I am a web application developer from Portland, Oregon. I built my first web page in 1997 using the free service GeoCities. While that first site would have been a joke by today’s web standards, it introduced me to a world I knew I needed to be a part of. The idea that the web was full of millions of pages, all for the purpose of sharing information, excited me greatly. But the visible content was only part of the story; the code underneath was what really held my interest. It was the readily available source for those pages that allowed me to start learning the tricks of others and set me on the path to becoming a Web Application Developer.

Since that first web page I spent some time in college as well as held down multiple jobs. These jobs include Starbucks Barista, Computer Technical Support Representative, Web Developer, Project Manager, Director of Development, Director of IT and finally include starting my own business. For the last eight and a half years I have been employed by only two companies. While my interests and the tools I use have changed according to the trends on the web, the one thing that has not changed is my passion for building applications that empower businesses to do more with less. This includes a passion for choosing the right tool for a given task and evaluating the options available, be those Open Source or commercial software offerings. I believe finding the right solution is more important than where that solution comes from. Finding the “right” solution for any two companies with similar problems, quite often leads to different solutions.

With so many problems and so many solutions, I find I have become a jack of all trades and a master of some. My primary focus has always been helping small businesses attack the competition by using software to remain small and nimble. With such a goal in mind, I find that I have become comfortable with many different technologies. From the server, I am a competent system administrator favoring various RPM based Linux distributions, but capable of managing MS Windows servers as well. For server-side development, I have worked on projects which include the use of ColdFusion, Ruby, PHP and Java. For rich client and front-end development, I am extremely competent in Semantic XHTML Markup, Advanced CSS Layout and Positioning, and AJAX development. But for front-end development, I favor the use of the Adobe Technology Platform (ATP) including Adobe Flash Player in the browser and Adobe AIR for desktop development. As an ATP developer, I have excelled and am honored to hold several titles and certifications including:

  • Adobe Community Champion
  • Adobe Community Expert for Flex and AIR
  • Adobe Certified Flex Developer
  • Adobe Certified Flex Instructor (courses include F3RCA, F3IDM, F3ECS, F3IC)
  • Adobe Certified AIR Instructor (courses include AIR for Flex and AIR for AJAX developers)

Through my use of these technologies I have had the opportunity to work with many companies in the industry as both a trainer and a consultant. Some of these companies include:

Thanks to the experience I have gained in my work, I have been honored to be asked to present at several conferences in the past. Please find a list of the conferences I have presented at below:

  • 2008
    • Adobe MAX US - 1 Day Training AIR for AJAX Developers
  • 2007
    • Adobe MAX - Developing ColdFusion Applications with Eclipse
    • Flex 360 Seattle - Flex on Rails
    • Flex 360 Seattle - Deep Linking Flex Applications
    • RailsConf Europe - Flex on Rails
    • OSCON - Flex BOF
    • CF.Objective - Fusebox - The original CF Framework
  • 2006
    • Adobe MAX - CFEclipse
    • CFUnited - Introduction to CFEclipse
    • CF.Objective - Messaging in Flex Data Services
    • CF.Objective - Trac and Subversion for the Developer
    • CF.Objective - Introduction to CFEclipse
  • 2005
    • Macromedia MAX - Introduction to CFEclipse
    • Frameworks Conference - Fusebox BOF
    • CFUnited - Introduction to CFEclipse
  • 2004
    • Macromedia MAX - ColdFusion Components as Objects

In addition to the work I do for hire, I feel it is of great importance to give back to the communities from which I benefit.. As such I have been a contributor to several open source projects including:

I am very proud of the opportunities I have had to work with great developers and companies. As well as the having the chance to be involved with so many great communities. If you feel that you have a project that would utilize my skills, please feel free to contact me at simeon [at] simb [dot] net.

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