About Our Founder
Chris Sheehy, a Rhode Island digital marketing leader and Rhode Island transplant from the age of 24 (from the apizza capital of New Haven, CT), began his entrepreneurial journey in the late 1990s. His first company website for his automotive insurance claims business - which he personally built and marketed - earned a “Website of the Year” nomination, an unexpected early recognition that immediately ignited his passion for search visibility. Instead of waiting for the market to catch up, Chris immediately dove into SEO and paid search, learning the nuances of digital discovery & visibility through relentless, hands-on trial and error for his own company, and on his dime. To put his foresight into context, he was already mastering SEO and digital marketing while Google was still an experiment at Stanford.
From Self-Financed Start-up to Industry Innovator
Chris spent the next decade refining that hard-won, real-world knowledge across other successful ventures before formalizing his expertise by founding Sidewalk Branding Co. in 2009. The agency quickly established a reputation across Southern New England for its ability to demystify complex online marketing strategies and drive results for his clients. Chris became the expert who could provide businesses and nonprofits clear, actionable paths to leveraging SEO and digital strategy, all viewed through the lens of a successful multi-business owner. A unique, practical perspective that continues to set him apart in his market.
Building Businesses, Empowering Communities
Chris's proven ability to build and scale led to an engagement with Brave River Solutions (BRS) in the late 2000s, where he was contracted to develop their digital marketing department. This deep partnership lasted long after the contract ended; ultimately culminating a decade later in a successful “acquire-to-hire” acquisition of Sidewalk Branding, bringing Chris aboard to rebuild and lead the Digital Services department in 2022 - the same department he helped create! During his tenure at BRS, Chris fundamentally transformed the department's operating model from project-based work to a highly predictable, recurring-revenue business, doubling annual revenue projections in just over three years. Beyond the financials, he institutionalized modern efficiencies - implementing a lean office environment, building repeatable SOPs, injecting search engine optimization throughout the web development team’s work, integrating Kaizen continuous learning ideology, and most critically, establishing the firm's leadership in future-focused technology. Chris was integrating AI into his team's workflow in 2021, long before ChatGPT became a household name (his work with AI dates back to IBM Watson in 2018), and he co-authored BRS’s internal AI policy to enhance operations, provide safeguards, and future-proof the entire organization.
Educating & Elevating the Next Generation
This dedication to staying ahead of the curve is Chris’s professional trademark. He has consistently pioneered the use of emerging technologies—from experimenting with Google Analytics when it was still owned by Urchin to being an early user of Google Ads and now leading the charge in AI optimization. His expertise is foundational, not theoretical. Chris has shared this practical, forward-looking knowledge by volunteering with organizations like Rhode Island Polaris MEP, RI Business Development Center, SBA, AMA, and SCORE. He has also contributed to higher-ed learning through curriculum, lectures, and student projects at institutions including RISD, NEIT, URI, Johnson & Wales, and Columbia University.
Omni Search Labs (OSL): Experience Pays Dividends
Returning to his entrepreneurial roots, Chris founded Omni Search Labs (OSL) in November 2025. OSL represents the culmination of this nearly three-decade journey, a company built to deliver results-driven search and AI optimization on a flexible managed services model. It connects hard-earned, real-world expertise directly to Rhode Island's small- and medium-sized businesses and offers specialized channel partner SEO support for web developers, PR, and digital marketing freelancers, agencies, and in-house teams.
Chris’s results have earned industry recognition, including being the first recipient of the Rhode Island Tech10 Award from the SEO/digital marketing industry. Additional accolades include Top 5 Startup by Mass High Tech, Top Tech Entrepreneur by GoLocalProv, and Top Web Development Firm by Providence Business News. Chris has also had media exposure on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, WSJ, Forbes, Boston Herald, and NIST. He has published works in top publications like Search Engine Journal, Databox, Marketing Profs, Mopar, RI Small Business Journal, RI Creative Magazine, Social Media Today, Search Engine Land, and more.
At OSL, “Experience Pays Dividends” is more than a tagline, it’s the clarity of vision, forward-thinking strategy, and commitment to measurable outcomes that clients rely on to distinguish themselves in their markets.
About OSL
What Shapes Our Brand
At Omni Search Labs, our Mission is to bridge the gap between people searching for answers and the businesses that provide them, helping clients build meaningful connections and lasting opportunities in a digital landscape that never stands still. We create search-driven strategies and deliver innovative optimization solutions, blending technology, creativity, and continuous improvement so every client advances with confidence.
“Omni” in our brand name, comes from the Latin omnis, meaning “everywhere.” We believe search is omnipresent - in every question, discovery, and answer, regardless of where or how they happen online. Our role is to build bridges between active searchers and our clients, driving opportunity wherever connections are made.
“Labs” describes our approach: treating search as both science and art, experimenting, iterating, and improving daily. We embrace Kaizen, continuous improvement, and the humility to see failure as part of progress. As Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Our Colors, inspired by earth and sky, express balance, calm, and trust - the same qualities we aim to instill in every client relationship. The six hexagons in our logo symbolize our Core Values: Integrity (foundation for all relationships), Trust (grows from integrity), Relationships (built on trust), Learning (continuous improvement in relationships and service), Innovation (application of learning and creativity), and Service (all the above supports client outcomes). These principles bring both depth and balance to everything we do.
At our core, Omni Search Labs is about creating harmony between people, technology, and opportunity. We see search not as a transaction, but as a human experience, one built on trust, connection, and lasting value. Our Vision is a world where search sparks curiosity, creates opportunity, and inspires continuous improvement for businesses and searchers alike.