Today we’d like to introduce you to John Kissling.
Hi John, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I attended University of the Arts in the 1990s where I focused on illustration and commercial art. I got my start thanks in part to a professor who hired me out of school, and those early opportunities gave me a strong creative foundation. During my tenure working at his studio I was able to work on some incredible projects with major brands and organizations, including National Geographic, Coca-Cola, Campbell’s Soup and Lennox.
Over time, though, I realized art wasn’t going to be very stable financially for me. A new opportunity arose when someone reached out because they knew I understood computers. That led me into a very different type of work involving computer salvage and reconstruction. Then, after 9/11, that skill set unexpectedly put me in a position to help assess and inventory claimed damage in data centers for major banks near the World Trade Center site. After spending about two years doing this work, the company relocated, and I decided it was time for me to move on.
During this period a friend asked me to look at a website someone was building for them, and that was really my way into web development. I could see pretty quickly what was off on the technical side, and from there, I started teaching myself more, building on the computer and coding knowledge I already had. Not long after, I joined a small agency, and when the owner decided to step away from the business, she handed over the clients and the full catalog of work. That allowed me to run a small boutique agency of my own for several years.
We served clients well and kept the business going, but we never fully broke through to the next level so continued operating on a smaller scale. I also took on an additional role outside of the agency work and spent nearly seven years doing development work for a trade magazine. Then COVID hit, and like many people, I found myself out of work and looking for my next job – it was about two years of applying for jobs before I came across the Hopeworks opportunity.
When I came across the role of web director at Hopeworks, I felt like I was qualified to do the work, though uncertain about being a culture fit. My background was more on the business and creative side, so I wasn’t sure that that would translate at first. But I shared my story, got the job, and I have now been at Hopeworks for nearly four years.
The part I’m proud of most is the team we have built. Every person on my staff came through the Hopeworks program. When I started, the business was struggling. Since then, we have grown it from barely doing six figures to bringing in more than half a million dollars, and I think we can take it even further. What matters most to me, though, is that we are doing that while creating real opportunities for young adults and showing clients the level of work they are capable of.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the most challenging experiences I went through involved my son, who was born prematurely and, after making it through those early challenges, became seriously ill due to E. coli-related complications. He ended up needing a kidney transplant when he was 5 years old, and I was the donor. That experience profoundly reshaped my priorities and changed the way I viewed work, stability, and what I could realistically focus on.
On the professional side, one of the biggest challenges was stepping into Hopeworks and making the model work as a real business. I had run my own agency before, so I understood the client side, but this was different. The mission was strong, but the business was struggling with retention, consistency, and trust. The challenge was building something clients could truly rely on while still giving young adults real, hands-on experience.
That first year was a lot of rebuilding: fixing processes, gaining client confidence, and proving that the work could match the promise. Bringing my business background into a nonprofit setting took some adjustment, but it started to click over time. Now we have repeat clients, referrals, and strong project work, and my team has grown to the point where they are handling most of it themselves. Watching them step into that has been one of the most rewarding parts of the whole experience.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I oversee the direction of Hopeworks’ digital/web business. While Hopeworks is a nonprofit, this part of the organization operates like a business, selling services across the B2B and B2C sectors with a focus on web development, hosting, digital marketing, accessibility, graphic design and 3D asset rendering.
My main responsibilities include overseeing our service offerings, managing the team, increasing revenue lines, and ensuring that the young professionals we hire through the program gain experience that reflects what they would encounter in a professional internship or outside business environment. A longer term objective is scaling the business model as we have recently expanded into Kensington, PA and Newark, NJ.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I enjoy observing what Camden’s becoming. I grew up about 10 miles outside the city, so I’ve seen Camden through many stages – the city’s growth, development, and community engagement today is so fulfilling. I remember when I was younger, older people would always talk about how much they loved Camden and what a great city it was, so it is nice to see that promise returning. You can feel that the city is moving past its history and into the future.
In a lot of ways, that progress mirrors what we do at Hopeworks. At Hopeworks, we work with young adults who may be facing serious obstacles, whether that is housing and food insecurity, education, violence, or other challenges, and help them move toward real professional opportunity. Seeing Camden continue to rebuild and seeing young adults transform their own futures through Hopeworks feels like a parallel process. That connection between the city’s momentum and the work we do is something I really appreciate.
What I like least about Camden is a much simpler answer: getting out of The Freedom Mortgage Pavilion after a show. The traffic there can be brutal. The waterfront itself has changed dramatically in positive ways, and the development there is remarkable compared with twenty years ago, but leaving a concert there is still probably my least favorite Camden experience.
Pricing:
- Our work spans a wide range depending on the project. We have taken on projects that cost only a few thousand dollars, and we have also worked on large-scale projects exceeding $150,000. That range reflects the fact that we can support both more accessible, affordable work as well as much more involved initiatives. Hopeworks Technology Solutions operates as a functioning business within a nonprofit, and the work we do helps fund paid training opportunities for young adults. Every intern or associate in my department is paid hourly, which is a major part of what makes this model so impactful.
Contact Info:
- Website: Hopeworks.org ; HopeworksTechnologySolutions.com ; Hopeworksweb.com
