My goal is to work with inspiring people that care about others to make the world a better place.

PASSIONS

Problem Solving Technology
Programming Innovating
UI design Product Design
Functional design Business Modeling
Helping people Boosting people’s morale and confidence
Privacy Downhill Skiing
Hiking Adventure
Democracy Learning
Politics Meditation
Common Sense Non-dualism
 World Religions  Lakota spiritualism
 Art  Music
Humor  Happiness
 Nature  Intelligence

I am passionate about using technology and ideas to solve problems.  I often see new ways to do things and enjoy thinking through innovative approaches to problem solving.  I am passionate about bringing joy to others and engaging the beauty in the world, whether it is nature, art, music, or a smile on someone’s face.

SOME THINGS I DO / HAVE DONE

Technology

  • Started a local organization with my partner Keith Instone to help grow a tech ecosphere in Toledo (2011).  See: TechToleo.com
    • First Toledo-area generic tech group for showing off local tech talent monthly
    • Yearly Tech Mixer attracts all local area groups with 70+ in attendance
  • Created a local Tech Startup Roadmap with Keith Instone and Molly Reams Thompson to help connect local tech people in the region and boost tech and entrepreneurial efficiency the region. See: Startup.TechToledo.com
  • MIS Director of a window manufacturing company (Great Lakes Windows)
  • Worked on three scalable startup ideas.
  • Attended Startup Week in Denver, Boulder, Phoenix, New Orleans, Detroit, and Cleveland
  • Been to countless startup talks and events
  • Was an i-Corps Mentor that got 102 customer interviews while exploring commercializing intellectual property coming out of University of Toledo
  • I help run and maintain the local Tech Calendar – ToledoTechEvents.org
  • Programmer (some samples of work)
    • Wrote Applicant Tracking program for Kidder Peabody, NYC
    • Wrote first website for MVCDS – 2nd best private school in Ohio
    • Wrote Van Traffic Bid program for Owens Corning
    • Wrote statistical back-end for Bid analysis
    • Did custom ETL/SQL programming using Pervasive Data Integrator
    • Wrote custom macro audit program using Unix utilities
    • Built WordPress customer portal and designed workflow (DiUpgrade.com)
      • Several html and css customizations
      • Used to upgrade Acitan Data Integrator v9 clients to v 10
      • Co-presented webinar to 130+ clients on new product and web portal
    • Basic Ruby and ROR programming through books and class work
    • Some basic PHP work
    • Many other languages and programming work through CS degree work
  • Started my own email consultancy and did work for various hospitals, schools, and companies
    • Migrated 50K users in one night for Oakland County Schools (MI) with zero support calls the following day.
  • Managing and migrating large email systems
    • Managed a team of 7 running Owens Corning’s global email systems (5 different email systems connected through WorldTalk, which we installed)
    • Took email from undeliverable and unpredictable to a guaranteed 10 minute delivery worldwide.
  • Participated in product design team for the Bayweb Thermostat (bayweb.com)
  • Designed initial website for Bayweb Thermostat
  • Basic HTML and CSS work
  • Gave a Startup Talk at The LaunchPad Incubator at the University of Toledo
  • Participated in Ann Arbor Startup Weekend 2012 (Team built a game — BirdTown)
  • Helped create and run the first Startup Weekend in Toledo
    • Was responsible for media and on fundraising team
  • Participated in each subsequent Startup Weekend in Toledo as an advisor, mentor or steering committee member
  • Setup and ran a “Morning Knowledge Transfer”
    • 30 minutes of teaching every morning by experienced developers to all developers
  • Setup and co-designed Confluence with the following areas
    • Knowledge Base for developers (Designed and developed this whole area)
    • Company documentation (all company-specifc information like IT docs, new hire docs, etc.)
    • A teaching and learning Space (developed this whole area)
    • Customer Space
    • Product Space
    • Team Space
  • Setup Camtasia recording room and recorded training videos for  using Confluence
  • Security Infrastructure (sample of some work)
    • Team installed Owens Corning’s first T1 internet firewall
    • Installed Paloalto Networks (with a co-worker) and Sonicwall firewalls
    • Installed and setup Kaspersky AV management console and rolled out AV to users across a company
    • Setup off-site backup schedule and rotation for several companies
    • Setup SFTP server inside firewall for Wordpress Customer Portal backup copies
  • Network Designer
    • Designed network upgrades for various companies
  • Purchased a Hadoop Server cluster (9 nodes)
  • Installed Hortonworks Hadoop stack on server and on VM
  • Ran a FIDO BBS before the Web existed (dial-up 300 Baud Modem!)
  • Programmed early HP calculator to do mortgage amortization on magnetic strips in middle school – mid 1970s
  • Continually attend startup-focused classes, lectures, and events in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Cleveland, Phoenix, Boulder/Denver, and other cities across the country

Leadership

  • Have lead teams and have been a member of teams
  • Tech leadership positions from MIS Director to Team Leader
  • Leadership in businesses owned and operated
  • Board member Ohio Board of Jewelers
  • Board of Directors, Williamsburg Association
  • Advisory positions on many committees
  • i-Corps Mentor
  • Outdoor adventure leadership positions in scouting and school trips

Jewelry and other Business (my first life)

  • Graduate Gemologist
  • Watchmaker – (Horologist)
  • Was responsible for all marketing, promotion, buying and other basic business functions
  • Negotiated leases and purchased a building and moved a business
  • Jewelry appraiser
  • Jewelry repair and design
  • Jewelry buyer
  • Board of Directors, Ohio Jewelers Association
  • International diamond buyer & importer
  • Colored Stone buyer & importer

Real Estate

  • Previously owned a 3-story commercial building in Downtown Sandusky
    • 4 rental units on the ground floor
    • Theater on the third floor
  • Bought and sold several personal homes and other rental/commercial properties
  • Own five rental properties in Toledo, OH
  • Own one rental property in Bowling Green, OH
  • Combined 13 units

Academia, Teaching, Mentoring

  • Taught Business IT classes as an adjunct at University of Toledo
  • Taught/advised/mentored startups, entrepreneurs, and tech people on lean methodologies, the business model canvas, and customer development
  • BS, MS Degrees in Computer Science
  • Co-Leader of the Lean Startup Circle in Ann Arbor

Miscellaneous

  • Father of two amazing boys!
    • Older son has two degrees in Accounting
    • Younger son has a degree in Physics, degree in Engineering, and a Master’s in Data Science
  • Cubmaster for school Cub Scout Pack
  • Speak some French
    • Lived in France with a French family for one summer and studied European Economics
  • Traveled extensively in Europe, North America, and to Peru in South America
  • Shot Trap and Skeet competitively
  • Shooting skills – rifle and pistol
  • Basic archery skills
  • Lakota Sweat Lodge & Ceremony participant
  • Karate — second or third belt.  Was not in it for too long ~ a year.
  • Judo — was not in that long either but learned the basic skills.
  • Juggling – I can juggle three items
  • Played football in middle school
  • Played on the golf team in high school
  • Can play tennis and ping pong fairly well
  • Motocross – just for fun and not competitively (rode a dirt bike for several years as a kid)

Other Business

  • Insurance Sales – Health and Life
  • Financial Advisor – Series 6 licensed
  • Ran a Trophy manufacturing business – built trophies from component parts
  • Engraver
  • Ran a Tee Shirt imprint business
  • Was a DJ
  • Ran a Hallmark Store
  • Harbormaster, Huron Boat Basin – one summer

Outdoors, Adventure, and Scouting

  • Boy Scout leader, Committee Chairman
    • Went to Philmont Scout Camp Twice
    • Chaperoned or lead many camping and high adventure trips
  • Sailor – Racing on Lake Erie during summers
  • Ice Sailor – On Sandusky Bay in winter
  • Cyclist – several months cycling in Europe
  • Baja 1000 desert racing in Mexico (amateur)
  • Outdoor survival skills
  • Winter camping.  Many nights below freezing.  Some below zero.
  • Dog sledding (mushing) once
  • Downhill skiing many mountains in North America. One in Europe
  • Some XC Skiing
  • Some Snowmobiling
  • First Aid and CPR trained
  • Wilderness First Aid trained
    • Set  & isolated broken arm for cyclist, got him to the hospital
    • Helped to set a dislocated elbow in the backcountry
    • First on scene for head trauma and leg trauma on cycling and automotive accidents
  • Canoeing – many trips in Ohio and Michigan
  • Guide/Chaperone for fourteen 7th grade students on 4-day 60-mile canoe trip
    • Camped each night with several below freezing nights
  • Chaperone/leader for NM Backpacking Trip – 100 miles over 5 mountains, ~39,000 vertical feet over 12 days
  • Chaperone/leader for many adventure trips with scouts
  • School Adventure Trip Guide
    • Designed & Lead 1-week adventure trip for 60-70 7th graders for three separate years
    • Three groups rotated Whitewater Rafting, Mountain Biking, and Rock Climbing
    • Setup budget, location, logistics, menu, bought & prepared food, lead mountain biking, set up and broke camp each year
  • Kayaking (6 moonlight kayaking trips in 2014/2015 in MI and OH)
  • Swam competitively as a kid
  • Can ride a horse
  • Basic lifesaving training – for swimming pool guard job
  • Ice skating (some pond hockey)

Construction

  • Basic Construction
    • Put up room with studs/walls and drywall
    • Drywall repair
    • Basic electrical wiring and repair
    • Painting many many rooms.  Purchased commercial spray painter and painted many sq feet
    • Basic carpentry.  Helped build homes.
  • Basic Plumbing.  Replaced many toilets, faucets, valves
    • Installed many feet of PEX in new home
    • Many copper sweat fittings
  • Managed some basic contractor work for home expansion
  • Installed many appliances including plumbing and wiring
    • Stove tops, Dishwashers, Refrigerators, Ovens, Sink disposers
    • RO water filtration systems
  • Basic Landscape work
    • Planted over 100 trees and shrubs, 100s of plants
    • Took care of 2+ acres of landscaped property 33 sq yards of mulch each year
    • Took care of drainage issue by installing PVC 10” drainage tile
    • Basic sprinkler system repair and programming for two systems
    • Cut down damaged trees, split and stacked 9 of 17 trees

KNOWLEDGE

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Wilderness First Aid, CPR
Master’s Degree in Computer Science Hadoop
One year toward PhD in Computer Science – OSU GIA – Graduate Gemologist
Business Operations Gemology
Ruby on Rails Horology
IT consulting Data Analytics
Marketing Goldsmithing
Startup Business Modeling Many computer languages and theory
HTML/css Real Estate

SKILLS

Business Management Sales
Team Building and Team Management Marketing
Project Management SQL and other languages
Product Design and Management Customer Development
Business Modeling UI/UX wire framing
Adventure Guiding WordPress
Gemology identification and appraisals  Innovating solutions

VALUES

Challenge Caring Connection
Communication Compassion Integrity
Truth Commitment Respect
Authenticity Trust Joy
Time Courage Passion
Peace Freedom Fun
Risk Taking Appreciation Choice
Acceptance Creativity Love
Acknowledgement Change  

Some References:

By people I have worked with…

Kshitish Chitnis (Tish)

Sr. Developer, Emprise Technologies

Stuart has a keen vision, he has the ability to plan ventures and take appropriate steps towards achieving those goals. The ability to execute in the right direction is what separates Stuart from others. He is a stand up guy and extremely approachable, he has typically been the go to guy for everyone when there are questions, and no question is too small for him, he is always there to help. His overall attitude and persona makes him a great asset for any organization that he’d work for.

Kim Michalak

Project Manager, Emprise Technologies

I worked with Stuart at Emprise Technologies on the Actian v9 to v10 Migration.  Stuart was leading the migration and I was the Project Manager.  Stuart was great to work with.  He did an excellent job of working with the clients, Actian, and the internal teams.  He designed the solution and kept the development team on task. This migration is extremely stressful for the clients and Stuart successfully addressed any of their technical concerns and was able to provide them with a clear path to complete their migrations.

Samir Deeb

Sr. Developer, Emprise Technologies

Working with Stuart was a great experience. He brought a passion to the team that really energized us and brought up team morale. His knowledge in multiple realms of technology really allowed us to understand all the aspects of what we were developing. He was very driven by the idea of innovation and contributed at all levels/positions on the team, at different points of time, and that is something very valuable I learned from him. If possible I would love to work again with Stuart in the future.