S C O T T   H O D S O N

Toolbox

Experience

President, Principal Consultant - Performed various consulting jobs in software development and technology strategy. In brief they include (in chronological order, most recent on top):

• Auto Alert - Develop dealer management system integration with ADP for auto dealerships. Develop WPF application for back-office IT staff that manages several database entities and data processing procedures. Develop service for pulling data out of SugarCRM On-Demand hosted application and integrating it into business process data.
• Gas Pricing Solutions - Develop application for gas station owners to track gasoline deliveries, sales, inventories, margins, taxes, and forecast profits and revenues
• Holt IC - Maintain existing e-commerce site based on nopCommerce open source e-commerce solution.
• Lindora, architect and re-build online diet and health tracking program for Lindora patients. Provided technical leadership and recommended software methodologies to existing internal team. Develop private labelled versions of software for HIPAA-compliant integration and patient-care partners. Used .NET 2.0/3.5/4.0, ASP.NET, SQL Server 2005/2008, ASP.NET AJAX. On-going customer since 2006.
• Predixion Software, Implement their website using the RFG .NET framework, integrated with SubSonic, for Predixion, a maker of cloud-based predictive analytics solutions. Integrated the software purchase and delivery workflow with Aria Systems for recurring billing and provisioning.
• Local.com (LOCM), design, refactor and develop various internal and customer-facing systems, provide security forensics on existing website attacks and recommendations that thwarted all future attacks. Provide consulting and advice on SEO and online marketing strategies. Used .NET 3.5, ASP.NET, WFP, SQL Server 2005.
• BiTek, refactor and enhance telephone accounting billing system. Ported from Rails 1.2 to 2.0 and refactored to follow standard Rails conventions. Delivered written recommendations for enhanced architecture and more maintainable codebase by better leveraging Rails conventions and improved understanding of MVC and ActiveRecrod implementations. Continued to add functionality. Wrote Ruby batch processing programs for continuous data feeds. Set up CentOS-based server for development and testing environment, improving collaboration and team velocity.
• Compete-At, provided software project management, QA, and architecture for Java-based event planning system. Coordinated and managed efforts of other developers to deliver on-time and on-budget.
• Educata, Provide CTO-level strategy and technology plannig needs for this startup. Do initial build-vs-buy analysis with e-learning software vendors and fill the gap with custom solutions. Build ASP.NET website and provide hosting.
• Care To Stay Home, built PHP and MySQL website to manage franchisees. Features included franchisee news, forums, tips, job listings and online job application. Leveraged ADODdb ActiveRecord for object database mapping.
• 802.11maps.com (offline), built and designed website to map WiFi hotspots around a given address on an online map like Google Maps. Acquired over 50,000 WiFi hotspots in the US from disparate unstructured data sources and organized them into 1 database. Built and deployed on Ruby on Rails, MySQL, Apache2/Mongrel on Ubuntu 6.06
• JMIS, provided software consulting strategy for enhanced business plans. Set up hosting and server co-location.
• Commerce5, a Digital River Company (DRIV) company, designed and built next-generation e-commerce framework for their may product line, migrating from an ASP/VBScript based codebase to a C#/.NET, service-oriented framework. Help with projects migrating from SQL 2000 to SQL 2005 and other integration projects with their customers in C#
• Microline Tech, designed and developed website to track race participants of long-distance desert and yacht races on the web using Virtual Earth SDKs and Atlas for real-time updates of race participants on the map via AJAX-consumed web services.
• Loan Genie - provide ASP-to-ASP.NET migration development and strategy consulting services for defunct start-up looking to revive their product to the marketplace. Provide dedicated server hosting at Ubero co-location facility.
• AdaVis Global - develop insurance policy purchase and management systems for in-house agents (ASP.NET/SQL Server) and outside partner (PHP/MySQL), as well-as SEO-enhanced internet sites. Provide website hosting and technology strategy consulting for future growth.
• Rvad - provided various coding of pages for their client webistes that they design. PHP/ASP/Access/MSSQL.
• Dominion Digital - part of their team of consultants that helped Shaw Systems deliver a new lease and loan management system to Toyota Financial Services. Included heavy use eXtreme Programming methodologies. Provided architecture and performance testing strategies and planning. Built in Java on BEA Weblogic tied to Oracle. Used CruiseControl, Fitnesse, and Selenium for integration and automated end-user testing.
• Advermotion - built portions of website, supplied code-generated O/RM framework, built flexible, multi-lingual survey/questioning framework, part of a team of 2 developers. C#/MSSQL/ASP.NET.
• Sport Maniac - built entire website, coordinated design team's work, site provides custom-tailored athletic conditioning to athletes, based on year of scientific research and work with very reputible clinical sports therapist. C#/MSSQL/ASP.NET.
• Apollo Enterprise - Helped customize web-based debt collection to integrate seemlessly with SQL Server Reporting Services security model. Re-built corporate website with new design, C#/ASP.NET.
• MarkLogic Corporation - Translated Java-based API to their XQuery-based database server to C#/.NET. Validated correctness of port comparing results of the translated NUnit tests to the results of the original JUnit tests. Produced MSDN-style documentation based on embedded XML comments with NDoc. Provided .NET environment setup and training to in-house developers.
• Bohan Group - Provided development, architectural, and mentoring services to retrofit legacy MS-Access application to an ASP.NET front-end. Provided object-relational database, code-generated frameworks, built web-based front-end, and trained in-house developers on .NET framework and object-oriented principles in VB.NET.
• BuyServices - Built ASP.NET web sites and .NET-based back-end fulfillment systems for customers of BuyServices, an e-commerce service provider with ties to buy.com. Provided development and architectural services for Swell.com and BuyMusic.com websites and other, in-house media convergence and Digital Rights Management initiatives.
• Scantron - Managed team of consultants to migrate their in-house developers off of a FoxPro/Access solution platform and onto .NET and SQL Server as well as teaching various Agile software methodologies for greater team success. Included formal training, mentoring, implementation of their projects as well as development of frameworks and tools for their team to use to increase productivity and overall agility of their in-house development team.
• Connect3 - Help re-write portions of their core software product from C++ to .NET while supporting their existing product. Supports SQL Server, DB2, and Oracle and C++ client interoperates with .NET web services for application services for increased scalability and managability. Various design pattern-based frameworks implemented to solve unique technical problems.
• Fidelity National Information Services - Provided scalability and capacity planning, analysis, load testing, and scale-up recommendations for a 1000+ user brokerage application built with ASP, COM and Oracle 8. Focused primarily on tuning and optimizing the ASP, IIS and COM layers of the application. Measured and predicted future scalability challenges with predictive mathematical models and simulations with Mercury Interactive and proprietary load testing tool.
• usCalibration - Built and launched new ISO 9000 equipment compliance tracking tool for their field technicians to use in an off-line environment and then later merge results to a central SQL Server. Written with Windows Forms in .NET/C#/ADO.NET. Migrated Access database to a more scalable, SQL Server, replication environment. Provided training and mentoring on .NET to junior staff as well.
• Ship-Logic - Wrote UPS late shipment reports in JSP, planned and oversaw data center migration out of office and into Cox Communication co-location facility, refactored and re-write Java programs that had to be modified to support the migration.
• Pay-e - Helped define, design and implement next-generation payroll service bureau software. Provided platform and architectural analysis and recommendations, writing specifications and UML models, and building various J2EE modules and patterns-based frameworks for Tomcat/JBoss application with Eclipse and Ant.
• Real Estate Economics - Rebuilt their Win32 application to be a web-based application for greater field agent support, migrated database from Access to SQL Server 2000 so their business could grow and scale and more easily add more web applications, automated generation of reports in Excel and Word via .NET/COM interop with the primary interop assemblies (PIA). Developed several other in-house and customer facing websites and tools.
• Database Marketing Group - Helped them optimize their SQL Server database, add batch processing abilities, and on-line mapping tools for independent agents creating their own ads on-line. Gathered requirements for advertisement production process and design a web-based application to automate the workflow between departments, increasing productivity and accountability to customers. All software implemented with ASP, VB, SQL Server.
• eMachines - Added promotional features to allow for free shipping capabilities for existing JBoss/Struts/Oracle/SAP-based e-commerce web-site, using Eclipse and TogetherJ
• Quantum|ATL - Built a Windows wizard for integrating various subsystems of their e-learning laboratory that eventually uploads entire multimedia sales training presentation to their website, VB 6 application with FTP (wininet.dll) support.
• Home Depot - Enhanced a legacy ad content management tool to better map English and Spanish SKU descriptions for different market segments, enhanced existing VB 6 applications and Sybase stored procedures.
• Crossbow - help analyze start-up opportunity based on technology spin-off from a parent company. Analyzed the existing technology and made recommendations as how it may extend to other vertical markets.

Co-founder and Vice President, Development - Built the initial technology of the outsourced e-commerce ASP solution using ASPs and SQL Server. Hired and recruited entire staff of 20+ software developers, network engineers, quality assurance engineers, and database administrators. Designed architecture for very scalable, multi-store system templates, allowing us to host virtually thousands of e-commerce sites with one single software instance. Established software development, release, monitoring and production support processes that achieved 99.99+% uptime at our Exodus data center, hosting 30+ private-labeled e-commerce sites, for clients such as Sony, Compaq, Sharp, Toshiba, and more averaging $3 million per month in B2C and B2B transactions.

Co-founded the company, formerly known as BuyNow, which was a division of buy.com. Helped spin the company out of buy.com in 1999, raise a $15M Series B round from US Venture Partners and Softbank Venture Capital in October 2000, and re-brand the company as Aqueduct, re-working our value proposition and market focus. Analyzed and developed business opportunities with enterprise technology companies. Oversaw all technology R&D efforts to strategically align our product suite with future market directions.

Played a founding role in helping Scott Blum (founder of buy.com) establish ThinkTank, a local incubator and early-stage investment group. Helped devise initial business strategies, strategic alliances and staffing of companies such as Enfrastructure, Revelocity, and eJets.

Technical Lead - Helped develop StarTeam 2000, an Y2K Compliance tracking project integrated with their StarTeam software configuration management system, based on VB 5.0 and heavy Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL programming of stored procedures and triggers. Planned and designed next-generation web-based version of application to run on NT, Solaris and Linux using Java Servlets.

Consultant - Re-designed web site back-end for better scalability, able to go from 10,000 to 100,000+ hits/day. Upsized their Access DB to SQL Server and optimized schema design. Built several modules for tracking hits and user traffic of their web site as well as statistical analysis of visitor page traversal and experience. Developed on-line newsletter creation, publication and e-mail distribution system interfacing with SMTP and POP servers. Provided training and consulting to technical staff on scalability, server maintenance, and site deployment. Modules developed in ASP, T-SQL and Visual Basic.

Instructor - Teach courses on webmaster skills and Javascript/Java applet programming as part of their Advanced Software Technologies certificate program.

Instructor - Teach course on World-Wide Web and Internet Technologies to participants of their WebMaster Certificate program.

Team Leader, Software Development - Managed and designed a complete re-architecture of the company's core Window client/server product into a high-scale, distributed, web-based application for 1,000+ brokers and 300,000 accounts of Advest, Inc.. Implemented core functionality as well as helped manage a team of 7 developers designing and implementing various parts of the system. The system was implemented using Microsoft Transaction Server, DCOM objects built in Visual Basic, interfaced with ASP. Heavy exploitation of Javascript for greater browser interactivity.

Built a Netscape 3.0/4.0 version of our contact manager for internal use and for trade shows and sales demos. Provide in-house training to other developers on web-based application development, Javascript, Java, Active Server Pages, CGI, HTTP and HTML.

Authored several business proposals to clients for Internet products and services. Built and oversaw Plaid’s first-generation Internet and intranet sites for major North American retail brokerage firms. Assisted Plaid to form strategic partnerships with ADP, ILX, and Fidelity Investments. Managed in-house development staff as well as various consulting firms working with Plaid for just-in-time development projects. 

Developed Plaid’s first 32-bit client/server application, an in-house project management tool to track issues, specification changes, database and program changes, costs and task assignments used for all projects in Plaid. It was later converted to an extranet application so Plaid clients could access this same information 24x7 using Microsoft IIS 2.0 and IDC.

Project Manager, Developer - Provided oversight of project scheduling, current issues, and provided technical support to Merrill Lynch International and Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. Set-up and established Plaid’s New York branch office and its operations (on Wall Street's "Silicon Alley"). Accompanied and consulted Plaid executives on technology issues during sales calls and visits throughout North America. 

Deployed myhandicap.com (now off-line), the Web's first golf handicap calculator on the Internet. Established and designed frame-relay network between Irvine and New York offices with multiple telecom providers.

Developed distributed MAPI messaging system to relay the status of Plaid applications distributed across a WAN to a brokerage firm’s central office. Developed graphic modules to create graphs and charts for financial analysis. Helped integrate Plaid contact management software purchased by Advent Software into their Qube product.

Research & Development Analyst - Developed database administration tool and data conversion tools from other contact management products. Established the R&D unit at Plaid. Built interfaces to PDAs such as the Psion 3A.

Teacher’s Assistant - Advised and assisted undergraduate students with coursework and assignments in classes about database theory and design as well as C++/Object-Oriented programming and design. 

Formal Education

• Master of Science, Information and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, 1997
  
• Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, with University Honors, Brigham Young University, 1993
  

Other

• Founder (2009), Orange County Traders Association
• Founder (2005), Orange County Ruby Users Group
• Founder/Moderator, Orange County Design Patterns Study Group, founded and provided planning, coordination, scheduling, and moderation of a group of local software developers interested in studying, discussing and practicing as a group design contemporary software engineering topics such as design patterns, refactoring, test-driven development, agile practices, etc.
• Advisor, iPayables, Sit on company's advisory board and give them advice with technology strategy issues, start-up business formation and fundraising.
• Founder (2001), GridAlarm.com (offline), A free service that alerts subscribers when the California power grid's Independent System Operator (ISO) is on the verge of implementing rolling blackouts. I built the website, the monitoring system, and alerting system in a weekend.
• Founder (2000), Ubero, Java-based distributed computing platform that enables thousands and millions of PCs around the Internet or on a corporate LAN to act together as a "virtual supercomputer." This is useful for network service applications such at site monitoring, load testing, security testing, and mass e-mail distribution. It can also be used for CPU-intensive appplications in fields such as bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, and financial modeling, complex image rendering, and many other CPU-intensive applications.
• Co-Chair, Orange County Java Users Group, December 1997 - September 1998
  Oversee all public relations and evangelism of the group to local companies and technical groups.
• Founder (1997) , loadtesting.com, Develop and market load and scalability testing tools for large enterprises and ISPs, entirely built in 100% cross-platform Java.
• Member (since 1999), UCI University Extension Business Advisory Board, Quarterly meet with local business and technology leaders to advise UCI's University Extension administrators on what would be appropriate curriculum for people looking to enhance their careers into tomorrow's emerging fields.
• Volunteer Mission, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, August 1988 - August 1990
  Provided religious and humanitarian service to the people of Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fluent reading, writing and speaking Spanish. Familiarity with Portuguese.