Waukee E-Commerce Marketer Goodsmiths Wins Office Makeover Contest

Goodsmiths, an online craft marketplace founded by two Waukee entrepreneurs, is getting a $20,000 makeover.

The company learned Wednesday that it had won the Culture@Work contest held by Turnstone, beating out between 20 and 30 startups in the area, the Des Moines Register reports. 

Turnstone chose the Valley Junction-based Goodsmiths over the other finalists, Dwolla and BitMethod, because of its maker culture and the need for a collaborative space.

“The judges were looking for companies that really embodied the seven observations of small businesses that we’ve identified – companies with a passion for what they do, and where a sense of personality and community are clearly important to their culture,” marketing officer Jon Eggleton told the newspaper.

Turnstone held similar competitions in Chicago, Kansas City, Mo., Dallas and Omaha, Neb. Eggleton praised the finalists in an email.

From Our Earlier Patch Story on Goodsmiths:

Three Iowa companies – two of them in West Des Moines – are among five companies to watch on the Silicon Prairie, “the hottest area in the country for tech startups that you never heard of,” the cable news network MSNBC said in December 2012.

Topping the list is the e-commerce marketplace Goodsmiths, founded by a pair of Waukee entrepreneurs that goes head-to-head with Etsy. It not only gives artisans and craftspeople the tools they need to sell online, but also offers an online community that's there when you need them. The social networking engine allows users to interact with one another.

James Eliason co-founded the company with Levi Rosol earlier this year after his wife and other users expressed frustration with Etsy.

Eliason said the Silicon Prairie location is an advantage.

“The Silicon Prairie is one of the largest untapped talent and resource pools in the United States,” he told MSNBC. “There are over 20 million residents of the Silicon Prairie who are very loyal and passionate about brands and companies they use.”

Investors are starting to take notice of Iowa, long considered a flyover state for venture capitalists and angel investors, and the rest of the Silicon Prairie, according to the MSNBC report.

It cited investments in the region by heavy-hitters like Union Square Ventures, Dundee Venture Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, and said that interest likely will continue to grow.