Steven M. Schafer

13946 Millwaukee St
Thornton, CO 80602
(303) 317-5440

 

Accomplishments

• Led company business transition and financial turnaround.
• Developed and launched a line of Linux software products to compete in the retail market, growing revenue from $500K to more than $15M.
• Managed teams of various sizes in several industries.
• Authored more than 15 publications and several technical articles.

 

Skills

• Superior management abilities.
• Superior product development and project management skills.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong presentation and training skills.
• Excellent technical skills:
  • Superior knowledge of various operating systems, Windows (workstation and server products), Linux, and Mac (OS 9.x and OS X).
  • Excellent knowledge of Internet and networking technologies.
  • Excellent computer hardware skills.
  • Fluency in several programming languages (PHP, Java, JavaScript, MySQL, Pascal, Basic, C, shell scripting, and most product macro languages).
  • Competent with various graphical and multimedia applications.
  • Excellent knowledge of most productivity-oriented software applications.

 

Publications

• Author of Web Standards Programmer's Reference: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Perl, Python, and PHP (Wiley, 2005).
• Co-author of HTML, XML, XHTML Bible (Wiley, 2004).
• Author of Apache, MySQL, and PHP Weekend Crash Course (Wiley, 2003).
• Author of several online technical articles.
• Author, co-author, or contributor to 12 books for BradyGAMES (1994-2000).
• Author of The PalmPilot Companion (Que, 1997).
• Contributor to three technical reference books for Que; performed technical edits of several additional books for various publishers.

 

Employment Experience

Blue Tent Marketing (September 2007 - Present)

Blue Tent Marketing is a Web development and online marketing firm largely catering to the hospitality and property management industries.

PHP and Drupal Developer

• Create assets and entire Web sites for clients using PHP, Drupal, and various other Web and Internet technologies.
• Work with clients to solve post-deployment issues.

 

NexGen Technologies, Inc. (August 2007 - September 2007)

NexGen is largely a Government contractor with a few separate, internal projects.

Lead Developer, LOAssist

• Assumed technical ownership of internal real-estate application.
• Under the direction of a subject-matter expert, provide technical leadership, maintain application and provide bug fixes, prepare application for release.

 

Free Standards Group (August 2006 - February 2007)

The FSG is a not-for-profit group that promotes standards for the Linux operating system and other Open Source software projects. (Position dissolved as part of merger with competitor.)

Director of Certification and Development

• Liaised between FSG and third parties wishing to certify their products.
• Supervised certification program.
• Supervised developers in improving certification tools and program.

 

Business and Technology Consulting (October 2005 - Present)

Provide business management and technology consulting for several companies and entities, including MachineWorks Northwest (cell phone software and services), Jupitermedia (online reference material and technical articles), Animal Hospital Center (veterinary hospital), and Free Standards Group (software standards organization).

 

Humanizing Technologies (August 2005 - October 2005)

Humanizing Technologies is an Internet technologies company engineering end-user solutions for a unique, customizable browsing experience, custom news feeds, and integrated video feeds.

Executive Director

• Productize technologies for various markets.
• Manage sales and marketing departments--supervise staff, manage budgets.
• Help manage internal workings of company--HR, facilities, IT, and operations.

 

Progeny Linux Systems (February 2001 - August 2005)

Progeny Linux Systems is a Linux-based software and services company. Progeny specializes in Linux deployment and management, integration, and maintenance. Current clients include Hewlett-Packard, Merrill Lynch, and AT&T.

Chief Technology Officer/Chief Operations Officer (October 2002 - August 2005)

• Managed internal company operations, including employees, finances, and facilities.
• Maintained ultimate accountability for bottom-line profitability.
• Worked with Board of Directors and executive management team to plan company strategies and direct implementation of said strategies.

President/CEO (August 2001 - October 2002)

• Led company transition from product-focused to consulting-based business, and financial turnaround from cash-poor to cash-positive position.
• Managed staff, finances (~1.5M in annual revenue), and day-to-day operations. Evaluated business initiatives and created new initiatives to achieve business goals, set and tracked budgets for all business activities, evaluated staff and other resources to ensure that goals were met.
• Acted as primary liaison to outside vendors, partners, and other third parties.

Director of Product Development (February 2001 - August 2001)

 

EarthWeb.com/Internet.com (April 2000 - February 2001)

EarthWeb was an online content repository of technical articles and advice for system administrators, IT managers, and IT executives. The company was sold to a competitor, Internet.com, in late 2000.

Executive Editor, Networking and Hardware

• Created and executed a publishing strategy for online networking and hardware segments; managed internal and external resources, department budget, and publishing process.

 

Macmillan USA/Pearson Education (1992 - 2000)

Macmillan is a publisher of technical references (Que, SAMS, and other imprints), computer and console game guides (BradyGAMES imprint), and a distributor of retail software.

Senior Software Product Manager (1997 - 2000)

• Managed the software development process annually for 15+ operating system products from concept through launch, ensuring product quality, marketability, P&L viability, and schedule.
• Identified market opportunities through competitive analysis, located and contracted external development resources, licensed third-party products.
• Worked cross-functionally with marketing, design, PR, sales, and upper management groups to target packaging, marketing, and sales initiatives.
• Managed two associate product managers to ensure the success of product lines.

Title Manager, Que Corporation (1996 - 1997)

Product Manager, BradyGAMES Publishing (1995 - 1996)

Publishing Manager, Que Corporation (1994 - 1995)

Product Development Manager, Que Corporation (1992 - 1994)