Hey, I'm Nate

I’m a personable and professional web designer & developer, born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. I focus on creating websites that are minimal and informative. I specialize in responsive websites, SEO, and accessibility. Since 2015, I have worked with dozens of small businesses as a designer and developer. In 2016, I started a SAAS company, called Gittr, which enabled local-level courier companies to provide online ordering to their customers. In 2021, we closed Gittr due to the pandemic and my business partner, Brennan, landing a job with Stripe and relocating to San Francisco (congrats!).

Also in 2021, I started working for Cherry Tree Dental, where I developed, designed, and maintained 40+ web properties. In 2022, they were experiencing rapid growth and wanted to move to a model that I couldn’t see myself being a part of. So I moved on to Sterling Lawyers, where I am working on their WordPress site, managing workflows and implementing standard practices.

I have a passion for free information and like to share my knowledge and experience on my blog. I have released free software, including a databaseless blogging system and a simple browser extension. In my free time, I like to be in nature, cycling, cooking, and spending time with my partner fiancé and our four cats.

I got interested in web design about 8 years ago when I was building themes for Tumblr blogs. Through that, I learned how to build basic static sites and started toying around with a bunch of small projects. I started learning how to build WordPress themes and was soon hired to build a small website for a local festival.

Before long, I found myself working with dozens of clients. I’ve worked with multiple local businesses, national corporations, artists, bands, restaurants, and international brands. I’m currently working with multiple clients and am constantly looking for more work. If you’re interested in hiring me, feel free to get in touch, either on my contact page, on Twitter, by email to nate@natenorthway.com, or on LinkedIn. I look forward to hearing from you!

Clients I’ve Worked With

I’ve worked with a wide range of clients. From mom-and-pop shops to global businesses, local projects and regional suppliers. I’ve seen my fair share of industry and I’ve found that my approach works across industries. At the end of the day, I find my primary job is to deliver the client’s message in a way that is clear, functional, and achieves their goals. The rest of my job just makes that pretty

Though I’ve worked with a lot of clients that have been fun, I really enjoy being a part of birthing a new brand. I like working with local businesses because I believe in community support. I’m here to learn, to help others learn, and to develop a better web for all. I’m a strong believer in accessibility and want to do my part to make sure that local businesses aren’t cutting corners because – let’s face it – quality web development often doesn’t come cheap. I’m happy to work with my clients to develop payment plans that work with their budgets – that’s why you’ll never find quotes or pricing tables on my website. Every quote is custom crafted to get everything you need and nothing you don’t. To see for yourself, check out these case studies.

Though I am always working, I do also love to tinker. I like to think of myself as a life-long learner, and I’m lucky enough to work with technology, which is a field that never stops changing, so there is always something new to learn. Here’s a few projects I’ve done recently – but you can see more by clicking here.

As well as freelancing, I’ve been employed professionally as a web developer since 2015. I’ve worked with agencies, in-house marketing teams, and as a jack of all trades marketer/SEO/Web Dev/CSA.

I started my professional career in 2018 at The Bikesmiths in Milwaukee, where I re-themed their Shopify site, managed their online inventory & some sales, and optimized some plug-ins. During that time, Gittr was really starting to take off, so I left The Bikesmiths to work on that, as well as focus on freelance clients. After Gittr started slowing down during the COVID-19 pandemic, I started working for Cherry Tree Dental, where I was part of a 3 person marketing team.

Cherry Tree Dental is a dental services organization which owns and operates dozens of dental offices throughout the midwest, with each clinic representing a different brand. They regularly purchase clinics from outgoing dentists and take on new brands. During my time there, I managed the website for each clinic, as well as the website representing the corporate entity of the company. My primary initiative was to move existing and incoming websites to one platform (WordPress on GoDaddy hosting), develop and implement a consistent theme, and make ongoing updates to existing content.

About a year in to my time with Cherry Tree, I was offered a position with Sterling Lawyers, where I am now. Sterling Lawyers is a family & divorce law firm based just outside of Milwaukee. They focus exclusively on family law and have a sales strategy that is driven by marketing. My main duties include updating our website, maintaining the WordPress core, theme files, and plug-ins, developing new conversion channels, optimizing our website, UI/UX improvements, and implementing key projects. My biggest initiative there has been developing and implementing a version control system using our host’s automated staging site system. We never touch the live site to make edits now and our downtime has decreased dramatically.

To read more about what I do professionally, please feel free to check out my resume.