Five Cedars Group, Inc. Information

The Five Cedars Group story starts with its founder, John Schmitt, and his determination to create great products. In 1993, several years after leaving a technical marketing position at Intel, John founded the OakTree Digital agency with a desire to create great products for great clients while building a supportive environment for exceptional people. Over the years, OakTree Digital grew to be one of Portland’s premier digital agencies. OakTree completed well over 3,000 client projects as diverse as e-learning progress tracking, to a hospital’s door key tracking and management system, to a HIPPA compliance application, to the Alternate Format Ballot. In 2007, OakTree won the opportunity to build the Alternate Format Ballot (AFB) product for Oregon to meet the requirements of the Help America Vote Act. The AFB process and ballots received their first test during the May 2008 Primary. Over the past eight years, the Alternate Format Ballot has truly touched people’s lives in a positive way. The AFB is an HTML ballot used by voters with disabilities, particularly those with vision or mobility concerns. Oregon then expanded the AFB's use to include military and overseas voters (UOCAVA). While building an HTML and PDF ballot generating system may seem out-of-place at an internet development agency, the user interfaces, complex JavaScript, multiple browser testing, and assistive software testing required was not that different than many of the projects OakTree had successfully delivered over the years. Not much different, but so much more meaningful. In February 2013, after leading OakTree Digital for twenty years, John sold the agency portion so he could pursue his passion: the Alternate Format Ballot. For branding continuity, Grady Britton acquired the OakTree name and John renamed the AFB development company the “Five Cedars Group”. Regardless of the name change, the same entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to customer success carries on.