Austin Fatheree
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
 
Austin Andrew Fatheree
Bio:


My name is Austin Andrew Fatheree and I live in Houston, TX. I have a beautiful wife named Amber and I am 33 years old. I am the President of Rivvir Consulting. Amber and I attend Christ the King Presbyterian Church. I love college football and basketball, computer games, computer programming, reading, and coming up with new ideas. I'm a diehard Longhorn fan and I love Pearl Jam.




Contact Info: austin.fatheree at(@) gmail.com




Professional Assets:
  • At Aqumin I wrote a robust data integration framework and platform for delivering data to the AlphaVision client from many different datastores.
  • At HBK my primary responsibilities included gathering requirements, developing the functional specifications, implementing data schemas and process workflows to implement a Collateral Management system tasked with tracking billions of dollars worth of assets.
  • At Accenture I developed a robust skill set in project management, project execution, and service oriented architecture.
  • I helped radically change the Title Insurance business in the Houston and Dallas areas by designing and building software that helped break a number of decade old monopolies.


Education


THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
Bachelor of Business Administration May 2000
Major: Management Information Systems
Major GPA: 4.0, Overall GPA: 3.9
12 hours in Computer Engineering




Work Experience


Rivvir Consulting LLC
President and Developer
September 2011 - Present
  • Returned to CourthouseDirect.com to update the system that I built in the 2000 - 2005 time frame.  Added AJAX functionality and greatly improved user experience and engagement.
  • Created Mobile apps for Applebbee’s and IHOP national brands using Cordova framework.
  • Helped JVIC(Refinery Turnaround)  design and build a project estimating application based on Microsoft MVC 3, knockout.js and SQL Server
  • Built Grubsquad.com web site using ember.js and MVC 3.
  • Oversee developers in India, Mexico and Peru on a daily basis.
  • Enhanced Wordpress sites for StructureCommercial.com, raproptax.com, propertytaxreduction.com
  • Designed and built mobile application to help treat trichotillomania for PsycTech Ltd.
  • Helped AppSmiths convert an existing C++ application to a SPA web application based on Angular JS.
Aqumin LLC
Senior Developer
March 2009 – September 2011


  • Manged and Developed the Data Import process for DDF Barchart, Thompson Reuters, Morning Star, Dow Jones Newswire, Livevol, Hanweck/Opra, and Ravenpack New Sentiment using a mixture of Microsoft's SSIS technology and windows service development
  • Redesigned and deployed web services to deliver centralized data to AlphaVision Clients.
  • Used LINQ and ASP.Net 3.5 and MVC features to develop web services.
  • Designed and Build a centralized Enterprise Intelligence server allowing customers to aggregate data from OLAP, SQL, and other internal systems and deploy through a centralized AlphaVision Web Service.

HBK Investments
Developer January 2007 – Present
  • Programed a Cash Collateral System that manages collateral between HBK and 25 counterparties.
  • Used Windows Workflow Foundations to manage workflow in the system.
  • Used AJAX, ASP.net, and C# to develop the web interface
  • HBK is the largest Hedge fund in the state of Texas.
  • Used LINQ and ASP.Net 3.5 features to develop test components.


TouchLeague.com and HoldEmLadder.com
Owner/Developer
  • TouchLeague.com was a web based competition API targeting turn based asynchronous multi-player games on mobile devices.
  • The technology allows developers to add competitive ladders and leagues to their games with minimal effort.
  • The site is build in ASP.net 3.5 using C# and relives heavily on LINQ to SQL.
  • HoldEmLadder.com was the demo application that uses the TouchLeague.com competition API. I've since taken this down.


YourTownFootball.com
Owner/Developer
  • YourTownFootball.com is a simulated football league in which users can collaborate on coaching an American football team.
  • The site is currently in limbo as the competition code is ported to the TouchLeague Competition API.
  • The site is build in ASP.net 3.5 using C# and relives heavily on LINQ to SQL.
  • The experiences with YourTownFootball.com lead directly to the development of TouchLeague.com and HoldEmLadder.com


NightBlender.com
Owner/CEO July 2006 – January 2007
  • NightBlender was designed to augment my wife's catering business. We organized social groups and helped people plan parties for that group.
  • I designed a simple website that explained the concept and allowed people to sign up.
  • We ran one successful group and had a few more potential groups going into 2007.
  • We retired NightBlender when we moved to Dallas.


MindWallet.com
Owner/CEO March 2004 – January 2006
  • MindWallet.com was an ambitions project that was a little a head of its time. It may be coming back into its own now with the emergence of a solidified social network framework. Ultimately I retired the idea due to it just being bigger then I was and needing more money then I could find.
  • Generated the idea.
  • Programed the Demo including SQL Server backend, service layer, and web front end.
  • Wrote the business plan.
  • Pitched the idea to investors.
  • Here is the elevator pitch:
    MindWallet provides THE educational framework and THE educational marketplace for the 21st century. Many factors including oversea outsourcing, baby boomer retraining, and Internet access in developing countries are rapidly increasing the demand for education in a non-traditional environment. MindWallet helps increase access to educational materials by reducing the time, money, and effort needed for teachers to teach and students to learn.
    MindWallet provides a framework for instructors to create course content and an interface for students to consume that content. Our patent pending workflow technology connects students with not just one mentor, but many mentors in each subject and helps them build a network that they can draw on for the rest of their lives.
    MindWallet records every interaction between a student and their many mentors and allows the students and teachers to publish their accumulated record to potential employers and the world through our patent pending open transcript technology.
    Our positive community building system will encourage students to become teachers and teachers to become content creators.
    Our system will perform the socially responsible role of extending education to those who cannot afford it while increasing the opportunity for educators to improve their financial livelihood.
    As our content base grows and as teachers and students build solid records MindWallet will establish a permanent subscriber base that will provide revenue far into the future. MindWallet will also reap revenue from connecting students to respected teaching guilds and by connecting employers with qualified employees.
    MindWallet isn’t just a name, it is a concept. Imagine a place where a person can collect their ideas, coursework, certifications, and credentials, build them up on a daily basis, and use them as currency in the global idea and knowledge marketplace. That is MindWallet. Learn. Teach. Earn A Living.




Accenture
Consultant January 2005 – January 2007
  • Designed and Tested the Guinness Web Site for Diageo.
  • Built Templates and Design Documents for CMS based systems.
  • Designed User Controls, Server Controls, and Business Logic classes.
  • Reviewed Code Built at an Indian Offshore unit and helped debug and fix errors.
  • Designed the development, testing, qa, and production environments for Shell Trading's Tibco based SOA application.
  • Designed an SOA Biztalk application to automate order processing for Shell Lubes order system. Integrated SAP with external 3rd party systems using BizTalk.


FastHouston
Company of Directors June 2004 - January 2006
  • Sat on the Company of Directors
  • Help to educate Houstonians about innovation.


Trendwatcher.blogspot.com
Founder and Contributor May 2004 - January 2005
  • Contributed a few articles a week to the blog.
  • Organized contributing authors.


CourthouseDirect.com / IntegrityTitleInformation.com
Web Development Manager June 2002 – January 2005
  • Developed and managed www.courthousedirect.com, an n-tier web application and
    web service that exposes over a billion pages of public record documents for
    purchase over the web. Components included a custom shopping cart,
    registration, security, a searchable public records database, reporting, and
    e-commerce.
  • Developed a hierarchical database exposed via web services that allowed for the
    rapid searching of xml data consisting of hundreds of millions of entries.
    Built Windows Services to crawl data and discover problems. Built Server
    Controls to allow Data Entry Clerks to update flagged records.
  • Co-ordinate with the president, network administrator, CFO, and graphic
    designer to develop and roll out new features for the web application.
  • Interviewed and hired tech staff.
  • Analyzed hardware and software needs.
  • Developed technological strategies and business needs.




PLAN THREE SOLUTIONS
DNA Developer/Consultant/Project Manager June 2000 – April 2002
  • Built and Maintained www.courthousedirect.com.
  • Tools used: ASP, IIS 5, COM+, VB 6.0, SQL Server 2000, XML, .Net
  • Meet regularly with clients to advise them on developing business requirements
    and on their business plan.
  • Acted as the project manager.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRSTION COMPUTER CENTER
Software Developer June – December 1999
  • Developed a web application for the Accounting department to keep track of
    Professor’s discretionary spending using ASP and SQL Server 7.
  • Develop and administer a web server using windows 2000 and SQL Server 7 to
    allow students, faculty, and staff to make technology requests.


Dig: The Race
Programmer, Map Designer, and Project Lead
  • Designed and Developed Dig: The Race, a race mod for the Unreal game engine.
  • Programmed in UnrealScript
  • Built Levels in UnrealEd
  • http://mods.moddb.com/1276/


ORCA TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Software Developer Summer 1996, 1997, 1998
  • Streamlined communications between the Fed and Riverway Bank by adding a module
    to an existing Access Database.
  • Developed a VBA routine to remove accounting information from Excel
    spreadsheets and store in an Access Database in multiple currencies.
  • Interacted with employees to develop custom communication software for the
    Hanover Company to monitor payments to and from Texas Commerce Bank.






Honors





  • National Merit Scholar












  • Skills
    • ADO / ADO.Net
    • C#
    • .Net Framework
    • XML
    • Visual InterDev
    • SQL Server 2000/2005
    • Visual Basic 6.0
    • ASP
    • COM+
    • IIS 5
    • XSL
    • Web Services
    • .Net Server Controls
    • Windows Workflow Foundations (WF)
    • LINQ to SQL
    • ASP.Net 3.5



    Stuff I read on an ongoing basis:


    Books I've Read
    • Changing Minds: Computers, Learning, and Literacy Andrea diSessa
      • From Publishers Weekly
        Can computers really extend our intelligence? Might new "computational literacies" alter the face of education, expanding and accelerating learning possibilities? Research scholar, teacher and technologist DiSessa thinks so, and posits a future in which computers "will have penetration and depth of influence comparable to what we have already experienced in coming to achieve a mass, text-based literacy." But why should ordinary people learn about not just the function, but the structure of these new tools? DiSessa answers this question through many compelling narratives of how students actually explore sophisticated science and mathematics topics with the "Boxer" software system, a product that DiSessa and his research colleagues have developed to further their research on cognition and learning. Their findings reinforce many of our commonsense understandings about optimal education: that students learn best by doing; that tacit, intuitive knowledge is important to the acquisition of concepts; and that learning needs to be carefully tailored to an individual's domain of competence. DiSessa also concretely illustrates how to lead students toward complex technical competence and become active creators, not just passive consumers, of new technologies. While a good deal of his book is geared toward scientifically and mathematically literate readers, the personal narratives make it accessible to anyone interested in how computers may change not just the way we learn, but the way we think.


    • Development as Freedom Amartya Sen
      • By the winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Economics, an essential and
        paradigm-altering framework for understanding economic development--for both rich and poor--in the twenty-first century.

        Freedom, Sen argues, is both the end and most efficient means of sustaining economic life and the key to securing the general welfare of the world's entire population. Releasing the idea of individual freedom from association with any particular historical, intellectual, political, or religious tradition, Sen clearly demonstrates its current applicability and possibilities. In the new global economy, where, despite unprecedented increases in overall opulence, the contemporary world denies elementary freedoms to vast numbers--perhaps even the majority of people--he concludes, it is still possible to practically and optimistically restain a sense of social accountability. Development as Freedom is essential reading.

    • Driving Digital: Microsoft and Its Customers Speak About Thriving in the E-Business Era Robert L. McDowell, William L. Simon
      • Driving Digital is loaded with both inspiration and pragmatic advice for anyone who recognizes that extraordinary gains are already being made by fully integrating technology into the workplace, but who still lacks the know-how--and perhaps the motivation--to get it accomplished. Robert McDowell, a vice president at Microsoft, uses best practices from wired operations like Marriott International, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and his own employer to flesh out its theme: using technology as a strategic weapon. McDowell's underlying message is that company leaders must truly be computer literate in order to drive their cultures in that direction and realize the benefits. He explains ways this is happening today, emphasizing that the most effective programs are implemented by business staffers, rather than IT, because they make related decisions and are ultimately accountable for them. He describes specific improvements, such as reducing red tape (for example, by transferring common forms to user-friendly electronic versions available through a company intranet) and upgrading vendor relations (by literally bringing them on board through alliances and strategic partnerships). Recommended for business leaders who know what they must do, technologically, but who still need a swift kick in the right direction to get it done. --Howard Rothman


    • E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age Marc J. Rosenberg
      • Internet and intranet technologies offer tremendous opportunities to bring learning into the mainstream of business. E-Learning outlines how to develop an organization-wide learning strategy based on cutting-edge technologies and explains the dramatic strategic, organizational, and technology issues involved.
        Written for professionals responsible for leading the revolution in workplace learning, E-Learning takes a broad, strategic perspective on corporate learning. This wake-up call for executives everywhere discusses:
        • Requirements for building a viable e-learning strategy
        • How online learning will change the nature of training organizations
        • Knowledge management and other new forms of e-learning

        Marc J. Rosenberg, Ph.D. (Hillsborough, NJ) is an independent consultant specializing in knowledge management, e-learning strategy and the reinvention of training. Prior to this, he was a senior direction and kowledge management field leader for consulting firm DiamondCluster International.




    • The Experience Economy James H. Gilmore, B. Joseph PineII
      • Sometime during the last 30 years, the service economy emerged as the dominant engine of economic activity. At first, critics who were uncomfortable with the intangible nature of services bemoaned the decline of the goods-based economy, which, thanks to many factors, had increasingly become commoditized. Successful companies, such as Nordstrom, Starbucks, Saturn, and IBM, discovered that the best way to differentiate one product from another--clothes, food, cars, computers--was to add service. But, according to Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, the bar of economic offerings is being raised again. In The Experience Economy, the authors argue that the service economy is about to be superseded with something that critics will find even more ephemeral (and controversial) than services ever were: experiences . In part because of technology and the increasing expectations of consumers, services today are starting to look like commodities. The authors write that "Those businesses that relegate themselves to the diminishing world of goods and services will be rendered irrelevant. To avoid this fate, you must learn to stage a rich, compelling experience." Many will find the idea of staging experiences as a requirement for business survival far-fetched. However, the authors make a compelling case, and consider successful companies that are already packaging their offerings as experiences, from Disney to AOL. Far-reaching and thought-provoking, The Experience Economy is for marketing professionals and anyone looking to gain a fresh perspective on what business landscape might look like in the years to come. Recommended. --Harry C. Edwards



    • The Innovator's Dilemma Clayton M. Christensen
      • What do the Honda Supercub, Intel's 8088 processor, and hydraulic excavators have in common? They are all examples of disruptive technologies that helped to redefine the competitive landscape of their respective markets. These products did not come about as the result of successful companies carrying out sound business practices in established markets. In The Innovator's Dilemma, author Clayton M. Christensen shows how these and other products cut into the low end of the marketplace and eventually evolved to displace high-end competitors and their reigning technologies.
        At the heart of The Innovator's Dilemma is how a successful company with established products keeps from being pushed aside by newer, cheaper products that will, over time, get better and become a serious threat. Christensen writes that even the best-managed companies, in spite of their attention to customers and continual investment in new technology, are susceptible to failure no matter what the industry, be it hard drives or consumer retailing. Succinct and clearly written, The Innovator's Dilemma is an important book that belongs on every manager's bookshelf. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards

    • Leading Geeks: How to Manage and Lead the People Who Deliver Technology Paul Glen
      • From Publishers Weekly Technology has so clearly woven itself into the fabric of business culture that publishing Glen's book on how to manage the people who produce high tech makes perfect sense. The author, founder of a consulting firm specializing in IT organizations, assumes that "geeks" are not everyday people, and draws on his experience to present clear and simple techniques for employers to not just get what they need out of tech workers but to become the kind of managers who will mesh well with this new kind of employee. Glen's insight is to treat high technology as a creative product produced by temperamental people who are a cross between artists and professionals. This view stems from the ambiguity of "geekwork" and the fact that geeks usually know more about what they do than do their managers. Though Glen doesn't advocate turning the factories over to the workers, his aim is to make managers more effective by teaching them about the people they lead, not by giving them tools to bend employees to their will. He does an excellent job of enumerating geek characteristics and the context in which geekwork takes place, providing ample material on what works with geeks and what doesn't, such as "intrinsic" or "extrinsic" motivators, and valuable advice, like "never underestimate the power of free food." Though it doesn't contain much new material, Glen's easily readable book will prove exceptionally useful for managers who feel left behind by the pace of technology or bosses seeking to better understand their information age employees.

    • Love 'em or Lose 'em Beverly L. Kaye, Sharon Jordan-Evans
      • Because finding the ideal person for every workplace position has become an increasingly difficult task, the retention of top employees has become every manager's concern. Love 'Em or Lose 'Em, by organizational-development specialists Beverly L. Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, proposes that this "race for talent" can be effectively run only by those who adopt programs and policies that truly support their personnel. It then shows how to do so, even in organizations reluctant to participate actively. Kaye and Jordan-Evans encourage an initial scan of their 26 alphabetically arranged chapters--such as "Information: Share It," "Mentor: Be One," and "Space: Give It"--so attention can be fully focused on the most relevant benefits and responsibilities associated with employee retention. All are bolstered with hands-on exercises and stories of others' failures and successes. The section on family-friendly conduct, for example, suggests uncovering specifics by directly asking employees what would make their lives easier. Resultant needs can be met, it continues, by allowing staffers to bring children to the office on occasion, assisting anyone who must line up care for an aging parent, giving weekday comp time to those who travel on weekends, etc. It also explains how Deloitte & Touche and DuPont addressed these issues. Any manager who dreads losing a top performer would do well to consider this book. --Howard Rothman

    • The Map of Innovation: Crating something Out of Nothing Paul B. Brown, Kevin O'Connor
      • From Publishers Weekly: What if innovation could be made routine-if assembly-line procedures could churn out brilliant ideas on command? O'Connor, the founder of online ad wholesaler DoubleClick and an unremitting entrepreneur, relishes innovative ideas-from a youthful scheme to shock a troublesome raccoon to DVD rentals that self-destruct instead of having to be returned-and offers here a "reproducible" process that will "force innovation" and "improve both the numbers and the quality of ideas." He calls it the Brainstorming Prioritization Technique, which turns out to be a lot like garden variety brainstorming, with voting to winnow out the likeliest ideas followed by "research" into the best idea; when BPT is used to pair business opportunities with new technology, O'Connor says, "solutions pop out." The process remains somewhat mysterious-BPT relies on "really smart and innovative people," some of whom should be experts on the issue at hand, and others who should have a "knack for creativity in any area"-and O'Connor concedes that "not everyone who applies these principles will be successful-in fact, few of you will." Indeed, after a while he rather drops the subject of innovation and concentrates on general advice on entrepreneurship and marketing. Here the book comes into its own, with practical and colorful tips on negotiating with venture capitalists, launching new products, sales and telemarketing, hitting up friends and relatives for money and motivating workers with stock options instead of cash. None of this material is wildly innovative, but O'Connor and co-author Brown present it in a breezy, acerbic style that cuts through managerial cant.

    • Marketing To Women Martha Barletta
      • "Women are the world's most powerful consumers." So begins Barletta as she presents her thesis that men's marketing doesn't work for women. We learn that in comparison to men, women have a very different set of priorities, preferences, and attitudes; their purchase decisions are radically different; and they respond differently to marketing media and messages. The purpose of this book, then, is to explain why marketing to women should be different than it is to men and to help readers avoid neglecting women in their marketing strategies, gain understanding of what makes them a worthwhile market, and develop specific action plans directed at women. Barletta presents her model for understanding women's responses to marketing efforts and then applies that model to the planning process for most markets. Also, she urges CEOs to gain an understanding of the importance of marketing to women so that necessary corporate resources and support will be provided. This book offers important insight for today's highly competitive marketplace. Mary Whaley


    • Six Action ShoesEdward de Bono
      • From Library Journal
        This latest, easy-to-read title from the author of the popular Six Thinking Hats ( LJ 5/15/86) will be of interest to not only business managers but to anyone who is responsible for guiding the actions of others toward the achievement of organizational activities. De Bono classifies organizational activities (as opposed to planning and idea-generation) into six categories, each symbolized by a pair of shoes: navy formal shoes for routines, grey sneakers for information gathering, brown brogues for pragmatic action, orange gumboots for emergencies, pink slippers for caring, and purple riding boots for authoritarian behavior. This artificial characterization of organizational activity is useful because it enables managers to separate action from personality. The author believes that an organizational leader will not only be able to select the appropriate action shoes for him or herself but also direct others in the organization to put on whatever shoes the situation requires. A useful addition to public libraries.


    • Wealth and Democracy : A Political History of the American Rich Kevin Phillips
      • Most American conservatives take it as an article of faith that the less governmental involvement in affairs of the market and pocketbook the better. The rich do not, whatever they might say--for much of their wealth comes from the "power and preferment of government." So writes Kevin Phillips, the accomplished historian and one-time Washington insider, in this extraordinary survey of plutocracy, excess, and reform. "Laissez-faire is a pretense," he argues; as the wealth of the rich has grown, so has its control over government, making politics a hostage of money. Examining cycles of economic growth and decline from the founding days of the republic to the recent collapse of technology stocks, Phillips dispels notions of trickle-down wealth creation, pricks holes in speculative bubbles, and decries the ever-increasing "financialization" of the economy--all of which, he argues, have served to reduce the well-being of ordinary Americans and government alike. Highly readable for all its charts and graphs, Phillips's book offers a refreshing--and, of course, controversial--blend of economic history and social criticism. His conclusions won't please all readers, but just about everyone who comes to his pages will feel hackles rising. --Gregory McNamee




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