Results-driven technology leader with 23+ years of hands-on experience in application architecture, software development, and cloud infrastructure. Known for a strong commitment to continuous learning and a passion for solving complex technical challenges, driving impactful solutions that meet business needs.
Summary
Skills
Front-End Development
HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+)
Responsive & Mobile-First Design
React, Next.js, Nuxt
Web Performance Optimization (Core Web Vitals)
Back-End Development
RESTful and GraphQL APIs
Node.js, Python (Django/Flask), Ruby on Rails
C#, ASP.NET
Serverless Architecture
Databases
SQL Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server)
NoSQL Databases (MongoDB, Redis, Cassandra)
Database Design & Optimization
Data Warehousing (Redshift, Snowflake)
Data Migration & ETL Processes
Cloud Platforms
AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
Monitoring & Logging (CloudWatch, ELK Stack)
Containerization & Orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
CI/CD Pipeline Management (Jenkins, GitLab CI)
Project Management
Agile Methodologies (Scrum, Kanban)
Risk Management & Mitigation
Budgeting & Resource Allocation
Project Scoping & Timeline Estimation
People Management
Performance Management & Reviews
Mentorship & Coaching
Team Building & Collaboration
Technical Customer Success & Stakeholder Communication
Experience
Edgio
Senior Architect and Engineering Manager
2019-09-01 – Present- Led teams of 3-5 people building new web applications using headless JavaScript frameworks like Next, Nuxt, and Remix.
- Architected and led development teams for multiple large global retailer e-commerce websites. Integrated modern headless javascript apps with platforms such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Shopify, and HCL Commerce.
- Acted as Lead Architect for the largest company accounts, contributing hands-on, leading and mentoring development teams, and consulting on complex issues across teams' projects.
- Delivered projects had high impact for ecommerce sites: In one case the project increased AOV by 40% and Conversion Rate by 25%; In another case an 80% overall performance improvement.
- Designed and implemented advanced edge caching strategies and best practices for web performance, streamlining our ability to improve site speed on headless JavaScript sites and native e-commerce platforms.
- Created and iteratively improved on an automated onboarding tool that reduced onboarding time by up to 50%. The tool parses rules from competitors (Akamai, Fastly, Imperva) and outputs in a format native to the platform, reducing the hands-on time needed for complex migrations.
- Produced documentation and guides to streamline project discovery and improve efficiency, including integration guides for major ecommerce platforms, best practices for Core Web Vitals and advanced caching strategies.
- Acted as a trusted advisor and regularly partnered with internal and external teams on implementations involving high levels of complexity
- Collaborated across the organization to cut internal costs while improving our customers experience, with one change resulting in a decrease in recurring costs for large customers of over 60%, drastically increasing our product margins
Chicago Back Office, LLC
Lead Software Engineer / Owner
2011-01-01 – 2023-07-15- Built and ran a web-based SAAS for the back office of trading firms in the derivatives industry.
- Founded the company in 2011, launched the first paying customer after a year of development, and maintained profitability from 2012 to 2023 before selling the software rights.
- Served as lead developer and primary decision-maker in ongoing engineering and design decisions, as well as overall business decisions to ensure growth and profitability.
- Architected and developed processes which collected data from user input, futures/options exchanges and various other third party systems which was used to generate 200+ daily and monthly reports for the firm to use in their daily/monthly balancing.
- Built asynchronous services which generated and sent regulatory reports to the CFTC, ensuring strict adherence to formatting and timely submission to maintain firm compliance with the financial exchanges.
- Collaborated with internal and customer stakeholders and define a reporting customization framework within the application, allowing flexibility without diverging from the main codebase.
- Added a feature which pulled inbound XML from Websphere MQ, used Python to calculate and adjust intraday positions, and pushed updates to the front-end using websockets which provided customers with near real-time financial reporting.
- Managed real-time and batch processes handling a peak of over 1 million transactions per day.
- In addition to technical contributions, participated in day to day running of the business including sales, marketing, support and other non-technical.
Rizing
Lead Software Architect
2018-09-01 – 2019-09-01- Led a team of 3 developers, a UX designer, and a QA engineer for a product wrapping a white labeled BI tool using Ruby on Rails and React and running on AWS Lambda, EC2, and S3 services.
- Architected, contributed and led development of complex functionality including role-based access controls, reporting enhancements and UI personalization for each customer.
- Identified and mitigated multiple major security flaws in the original code, avoiding potential security threats.
- Performed code reviews, held 1:1s with each team mate, and worked closely with the CTO to define product direction and priorities.
- Improved overall developer velocity by modernizing workflows - Moved the project from SVN to Git, Implemented a CI pipeline using Jenkins, replacing a legacy manual deployment process, and implemented a formal SDLC.
- Collaborated with compliance officers to define and adhere to SOC2 controls, ensuring application compliance with SOC2 requirements.
- Post-acquisition, designed and planned a migration path from the existing application to an SAP-native solution offering similar functionality.
Leo Burnett Interactive
Full Stack Software Engineer and Architect
2015-05-01 – 2018-09-01- Architected, contributed to, and lead development of a distributed system which managed demos on devices at brick-and-mortar retailers. The application provided consumer information and increasing sales.
- Developed the CI/CD pipeline to build distributable client packages for Android, Chromebook, and Windows devices.
- Created a with a web-based admin portal using Ruby on Rails hosted on AWS (EC2, S3, RDS).
- Scaled the system from an MVP supporting 100 devices up to to 100,000 concurrent connected devices by leveraging queueing, caching, backend optimizations, and horizontal scaling.
- Collaborated directly with large retailers for deployments at brick-and-mortar stores, traveling to US and international sites to meet with stakeholders and build confidence in the solution.
- Implemented best practices in the SDLC, including defining a git workflow and creating hooks for an automatic CI/CD processes .
- Directed quarterly scope, budget, and estimations based on client requirements, historical developer velocity, and available human resources. Worked across teams to ensure resources were allocated and used effectively, resulting in delivery on time and under budget each quarter.
- Mentored junior developers to enhance skills and increase cross-functional collaboration by breaking down silos between front-end, back-end, and SRE teams.
General Motors - OnStar
Senior Software Engineer
2013-08-01 – 2015-05-01- Consulted on multiple initiatives for the Advanced Concepts Division of OnStar, creating public demos and proof of concepts for emerging technologies in the GM fleet.
- Researched platforms and services, creating small proof of concept applications to demonstrate the usefulness of different platforms within the department for showcasing new technology in vehicles.
- Assisted in defining a new protocol for transferring vehicle data and authentication information between the vehicle and dash hardware using 8-bit data sequences.
- Provided support for applications at shows across the US and at filming locations, assisting in the creation of internal training materials for GM.
BMPR Holdings
Software Engineering Consultant
2011-01-01 – 2018-09-01- Founded a consulting LLC with two partners, developing a business plan and collaborating on accounts and projects.
- Held recurriung monthyl contracts with multiple SMBs for development tasks using technologies such as Ruby on Rails, PHP (WordPress, Joomla), Java (Android), and other technologies.
- Provided infrastructure and networking consulting for groups across the US to support migrations to Microsoft Exchange.
- Consulted with two distributed companies on data center relocations/consolidation across multiple states.
- Built strong relationships with customers. Described by one customers as their, 'witch doctor' due to my ability to hit the ground running on any request in any technology.
Projects
Chicago Back Office
2011-01-01 – 2023-07-01Web Based back-office finance application used by derivatives traders for daily balancing
- Ran custom and regulatory reporting for derivatives industry at a small fraction of the cost of competitors
- Handled over 1 million transactions per customer per day
- Tech Stack: C# .Net, Ruby on Rails, Javascript, Bootstrap CSS, Microsoft SQL Server
Katespade.com React/NextJS Website
2019-09-01 – 2020-07-01A new headless website for the brand Kate Spade using NextJS and AWS Lambda.
- Achieved huge gains in website speed as measured by Google, and the company saw double digit increases in key E-commerce metrics: AOV and Conversion Rate.
- This project proved the concept and the ensuing impact of the strategy made this project the template for the rest of the global Tapestry brands (Coach, Stuart Weizman, Kate Spade)
- Case Study: https://edg.io/customer-success-stories/tapestry/
- Tech Stack: Next.js, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Akamai
Intel - Intelligent POS
2015-05-01 – 2018-09-01Point of Sale Marketing Tool to give customizable insights to customers in retail settings worldwide
- Won Effie and Reggie awards for marketing in 2017
- Scaled from proof-of-concept/MVP to 100,000 concurrent connected devices
- Tech Stack: Angular, Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, AWS
Vehicle Health App
2013-06-01 – 2014-07-01An in-vehicle application which used data from the vehicle CAN bus, parsed and displayed relevant information in an HTML5/AngularJS application inside the car.
- One of the first applications shown in GM Vehicles when LTE was enabled in-car
- Shown worldwide at auto and technology shows and received media coverage
- Tech Stack: Vehicle CAN data interface, Angular
