One divisions of the annual competition.

The event was held on October 22nd on the University of Houston campus. The winning Stock Car team was lead by HTML Production artist Ron Madriz and included Grayson Deritis, Steven Gregory and Max Starkenburg (Rice University). The winning Formula One team lead by Sr. Web UI Engineer Chris Stelmak included Chris Massey, Germain Preston and Komal Agrawal (UH).

The winners and competitors will be featured in a special section of the Houston Business Journal.

About Pop Labs

Pop Labs; a top search marketing & Web design agency; is among the nation's 50 fastest growing technology companies. Pop Labs delivers the search marketing industries only all encompassing marketing solution by providing clients with Web design, usability and accessibility services in addition to professional search marketing, optimization and on-line marketing management. Pop Labs goes beyond simple search marketing and submission. We focus on delivering focused traffic with predictable conversion results. Pop Labs is based in Houston, TX. For more information about Pop Labs, visit (www.poplabs.com) or call 713-243-4500.

Contact:
Pop Labs Public Relations
713/243-4500
pr@poplabs.com

About Knowbility

Knowbility is a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 to support the independence of children and adults with disabilities through accessible information technology - barrier-free IT! For more information about Knowbility, visit (www.knowbility.org).

Pop Labs one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Hot 100 Fastest-Growing New Companies

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:25:30 -0700

Houston, Texas (June 01, 2005) - Entrepreneur magazine has released its highly anticipated annual Hot 100 listing of the fastest-growing new companies in the United States. This year's listing was assembled from an initial list of fast-growing companies compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers. After posting 1500% revenue growth last year, Houston based Pop Labs was honored as the 50th fastest growing companies in the U.S.

This year's honorees cross a wide spectrum of industries from finance to cleaning services. Taking the top spot this year is Huron Consulting Group, a Chicago-based financial and operational consulting firm. 2005 marks Pop Labs 1st year on the Hot 100, but it definitely won't be its last. Founded by Gene McCubbin in 2001, Pop Labs is a national leader in search engine and interactive marketing services for small businesses. By targeting companies that require more assistance in creating, managing, and promoting their web site, Pop Labs is able to give a small-business owner the same on-line marketing advantages that a Fortune 500 company enjoys. This innovative approach is not only good for customers - it's good for business. Pop Labs has been able to achieve a total growth of 3348% over the last 3 years. McCubbin attributes the success of his company to the quality of his employees. "Everything must start with good people," he says. "I don't think there is any possible way we could have been so successful so quickly if it weren't for the quality of the people we have."

Each Hot 100 company was founded no earlier than 2000, had annual sales that exceeded $1 million in 2004, and has a founder who is actively involved in daily operations. Entrepreneur reports that the hottest industry this year is technology, with 20 of the 100 companies listed falling into this category. This year's Hot 100 companies report $1.5 billion in total sales, a substantial increase from the $795.3 million reported by the companies in 2004. This year's Hot 100 companies also raised over 10 times as much startup capital as last year's group, an increase from $62.1 million to $631.1 million.

With associated properties such as Entrepreneur.com and Entrepreneur Press, the Entrepreneur Media brand is the most widely recognized business-to-business information provider to the small- and midsize-business market.

Follow the following link to read more about Pop Labs in the Hot 100. For the complete story and listing on the Hot 100, pick up a copy of the June 2005 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, or visit them on the Web at www.entrepreneur.com/hot100. For more information or to apply for the 2006 Hot 100 list, fill out an application at www.entrepreneur.com/hot100/2006.

About Pop Labs

Contact:
Pop Labs Public Relations
713/243-4500
pr@poplabs.com

Pop Labs team places 1st in inaugural AIR Houston competition

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:24:56 -0700

Houston, TX - Nov.5, 2004 - A team of Web designers and developers from Pop Labs placed 1st in the Stockcar division of the inaugural AIR Houston competition. AIR Houston is an annual Web design and development competition sponsored by Austin based Knowbility.

Two teams from Pop Labs competed in the inaugural AIR-Houston event held at the University of Houston on Saturday, October 16, 2004. The winning team (the A-Team) lead by Senior Web Developer Erik Fruin included Yannis Remediakis, Barbara Aquino, Jesse Perez and Ron Madriz.

The winners and competitors will be featured in a special section of the Houston Business Journal on Friday, November 5, 2004.

About Pop Labs

Contact:
Pop Labs Public Relations
713/243-4500
pr@poplabs.com

About Knowbility

Gene McCubbin Presents at the B-to-B Marketing Conference

Administrator — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:05:24 -0800

HOUSTON, TX – March 5, 2008 – Gene McCubbin, President at Pop Labs (www.poplabs.com), will present his expertise on the current and future trends in direct online marketing , at the B-to-B Marketing Conference on March 5 at 10:45 a.m. in Orlando, Florida.

His lecture, entitled “The T-Rex in Your Backyard -Is Google Eating Your Lunch” will explore what the pay-per-click world of tomorrow holds and how you can manage on a budget while generating higher return on investment.

"I am glad we have this opportunity to speak to the audience at the B-to-B Marketing Conference. I think there are still spots of people out there who don’t really understand the impact that online marketing can have. During this session current and future trends in direct marketing online, specifically through search engines, social media, SEO, PPC, and web marketing will be highlighted." said McCubbin.

The B-to-B Marketing Conference is an event that combines the best of the DMB (Direct Marketing to Business) and B-to-B Interactive Conferences. Proven strategies and practices that allow you to generate demand, convert prospects, and grow your current customer base, as well as maximizing online marketing to create a powerful online customer experience will be discussed.

About Pop Labs

Contact:
Pop Labs Public Relations
713/243-4500
pr@poplabs.com

Pop Labs Again Among Houston's 50 Fastest Growing Tech Companies

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:39:44 -0700

Houston , TX - November 05, 2004 - Houston 's Top 50 Fastest Growing Technology Companies were honored at a luncheon presented by the Houston Business Journal . The luncheon was held at the Hilton Americas Hotel. After posting 175% revenue growth during 2003 Pop Labs was honored as Houston 's 5th fastest growing technology company. This marks Pop Labs second consecutive year being ranked in the top 5.

Some of this year's Top 50 honorees included Tanox, The Gimmal Group and iDriveon-line . Over 600 men and women in the technology community gathered to cheer on this year's Fast Tech 50 where the rankings were announced for the first time to the public. Companies were ranked based on percentage growth of revenue over the past two years.

In only its third year has experienced tremendous growth. Pop Labs President Gene McCubbin says "We are extremely happy with our progress. In fact we've grown dramatically since the end of 2003 with revenue currently surpassing $1million a month"

Honorees and their organizations were profiled in the Fast Tech 50 special section available exclusively in the Houston Business Journal 's November 5 th issue. This section includes success stories of some of the most recognized technology companies in Houston's business community.

The event was hosted by the Houston Business Journal and was presented by PKF of Texas. It was co-sponsored by Administaff, Frost Bank, Jackson Walker, Pierpont Communications, Rice Alliance, the Houston Technology Center and Wild Blue Pictures.

About Pop Labs

Contact:
Pop Labs Public Relations
713/243-4500
pr@poplabs.com

Pop Labs President Gene McCubbin Finalist for Entrepreneur of The Year

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:24:17 -0700

Houston, TX - June 24, 2004 - Pop Labs LP, one of America's most progressive small-business Internet services companies is pleased to announce that its President and co-founder, Gene McCubbin, has been honored as a finalist for the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. McCubbin was one of four nominees in the Technology Entrepreneur division for the multi-state Gulf Coast Region.

According to Ernst and Young, "Each year Ernst & Young, through its Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, seeks to recognize great business achievements around the world. Such accomplishments are made possible by the entrepreneurial spirit - the incredible depth and character that entrepreneurs possess as they develop new technologies, create faster ways to distribute goods and services, and improve the quality of life for people around them."

McCubbin co-founded Pop Labs after being approached by a group of investors that asked him to assist in the development of a new Web Hosting provider. Providing a low cost, high-touch, service oriented solution and competing with larger brand names, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, Pop Labs rolled out its web services to small and mid-size businesses at a median price point of $49.95 for web design, hosting, high-speed dial-up access, and unlimited technical support. The company immediately began to grow, increasing revenues more than 650% in the first year, and an additional 250% the second.

For a young entrepreneur, at 33 years old, McCubbin's insight, business acumen and success rival those with decades of experience. Under his leadership Pop Labs has achieved an incredible level of success, also being named as Houston's 2nd Fast growing Technology Company in the 2003 PKF FastTech 50 awards .

McCubbin said "The future of Pop Labs is growth and increased profitability as we move through 2004. I am proud to be at the head of one of Houston's fastest growing technology companies and am excited about what the future holds."

Each year, over 3,000 nominations are received around the country. From those nominations, roughly 350 Entrepreneur Of The Year® winners are chosen in June by independent panels of judges in 35 regions across the U.S. All of the regional winners are eligible for the national honor, announced at a gala awards in November. Ernst & Young presents its Annual Entrepreneur Of The Year® to the most successful and innovative entrepreneurial business leaders in more than 30 countries around the globe. Houston 's Entrepreneur of the Year Program is one of 35 Regional Programs.

Previous national Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur Of The Year" award winners and nominees include a virtual "Who's Who" of business leaders, such as Steve Case of America on-line, Michael Dell of Dell Computer Corporation, Jim McCann of 1-800 Flowers.com, John Bello of Sobe Beverages, Howard Schulze of Best Buy and Scott Kriens of Juniper Networks.

About Pop Labs

Contact:
Pop Labs Public Relations
713/243-4500
pr@poplabs.com

Pop Labs Launches Powerbar

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:23:38 -0700

Free Browser Utility Enables Users to Search All Major Search Engines From Any Page, Block Pop-ups and Discover Relevant Site Rank Information

Houston, TX - May 18, 2004 - Pop Labs LP, a leading provider of on-line Web hosting tools for small businesses, announced today the launch of the Pop Labs Powerbar. The Powerbar is a free, customizable search tool that offers Internet users the ability to search from anywhere on the Web. The Powerbar also introduces great features such as pop-up blocking, site ranking and information tools; as well as single click access to Pop Labs' suite of applications.

The Pop Labs Powerbar integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft Internet Explorer™ Web browser and includes features such as:

Pop-up Blocker : Blocks annoying pop-up windows before they open.
Web Search : Search major Web search engines and directories (Yahoo, Google, Alta Vista, LookSmart).
Site Information : Enables users to learn about Web sites, including site traffic and contact information.
Site Rank : Find out the Alexa Ranking of the site being viewed.
Related Links : Helps users surf more efficiently by providing related links for each page. Offers a list of suggested links related to the site.
Highlight : Highlights search terms that appear on the page - each word in its own color.
Word Find : Find search terms wherever they appear on the page.
Single Click Access To Pop Labs : Easy access to the Pop Labs suite of tools and applications.
Page Zoom : Allows users to quickly zoom in and out of a Web page, allowing Web page to be up to 4 times smaller or larger.

"The Pop Labs Powerbar is a part of our commitment to meeting the ever changing needs of our target market. This product is specifically designed to make using the Web and our products simpler", said Kelsey Ruger, Director of IT and Web Operations.

Inquiries for toolbar partnerships should be addressed to partner@poplabs.com .

About Pop Labs

Contact:
Pop Labs Public Relations
713/243-4500
pr@poplabs.com

Pop Labs Launches New Corporate Web Site

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:20:01 -0700

Houston , TX - April 5, 2004 - Pop Labs LP, a leading provider of on-line web hosting tools for small businesses, unveiled its new web site today.

The improvements to the website feature improved navigation and a cleaner experience for those visiting the site as well as a reflection of the direction of the Pop Labs product suite and Pop Labs as a company.

"In the next few years, changes in technology will allow us to deliver richer consumer and business experiences. It allows us to deliver much richer solutions faster. We can also cost effectively meet changing small business Internet needs. Our new Web site is a part of our evolution to meet those changing needs." said IT and Web Operations Director Kelsey Ruger. All other sign-up processes, products and services will also be simplified to focus on Pop Labs's commitment to positive customer experiences."

With much of the hosting market being saturated with commoditized offers, Pop Labs understands that by properly using technology, businesses can take advantage of the largely untapped economic opportunity that engaging experiences offer. By offering consulting-type, full-service assistance Pop Labs is attempting what no one else has successfully accomplished.

Pop Labs's president Gene McCubbin said "The future of Pop Labs is growth and increased profitability as we move through 2004. Our new products and web site seek to offer a great experience. Great experiences mean great business on the Internet. Experiences improve customer interactions and they directly improve sales while delivering a compelling brand experience."

About Pop Labs

Contact: Pop Labs Public Relations 713/243-4500 pr@poplabs.com

Pop Labs Launches Visual Composer 2.0

Administrator — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:23:00 -0700

Houston, TX - April 5, 2004 - Pop Labs LP., a leading provider of on-line web hosting tools for small businesses, announced today the launch of the new Pop Labs Service Suite, a faster and easier way for small business to achieve relevant results with their Web sites. Building on significant back-end technological improvements, and leveraging the unique assets of the Pop Labs employee base, the new Pop Labs services provide a better experience to businesses through several new enhancements such as a cleaner, easier-to-use interface, professional design assistance and a full slate of premium hosting services.

With much of the hosting market being saturated with commoditized offers, Pop Labs understands that by properly using technology, businesses can take advantage of the largely untapped economic opportunity that engaging experiences offer. "They just want it to work for them" said Pop Labs President Gene McCubbin, "Pop Labs' goal is to provide the highest quality web hosting and design experience on the Internet"
Image Counts. Experience Matters. Results are the bottom line

The new enhancements to Pop Labs services and Visual Composer offer businesses the power of Fortune 500 companies. Features include:

Visual Composer 2.0 - Visual Composer is Pop Labs' flagship web browser based HTML editor. Visual Composer lets you edit and manage your web site with a point and click interface. It's an easy way for individuals and teams to update, create, and publish web content to any HTML web site. If you can use a word processor, you can use Visual Composer.
Design Pros Service - With Pop Labs' design team you get personalized attention from one of our certified web design consultants as they assist you with building a web site that gets the results you need. They can help with layout, content development, search engine optimization, and can even customize a particular template to more closely meet your needs.
Premium Hosting Services - Pop Labs offers a full slate of premium hosting services without a premium price. These services include High-Speed Dial-Up, Search Engine Optimization Support, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Web Mail and Calendaring.

In addition, as part of its continued improvements, Pop Labs is accelerating its efforts to expand sales channels and integrate additional product offerings, both domestically and globally to improve its service, as well as its attention to vertical markets across the U.S.

About Pop Labs

Contact: Pop Labs Public Relations 713/243-4500 pr@poplabs.com

Pop Labs Honored As Houston's 2nd Fastest Growing Technology Company

Administrator — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:39:13 -0700

Houston , TX - November 20, 2003 - In only its third year, Pop Labs (www.poplabs.com) was selected as the "2nd Fastest Growing Technology Company" among Houston 's Fast Tech 50. The Fast Tech 50 is an annual awards program sponsored by the Houston Business Journal and PKF of Texas.

Pop Labs, a national leader in web hosting services for small business, targets companies that require more assistance in creating, managing and promoting their web site. This innovative approach allows Pop Labs to assist a small-business owner in creating a web site comparable to that of a Fortune 500 company. Catering to that niche audience has paid off allowing Pop Labs to grow fast. In 2002, the company experienced 655 percent growth from its first year. Pop Labs was surpassed only by Extel LP manufacturers of energy industry equipment.

"To be recognized by our industry is a testament to our focus on providing the best tools and service for small businesses looking to reap the benefits of being on-line," said Gene McCubbin, President and Founder of Pop Labs. "As a result of our great product and other upcoming enhancements over the next few months, Pop Labs has further strengthened its position in the small business hosting market, and plan to do it again next year."

The Fast Tech 50 were honored at a high-tech themed luncheon held in their honor Friday, November 7, 2003.

About Pop Labs

Contact: Pop Labs Public Relations 713/243-4500 pr@PopLabs.com