| Steve Saroff
|
RESUME
I have a broad and diverse background as an entrepreneur, marketing consultant,
software developer, and writer. I have created innovative businesses, marketing
approaches, software solutions and patented technology for my own businesses
as well as for companies in the medical, media and graphic arts industries.
Some of the businesses, which have benefited from my work include, Kinkos, Alphagraphics,
Wyse Technologies, Nike, Ralston Purina, Rock Bottom Breweries, Time Warner,
Sony, Quad/Graphics and the Department of Energy. As one of two founders of
Freemail Inc, I developed innovative website marketing techniques and technology,
which garnered the company tens of thousands of website visits per week, and
reviews from industry leading magazines (e.g. PC Magazine, PC Week, Success
Magazine, Mac Week, Mac User, Windows Magazine), all while the company was still
being operated out of the laundry
room of my home. I co-founded RemoteScan
Corporation and iCloseBy
Corporation with my long time friend and business partner Glenn
Kreisel.
Key Points
· 20+ years of software development, management, business and marketing
· Co-founded RemoteScan Corporation.
· Former Co-Director of Internet development for WAM!NET, an partner
of MCIWorldCom.
· Managed 200 software developers located throughout the world.
· Founded FreeMail, Inc. and won $1 Million Contract from Kinko's in
first year.
· Excellent ability to troubleshoot and interconnect complex systems.
· Entrepreneur, writer, teacher - easy to work with, respected by peers.
Business and Management Skill Set
· Management of software development in a high-pressure environment.
· Successful negotiations with large company administration (CEO level).
· Global development planning and strategic development of Internet products.
· Large-scale Marketing, Public Relations, and Guerilla Marketing expert.
· Bringing products from conception to the market place.
· Creating realistic business plans.
· Strategic planning in a wildly changing world - project management
across wide ranges of technical dev environments.
· In-depth knowledge of the software industry.
· Writing, with the proven ability to convince.
Technical Skill Set
· Designing and writing dynamic Web pages with PHP,CSS, mySQL and JavaScript.
· Have done professional programming in about 20 different languages,
including PHP, SQL, C, C++, Java, HTML, Visual Basic, VBA, UNIX Shell, AWK,
Informix esql/c, Clipper, Fox Pro, dBase, Access and various assembly languages.
· Expert with Photoshop and other high-end web development tools expert.
· Understanding of many communication protocols: HTTP, SMTP, MIME, etc.
· Ability to debug hardware and network problems.
· Ability to implement testing procedures and tech support desks.
· Can administer LANs and Web servers.
Work History
1/2008 - Present. co-founder of iCloseBy.com. Glenn Kreisel and I created the iFob family of software for the Apple iPhone as well as PCs.
1/2004 - Present. Cofounder of Cynical And Jaded Software Entrepreneurs. Glenn's and my organization we use to help support local events, art projects, and donations. We sponser the two local Missoula non-profit radio sations, as well as many other local causes, under the "Cynical and Jaded Software Entrepreneurs" name. Have to laugh every time we hear/see it. Vist the site: www.cynicalandjaded.com/
1/2004 - Present. President of RemoteScan
Corporation.
Technical marketing and sales of Software written by Glenn
Kreisel to allow any image scanner to be shared on a network as well as
by Terminal Services users. 1,000's of customers located around the world in
medical, banking, industrial and commerce applications.
10/2000 - Present. Founding Partner of EdifyGroup,
LLC.
Since my obligation at WAM!NET ended, I have worked as a consultant for several
startup ventures and for established companies, as well working on my own ideas.
I work on strategic development and marketing, create and fix system architecture,
write marketing copy and code with PHP/mySQL/Java/CSS/XML, etc. My work is done
through the Edify Group, LLC., a consulting firm which I co-founded with my
business partner, Ray Kang , whom I worked with at WAM!NET, and who is a former
Vice President at Qwest, as well as a former Director and Vice President of
MCI.
10/97 - 10/2000. Director of Internet Development, WAM!NET Inc.
In October of 1997, Glenn Kreisel and myself sold FreeMail, Inc. to WAM!NET,
Inc., a 600 employee global company which was then a partner with MCIWorldCom,
for cash and stock which at the time was worth several million dollars to each
of our original investors. This involved months of negotiations with lawyers,
which I did 95% of the work. As part of this deal, for three years I was obligated
to work as an employee of WAM!NET, which specializes in providing secure and
managed network file transfer and storage services, and has built one of the
largest private IP network in the world. WAM!NET's current customers include
Time Warner, Sony, Quad/Graphics and several thousand other 'blue chip' companies.
My roles and responsibilities included strategic Internet development planning,
management of development efforts and development teams located in five states
and two countries (200+ developers), idea direction and focus, nuts-and-bolts
of getting those ideas to market, and responsibility for global web site development
(managing a team of developers in the creation and maintenance of www.wamnet.com
. Same sort of work, just a much larger scale, as I used to do in a laundry
room).
6/94 - 10/97 Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of FreeMail,
Inc.
I am the co-author of a US patent (#
6,088,516) on FreeMail's core / unique functionality, one of the first successful
Internet email systems. As one of two original founders FreeMail, I built a
two person company, that started in my laundry room, into a successful company.
I was one of the original developers of the FreeMail and FreePrint line of communication
software products for Windows, Windows 95, WindowsNT and Macintosh. FreeMail's
products included WAN / LAN e-mail and Intelligent e-forms systems and document
delivery systems for the Internet and for point-to-point connectivity. FreeMail
was selected by Kinko's, Inc. and licensed as their world-wide Kinkonet
service, the corner stone of their "new way to office" ad campaign.
FreeMail was also licensed to AlphaGraphics for use as their AlphaLink Direct
world-wide document delivery system.
After organizing the company and working on the core development (in Windows with C), then attracting business partners, my duties at FreeMail, Inc. included managing 10 developers, marketing, meetings with industry CEOs, writing code, authoring Web pages, writing, magazine article and review placement, travel, overseeing product development, as well as planning for product direction.
Pre-Internet work
1/94 - 1/95 Contracted consultant for St. Patrick Hospital, Missoula,
Montana.
Oversaw and managed internal and external software development projects for
large hospital. Made strategic plans for LAN and WAN expansions, and helped
with decisions on major software purchases and installations.
1/93 - 1/94 Sr. Systems Analyst for St. Patrick Hospital, Missoula,
Montana.
Developed large, multi-user database and communication software for
hospital. Software was written in C, esql/c, SQL and Clipper on various interconnected
platforms (UNIX, Novel, Windows, DOS) All authored programs (approx. 20) are
still in active use by hospital and clinics.
1/93 - 6/94 Software Author and design consultant.
Authored the time and billing programs, "BillTime," and "ProjTime"
which are still on many shareware "top download" lists. Also did system
design and development for several large organizations, including NCAT, and
ATTRA (Dept. of Energy contractors), etc.
3/88 - 12/92 Systems Analyst at CK Computer Consultants, Missoula,
Montana.
Authored software packages for hospitals, aluminum refineries, plant maintenance
companies, medical clinics, government agencies and universities. Software was
written in C and Clipper, for UNIX and DOS networked computers. Developed a
hospital plant maintenance program that was marketed nationally as "CK
Prevent."
4/88 - 6/88 Scientific Member on board R/V
Wecoma.
A dream vacation of a job - Tahiti to San Diego. 3 months in the South Pacific.
Scientific member (paid) of Tropic Heat 88, a NOA funded research expedition
on the equator. Duties involved technical up-keep of software and hardware data
acquisition systems. Became
a shellback.
3/84 - 1/87 Faculty Research Engineer, Dept. of Oceanography, Oregon
State University.
Responsibility for creating several technical data acquisition systems as well
as writing software for studies of beach erosion. Ran successful experiments
on both coasts. Designed and implemented all phases of hardware and software
systems using the most sophisticated tools of the time. Left to move back to
Montana to start own business.
Accomplishments from long ago that I feel good about.
· Publications of short stories in Redbook
and other national magazines.
· Kayaking through class III - V Western Rivers (terminated by a ruined
shoulder :( )
· Publications of photos in newspapers, magazines and books.
· Summer Field Geologist for Dr. Don Winston, U of MT.
· Editor of Clark Fork Press, a University of Montana Student newspaper.
· Science Teacher, Sussex School, Missoula, MT.
· Electronic/Laser Research Technician at Spectra Physics, Palo Alto,CA.
· Chemical/Explosives Research Tech at United Technologies, Sunyvale,CA.)
· Spent a month walking through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.
· Geochemical Research Assistant for Dr. John Werenberg, U of MT.
· Honors chemistry Research Assistant for Dr. Ken Watson, U of MT.
· Spent another a month wandering alone through the Bob Marshall and
Scape-Goat.
· Spent a month alone on the coast of Vancouver Island, walking, writing
and studying.
· Walked 600 miles alone on the Pacific Crest Trail from Canada into
Oregon.
· Starting when I was 14, walking 1,800 miles alone on the Appalachian
Trail.
· Ham Radio License when I was ten years old.
Other Information, college time, the hard-knock jobs that I have had
Dishwasher, cook, waiter, truck-driver, general laborer, farm hand, nail-pounding
carpenter, cattle ranch-hand, carpet installer (the worst), oil-field worker
in Sydney, Montana, copy writer for ad agency (the second worst), hay bucker,
technician in a computer store (also very bad), fire-wood cutter (the best)
and hunting guide -- and all the time dreaming of where to go next.... far better
than any college degree, which pales in value... but...
Education: B.A. from the University of Montana in Geology and Chemistry.
Active and current interests include: walking, writing, cooking, Burningman, entomology, electronics, geology, photography, and ever-obsessive reading and self-study in many directions.
Steve Saroff
(406) 728-2967