SMG Web Design was created in the fall of 2009 by Jason Sethre, owner of the Fillmore County Journal in Preston, MN.
After participating in various local meetings, it became apparent that local businesses who wanted an on-line presence had to hire companies located outside of the community and typically had to pay a large fee up front and ongoing fees for updates. Knowing that he had the resources to create and host websites and also in an effort to keep revenue in the community and to help keep these smaller businesses expenses down, SMG Web Design was created.
SMG Web Design has continued to grow since our first website.
We have a dedicated staff just for the design and development of new websites and ongoing service of for our existing client websites. We handle everything from purchasing your domain, hosting, custom website design and development to setting up analytic reports, social media guidance and ongoing service. We work with our area small businesses as well as larger companies and national organizations.
Jason Sethre
Jason has served as president of SMG Web Design since it was established in October 2009. With over 20 years of experience overseeing daily newspapers, weekly newspapers and shoppers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, Jason Sethre continues to recognize that change is inevitable for all industries.
While graduating from Purdue University and Northwestern University — Kellogg School of Management adorn his resume, those are just pieces of paper to Jason. He feels his community involvement has given him the best education about business, relationships and life. He currently serves as a Fillmore Central Community Education youth soccer coach, Fillmore Central Community Education K-6 chess instructor, a member of the Sons of American Legion, Sunday school teacher at Christ Lutheran Church, and as a firefighter with the Fountain Fire Department. Jason also serves as the publisher of the Fillmore County Journal, a weekly newspaper with 13,300 circulation. He also serves as the publisher of Visit Bluff Country, the premiere tourism magazine of Historic Bluff Country, distributed in 23 counties in the tri-state area of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. And, he serves as a principal founder of Perfect Glossy, a company that specializes in the design and printing of glossy-finished marketing materials.
His work in large and small organizations fuels his adaptability and motivation to serve the needs of a diverse cross-section of businesses. Jason observes marketing as the oxymoron of a subjective science, and he views the Internet is a continuously evolving interactive experiment. He thrives on the dissection of analytics and seeks ways to organically crank up those statistics to increase clients’ revenues and profits. As a matter of fact, the first thing he does when he gets up in the morning is check his Google Analytics for all of his media websites. And, the last thing he does before he goes to bed is check his Google Analytics for all of his media websites. Yes, and he calls this a “healthy obsession”.
When he’s not checking website statistics, he’s spending time with his wife and two children, playing and coaching soccer, canoeing, running, biking, and simply enjoying life.
Michelle Quanrud
Michelle grew up in northern California and moved to Harmony, Minnesota in 1994. Her work background was in the financial industry working at Bear, Stearns & Co. from 1986 to 1994, at a hedge fund from 1994 to 1996, Think Bank (formally IBM Credit Union) from 1996 to 2002, Harmony State Insurance from 2003 to 2010 and joined SMG Web Design in June 2010. While she worked full-time she also owned and ran the JEM Movie Theatre in Harmony from 2002 to 2017. Her education includes illustrations at The Academy of Art in San Francisco, computer science at RCTC in Rochester, and web development and design at Southeast Tech in Red Wing. Her background of art, design, computers, technical, finance and business owner bring a unique understanding and knowledge when working with business owners and companies for their website needs.
Michelle enjoys spending time with her husband Stuart, children, and grandchildren, as well as taking walks, hiking, camping, road trips, concerts, fishing, and spending time at the river.