Personal History

I got my start in the web business via Amazon.com. In my first two years I worked as both a supply chain operations specialist and a buyer who purchased and negotiated directly with vendors. I worked in the book and music departments, and later the fledgling jewelry department. As time went on, I became more involved with web navigation issues, content management, and online marketing. I helped create sales event pages for the site. I'd already had some technical experience via my system administration schooling at Boston University and technical intern duties at the University of Washington, so shifting from business to technical skill sets always felt contiguous and natural.

I wanted to give back to the community, so after several more years of corporate life I leaped into the non-profit world, working for a health education agency in Seattle. Part of their contract involved managing the creation of a website for the Western Washington Rural Health Care Collaborative, or WWRHCC. I worked with a local Seattle design firm and managed the RFP process, content creation and exchange, and, from the client end, helped formulate the informational model that would be needed to develop the WWRHCC's public site and members-only intranet. As a project manager, I thus learned to experience things from the client perspective while also observing how to work with a client from the designer/developer side.

Now I am webmaster for the WWRHCC and a freelance web consultant. Some of my early projects have been eyeforgems.com , a Jewelry Consultant's business, and carlosmelgoza.com, a fine art photographer. I'm currently working on a site for a personal trainer, homefitpersonaltraining.com and an herbal elixir shop, innerfirehealingarts.com. On the horizon may be a couple hair salons, another jewelry store, a geotechnical institute, a photo developing store, a book publisher, and possibly a dental clinic. Yes, I can build many different styles of websites. Browse through my Portfolio for regularly updated examples of my work.