Online or In Person, Web Designer is Growing Minds

Mary Codd loves computers, and communicating. So when the internet came roaring into the lives of Americans in the mid-1990's, it was the perfect time for her to start her own company, Growing Minds, providing educational software, training and website design.

Unfortunately for Codd, the decision to launch her retail business in Barrington in 1994 coincided with the departure of Almacs from the Barrington Shopping Center, and periods of extensive construction along County Road that made it incredibly difficult for shoppers and business owners alike.

Three years later, Codd moved the business to her home and began concentrating on building a comprehensive Web design company, at the same time she cared for her then-7-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who was showing signs of having a prodigious intellect.

Proving that she was no slouch at growing minds, her own or anyone else's, Codd decided to supplement her existing Rhode Island School of Design bachelor of fine arts with a degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2005.

At the same time, Codd co-founded Rhode Island Advocates For Gifted Education, and worked to challenge her daughter's intellect further. Elizabeth graduated from Rhode Island College with a degree in mathematics when she was just 18 and is now studying music.

Codd's early career was in corporate communications and computer animation (she had her own company, Coddbarrett Associates, from 1981 to 1994). She brings that experience, plus her educational background, to her clients today.

Codd can help clients develop a concept for their business website, she can redo an existing website, or she can add social media like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to a site. She said in the current internet marketplace, it's crucial for businesses to have a website that utilizes social media, particularly blogging.

"For search engine optimization, that's one of the best ways to get your website up there," Codd said.

"A website looking nice is really only half of what you need," she said. "It's important to have the social media component also."

Codd said she loves that the online world is constantly changing.

"There's always something new happening," she said, adding that it's a thrill to work with clients to accomodate those changes.

"Every business is completely different," Codd said. "It's fun to learn new things about different businesses and help them find new ways to market themselves."