Case Study

ArcStone replaced a legacy codebase with a sustainable WordPress platform for Minnesota’s statewide mental health services directory.

Redesigned FastTrackerMN website displayed on a desktop screen, featuring a clean blue header, hotline information, and a prominent ‘Start Your Search’ button for mental health and substance use care.

FastTrackerMN is a statewide directory connecting Minnesotans to mental health, substance use disorder, and recovery support services. The platform serves families, individuals, and professionals searching for treatment locations across the state. As a critical community resource, FastTrackerMN needed digital infrastructure that could grow with their mission while remaining manageable for their small team.

Our Role

Complete WordPress Rebuild (Kadence + ACF Pro)
Legacy Codebase Analysis & Simplification
Hosting Migration & Performance Optimization
Advanced Search Implementation (SearchWP + FacetWP)
User Registration & Organization Management System
KEAP to Mailchimp Email Migration
Multilingual Support (GTranslate)
Staff Training & Ongoing Service Package

The Challenge:

FastTrackerMN’s existing website had accumulated years of custom code that made simple updates nearly impossible without developer involvement. The technical audit revealed bespoke PHP recreating basic WordPress operations, six custom plugins with intermixed application logic, and a reporting system that had generated over 8 GB of database overhead. The Elementor backend was difficult for staff to manage, search functionality had bugs with zip code and filtering logic, and the KEAP email system added complexity and cost. FastTrackerMN needed a complete architectural rebuild that would give their team control over their own platform.

Fast-Tracker’s pre-redesign webpage displayed on a laptop, showing hotline numbers and links to mental health and substance use disorder resources.

Our Approach

ArcStone developed a phased approach that maintained service continuity while rebuilding the platform from the foundation up. Phase 1 migrated hosting to ArcStone’s WordPress-optimized environment, immediately improving stability. Phase 2 launched the rebuilt website with simplified architecture. Phase 3 replaced KEAP with Mailchimp for notifications.

Rather than patching the existing codebase, we rebuilt using WordPress best practices. Kadence theme replaced Elementor, giving staff intuitive editing capabilities. Advanced Custom Fields replaced the custom database schema, making organization and location data manageable through standard WordPress interfaces. SearchWP and FacetWP replaced the buggy custom search with powerful filtering that staff can configure without touching code.

We preserved all existing functionality including the organization directory, user registration flows, admin management tools, and glossary system while moving everything into maintainable patterns. Manual PHP forms became Gravity Forms. The goal throughout was sustainability: building something FastTrackerMN could own and manage themselves.

FastTrackerMN mental health and SUD service search page with filters for location, keywords, services, insurance, availability, and a ‘Search Locations’ button.

FastTrackerMN login page with username and password fields, a ‘Log In’ button, and a ‘Register Now’ option for new providers.

Reviewing the Results

FastTrackerMN now operates on a modern WordPress platform their team can actually manage. Performance improved dramatically, with the development environment loading 10x faster than the legacy production site. The simplified codebase eliminated the custom plugin maze, consolidating functionality into standard WordPress patterns that any WordPress developer can maintain.

Staff gained the ability to update content, manage organizations and locations, and configure search filters through familiar WordPress interfaces. GTranslate integration provided multilingual support for diverse communities. The project demonstrates that even heavily customized legacy platforms can be transformed into sustainable solutions, giving FastTrackerMN a foundation that will serve Minnesota’s mental health and recovery community for years to come.