Ryan Melena

SUMMARY

Enterprising Computer Engineer with extensive professional experience in software technologies. Enthusiastic
about delivering effective solutions that meet client expectations and deadlines. Background includes software
engineering, web development, database administration, business intelligence, and enterprise LAN
administration. Experienced in all stages of software development life-cycle.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Languages: C#, VB.NET, PHP, SQL, T-SQL, JavaScript, AJAX, HTML, XML
Technologies: ASP.NET, ADO.NET, SSRS, SSIS, WCF, WPF, LINQ, Entity Framework, Active Directory
Databases: MS SQL, mySQL, PostgreSQL
Software: Visual Studio TFS, Visual Source Safe, Codesmith, SVN, CVS, IIS, Apache
Frameworks: DotNetNuke, ASP.NET Dynamic Data, .NET Tiers, Drupal
Concepts: OO Programming, Design Patterns, ORM, Database Normalization, Version Control

RECENT WORK EXPERIENCE

Connexions (Travel Leaders Group) Eden Prairie, MN

.Net Developer September 2009 Present
At Travel Leaders Group I am participating in the architecture, development and deployment of a highly
complex travel-based loyalty rewards web application and back-end management system. The project utilizes an
Agile SCRUM development methodology and cutting edge technologies including: LINQ to SQL, WCF, WPF,
ASP.NET Dynamic Data, MS Rules Engine, MS Unit Tests, T4 Templates, and Visual Studio TFS. As an
original member of the product architecture and development team I have championed the use of best practices
and modern technologies to create a robust and extensible product.

United Health Group Hopkins, MN

Senior .NET Consultant June 2009 August 2009
I was part of a team developing an upgrade to an existing internal auditing and control application. The new
web application was written in C# using the .NET 3.5 Framework and was deployed on Sharepoint 2007 MOSS
Enterprise. The system provides reporting and metrics through SQL Reporting Services 2008 and the entity
architecture makes use of LINQ to SQL as well as nHibernate for object relational mapping. In addition to
development duties, my role also included participation in database design and architectural planning.

Gage Plymouth, MN
Senior Developer December 2008 April 2009
While at Gage I participated in the architecture and development of two public facing websites for large
multinational clients each utilizing VB.NET 3.5. The first project was a management and collaboration tool
based on a tiered design and made use of the Entity Framework for ORM. In addition to common web
development components the project utilized ASP.NET Membership, Windows Live Authentication, ASP.NET
Mobile Controls, and SQL Integration Services. The second project was a promotional site with an elaborate
design that made heavy use of Master Pages, CSS, and javascript. The promotion included a sweepstakes and
quiz component which were database-driven and implemented using LINQ to SQL and custom controls.
Ratchet Minneapolis, MN
Lead Developer April 2008 October 2008
At Ratchet I led the architecture and development of a complex public facing website utilizing extensive AJAX
as well as .NET 3.5 technologies including WCF and LINQ to SQL. I was also responsible for the design of the
database as well as the application. My development efforts involved work creating custom classes, interfaces,
WCF web services, custom controls, and SQL Integration Services packages as well as extending generated
LINQ to SQL entity classes. In addition, I oversaw and mentored a team of five developers while facilitating
communication between the client, management, 3rd party content providers, and the development team. I also
participated in project management and planning.

National Business Systems Eagan, MN

.NET Architect March 2007 April 2008
As a consultant for National Business Systems I took part in the design and development of several projects for
varying clients. My responsibilities included requirements gathering, client interaction, database and application
architecture, application development, and process management. I leveraged cutting-edge technologies
including .NET 2.0, SQL Reporting Services, SQL Integration Services, and web services to quickly deliver
reliable high performance systems. In addition to .NET development I was also responsible for database design
and development of queries and stored procedures.

Net Dynasty Minneapolis, MN

.NET Consultant Sept 2007 October 2007
In my position with Net Dynasty I assisted with design and development of several ASP.NET projects including
a web auction application. I conferred with the project lead on both code and database architecture offering
advice and alternative solutions. In addition, I assisted with development efforts utilizing VB.NET, .NET 2.0,
stored procedures, and XML.

US Bank St. Paul, MN

Senior Developer October 2006 March 2007
As a consultant for US Bank I participated in the design and development of an enterprise loan management
system intended to replace several aging applications throughout the company. The application is relatively
complex and makes use of advanced technologies including AJAX, .NET 2.0, and Microsoft Enterprise Library.
The system is based on ASP.NET/C# and uses MS SQL 2005 for data persistence. As a developer on this project
I was expected to move effortlessly between development in C#, JavaScript (including AJAX), and Stored
Procedures. Additionally, my role provides the opportunity to offer recommendations in regards to design and
architectural decisions.

Dr. Payne MD Brooklyn Park, MN

.NET Consultant July 2006 Jan 2008
I assisted Dr. Payne in the development of a VB.NET Windows Forms based medical application intended for
resale and use in her own practice. Through discussion with the client I helped flesh out design requirements
and prioritize features. In addition, I offered suggestions on possible design improvements and coded the more
technically challenging sections of the application. The application makes extensive use of .NET 2.0 features
and also takes advantage of MS SQL 2005 database replication.
EasyChair Software Plymouth, MN
Senior Software Engineer November 2005 October 2006
I was in charge of modernizing and extending the capabilities of the companys FilePro-based furniture store
CRM, ESP, Accounting, and Inventory management software. To that end, I designed and implemented a PHP
and PostgreSQL based framework that extended their existing software to a graphical web environment. The
framework supports the importing of data from clients around the country to a central relational database and
also provides accounting, reporting, and management capabilities. In addition, the framework enforces cross-
client security by separating client data and allows clients to configure their own security through the creation of
users and groups. Expansion of the framework is accomplished via a toolset I created which allows less
technical employees to create pages and reports without extensive programming or SQL knowledge.

Egan Companies Brooklyn Park, MN

Web Database Programmer November 2004 November 2005
I was part of a two man programming team responsible for supporting and improving the intranet tools and
capabilities of this 200+ employee construction consulting business. Through advanced error reporting and the
implementation of modern technologies, including C#, VB.NET, AJAX, and CVS, we were able to greatly
enhance the speed of development and reliability of applications. These improvements fueled an increase in
employee usage of intranet tools as well as requests for new and more complex applications.

One of my significant assignments was the design of a C#/ASP.NET-based overdue receivables management
application. This tool, which drew information from the companies' Great Plains CRM/ERP software, was
responsible for tracking tens of millions of dollars in overdue receivables. As a testament to the quality and
usability of the application, after its implementation, overdue receivables fell sharply by several million dollars
to the lowest level in recent company history.

Another of my significant assignments at Egan was the expansion and improvement of the project manager
dashboard, an existing VB.NET Windows Forms based application used by project managers to keep up-to-date
on the status of their projects and employees. I was responsible for refactoring large portions of the code to
bring the application's performance within expectations. Additionally, I was responsible for adding new
functionality that allowed managers to keep closer track of receivables and manage reminders for their
employees. These changes required the design and creation of several new relational tables, views, and stored
procedures within the MS SQL database back-end.

Minnesota Daily - Minneapolis, MN

LAN Administrator May 2004 November 2004
As the LAN Administrator for the Minnesota Daily I was responsible for all I.T. infrastructure in a two-location
150+ user environment. These responsibilities included design, configuration and maintenance of hardware and
software solutions as well as management of an Assistant LAN Administrator and two System Analysts. My
overarching goal was to create a robust and reliable I.T. infrastructure that would improve the productivity of
other staff members.

The largest task I undertook during my time as LAN Administrator was an organization-wide conversion from a
Novel/Groupwise based infrastructure to a Windows 2003/Exchange 2003 based infrastructure. As the sole
architect of this conversion I was responsible for all research, documentation, and server configuration. Server
configuration was of particular note because of its complexity and many facets which included: configuration of
domain controllers and DNS, organization and population of Active Directory, creation of new mail accounts,
creation and implementation of group policy, and configuration of shared folders and mapped drives. The
conversion was a huge success by all accounts causing no down time and generating very few issues.

Another effort I spearheaded at the Minnesota Daily was the improvement of I.T. security. The process of
upgrading security involved several projects including: the reconfiguration of the firewall to include a DMZ,
implementation of site-to-site and client-based VPN, configuration of RADIUS-based Active Directory
authentication allowing single sign-on, and the installation and configuration of McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator.
Minnesota Daily - Minneapolis, MN
Web Programmer August 2002 May 2004
Accolades:
Employee of the month (February 2003)
Great Innovation Award (Web Questionnaire System)

As a Web Programmer at the Minnesota Daily I was part of a staff of programmers responsible for meeting all
intranet application needs across the organization as well as developing the framework used to support the web-
based version of the newspaper. All projects at the Minnesota Daily were coded in PHP and data storage was
performed by mySQL.

One core system I developed was a new HR system used to track employees, departments, employment and
positions. This framework replaced an extensive paper-based system and quickly became the backbone for
many intranet applications including a time-card system I also developed.

Another significant project I developed while at the Minnesota Daily was a suite of online editor tools. These
tools are used by an Online Editor to create an online version of the newspaper each night. The toolset aids in
the creation of content and the process of laying out pages. Using the tool suite the nightly job of creating the
web-based paper went from a 3 hour process to a 30 minute one, allowing the Online Editor to focus on
presentation and adding dynamic content.
The most complex application I developed for the Minnesota Daily was a web questionnaire system used by the
marketing/research department. The web questionnaire system was a full questionnaire creation, distribution,
and result storage solution. The web based interface was designed specifically to allow non-technical users to
create complex questionnaires and distribute those questionnaires via e-mail or print. The web questionnaire
system is the cornerstone of the Daily's research department and has been used to successfully send
questionnaires to tens of thousands of recipients at a time. In addition to journalistic research, the questionnaire
system has also been adopted by the HR department to perform management assessment, replacing a third-party
system.

INDEPENDENT PROJECTS

Theater@Home Open Source Movie Management Software

Author / Project Administrator
I designed the Theater@Home application after searching for a movie management application online and
failing to find anything that would meet my requirements. The program is Windows Forms based and written in
C#. The back-end storage is performed by mySQL. To meet my flexibility and performance goals, the
application makes use of some advanced constructs such as .NET Remoting and threaded execution. I chose to
open source the application and now act as the project administrator.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Graduate 2004

University of Minnesota Twin Cities - Institute of Technology, Minneapolis, MN