David F. Leigh
e-mail:
dave.leigh@cratchit.org
Much of this is similar or identical to what's in my resumé; however, this listing is more complete and more informal. The fact is, I'm proud of everything I've done, and like to have a record of it for my own benefit.
As POS Project Leader, I was the technical lead responsible for the development of Point-of-Sale systems for all of DZ's 230+ domestic and international stores. My responsibilities included supervising 5 programmers and coordinating their efforts, writing program specifications, project management, administration of revision control, code review, system integration, coding, debugging, and 3rd level technical support. In the space of one year, I lead an excellent team in the implementation of numerous complex enhancements to store systems: improved loss prevention controls, a complete inventory control system, game reconciliation, detailed transaction reporting, program management, and store-level systems for integration with a national customer database. In addition, I vastly improved the stability and robustness of store systems by standardizing module development and devising a technology by which handshaking is done between modules to guarantee code compatibility while cutting deployment costs by thousands of dollars.
When I moved to Florida I discontinued the Cracker Barrel BBS. By then several other services were available in Union, and AOL and the World Wide Web were coming into ascendancy anyway.
I was one of two CEI programmers who designed and created the nationally recognized StarTrak inventory tracking system for Denny's restaurants. This system used a heavily SQL-centric FoxPro 2.6 program to accept inventory data from Telxon handheld data capture devices to automatically generate inventory reports and purchase orders for transmission directly to vendors and to the Denny's AIX mainframe accounting systems. Startrak utilized Foxbase, FoxPro, SQL, Microsoft C and eXcellenet components to integrate the various components that comprise the system (Telxon, Alloy, DOS, and AIX). To ensure highest performance and reliability I developed a custom data dictionary and transaction rollback routines for FoxPro 2.6. Due to the slow speed of the hardware platform (virtual 8086 machines under Alloy's multiuser DOS) we relied heavily on FoxPro's Rushmore optimization for maximum performance. I also converted Flagstar corporation's menu maintenance system from FoxPro 1.02 to FoxPro 2.6 and re-engineering key routines using SQL to increase overall efficiency of the program by 1600% while providing an improved mouse-enabled interface. Finally, I interfaced Startrak to Denny's newest touchscreen POS systems running under OS/2 Warp.
At ProData I specialized in working with other professional xBASE language developers to customize their products for clients with specialized needs. I authored a complete Medical Office Manager system that automated all phases of a physician's practice, including scheduling, billing, insurance filing, and clinical record storage. I also wrote various Hospital Procedural Tracking systems: Radiology, Laboratory, and Surgery. These systems were comprehensive, and provided Daily Ledgers, Daily Log, Monthly and Yearly reports, Procedural Analysis, and graphing of data. I created numerous and extensive customizations for Pacific MedSoft's Practice Manager, including a Clinical Assistant program that used imaging to embed patient X-rays into their on-line clinical histories; a flexible link for electronic filing of insurance claims; and many management reports. I enhanced the SBT Database Accounting Library with an on-line network timeclock that used the to network server's system time to calculate payroll. As a consultant I created complex projects for such clients as Union Camp Corporation, Rutherford Hospital (Rutherford, NC) and Wallace Thompson Hospital (Union, SC).
While working at ProData I moved the Cracker Barrel BBS from a text-based system to a graphical/text system and began offering Internet e-mail, FTPMail, and Usenet access.
While at Marketing Development Association I also began writing custom software, beginning with a Video Store Manager, and continuing with the Tom Mack Car Show Manager and the original versions of the hospital Procedural Tracking software later marketed by ProData.
When I joined the company, its sole scope was installing and maintaining alarm systems. We expanded to communications equipment and computers due to my technical expertise, which enabled us to provide hardware and technical support not previously offered. I was able to leverage the wiring expertise of our crew of alarm installers to provide superb pre- and post-construction installation of office network infrastructure. Within 18 months of my joining the company, computer sales and service accounted for 72% of gross revenue.
In 1990 I began the Union County Computer Users Group and the Cracker Barrel BBS , the only on-line service in Union County, SC at the time.
I received the Air Force Inspector General's Professional Performance Award in 1989 for work in verifying and extensively rewriting Rockwell technical manuals as well as authoring alignment procedures for stationary and mobile communication sites. I personally assisted with the installation and verification of 3 full Rockwell Scope Signal III communications sites and managed one installation. I automated the RAF Croughton Technical Control Facility with circuit outage tracking software I authored, which consolidated two job positions and saved the Government over 6,240 man-hours yearly per base. At RAF Croughton, I authored several other programs for the Air Force, including dBASE and BASIC programs for personnel and equipment management, presentation management, and scheduling. I wrote software to utilize an inexpensive TI-99/4a as an equipment status control monitor, enabling the government to utilize previously unrecoverable equipment worth $100,000 each. I managed an equipment account in excess of three million dollars. I acted as primary Training NCO and Documentation Manager all while supervising a crew of Ground Radio technicians. I was honor graduate at every technical school I attended, and achieved rank of Staff Sergeant in minimum possible time with a score of 92% on my Professional Fitness Examination (compared to the USAF-wide average passing score of 52%).
While attending college I worked as a commercial artist, hand-painting advertisements and signs. Bill Hoover had the exclusive advertising contracts for all of the SCE&G buses in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, and Augusta South Carolina, and Bill's son William and I provided the ads for those buses. The job entailed conception, layout, and hand-painting and lettering the signs themselves as well as logo design. Sometimes it's surprising to learn what skills translate well into computer work. My experience with the Hoovers taught me effective visual composition skills that have been extremely important over the years when designing effective user interfaces. The marketing knowledge I gained there helps me to understand the concerns of marketing and research executives and has been valuable when designing and implementing CRM systems such as the UG implementation of OverQuota and the Vitex CRM. The need to meet advertising deadlines and the sheer scale of some of our projects were my first introductions to effective project managment.
I have run a BBS system for many years and was an Internet provider when the 'Net was young. As a beta-tester for Windows and Windows 95 I have gained valuable experience in networking Microsoft's systems, as well as networking with other peer-to-peer systems such as Artisoft's LANtastic. My experience with both the software and the hardware "nuts and bolts" of military communications is invaluable and went a long way toward making innovative systems such as Denny's Startrak possible. I started a Linux User's Group at United Guaranty, and I have a good working knowledge of Linux and alternative office technologies.
In addition, I've held jobs as a salesman and as a graphic artist, and I began my extended education as a Journalism major. Such experience has often come in handy when designing and documenting attractive and functional user interfaces.
This is a partial list of languages and tools with which I've had experience.
|
Operating Systems
Applications
|
Programming Environments and Languages
Development Tools
|