Reynolds Asphalt & Construction (RAC) is a rapidly growing company in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area that delivers roadway construction services and asphalt materials to public and private sectors. Founded in 1981, RAC employs 180 people and operates four stationary asphalt plants along with one portable plant.
Ultimately, RAC needed to recruit talent, communicate their story, and provide information about their work in a visually appealing way.
Objective
Create an engaging and dynamic user experience using strong imagery and streamlined content that would attract new talent and validate the brand’s credibility.
Project Scope
- Web Design
- WordPress Development
- Photography
- Drone Videography
Website
Challenges
The old website was outdated and provided a poor user experience. Their site failed to reflect the quality of work they provide or their culture, and didn’t contain enough visual content.
RAC is growing, and needs to attract more potential employees for both the office and operations. The old website didn't have any content related to value propositions for prospective employees.
Brand validation is an important function of their website. Reynolds is bidding on projects and the clients (typically municipal clients) are doing their due diligence to ensure that Reynolds is reliable and can meet their needs.
The project began with a thorough discovery and research phase that focused on understanding RAC’s operations, services, and culture. This cultural insight was essential for developing content that accurately reflects the company’s identity and values.
An on-site visit was conducted to gather firsthand information, which enabled a deeper understanding of the processes involved in road construction and asphalt production. During the on-site, two asphalt plants and several job sites were visited. One of the challenges of doing on-site visits is the unpredictability of weather. Despite strong winds and cloudy conditions, a versatile library of approximately 280 photos and 40 video clips were delivered and used as the foundation for visual content on the website.
The most important part of the process is discovering who they are and how they talk about themselves, and what keeps people coming to work each day.
The design phase of the project lasted approximately six weeks, followed by four weeks of development and deployment. Some key aspects of the visual design include a dark theme to allude to the grit of the asphalt and paving industry, subtle transitions and animations to create a dynamic experience, and an animated red underline to emphasize a key word in headings throughout the site.
The website was officially launched in July 2024. The site was developed in-house using WordPress, allowing for complete flexibility, creativity, and control over the development process. A custom theme was built and premium plugins were utilized in order to implement the design mockups with precision and accuracy.
The Reynolds Asphalt homepage showcases a looping hero video, subtle transitions as the user scrolls down the page, and dynamic underline animations for an added layer of emphasis for certain words.
The Locations page features an interactive map with radius markers to show their service areas. A custom post type was implemented to create and display the locations on this page, with a custom page template for each location showing the service area, contact info, and a quote request form.
The Reynolds Asphalt Locations page features an interactive map with radius markers to show their service areas. A custom post type was implemented to create and display the locations on this page, with a custom page template for each location showing the service area, contact info, and a quote request form.
Documentation was provided to the RAC staff to empower them to manage and update the site independently, allowing for easy maintenance moving forward. The site also integrated job postings directly from JazzHR, enabling a streamlined workflow for RAC's HR team.
Google Analytics tracking was implemented to monitor website traffic. Three months after the site’s launch, the following metrics highlight the success of the project:
The top three pages of the RAC website are the homepage, Careers page, and About Us page, indicating success in attracting prospective employees and clients.
The average time on the Careers page is about a minute, and about two minutes on the About Us page, indicating that users are reading and engaging with the information on these pages.
The average engagement rate for organic search results is 75%, indicating that the content is relevant, visually appealing, and valuable to users.
Since the primary audience for Reynolds Asphalt website is prospective employees, we ensured that the mobile experience was just as stellar on phones as it is on desktop. The Careers page features strong written content showcasing what it's like to work for RAC combined with photography that showcases their employees. The page also features a JazzHR embed to list job openings, enabling a streamlined workflow for RAC's HR team.
The Roadway Construction page is primarily a page for prospective employees to learn about paving and roadway construction careers and the value propositions of working for RAC.
The About page features strong written content, a logo slider showcasing their partners, and an interactive timeline element.
Reynolds Asphalt & Construction demonstrated strong collaboration throughout the project, maintained effective communication, and provided timely feedback. Their coordination with clients and vendors to solicit testimonials and approvals to incorporate their logos contributed to a smooth and efficient process. The on-site visit offered a unique insight into road construction, and enhanced the content and design of the website, ultimately helping to achieve the goal of the project.
This project highlighted the importance of firsthand observation and experience in developing a website that authentically represents the company and its operations. The successful outcome of this collaboration is reflected in the visually appealing and user-friendly online experience, and the positive reception from prospective employees and clients.
Mary-Ann was a true professional. She really knew how to capture the essence of who we are and how to convey that through the website. She was efficient with our time and worked diligently on our project. She really helped transform our web presence. We highly recommend her.