About Michael

About Michael

In 1995, I and some friends from Western Illinois University started dabbling in HTML. Two decades later, I have converted his hobby into a successful career designing, developing and managing websites.


Front-end Developer, DCI Artform

February 2017 – January 2019

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Reworked a service lounge pilot program for Subaru
  • Integrated a Color and Trim feature into our Nissan Personalization Studio
  • Redesigned the site for Nissan Service Workflow Suite
  • Built a touch display that showcased 50 years worth of selected ads for Subaru’s 2018 National Business Conference

Skills, applications and services used

  • Javascript
  • Typescript
  • Angular 2
  • Ionic
  • Javascript
  • Github
  • Bitbucket
  • Jira

Front-end Developer, Okanjo

October 2015 – July 2016

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Worked on the the front-end routes of a customer-facing interface with our API
  • Updated and wrote coverage tests for our SDK
  • Helped write database queries used to break down our traffic and interactions

Skills, applications and services used

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • Javascript
  • jQuery
  • Github
  • PHPStorm
  • Node/npm
  • Presto SQL
  • Treasure Data

Product Manager, TownNews.com

March 2014 – October 2015

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Manage both day-to-day and roadmap planning for several of our products, including classifieds and verticals, ad entry, and broadcast-centered initiatives
  • Conduct product, market and gap analysis for current and potential products and initiatives
  • Create and maintain roadmap of software releases
  • Create and maintain process tracking spreadsheets used by stakeholders across functions
  • Interact with customers to  communicate timelines and assess needs
  • Research third-party features and talk with vendors
  • Coordinate and perform advanced customer service
  • Document processes for project managers and designers to follow

Skills, applications, and services used

  • Aha!
  • JIRA
  • CRM
  • Excel

Front-end Developer, TownNews.com

June 2012 – March 2014

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Developed and expanded several template projects, from content news blocks to front-end interface between our CMS and a third-party subscription service
  • Resolved or facilitated the resolution of advanced customer service issues.

Skills, applications, and services used

  • PHP/Proprietary template language
  • Javascript
  • jQuery
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • Aptana/Git/Beanstalk
  • Notepad++
  • Fireworks

Web Designer, TownNews.com

November 2009 – June 2012

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Customized templates for more than 70 newspapers across the country
  • Customized and rebuilt block templates
  • Rebuilt templates for existing automotive vertical

Skills, applications, and services used

  • PHP/Proprietary template language
  • Javascript
  • jQuery
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • Notepad++
  • Fireworks

Owner/Front-end Web Developer, Rock Creek Multimedia

August 2009 – August 2012

  • Freelance, often subcontract, web design and development

Skills used

  • PHP
  • Javascript
  • jQuery
  • HTML5
  • CSS
  • WordPress

Web Specialist, Trinity Regional Health System

April 2007 – July 2009

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Spearheaded redesign of Trinity’s public sites, including trinityqc.com
  • Reorganized trinityqc.com content for better navigation, navigation and efficiency
  • Made requested changes to the Intranet
  • Helped set up and maintain Trinity’s digital billboard system

Skills, applications, and services used

  • Photoshop
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • Fireworks

Internet Content Manager, WQAD-TV-DT

July 2001 – April 2007

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Maintained all sections of the site
  • Built weather forecast module in PHP, allowing easier input for meteorologists and more flexibility in displaying the forecasts
  • Authored PHP script that scraped river levels from the National Weather Service’s page and wrote levels to an XML file
  • Wrote a scoreboard module in PHP that allowed creation of teams, conferences and schedules into a MySQL database, input scores into the same database, and let users view scores, schedules and standings dynamically
  • Built several news-related infographics in Flash, including election results and BRAC information
  • Added or edited reporters’ stories and wire copy
  • Posted (and often wrote) local breaking news stories
  • Performed most of graphic design for the site, including two moderate redesigns
  • Edited video clips from newscasts and posted them online
  • Helped create region’s first news podcast

Skills, applications and services used

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • PHP
  • Javascript
  • MySQL
  • XML
  • AJAX
  • Fireworks
  • Flash
  • WorldNow (CMS)
  • Movable Type (CMS)
  • RealPlayer Editor

News Editor/Staff Writer, Eagle Publications of Western Illinois

January 2001 – May 2001

Accomplishments/Responsibilities

  • Served as news editor for two weekly hometown papers in the Macomb, IL area
  • Covered town news and coordinated freelance work
  • Laid out all news content for print

Skills, applications, and services used

  • QuarkXpress
  • Photoshop