Currently working across the entire tech stack on the Permitting & Licensing (PLC) Team to empower more effective and accountable local governments.
I spend most of my day in the backend, but assist on the frontend as needed. I'm also involved in architecting the design and implementation of both new systems and updates meant to replace legacy monoliths.
Worked with Firefly Partners to modernize and standardize their software engineering, as well as work across the broader team to increase revenue generated by website development projects. This included items such as:
• Created a foundation that serves as the starting point for all website development projects at Firefly. This helped the website team improve from an average of 5-15% over time & budget to being on budget and 2-5% ahead of schedule.
• Created and integrated a custom set of continuous integration pipelines that automated the deployment process of projects to development, staging, and production environments.
• Worked with Sales leadership to create multiple tiers of "quote templates" that enabled the sales team to work with a larger degree of independence in the earlier pitching stages. Together we created the highest revenue quarters in company history.
• Established a consistent programming interview routine for new job applicants, allowing us to filter down to the best candidates in a much shorter window of time.
• Launched over 25 website projects including several award winners.
My role in a senior position still has me heavily involved in the coding process, but I've also taken on more teaching and leadership responsibilities.
After proving that I could solve problems on the fly, deliver on time, and write maintainable code I was raised up to a full software engineer position where I've worked with everyone from the smallest of clients to the billionaires.
I'm still working with some very rad people to create some pretty amazing websites and applications, but nobody asks me to get coffee anymore.
I'm working with some very rad people to create some pretty amazing websites and applications.
I, along with a handful of my classmates, volunteered our time to develop a website that would allow the Blount County branch of United Way to digitize the staggering number of forms they receive over the course of a year and their associated processes. We managed to streamline a very important routine for the company and save some trees while we did it!
I had a wonderful time getting to know so many young people with so much potential. I like to think that I managed to convince some of them that math is cool!
I help the Handmade Network community develop various web pages, applications, and activities to help others learn about the importance of digging deep into software systems and learning to do things from scratch. You can learn what we're all about here: https://handmade.network/
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
I had the great pleasure of working with Jake on a large website development project. The project presented many complications including a large number of integrations with third-partly platforms, plug-ins, and complicated "bells and whistles" that made for a complex development challenge. Jake's methodical and organized approach, his strong problem-solving skills, and his ability to clearly articulate important details made the process incredibly smooth, putting me in the best possible position to make informed decisions at every turn. I truly cannot recommend Jake more highly. Enlisting his expertise is one of the best business decisions I've made!
Dave Millar
For years we struggled as an agency to develop a foundational theme that each of our developers could use as a starting point for creating custom theme sites in WordPress. We knew it would be more efficient for our team and for the company bottom line if we didn’t have to start every website build from scratch, but until Jake joined our team, we were never able to operationalize this goal. Jake worked with our team to define the specifications for a new base theme, including common customizations asked for by most clients (GTM and AddThis code snippets, image optimization, accessibility standards, etc.). He also took the initiative to build basic documentation into WordPress itself so that our staff didn’t have to spend countless hours rewriting documentation for each site we build; we could start with the base documentation and just add to it for any customizations particular to a site. Jake’s work on the Firefly base theme ensures that all the sites Firefly builds start with a strong underlying code structure. It has made our development processes more efficient, allows us to deliver sites at better price points, and ensures that any site we put out in the world meets the highest industry standards.
Michelle Wilczynski
Jake is one of the sharpest people I have had the pleasure to work with in my career. I first met Jake as an intern at Pyxl and I watched him move up through the years from intern to senior software engineer. Throughout this time I watched him constantly take on new challenges, rapidly learn new things, and consistently bring new thoughts and ideas to the table. His ability to jump in and wrap-up a last minute project quickly and to slow down and work through the low level details of a large scale application make Jake a well rounded and flexible developer. He is always ready to help others work through a problem, and I have learned so many things from Jake as both his peer and manager. Jake's combo of dedication, passion, intelligence, and humor is a cocktail for success that anyone would be lucky to work with.
Joel Rainwater
I've had the great pleasure of getting to work with Jake on a number of development projects over the last 4 years and in each case I can always count on his work to be thoughtful, on time and of the highest quality. Jake goes the extra mile not only to complete his assigned work, but also make suggestions on possible improvements or considerations we may not have considered. Outside of his work skills, Jake is just a fun and enjoyable person to be around so that scores extra brownie points in my book for sure!
Rebecca Myles
Jake is an inquisitive, curious problem solver. I watched as Jake took on ambitious project after another, always leading with probing questions and a willingness to game plan with the team. He's an amazing team player and his empathy and personality is contagious. I am a better person for working with Jake - he will be a great addition for any organization.
Robert Birkhead