Jason Graening

Dream. Design. Develop.

About

Art can come in many forms. A beautiful interface can look just as good as a thousand lines of well crafted code.

To me, design and development are one in the same as I call upon several years of experience to craft my art in the form of web sites, mobile apps, database structures, logos, and videos.

Outside of writing code, I am also a musician with a primary focus on drumming, but I also play guitar. I love watching live music and I am a huge fan of baseball as well.

Allow me to show you my art. I am available for full time employment, freelance work, or a day at the ballpark.

Jason Graening

Proficiency

Work

Senior Software Engineer

Forum Communications

November 2018 - Present

  • Assisted in developing and migrating 20+ newspaper websites onto the CUE CMS platform using HTML/CSS, Javascript, Twig, and PHP.
  • Helped implement a third-party Javascript based paywall system using the Piano SaaS platform.
  • Wrote custom APIs that sent and received data with third party services, such as Sailthru, Piano, Google Drive, Whizti and Olive Software.
  • Served as a technical liaison between vendors and the engineering team.
  • Managed support efforts to assist internal users and prioritize and complete interrupt driven work.
  • Worked and collaborated in an Agile environment to ensure tasks were completed on time.
  • Hosted monthly SDLC meetings to discuss and document workflows and processes with the engineering team.
  • Assisted and mentored a team of software engineers on a regular basis.
  • Interviewed prospective employees for all roles within the engineering team.

Mobile App Developer

Forum Communications

September 2011 - November 2018

  • Created native mobile apps for iOS and Android using Objective-C, Java, and Titanium Appcelerator.
  • Launched 11 newspaper and two television apps to the App/Play Stores.
  • Created specialty apps for NDSU sports (Bison Media Zone), weather related school/business closings (Snow Day), and a location based mobile coupon app (OffersHQ).
  • Created a unique iPad only newspaper app using Titanium Appcelerator.
  • Set up push notification capabilities using Backendless and wrote custom APIs to send data to the apps.

Developer II

Forum Communications

May 2004 - September 2011

  • Developed and maintained code and databases for all of the Forum Communication newspaper websites and secondary websites.
  • Lead developer on classified ad website solutions for JobsHQ and ApartmentsHQ using ColdFusion.
  • Lead developer for internal online advertising sales and communication software that bridged together the sales, creative, and advertising teams.
  • Provided support for internal and external users and solved issues in a timely manner.
  • Assisted team members on reaching goals and meeting deadlines.

Internship, Information Systems

MeritCare Health System

July 2003 - May 2004

  • Maintained and updated website content and graphics for www.meritcare.com.
  • Worked with team members on site wide projects.
  • Researched and presented information on search engine optimization.
  • Successfully coded the website to comply with CSS standards.

Technical Skills

  • Proficient in HTML5, CSS3 (SASS), Javascript, PHP, MySQL, Java, Objective-C, SQL, Coldfusion, Git.
  • Developed websites that are cross browser/cross platform compatible with a focus on mobile first design methodologies.
  • Understanding of tools used for measuring website performance and knowledge to make continuous improvements based on performance audits.
  • Experience with WordPress and Drupal platforms and the Bootstrap framework.
  • Relational database design using MySQL and MSSQL.
  • Digital photography and audio/video editing.

Volunteer

  • Helped design and deploy a WordPress website for the annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament.
  • Served as a leader of the Culture Committee at Forum Communications to support and provide a friendly and positive work environment for all.
  • Drum Sergeant for Heather and Thistle Pipes and Drums, a local non-profit bagpipe band that performs in several events in cities around the North Dakota/Minnesota region.
  • Volunteer at Cat's Cradle, a local cat shelter to ensure that the animals are clean, fed, and taken care of on a weekly basis.
  • Cooked and provided meals for 12-15 homeless individuals at the Dorothy Day House on a monthly basis.
  • Member of the Web Development Advisory Committee for Minnesota State Community and Technical College.

Contact