Paul Eckenrode

LocomotiveCMS: Hello Paul, can you please introduce yourself?

Paul Eckenrode: My name is Paul Eckenrode and I’m the owner of 360Durango.com

LocomotiveCMS: Tell us why you made a switch to LocomotiveCMS

Paul Eckenrode: We began using LocomotiveCMS because we had the opportunity to really customize the back end. We could educate clients on how to change their content on their website they way they wanted to change it. That customization feature is really unique and that's why we made the change.

LocomotiveCMS: What were your greatest challenges in creating websites for yourself or your clients before LocomotiveCMS?

Paul Eckenrode: The biggest challenges that we were looking to overcome was the fact that we were usually locked within a template and we couldn't totally customize, either the front end or the back end, just the way that the client wanted it to be.

LocomotiveCMS: How was LocomotiveCMS different from comparable tools you have used before? What problems does LocomotiveCMS solve or what does it make easier?

Paul Eckenrode: The thing that LocomotiveCMS makes much easier for companies like mine and the clients that we serve is that we can really customize how they can go about changing the content. There may be a particular way that they want to go about changing, maybe a different piece of inventory or a product or a different property that they're trying to feature, they way they want to change that and how they want that to look and function, we're able to customize that for them. That is a really nice feature for us.

LocomotiveCMS: What has your experience using LocomotiveCMS been like so far and since starting to use LocomotiveCMS, what has changed about your work?

Using Locomotive CMS has been great. I can see that my skill set has really changed and developed because I'm not a developer. I'm not a programmer. I'm not even a graphic designer. What I do is really try to figure out what our clients are trying to do with a website and help them figure out how the best way to achieve that is. 

One of the things Locomotive has changed about my work is it's given me a new tool in the tool belt that I didn't have before. I can go a little bit further with the customization of websites. We can get things a little bit more dialed in. The Back Office is really easy to use and I can make manipulations in the websites that I was not able to do before.

LocomotiveCMS: How do you use Locomotive CMS in your work?

Paul Eckenrode: I use Locomotive CMS every day in my work whether it's  continuing to build new websites or tweak things or train clients on how to use it.

LocomotiveCMS: What feedback have you gotten from your clients from the Locomotive CMS Back Office? Do they find it easy to use?

Paul Eckenrode: The best feedback from clients when it comes to content management systems is no feedback. That means that everything is working for them. The feedback that we have received is it's just exactly what they were looking for. They're amazed that they can actually do some of the things that they can do on their own with very little to no website or development experience.

LocomotiveCMS: What was your 'aha' moment? The moment that you knew you loved Locomotive CMS?

Paul Eckenrode: The 'aha' moment for me with Locomotive CMS was when we actually started developing these models and I could change and reorder cabins and photos and prices so easily on the back side. It was just ... It blew my mind.

LocomotiveCMS: How do you see yourself working with Locomotive CMS in the future? 

Paul Eckenrode: Going forward, we'd like to continue to push the envelope of where Locomotive CMS is capable of going. We love the ability to customize different features within it, including searchable functions of the different models that are created. One of the things that we really like is the ability, once again, to customize the models, the front end, the Back Office and that's a great tool to have in your tool belt when you're talking about marketing.

LocomotiveCMS: Why did you chose to use First Class?*

Paul Eckenrode: The decision to move all of our websites over to the hosting service First Class was an easy one. We don't have to worry about any down time with our websites. The servers are maintained by people who work specifically on servers that are built and designed for LocomotiveCMS. We really like that. Another reason why we went for First Class is because of the ability to level out our expenditures on server maintenance. Sometimes if you're in a web business and you've got a bunch of different websites being hosted, you might have an abrupt server maintenance that might interrupt your cash flow a little bit. By leveling it out working with First Class, has been a good decision.

Working with First Class is really about the service. Quite honestly, it is first class. The thing we like is the responsiveness from their team, the stability of their platform, and it's just a great operation. No regrets.

LocomotiveCMS: Thanks Paul, would you like to add anything else?

Paul Eckenrode:  The thing I like best about LocomotiveCMS is how customizable the platform is for our clients. We can figure out what they want to change, how they want to change it, and we can work back from there because it's a clean slate from the beginning. That's the best part is we're really able to meet the needs and objectives of our clients with a fully customized solution. That's what I like the best about LocomotiveCMS.

* Fist Class is the former name of LocomotiveCMS's hosting solution.