Steve Saroff   (406) 728-2967 Author of several well-known commercial software systems and founder of FreeMail, Inc. Currently living in Montana and doing contract work. Technical Summary: 20+ years of software development, with experience in many development environments and with numerous languages. Most recently: PHP Programmer, MySql programmer, data mining and analysis, online order fulfillment systems, technical marketing, communication software, real estate software, graphical and database systems, medical software, and great person-to-person communicator. Click here for my portfolio

RESUME

I started programming as a child. In the past few years I built a successful and well known company which I started from my cramped laundry room. The company made serious money for several people. I combined my technical programming skills with my writing and marketing ability, and now work as a consultant for several companies; melding marketing campaigns with development efforts. I have the proven ability to explain complex concepts, both in face-to-face conversation as well as through writing. I have motivated others to work together, and I have convinced well-known companies to buy in on ambitious ideas. Constantly trying to predict the future, I like working, teaching, writing, and inventing. This world is an amazing place, and there is vast potential when simplicity and focus combine. Technology is the easy part.

10/2000 - Present. Consultant
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. Most of my work is done through the Edify Group, LLC consulting firm which I co-founded with Ray Kang (former Director at MCI, Former VP at Qwest, etc.).

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 400 employee global company and partner with MCIWorldCom, Silicon Graphics and Sumitomo. This involved months of negotiations and endless hours with lawyers, and as part of the deal, for three years I was an employee of WAM!NET, which specializes in providing secure and managed network file transfer and storage services, and has built 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 several states and two countries, 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. Built a two person company that started in a laundry room into a million dollar corporation. One of two original founders FreeMail, Inc. and one of the original developers of the FreeMail and FreePrint line of communication software products for Windows, Windows 95, WindowsNT and Macintosh computers (Glenn Kreisel is the other half of FreeMail). FreeMail's products include WAN / LAN e-mail and Intelligent e-forms systems and document delivery systems for the Internet and for point-to-point connectivity.

I attracted outside seed money and formed a Montana Corporation in 1994 and began to market FreeMail in earnest. 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 is 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 high level marketing, meetings with industry VPs and CEOs, public relations, writing code, authoring Web pages and Windows help systems, writing software documentation, magazine article and review placement, travel, overseeing product development, as well as planning for product direction.

FreeMail's products are used constantly by Kinkos, Inc., AlphaGraphics, Wyse Technologies, Nike, Ralston Purina, Rock Bottom Breweries, the Federal Government, Moore Ltd., and thousands of businesses, universities and individuals. FreeMail received great reviews in PC Magazine, PC Week, Success Magazine, Mac Week, Mac User, Windows Magazine, Computer Telephony, Computer Shopper, and many newspapers.

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.

Business and Management Skill Set
· 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.
· Management of software development in a high-pressure environment.
· Bringing products from conception to the market place.
· Creating realistic business plans.
· Strategic planning in a wildly changing world - project management accross 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.
· Understanding of digital electrical engineering: can design, build and debug to component level.

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 through the Bob and 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, walked 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...

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.