WashMyStuff.com

The name says it all. If its dirty, we wash it, so you have more time for studying, working and a personal life. Wash My Stuff offers worry-free laundry service by providing unlimited wash, fold, scheduled pick-ups & drop-off’s. We also provide each customer with a online tracking system so, you can monitor your clothes every step of the way.

Wash My Stuff is a laundry service of dedicated professionals who pick-up, wash, fold and delivery your laundry with a 24 hour tturn around time. All loads are professionally washed so there’s no need to worry about your clothes being mixed up with someone else’s.

Save time and money with the unlimited package which allows you to wash as much as you want for a set price. Unlimited packages are paid monthly or by the semester. No extra fees or charges for delicates and large items such as bed spreads.

Wash My Stuff was created to allow students and working professionals more time for homework, research, friends, family and hobbies. Life is filled with many responsibities, but laundry does not have to be oneof them. Wash My Stuff allows you to concentrate on whats important.

It’s easy, you pack it, we pick it up, wash it, and drop it off.

The Implementation of a Perfect Business (PerfectBusiness.com)

My first discussion about Perfect Business began on a plastic table in a parking lot, under a shaby umbrella that created some shade on a hot afternoon in Santa Monica.  After some review I truly didn’t see the potential for yet another social networking website, although the co-founder: Dan Bliss, claimed that it was going to revolutionize  the entrepreneur network.  Today, I have become a believer in the concept.  What won me over?  Well, aside from the fact that the entire website was implemented by my team and I, it was the collaboration that this community offers to one another.  Within the entrepreneurship community there is a great sense of friendship and PerfectBusiness makes use of this.

The implementation of this large-scale site with a hefty SQL back-end took a large chunk of my weekends and nights, but looking at the solution now it makes me proud.

PerfectBusiness.com was conceived of and designed by entrepreneurs who have firsthand experience in starting and growing a variety of businesses. The founders shared a passion for entrepreneurship and recognized a need for tools, resources and guidance designed specifically for entrepreneurs. This web site is the solution.

The founders believed that the people behind successful businesses would inspire many others. This led to the creation of the Video Center. PerfectBusiness formed an in-house production team and now produces exclusive interviews with business people in every field. PerfectBusiness also shares knowledge in the form of articles and columns (Articles section), books (Info Center), expert advice (Ask-An-Expert), community support (Clubs) and even the site’s own “7 Keys to Success.”

PerfectBusiness offers tools, such as the Pitch Center, 6 Steps and Marketplace, so members can proactively start or buy a business. The site also has listings for business conventions, conferences, trade shows and other events to encourage in-person connections.

In addition to helping the core audience of entrepreneurs, PerfectBusiness provides valuable services for investors, lenders, service providers, contractors, sellers, realtors, suppliers, marketers, lawyers, accountants, consultants, students and others who share an interest in entrepreneurship.

WestsideRentals.com, Expanding and Redesigning a well oiled machine

Westside Rentals is a rather popular site in southern california, ranked 10,000 on the web, but I think ranked #1 in Southern California when looking for a good place to live. Or at least i’d like to think so. The site began as a small venture more than 10 years ago, and is now controlling not just the “west side”, but a lot of new areas such as San Diego, Century City, and my new home city… Pasadena. Although at first glance you might say… wow… what’s up with the 1980s design, you have to look past that and see it’s content value and the service it offers.

The owner of the company, Mark Verge, has proven to be not just a great visionary, but also a person that cares about the community around him… helping people, guiding entrepreneurs, and always encouraging ideas to enhance the site. As the Chief Information Officer for the company I learned a great deal, most importantly i learned that technology is not the hardest thing to manage in an internet business. It’s not the hardware or the programming that tends to be difficult… it’s the people and the expectation management that comes with it. In a company of 70 staff members, more than 8 offices, and a 24/hr operation I learned that sleep is a luxury. It probably explains why i’m writing this at around midnight on a Tuesday, but let’s not deviate from the subject. The point is that being a CIO of such a company is a life lesson, it’s an opportunity that tests you, and more important your management of multiple tugging forces.

When will the site be redesigned? Good question… but i’ll ask a question right back… why? Redesigning a site that works and operates smoothly is not a requirement, not when 100+ other tasks are pending in the pipeline. Will it bring more traffic if the site looks “pretty”? maybe… i’m not positive it will, in fact the reason we haven’t redesigned yet is because i don’t believe it will. I think a user appreciates simplicity and not a site that boasts a design that is marvelous but with 0 content to show for. We’ll strike a balance of design and content soon, but for now the machine is operating smoothly. Seven servers in the front end and two database servers in the back end are currently holding this site together, and pulling in enough traffic to feed a few mouths.

Believe me when i say it’s not just a site that provides apartment leads… it’s much more. Try it and see http://www.westsiderentals.com

Fitscape and the iWell Program

Designed, developed, and enhanced this site along side a creative and talented individual: Bryan Rosencrantz. He came up with the idea of Fitscape, an online healthcare software company committed to innovation and total body well-being. He founded it in 1995, and at the time Fitscape was one of the first companies to recognize the benefit of bringing health and wellness solutions online. Yes, even before eDiets and Weight Watchers. Fitscape continues to pioneer new products and concepts to shape the wellness industry online.

This is one of the largest Coldfusion sites that I was involved in, with more than 200 pages and a very complex database schema. Given all this I must say it is a constant challenge with new features and engaging complexities. You might be wondering what is iWell?

New USC Law Website

The new USC Law website is up and running. After only 3 months of development the site has been reinvigorated to a site that is not only elegant by design but one that was created with the user in mind. The creation allows for easy updating, it houses dynamic graphs, a content management system, timely and engaging articles. After much research and solicited feedback from faculty, students, staff, alumni and other administrators in and outside the law school the USC School of Law is now home to a user friendly web site tailored for its constituents.

The USC School of Law produces more then 100 events per year. Registration for these events has historically been done by printed materials mailed to invitees, a process that is costly and time consuming for those planning and attending the event. The development of online registration allows individuals to get event and program details online, giving them access to event dates, times, and the ability to RSVP when most convenient for them.

The USC School of law produces an exuberant amount of news stories and articles each month. I have worked closely with the PR department within the law school to develop a time saving method of posting the stories that come out of their department. I have created a content management system that allows for users to self select placement of the articles they post and houses an archive of the articles. Administrators also have the ability to enter an expiration date for each piece which will auto delete the story at the designated expiration date. Users will also have the option to refer a given article to a friend.

Flash videos have been added to give the web site a more dynamic feel. Interviews, promotional videos, special events, and commencement ceremonies are just a few of the things that take place at the law school. What I have done is made it possible for people to participate on a more dynamic level by watching these streaming videos.

The online directory is a valuable tool for any organization. The USC School of Law now has the names, contact information and photos for all of our faculty, staff and students. I’m especially excited about this feature as I feel being able to match a face to a name and recognize colleagues whom you might not otherwise see face to face is a valuable asset. I’ve also given users the ability to download a Vcard and input contact information into Microsoft Outlook or Entourage.

With so many departments, areas and content managers within the new USC Law website I felt it was necessary to create a search engine that screened for personal information (PI) on the website. The code created for this search engine makes it impossible for content managers to inadvertently upload social security numbers, phone numbers or other PI that one might not want published.

MyLaw Portal

The MyLaw Portal uses a Microsoft SQL scheme for managing permissions via groups that is very similar to the methods used in Active Directory.  In fact, upon logon it verifies the username, password, and groups against AD, then continues to seek group permissions within SQL.  This integration was made to avoid duplications of username & password, and to avoid duplication of permission management.  The permission schema can be controlled by any member of the IT department and functions by placing users into department buckets, which are then granted access to a particular set of applications.

The administration of users is also done via the portal, whether it be a bulk loading of 200 incoming students, or a single new account.  The creation of the Portal account allows a user access to applications such as: dell warranty repair requests, sign up for training sessions, exam signups, book trading, volunteer log of hours, and a host of additional apps.