Hello, my name is Bill and I've been in the tech industry since 1995. Yes, 1995. I'll provide you a brief recap of that, how I got into
web design, software engineering and present you with my experience, skills and include in some Hobbies
and businesses I've operated during that time as well.
Summary
Well seasoned (aka experienced) Senior Software Engineer specialized in full stack web application development. Having used numerous front-end libraries
(knockout.js, Angular.js, Angular, Backbone) as well as writing appropriate middleware and APIs to interface to backend logic (and no I don't mean tons
of T-SQL, Stored Procedures and other MSSQL dependent features, which I can do, have done, I just don't feel that modern day applications need that legacy to attempt
to move forward given all the NO-SQL options available - especially when companies refuse to version control their SQL Databases and rely on inline comments for such - as has been my experience
through numerous companies). I have experienced a wide variety of challenges over my career.
From building the first successful production deployment of both hardware and software for the Professional Bull Riders first entry to live sports scoring
(back in 2010) to assisting US Figure Skating association as a contractor, to STARZ online programming guide, to CARS SaaS platform - a proprietary use case for
asset recovery agents, I have a depth of hands-on knowledge through many verticals, including introducing a major government contractor to the Sencha UI system,
that at the time was still IE6 Compatible and performant per the requirements.
I have directed teams, coached teams and have experience as a part of a team in many facets. I have many hobbies, including guitar, PC/Server building, and gardening.
My primary hobby at one time turned full time in 2021 during the pandemic, which was laser engraving and cutting services. Given the state of things at that time, it
was fitting to work from home after my contract was ended due to COVID, and my wife and I still do laser work as a fun side gig/hobby hitting up local weekend markets as time allows.
I am most fluent in C#, JavaScrip, Angular.js and SQL, however it doesn't take me long to learn different tech at this point with the various experience I have gained over the span of my career.
Education
Udemy - Online Refresher/New Skills Courses
The Complete 2024 Web Development Bootcamp Comleted 02/2024
Angular - The Complete Guide (2024 Edition) Completed 02/2024
Angular & Node.JS - The MEAN Stack Guide [2024 Edition] In Progress
Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2D In Progress
nreal engine 5 C++ Developer In Progress
Kaplan University
IT Web Development 2006-2008 - No Degree obtained after school changed and got sued.
Northeastern Junior College
A.A.S. Information Technology - 2002-2004
Work Experience
This Is Previous 10 years - For more experience see my LinkedIn or request a full resume.
CSR/PSR Continuum Global Solutions Aug 2023 - Present
Work from home assisting callers on various ContinuumGbl accounts, including CVS Specialty Pharmacy and
CVS Minute clinc. Assist callers with adding updated insurance information, schedule high-value
prescriiption medications, reduce co-pays with co-pay assistance programs, and provide call resolution on first contact
when possible. Worked with various teams, supervisors, Assist team and escalation team when needed.
Promoted to team lead in December 2023 after 3 months in the position.
Managing Owner RBCRE8IVE LLC July 2022 - Present
RBCRE8IVE LLC specializes in laser cutting and engraving services and products.
We retail and wholesale products as well as offer personalized products.
We're also digital developers creating laser ready files, and web applications,
mobile apps and more for the vendor market space using the latest technologies.
The digial offerings include a proprietary app and web site for a niche that is
currently underserved. An NDA is required for any code previews/showings even
after the apps and sites are publicly released.
Owner Suckerpunch Ltd. Sep 2013 - Aug 2022
Initially began hand-crafting HD Sportster Air Cleaners and other hand
fabricated parts, which lead into obtaining a C02 laser cutting machine.
The business evolved into not only motorcycle and automotive related products
it also produced home decor, functional products such as shelving as well as
work on etching stainless steel tumblers, wine glasses, mirrors and creation
of several products specific to the business. Manage all aspects of business
from raw material procurement, vendor relations, building out websites,
social media marketing, traditional market, accounting and product
development. Also took some opensource applications modified them to be used on our
platforms. As well took all web, app and in-house development projects on using
numerous platforms and languages.
Senior Software Engineer Applied Visions Inc. Jun 2019 - Dec 2020
Work on meal plan delivery “Kitchen Management System” for proprietary client
platform. Work included streamlining DevOps procedures for Azure, performance
enhancement for system, implement proper error handling and logging in Webforms
as well as RestAPI portions of platform. Integrate unit tests for new
development as well as existing platform code base. Enhance platform stability
by improving date, weight and time calculation code to properly assign meal
delivery dates, number of food days and ensure delivery routing properly
imported from external delivery partners. Implement new development items to
include consolidated guides, Holiday schedule override for shipping
flexibility, adjust existing code to handle updated business requirements.
Build, maintain and architect enterprise software solutions on the .Net
platform, specializing in SaaS applications focused on modern design for
cross-device consumption. Highlights include integration of new software
platforms into existing systems, meeting with enterprise client consumers of
SaaS/PaaS to identify requirements for custom implementations and development
of tools and technology to meet requirements.
Special consideration to mobile and desktop hybrid designs and solutions that
integrate with existing systems including external partners, financial and
stakeholder dashboards. Utilizing customized commercial and open-source
solutions to provide the best business value to the enterprise.
Full stack development using JavaScript, AngularJS, JQuery, .Net/.NetCore,
WebAPI, MVC, WebForms and other commercial and open-source libraries and
platforms such as Telerik and Telerik Kendo UI, Rotativa PDF library,
GrapeCity Active Reports to create custom solutions for both the business
and external customers.
Skills
.Net/.NetCore
C#
Javascript
Angular
HTML/CSS
Dependency Injection
CI/CD
Azure
REST API Deveopment & Consuming
DevOPs
Unit Testing
TDD/BDD
Git/Source Control
Hobbies
Over the years I've had many hobbies - from model rockets, to R/C airplance and drones, to playing guitar
and most recent years doing laser engraving and cutting. These hobbies led to some of my work experiences
working with Estes Model Rockets fresh out of my A.A.S. program in 2006 building web sites and applications
for their rocket line as well as R/C line through their subsidary Cox Models. Both were long term companies in
their respective areas of products and the experience launched me forward in my software career.
While working in various verticals performing web development, web design, software engineering, I also began getting
interested into laser cutting and engraving. In 2013 I founded a company making air cleaners for Harley-Davidson
motorcycles, specifically the Sportster line. While I sold some, it was an encrumbrence using a drill press and fly-cutter
to hand make the polycarbonate/acrylic fronts and backs for the see-through product.
In 2016 I found out about laser cutting and engraving and started with a small 4"x6" home build machine using a 0.5watt
diode laser. Unfortunately that wouldn't work with anything other than organic materials such as wood or acrylic.
I shortly after got a Glowforge CO2, and then moved on to a more capable machine from Full Spectrum Laser, a Muse 2D.
Today I run a small business with my wife called RBCRE8IVE LLC - and we don't make Harley parts any more.
We are focused on numerous verticals including home decor, personal items (custom made leather wallets, knives, tumblers),
and have a complete line of D&D (table top gaming) items we've designed and produce for local fairs, markets and weekend shows.
Many have questioned if that impacts my day to day and since we focus on specific markets each year, it has not.
This book of holding slides open to reveal one of 5 diferent options for holding dice, miniatures, pencils, pens or whatever the palyer needs.
This is 1/4" material and can be made from cedar, hickory or walnut material with custom engravings per person, family or business.
Made from multiple layers of hardwood veneered plywood, MDF and hand painted, this pays tribute to Texas and Austin the capital as well.
Made from multiple layers of wood, finished in white birch for the top and bottom, this holds a set of 7 14-18mm polyhedral dice to keep handy during play.
These are various themes that I am commercially licensed to product for products spanning D&D, Pathfinder and other table-top game systems.
This is what the inside of the hexagon dice holding box looks like. You can see the layers as well as see that we can place a full set inside.
Starting in 1995 - Fresh Out Of High School
From the age of 12 I worked various jobs. I started as a part time weekend cleaner at a tire retread shop in my home town. Why? I wanted to buy a guitar.
That job lasted until I got in trouble after an accident using equipment I was too young to use. I was 16 using a machine that required me to be 18. No on cared and no one got into
too much trouble, but I lost the job. I then worked for the Wal-Mart of course (small town, limited options), and finally got a job at a call center, Sykes Enterprises.
My first foray into tech was doing tech support for Follett Software providing support for their library automation software. It was very proprietary, however many schools ran it at the
time, they are still around BTW (Follet). After the contract ended, I ended up doing tech support for GTInteractive, a software
distributor that was the then current distributor for, you guessed it, Doom, Doom 2, Ultimate Doom, Final Doom (will it ever be final?), Wolfenstein, Mortal Kombat and other 90s PC games.
While still going (IDSoftware), it wasn't too long before I had moved on to working other accounts in the call center,
such as 3Com, Novell Networks, and SGI. That all prepared me for my next foray.
I took a temp position and moved a few hours away from home. Working at HP supporting their Jumbo tape back up drives. Yes, tape back up drives. I at one point had a 100MB Jumbo drive. Yes 100MB.
That was when memory in computers was 2-4MB, harddrives were 100-250mb and if you had 8MB RAM, 500MB hard drive, with a graphics card, you were well beyond what most had. After HP, I took a position
with IBM in Boulder, CO where I helped provided support on a contract basis to P&G to roll out Windows 95. And that's where I learned my first HTML.
Back in the day we had ICQ, and then MSN Messenger - and Excite, Yahoo all of which would allow you to post an index.html (okay so back then usually Home.htm) file with some basic info for your
friends to get to know you. That's where I began learning HTML 1.1. Then moved on to HTML1.2, 2.x, 3.x and so on adding in CSS 1, 2, 3 and so we're here now. Primarily self taught, I also wanted
to learn programing so took some online correspondence courses in Basic and Assembly, Hex, and Binary. After getting married and having children I went to the local community college and took
their Web Design A.A.S. degree program. It focused on some basic HTML, CSS, JavaScript (all of which I already knew from sefl learning). I had also been self teaching PHP through the PHP docs so
I could add interactivity, databases and more to my web sites and pages. Web Development was the creative (UI/UX) and technical (PHP/MySQL) outlet my brain was needing at the time. After graduating
with honors, the community college had me come back the next semester as an adjunct professor to teach most of the same courses I had just taken, with special authorization since I didn't have a Bachelor's degree.
Shortly after, I moved to another city and became the Web Developer for Estes-Cox Corp. - one of my childhood dream companies to work for. It was a great foray into the world of enterprise
programming and shifted many things. During that time I also was enrolled in a Bachelors program that ended just before I finished the last two courses required, due to nefarious actions of the
school. I went on from Estes to PBR (no NOT Pabst Blue Ribbon - Professional Bull Riders) and was their Senior Web Developer and Designer for just over 4 years. Transistioning from a home built
coldfusion system to .Net and pioneering the first ever online live scoring system for rodeo. It had a single-page application that updated in near real-time to show upcoming rides, previous rides,
live photos, live audio and even incorporated live video.
After PBR I went on to work for companies, either as contractor or direct hire, such as US Figure Skating Association , STARZ Network, Consolidated Asset Recovery Systems .
Each in increasing complexity, seniority and responsibility. My last software job was ended during Covid, and I myself ended with Covid and suffered long covid issues for about 2 years
working almost the entire time until the contract ended.
After two family members were diagnosed with cancer in the same week I stopped persuing software positions, focused on laser and contract work to be able to get moved from Florida at the time back to a small town in Colorado and helped my father. I worked on old hot rod projects,
helped cut, grind, and place metal for retrofits of old cars on new chassis, as well as helped with wiring and digital dash programming. Many people I've interviewed with have said that 2.5-3 year gap doing that
looks bad on a resume. While I understand that, I also understand the importance of family and working a full time software engineering position with small town poor internet also was not a full option
especially given some health issues myself.
That said I never stopped programming.
I have also been working on programming SBC boards - such as Raspberry PI and Arduino working on custom replacement CNC/Laser machine boards. I have also been programming a private project using .Netcore, Angular and SQL
that I am happy to share code from after an NDA is signed between any prospective employer and RBCRE8IVE LLC. to ensure the project, which is first of it's kind, isn't share.
As well, I've been working on learning new design skills
in Adobe products, and have been working through numerous Udemy courses to keep my programming skills and design skills up to date. I never put much on GitHub so far, but am working on it.
I also am a quick learning type of person - whether visually, verbally, or written. You can see my previous skills and hopefully be sure that anything I don't know won't be a surprise and should
be picked up very quickly. Today I am healthy once again, taking refresher courses as well as courses for new frameworks, stacks, and even languages (Python is on my radar next).
