Alan Smith's VisualCV - Alan K. Smith

View My VisualCV Online: http://www.visualcv.com/aksmith

Alan K. Smith

Joomla Web Development & Template Design
Concerto Designs LLC

Twin Cities, MN
United States

w:: (877) 455-4994 (toll free)

h:: (763) 786-9415 (o)

m:: (612) 594-4495 (m)

My Website:	http://concertodesigns.net/
My portfolio::	http://concertodesigns.net/portfolio
Other company::	http://revolution-technology.com

A seasoned, innovative Joomla web designer & developer, I have extensive experience in other Open Source CMS/e-commerce platforms, including Magento, Wordpress, Drupal, X-Cart, and CMS Made Simple. I provide UI engineering, web design, SEO, and strategic content management services across digital channels for clients world-wide. Current Joomla projects include clients from Scotland, Toronto (Canada), California, South Carolina and, of course, the Twin Cities (Minnesota).

Current Projects

- design/development of a Joomla CMS site with e-commerce for Salva Terra, a non-profit foundation that advances the work of John Philip Newell. Location: Iona, Scotland.
- design/development of a Joomla site for Kathryn Johnson Interiors, an interior design studio whose work has been extensively featured across the country. Location: Minneapolis, MN.
- design/development of a Joomla site with Ebay integration for ESS, a B2B corporation specializing in large manufacturing/industrial equipment auctions and shipping Location: Spartanburg, SC.

Recent Projects

- E-commerce Joomla sites for the Paper Depot (Minneapolis) and Surface Treatment Technologies (South Carolina).

- Re-design and Joomla platform upgrade for Armanino McKenna, the largest accounting firm in California.

- Joomla Designs/builds for new clients in the Twin Cities (Minnesota), Toronto, Delaware, Maine and South Africa.

Skillsets

Interactive Technologies:

Web site development in xhtml, xml and css: 5 years.
Joomla/CMS Template design/development
Graphic design in Photoshop, Fireworks, Illustrator: 4 years.
Command-line programming: Unix, Linux: 3 years.
Database management (mysql, sqlite): 3 years.
CMS (Content Management Systems) including backend creation and management in Joomla, Wordpress, ModX, Phormer: 3 years.
Design/development project workflow management in Adobe Creative Suite 3/4 (Illustrator, Photoshop, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Contribute): 3 years.
Javascript libraries (Mootools, Spry, JQuery): 2.5 years.
Adobe Flash, Flex and Actionscript 3: 1.5 year.
xml/kml programming (primarily for geomapping and data storage): 1 year.
Ad server/site monetization: 1 year.

Project Management:

Web site project resource analysis and allocation: 3 years.
Human resource skills (management, training, organizational behavior): 10 years.
Communications/public speaking: 15 years.
Budget planning and documentation: 7 years.
Curriculum development and learning technologies: 14 years.

Writing/Editing/Marketing Skills:

Creation/editing of search engine-optimized content: 3 years.
Marketing analysis and strategic planning: 3 years.
Technical writing and most business genres including press releases: 3 years.

Interests/Passions/Hobbies:

Gardening
Hiking the Superior National Forest
All kinds of music (medieval, celtic, jazz)
Volunteering in Outreach program at St. Mark's Cathedral, Minneapolis
Spending time with my three daughters and beautiful wife, Jessica

Foreign Languages:

Fluent in French, Italian and German.

Pro Bono Work

I recently designed and developed a website for the Groveland Food Shelf located at Plymouth Congregational Church. This was a fantastic opportunity to help - at least indirectly - a community of the needy and hungry in the Loring Park/Franklin Ave. neighborhoods. I have also volunteered my services to support groups for unemployed professionals who need a web site or help with creating online resume

Latest news

With the addition of international clients (Canada, Scotland and South Africa), Concerto Designs continues to expand and diversify our Joomla development toolkit..

Employment history notes - Marzan Interactive

In April 2009, I accepted a position as Sr. Interactive Developer at Marzan Interactive. In the short time I was there, I have designed, developed and launched several brand new web sites. I completed a design (including an interactive prototype built in Fireworks) for an X-Cart site with a data bridge to the client's Microsoft Dynamics RMS system. Since my last three paychecks bounced, I was forced to seek gainful (i.e. paying) employ elsewhere.

Partners in Healing

Original design and joomla template with Ajax-based UI based on the Mootools library.

The Sanctuary of Greenville

Hand-coded in xhtml, xml and css. Complex UI and data management using the Spry javascript framework.

Intec ID

Hand-coded xhtml and Ajax-based UI (Spry framework). Wrote javascript (Mootools) function for the banner mouseover effect.

Raby Construction

Original design and UI with accordion panels (using Spry framework).

Music at St. Mark's Cathedral

Original design, joomla template with ajax-based UI.

Margolis Landscaping

Hand coded all projects pages with slimbox galleries and css-styled UI.

Freeman and Major Architects

Hand coded entire site, collaborated on the design, coded dropdown menus and slideshow galleries built on Spry xml datasets.

Jennifer Thurman Piano

Original design and joomla template.

Hollison Homes

Hand coded entire site, integrated transparent graphics with javascript support, customized UI and marketing modules.

Abiding Savior Lutheran Church

Original design and joomla template. Created collapsible panel using the Spry framework.

Tonka Bottle Shop

Modified design and implemented javascript-based UI.

denuology

CMS website with original template and customized AJAX (jquery - mootools) functions.

Concerto Designs

Mounds View, MN, United States

2006 - Present

Owner

Small website design studio that specializes in Content Management, php-based platforms, including Joomla, Modx, Wordpress, Phormer, and other types. Portfolio available at www.concertodesigns.net.

Marzan Interactive

Minneapolis, MN

Apr 2009 - Aug 2009

Sr. Interactive Developer

Responsibilities included:

Tactical marketing/advertising support to broad client base
Lead web site development initiatives
Manage creative processes
Create and develop innovative interactive solutioI
Introduce new interactive technologies to clients
Left position after three paychecks bounced. Am still trying unsuccessfully to retrieve owed wages, bank fees and other costs,

Weblease USA

Long Lake, MN, United States

Jul 2007 - Apr 2009

Web Producer/Developer

• Programming: hand code web sites in xhtml, css, javascript, and xml. Using the Spry framework, Mootools, and other javascript libraries, I create effective AJAX-based solutions to manage content and improve UI.
• Project Management: I coordinate marketing, design, programming, and domain name management resources. I write all design and content specifications, maintain project records in Filemaker database, and manage client relations throughout the development process.
• E-marketing: I work with diverse clients to develop effective SEO and e-marketing strategies within parameters of other media campaigns and long-term organizational goals.

Karma Marketing & Media

St. Cloud, MN, United States

Jan 2007 - Jul 2007

Lead Programmer

• Programming: created and edited web sites in xhtml and css. Modifed php and javascript libraries in order to customize Joomla components.

• Content Development: composed and edited content for web sites, print media, and marketing campaigns.
• UI Engineering/Information Architecture: worked with clients to identify optimal user interfaces and information flow patterns configured to their different audiences.

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, United States

Aug 1999 - Jun 2007

Assistant Professor

• Teaching: developed range of graduate and undergraduate courses. Created new courses for the Honors and Freshman Seminar programs. Awarded numerous grants for curriculum development, including technology, internationalizing curriculum, and European Studies (U.S. Dept. of Education grant). Increased department’s market share of majors and minors.
• Governance and administration: served on departmental and university committees; chair of College Course Review Committee. Proposed major reforms in the graduate program’s assessment and mentoring procedures. Recruited new graduate students on a national basis.
• Research and publications: high level of conference presentations and panel organizations. Developed groundbreaking approach to cultural analysis combining history, philosophy and neuroscience. Awarded five research grants including McKnight Foundation and Humanities Institute fellowships. Publications include articles in refereed journals, book chapters, and an edited volume; monograph forthcoming at the University of Minnesota Press.
• Community outreach: commissioned by the Minnesota Humanities Center (St. Paul) to teach workshops on film and electronic media for statewide secondary teachers.

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT, United States

1994 - 1999

Assistant Professor

• Teaching: taught undergraduate and graduate French, Italian and Comparative Literature courses . Created new courses for the Honors and Freshman Seminar programs. Awarded grants for curriculum development. Increased department’s market share of majors and minors. Developed web site to present materials from the Rare Book collection.
• Research and publications: high level of conference presentations and panel organizations.

Cornell University - The Graduate School

Ithaca, NY, United States

1988 - 1994

PhD, MA, Comparative Literature

Dartmouth College - Undergraduate

Hanover, NH, United States

1988

BA, Comparative Literature

Design

(Advanced)
3-4 Years Experience, (Last Used <1 year ago)

experience designing logos, web site layouts, UI,content visualization and data presentation components.
advanced skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks.
extensive experience editing digital photography in Lightroom and other platforms.

Armanino McKenna: Joomla Design/CMS Build

Armanino McKenna: Website Design for California's largest accounting firm

This past year, I launched a new Joomla site for Armanino McKenna, California's largest CPA firm. With over 300 pages, multiple javascript and Flash widgets, this site uses my original designs, UI models, and custom-coded extensions to create a new, dynamic look for the firm.