Merge

For our non-profit friends out there, here is a quick success story of a grassroots organization and their use of the web and social media to make a big splash from day one. 

Fall 2009 - The Red Shoe Society (RSS) Board is formed, comprised of eleven volunteers.  The goal from the outset is to be the sought after young professionals philanthropic organization in the Upstate while creating awareness and raising funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas.

November/December 2009 - Planning begins for the year, with the first introduction to the public to be held on February 10, 2010, the "Open Your Hearts for the Ronald McDonald House."

December 2009/January 2010 - The board secures Good Life Catering, the Next Innovation Center, Highland Brewing Company and West End Wine and Spirits to provide the space, food and drink for the event.  All of which donate in kind (a good portion of their costs, if not all their costs in most cases) for the event.  

January 2010 - The invitation process begins.  The goal is to get 150 people to the event, and be happy to get ten new paying members that night. 

• Invites are done via email and Facebook.  An event is created and then shared by the board members. 
• Based solely on Facebook friends of the board members, the Open Your Hearts event was seen by a minimum of 3,800 people.  This is assuming  it was only

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Thanks to everyone who submitted entries into our Chill Corner Contest.  You made it a ton of fun and really difficult to judge.  At the end of the day though, a winner needed to be picked, and that person is Bryan Rees from Oobe.  We can't wait to hang out on the giant Fatboy beanbags, they are perfect for the new space. 

Merge officially begins work in the new space on Monday, feel free to drop by and check it out.  Our new address will be:

411 University Ridge, STE 225
Greenville, SC 29601

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As you may know, Merge is moving.  We are leaving our cozy downtown loft for the spacious confines of the Next Innovation Center.  Amidst the chaos of moving, we realized one part of our space is still in need of some design work.  Dubbed the "Chill Corner," it's a place for us to collaborate, innovate, work and just chill.  So here is where you come in to play.  We want you to design this space.  Here's the deal, you have a $500 budget to work within, and all you have to do is send us the links to all the cool stuff you would like to see in the corner.  Time is of the essence however, the contest ends at midnight on Wednesday the 10th, and some great designs are already in.   The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to a Table 301 restaurant and an invite to our open house in March.  For more details and how to enter, check the link. 

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So Merge is on the move.  We are leaving our downtown loft for one of Greenville's newest and coolest spaces, the Next Innovation Center.  As sad as we are to go, here are the top five things we are most excited about.

1.  New Neighbors:  Gnoso, NWN, Michelin Development, Northgate Labs, Promo Pipeline, SinglePoint, Next and UCAN.  See you all soon. 

2. New (more) Space:  In the last six months, Merge has almost doubled in size.  Our new space will not only provide great space for future growth, but also a great space for current and future clients to visit and meet.

3.  The War Room:  Merge's new innovation space.  White board walls and plenty of room for sketchboarding for the next generation of web design. 

4.  Location, location, location: 

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