PERSONAL DETAILS

Profile

A senior SYSTEMS AND DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT with experience in addressing and resolving operational problems through the application of 'information engineering'. Particular success has been in the development of client/server database systems using Visual FoxPro for PC and middle tier components and either SQL Server or Oracle as back end databases. A sound academic base has been broadened to include strong interpersonal and communication skills, coupled with an emphasis on the key elements of cost, quality and time

Personal

British Citizen (Green Card). Married, no children

Education

B.Sc. Reading University, England (Microbiology and Chemistry)

Professional

Microsoft ‘Most Valuable Professional’ (Visual FoxPro) since 1996
Microsoft Certified Professional in Visual FoxPro (Desktop Applications)
Microsoft Certified Professional in Visual FoxPro (Distributed Applications)
CompuServe SysOp (FoxPro Forums)
System Analysis and Design (4GLM and SSADM)
Project Management (Membership APM level)
DST Sales Training and Presentation Skills

Books

1002 Things you wanted to know about extending VFP (Hentzenwerke, 2002)
1001 Things you wanted to know about VFP" (Hentzenwerke, 2000)
The Revolutionary Guide to Visual FoxPro OOP", (Wrox Press, 1996)

Articles

Other

Speaker at Various Developer Conferences in UK, USA and Europe including:
Southwest Fox (Tempe, AZ, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004)
European DevCon (Frankfurt, Germany, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2002 and 2001)
Praha DevCon (Prague, Czech Republic, 2007, 2005, 2002)
OzFox (Sydney, Australia, July 2003)
Essential Fox (Kansas City, MO, 2003 and 2002)
Great Lakes Great Database Workshop (Milwaukee, WI, 2006, 2000 - 2003)
Advisor Devcon (2002 and 2001)
Conference to the Max (Netherlands, 2002 and 2000)

EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS

1993 – Date Director of my own company (Initially Tightline Computers Ltd, UK, later incorporated as Tightline Computers Inc in Ohio, October 2001). Various short/medium term contracts in addition to designing and running numerous training courses for various providers including: FoxWare, Visual Development Studio, InterSkill, HAS, SKS and Microsoft (UK)

The Hartville Group, Inc.
Canton, OH

November 2007 - June 2008: SQL Server DBA

Charles Schwab, Inc.
Richfield, OH

August 2006 - November 2007: SQL Server DBA

Chapman Law Firm
Cleveland, OH

January 2007 - September 2007: Middle tier component developer for a large ASP.NET web application

Wild West, Inc.
Rock Hill, SC

December 2004 - December 2005: Provide mentoring and consulting services

The Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH

March 2005 - October 2005: Develop middle tier data access components for an intranet application used by the Department of Nursing to handle staffing requirements

Dewey Ballantine, LLP
Houston, TX

December 2004 - March 2005: Act as an expert witness in a patent infringement case

Matison Information Architects
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

January 2003 – May 2004 Design and develop accounting system for a major international company, the details of which cannot be disclosed under terms of NDA

Prime ProData, Inc.
North Canton, OH

October 2002 – January 2003: Complete a Human Resources package and a Food Safety application for use in the Food Processing industry

EPS Software, Inc.
Houston, TX

July 2002 - September 2002: Subcontracting to assist in delivery of a major proprietary system, the details of which cannot be disclosed under terms of NDA

SWPlus Inc,
Vicksburg, MI, USA

January 2002 – Date: On-going consultancy to assist the company in adding SQL Server capability to its main product (PriceMaster Plus®™) using my abstract Data Classes. Additional ad-hoc development of specialized code modules for Data Import, Data Transfer processing and Scheduling

eMedicine Inc,
Syaracuse, NY, USA

October 2000 – September 2001: Part of an international team for the analysis and re-design of the eMedicine.com Web site and their "Group Authoring and Publishing System" (which is patented). Specific responsibilities are for database design, the migration of legacy data from Visual FoxPro to SQL Server V7 and provision of the data handling classes to interface between the VFP middle tier COM component and the SQL Server database

Bloemendaal Associates, Heerhugowaard, NL

June 2000 – October 2000: Design and initial development of a radical new E-Commerce application combining off-line functionality with on-line services. Details of this development are proprietary and, currently, confidential. A range of products using the core (proprietary) technology was launched in Europe beginning in November 2000

Euphony Communications, Reading, UK

February - April 2000: Project Leader for development of an interim version of current software capable of supporting multi-national operations. Project was completed and delivered on time and on budget, the system went live on May 1 2000

Euphony Communications, Reading, UK

October 1999 – February 2000: Analysis, design and planning for a full multi-national client-server system with both PC and Web interfaces to replace current systems by the end of Summer 2000. Development undertaken using Oracle back end and Visual FoxPro for front end and middle tier

Euphony Communications, Reading, UK

June 1999 – October 1999: Team leader for the implementation of a data exchange interface between an existing VFP application and an Oracle Financials installation

Remarketing Services of America, Buffalo, NY

Feb 1999 – May 1999: Invited, as part of a team of Senior Consultants recruited from three continents, to complete inside three months a project that had been in development for over two years. This is an extremely large and complex VFP application (over 200 users) and was taken live on 10^th May – one week ahead of schedule

Birmingham City Council,
Birmingham, UK

Jan 1998 – Feb 1999: Team Leader for the Design and Re-Development of windows version of the Council’s existing (FoxPro DOS) Education Funding Application. This is a key application used across Birmingham and sold to over 40 other Local Authorities for tracking Further Education Students and calculating the Government Funding that the Authority can claim in respect of its provisions. (Worth about £40 Million per annum to Birmingham City alone)

Ionica plc,
Cambridge, UK

Aug96, - Jan 1998: Lead Developer on major Client/Server system with VFP front end and Oracle back end. Specifically responsible for Class Library design and development, and the development of both generic processes within the application framework and specific (ad-hoc) requirements. Worked as leader of a team comprising 6 Developers, 2 Analysts and 2 Testers, reporting directly to the IT Projects Director

FoxWare,
Birmingham, UK

Oct94, 18 Months: Beta Testing Visual FoxPro (V3.0 and V5.0), developing and converting applications, designing and delivering Public Seminars and Training Courses in Object Oriented Programming in FoxPro. (Keynote Speaker on Object Oriented Programming at the UK National launch of Visual FoxPro at the Microsoft Windows ‘95 Show at Olympia)

DSS ITSA,
Lytham St Annes, UK

Feb94, 6 Months: Leading team to develop hard charging and estimating methods for Service Delivery Directorate in preparation for outsourcing of IT function.

Panorama Software Corp, Hong Kong

Nov93, 3 Months: Led the team setting up Programme Cost Management system and developing project management procedures for Hong Kong Public Works Department. Involved approximately 1800 projects worth HK$1.4bn

British Gas,
Solihull, UK

May93, 6 Months: Setting up Programme Management function (Artemis 7000 and PMW) for the Operational Systems Programme.

Rover Group,
Birmingham, UK

Feb93, 3 Months: Development of PC LAN (FoxPro for Windows) application for Capital and Development Programme tracking.

UK division of Synergetics Inc, Boston, USA. A consultancy specializing in Productivity, Change Management and Organizational Restructuring. World wide T/O £30m. Senior Consultant, Reporting to the Managing Director UK and Europe. Worked on major projects for "Rover Group" and "Mr Kipling" in the UK and provided internal IT consultancy to other projects in US and Europe

Project Management Systems consultancy. T/O £15m. Regional Manager and Senior Consultant, Reported to Operations Director, appointed to establish a Midlands based operation. First year turnover exceeded £750k. 

Initially National Account Sales, moved into Project Management Division in 1988

Medical Sales Representative for Central Midlands region