About Me

I have been professional working in the IT industry for over 10 years, and been a power user of technology for over 20 years. I have worked in many different roles, from ISP tech support, to telephony provisioning, to network engineering, to systems engineering, to software development, to DevOps, and SRE.

Solving technology problems brings me joy, and I am always looking for new challenges to solve. I am a firm believer that curiosity is the key to success, and I am always looking to learn new things.

My biggest achievements in life is being a father and husband.

I am the organizer and leader of the West Michigan AWS Users Group, where I present on various AWS topics that I find interesting or want to collaborate with others on.

Contact Details

You can reach me on Discord, GitHub, Twitter, or LinkedIn:

Work

Parson's Xtreme Golf

SRE Architect • 2017 - Present • Scottsdale, Arizona

I have played a pivotal role in steering the company's transformative journey from a modest startup to a global enterprise, actively contributing to its digital success. Initially joining as a Systems Engineer, my commitment and expertise propelled me to shoulder additional responsibilities, addressing needs wherever necessary. My professional journey at PXG encompasses roles such as DevOps Engineer and, ultimately, SRE Architect. My involvement in numerous projects spanning diverse technologies showcases my multifaceted contributions as an architect, engineer, and project manager. I have been instrumental in crafting and implementing the company's cloud infrastructure, overseeing the migration of critical ERP and operational software to AWS. Additionally, I led the rollout and integration of an analytics platform and designed a global network infrastructure to support the company's expansive global footprint. Beyond technical responsibilities, I fostered collaboration with cross-functional teams, including software development, business intelligence, and data science, ensuring the seamless delivery and reliability of projects. In leadership, I played a key role in advancing the company's DevOps and SRE initiatives, championing the implementation of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and the incorporation of SRE principles.

Tier3 Consulting

Consultant• 2019 - 2021 • Avondale, Arizona

During my tenure with Tier3, I served as a consultant for an event-based company specializing in automotive auctions. My primary role focused on the comprehensive overhaul of the network infrastructure. In addition to my core responsibilities, which included providing support for the server infrastructure and collaborating with the software development team, I took on the critical task of training the staff on emerging technologies and implementing solutions to enhance the network's reliability. This encompassed a holistic approach to improving the overall technology stack. Furthermore, I played a pivotal role in preparing detailed recommendations for the installation of specific network gear, ensuring its optimal sizing to meet the precise requirements of the engagement. This involved presenting to leadership the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the equipment, along with tailored warranty/support contracts that aligned seamlessly with their operational needs. Upon the successful completion of the scope of work, the engagement concluded as the company transitioned to employing a Managed Service Provider (MSP) for day-to-day operations. This experience allowed me to contribute significantly to the company's technological advancement and operational efficiency, providing them with the tools and knowledge needed for continued success.

City of Glendale

Senior Network Engineer• 2016 - 2017• Glendale, Arizona

In my initial position as a Solo Network Engineer, I assumed comprehensive responsibility for the entire network infrastructure of the City of Glendale. This encompassed oversight of the datacenter, city-wide fiber network, city-wide wireless network, network security, and network monitoring across all government segments, including Police, Fire, Parks & Rec, Transportation, and City Hall. My role extended to cover any aspect involving network packets. This experience provided significant exposure to collaborating with support teams and vendors in ways I hadn't encountered previously. Beyond the technical facets, I also took charge of budgeting, purchasing, and project management for the network team. During my tenure, I executed more network upgrades and changes than the cumulative efforts of the preceding 5 years. This effort resulted in the transformation of the network into a modern and secure architecture. Additionally, I ventured into Python and other programming languages to automate tasks, introducing efficiencies into my daily responsibilities. This period also marked my introduction to DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles, prompting a realization that I aspired to more than a lifelong career as a Network Engineer. After 1.5 years in this role, I sought new opportunities that aligned with my evolving interests, specifically in environments that valued and embraced the DevOps and SRE mindset.

Cox Communications

Various Positions• 2010 - 2015• Phoenix, Arizona

My introduction to the IT field began at Cox Communications, where I had the opportunity to assume various roles. Initially, I started in customer technical support and consistently ranked in the top 5% among 300 employees, meeting all required metrics. This performance caught the attention of the Cox Business team. Upon the availability of a position in business tech support, I transitioned to that side of the business. During this period, I had hands-on experience with Cisco networking gear, aligning with my ongoing education. I achieved my CCNA certificate during this tenure. Subsequently, I joined the voice provisioning team, aiding field technicians in new voice turn-ups for business customers. While in this role, I noticed significant manual terminal work, consuming approximately 80% of an employee's time. I addressed this inefficiency by automating processes using VBScript, resulting in a remarkable 300% improvement in operational efficiency with a single script. This automation not only expanded the team's capacity but also facilitated the consolidation of more regions to our team, optimizing resources. An opportunity arose, and I transitioned to the data engineering team, focusing on new circuit turn-ups and troubleshooting existing circuits. This experience culminated in obtaining my CCNP certificate.

Skills

Below is a list of familiar technologies I have used regularly, architected or deployed.

  • Ansible
  • AWS (Many Services)
  • Bash
  • CentOS
  • CI/CD (Bamboo, Jenkins, Actions)
  • Cloud
  • CloudFlare
  • CloudFormation
  • Confluence
  • DNS
  • DBT Cloud
  • Datadog
  • Docker
  • ECS
  • GitHub
  • HighTouch
  • HTML/CSS
  • MSSQL
  • .NET
  • Networking
  • Node.js
  • Nutanix
  • Okta
  • Python
  • Pulumi
  • Terraform
  • Ubuntu
  • Wordpress

Education

Maricopa Community Colleges

AAS Cisco Networking • 2014 • Glendale, Arizona

Cisco Networking Academy is an IT skills and career building program for learning institutions and individuals worldwide. The GCC program was a 2-year program that covered all aspects of the CCNA exam, using the Cisco Networking Academy curriculum. Other courses included Linux, Windows Server, and Security.