Dance classes for children now at Lake Norman YMCA

The App for That

Huntersville couple aims to save groups more time

by Karel Bond Lucander Photos courtesy of Joe and Dawn Hewitt

GroupEasy founders Joe and Dawn Hewitt.

Do you find organizing events with groups to be a challenge? One local couple became determined to find a simpler solution with the development of a new app to do just that. Groupeasy is a gamechanger for non-profit businesses, volunteer organizations, clubs and even families.

Joe and Dawn Hewitt of Huntersville developed this first-of-its-kind app for book clubs, sports teams, churches, schools and recovery organizations—any group that deals with online “information scatter” in emails and Dropbox.

“It solves the common problems that all groups have: The need for a better tool to communicate, organize and collaborate with,” Dawn, who serves as Chief Executive Officer of the company, says.

And while there are other platforms designed for large corporations, Groupeasy is affordable and doesn’t require training. It is simple to use, with a single sign-in and nine tools.

“If you’ve ever used email or a smartphone, made a post on a social media platform, have an online calendar or used Survey Monkey, then you’ll know how to use the tools in Groupeasy,” Joe, Chief Operating Officer, says.

For nearly 30 years, Joe and Dawn volunteered for many Lake Norman area organizations, in part, because they raised their four children here.

“We’ve been involved in many groups, which means we share an affinity for something with others,” Joe says. “It’s those connections that add richness and meaning to life. We wanted to make sure that the stumbling blocks are removed because we want people to have rich lives through connectivity. As volunteers, we learned things that led us to believe there must be a better way,” he continues. “We began research in 2017 and conceived of Groupeasy in 2018.”

Together, they also had the professional experience to innovate this tool that didn’t exist. Dawn spent a decade in software development for Bank of America. She then worked as an IT process architect for Wells Fargo while also earning her PMP certification and LEAN Six-Sigma Black Belt. Joe is a skilled data scientist and mathematician who developed software and provided complex analytics for American Express, McKesson and Novant Health.

They developed and refined Groupeasy, getting it into the hands of test users. The Hewitts then took their feedback and enhanced and retested it. After a series of iterations, they officially launched on July 13. “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the members who gently shared their constructive criticism,” Dawn says.

Groupeasy offers a free 30-day trial. Always free for groups with seven or fewer members, the monthly fee starts at $14.99 for groups of up to 35 members. Unlike other apps, they will never share data and members control the information they reveal.

With a dozen employees, the Groupeasy team will grow as they scale their user base. The app already has 25 organizations and 500 members on board.

“Groupeasy allows members to focus on the meaningful work that they’ve grouped to do while we do the housekeeping,” Dawn says.

Learn more at www.groupeasy.com.