An interview with our Co-Founders, Greg Cunneyworth and Josh Lowery
From working out of a coffee shop to having a team spread across the world, Makeway has changed dramatically through the years. What hasn’t changed is a commitment to personal growth and a willingness to take on new challenges.
There was the time co-founders Greg and Josh gambled their careers (and their lives?) to meet from Craigslist and start a business together. A few years later, they expanded the young company from Rochester, New York to Columbus, Ohio, as their families’ circumstances pulled them toward new adventures.
They engrained themselves in their new community, broadening Makeway’s network and preparing the company for a remote-work future.
That set the tone for the Makeway you see today.
In this special edition of our Meet the Maker series, you’ll hear from our two original makers about how they complement one another, why they’re passionate about their work, and how they spend their free time.
Our first office in Rochester, NY. The Cascade District.
How do you balance each other as co-founders?
Josh: The concise breakdown is that I’ve always been on the tech and logistics side of the company—finance, business operations, IT, web development—and then Greg has always been more on the side of creative design, client relationships, and new business.
Greg: Co-founder is the key word there. Because, although Josh is completely right that we’ve stayed in our lanes regarding development and creative, we are always reevaluating our roles within the company as time goes on. Creative Director is still an appropriate title for me and is what I’ll continue to be. But I’ve definitely taken on more of a visionary role within the company, progressing a lot of internal programs forward.
Josh has done the same thing, except more on the external side with clients—so he’s helped progress our technological comprehension and understanding to a point that differentiates us. Those are unique aspects that don’t really have titles.
We complement each other really well in terms of our responsibilities within the company, which sometimes aren’t written down. I think co-founder is probably the best way to sum it up.
“We’ve made this our career, as well as our lifestyle and passion, and we’ve put every ounce of our energy into trying to create the best company possible.”
Tell us about the moves you made, both going from Rochester, New York to Columbus, Ohio, and then Josh to Norway.
Josh: The moves have been natural milestones, not just for growth in our personal relationships with our spouses, but also between Greg and myself as co-founders. And then also for the company itself. Columbus was the first test of that and, at the time, it made us a little bit nervous. It’s so funny to look back at that because going from Rochester to Columbus just seems so easy now.
Greg: And, in a lot of ways, moving to Columbus prepared us for the pandemic. Having offices in Rochester and Columbus forced us to get really organized with how we communicate virtually.
Josh: It wasn’t just us, we had employees too. So we were mindful that it was a bit unorthodox to have both founders now working away from the city where they had established a physical office and client relationships. At the time, this was pre-COVID and people were very much of the mindset that you do business in person. But it improved our business, opened up our network, and unveiled new opportunities.
Greg: Expanding to Columbus 100% opened up new doors for the company in a way that never would’ve happened if we didn’t move. It gave us the opportunity to work with some major household names. So it was a good business decision and a good personal decision—they go hand in hand.
Greg and Josh at their second office in Rochester, NY. They are posing in a photo for a Democrat and Chronicle article.
What do you want people to know about your journey together?
Greg: Two things; We deeply care about the people in this company—more than we could ever articulate. And we love the work we do. We probably spend more time thinking about Makeway than we’d like to admit. But Josh and I love problem-solving and creating, so it usually it doesn’t feel much like work.
Also, it probably does surprise some people who knew us in 2010, as we worked out of a Starbucks, that we’re still doing it. I can imagine there were a lot of people who thought it was temporary for us. We’ve made this our career, as well as our lifestyle and passion, and we’ve put every ounce of our energy into trying to create the best company possible. We’re not done yet. In our minds, we still have a long way to go to get to where we ultimately want to be. We’re always trying to make the company better and grow as people.
Josh: It’s definitely very hard work, but it’s really rewarding to see this team of such talented people consistently create amazing work. Every day is a new puzzle for us all to solve and the variety of our work is at times incredibly frustrating but also very intriguing. The collective problem-solving effort is exciting.
It’s funny you said that, Greg, about people possibly being surprised. I vividly remember the night I told my parents, “I’m gonna start this business with Greg”. They were definitely skeptical and the look on their faces was just very much like, “Okay, sure… we’ll see where this goes”. At the time I don’t think either of us really knew where it was gonna go. We were just gonna give it our best shot.
In our minds, we still have a long way to go to get to where we ultimately want to be. We’re always trying to make the company better and grow as people.
A family photo in Norway.
Addy (7), Josh, Cam (4), Alyssa
What do you do when you’re not thinking about Makeway?
Josh: Anything outdoors—hiking, skiing, biking… that kind of stuff. That accelerated a lot with my move to Norway because those activities are so accessible and baked into daily life. I spend either a lot of my time in front of a computer or a lot of the time in the woods with my family (Wife Alyssa, Cameron age 4, and Addison age 7). I like to travel and play pretty much any sport. This past year I helped coach a Junior American Football team in Norway, which was a lot of fun.
Greg: I really enjoy cooking and, over the last six or seven years, I started to learn new things and intentionally improve. For me, cooking is definitely an escape from stress. It’s good downtime. I don’t really cook for myself; I cook for friends, family, and my daughter (Remington, age 2). Also, I’ve always had an appreciation for photography. Since Meg and I got married in 2017, I’ve taken an instant camera on pretty much every trip we’ve taken.
A family photo with their dog Berkley, in Columbus, OH
Greg, Remi (2), Megan
Makeway for the Future
With a commitment to personal and professional growth, Greg and Josh have turned a small partnership into a global digital agency.
Their willingness to prioritize their families while building Makeway from the ground up set the tone for a people-first company. We truly value the well-being of colleagues and clients, always making space for work-life balance.
We’re proud of how far we’ve come. But, as Greg and Josh say, we’re not done.
We’re going to continue growing together.
If you’re interested in growing with us, as a client or colleague, check out our capabilities or careers. Or connect with our co-founders directly on LinkedIn: Josh Lowery and Greg Cunneyworth.
