OUR TEAM AND COMPANY HISTORY

Steve grew up in San Pedro California and started attending UC Santa Barbara in 1990. After a year and half, he transferred to Humboldt State University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in applied mathematics with an emphasis in computer science. One of his first jobs after college was creating websites for Mobil Corporation. After that, working for a major ISP company, he was tasked with redesigning their unprofessional intranet web pages into an attractive and consistent corporate standard. One day while doing this task, he had an idea that there were likely many thousands of websites for small businesses across the United States that needed to be redesigned and improved. He started doing research and contacting business owners that could use his help. Many agreed to have him improve their websites, and Positive Design was born. A few years later, Steve had the idea of creating a website building platform that allowed his small business clients to easily update their website content themselves. The new PD/GO System was born and it basically took over the entire business; nearly every client wanted it!

Karen was born and raised in Alabama and attended the University of Alabama where she studied Computer Science. For the next eleven years she co-owned and managed two large franchises based in Birmingham, AL. In 2009 she relocated to Florida and soon after began to learn various internet skills including internet marketing, programming and SEO.

She is a project manager for PD/GO, working hard with clients and staff to ensure that websites are completed on time and budget to the full satisfaction of each client.

Karen enjoys reading and spending time with her three beautiful daughters.

Carrie was born and raised in New Jersey to hard-working parents who had fled Cuba during the Castro Revolution. She has many years experience in administrative and bookkeeping/accounting positions including public school systems and an energy company. She has a great husband and their son is actively involved in youth theatre productions. She helps with setup of new websites, email accounts, billing, and project management.

Stephen Sharp (aka 'Sharp') is a graduate from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Religion. He is married to his best friend, Melodie, and has a beautiful boy named Jude with another baby one the way. He is currently a student at Indian River State College pursuing a degree in IT and Cybersecurity.

Current Certifications: Comptia CySA+, PenTest+, Network Vulnerability Assessment Professional, Security Analytics Professional, Network Security Professional, Security+, A+
Former Certifications: RedHat Certified Systems Administrator, Comptia Cloud+, Secure Cloud Professional, Linux+, Systems Support Specialist,

Laura has worked with PD/GO since 2008, joining the team during the five years she lived in Vero Beach. Originally from Greensboro, NC, she now lives there with her husband and two sons. She appreciates telecommuting as a Content Specialist, as it affords her employment flexibility as a stay-at-home mother. She enjoys playing the French Horn in local ensembles, writing for her website The Calico Critic, and working on her master's degree in Christian apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary.

Scott was born in southern Florida, and from a very early age has been working with computers and technology. Building and doing maintenance work on computers and game systems as early as 10-years old! He is currently coordinating our Digital Marketing campaigns as well as helping out with technical support when needed!

Scott has many hobbies outside of tech that include making pottery on the potters wheel and fishing. He has a young son and is very much looking forward to teaching him to respect nature and have a deep appreciation for life and the planet we live on.

Devin Prater is a great asset to PD/GO and its clients as we keep up with the latest guidelines to develop websites that are compliant with the American Disabilities Act. Devin happens to be blind and uses assistive technologies such as screen readers and his extensive knowledge of the WCAG 2.0 guidelines to make sure websites meet those guidelines, allowing them to be used by everyone. He tests websites with the following operating systems and screen readers: macOS - Voiceover; iOS - VoiceOver, Windows - NVDA and Narrator. He enjoys exploring many different types of technology. He is JAWS Certified and an Assistive Technology Instructor in Training.

Ed was born and raised in Rochester, NY. After high school graduation, he became a Journeyman Tool & Die Maker. When Commodore computers came out in the late 1970s, Ed purchased one and immediately became hooked on computers. He later worked as a draftsman in Machine Design and switched to Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) in the mid-1980s. He quickly became the “goto person” for computer problems and eventually the IT manager. Part of his professional duties included designing websites for his employers until he retired in 2012.

In August 2015, Ed moved to Vero Beach and where he enjoys fishing, photography and genealogy.

In the fall of 2016, Ed worked on his community association website with the PD/GO team. He enjoyed the project so much that he asked if he could provide ongoing services to the company. He became a content specialist and developed expertise in creating and testing ADA compliant (accessible to people with disabilities) websites for businesses and non-profit organizations

Rachel's past career interests and education have zigzagged from art and photography to computer science, math and biology. She has found that working in web development and design combines her love of art with a scientific mind. She develops web designs in PD/GO version 4. Rachel loves to be handed a design and asked to make it happen! Having lived in San Francisco, Washington DC, and Grand Rapids, Rachel currently lives in a tiny house near the Rocky Mountains in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband and cats. She enjoys hiking in the nearby mountains, paddle boarding, watching wildlife in her own yard, reading, and photography.

Tino has been the PD/GO team programmer since 2009. He has created dozens of custom database-driven websites, web applications, custom mobile websites, etc. He also adds new features to the PD/GO System, and consults on a whole host of technical issues. He is the 'go to' guy when clients and staff ask, "Can this be done?"

Tino and his wife live in Melbourne, Florida, and enjoys working out and cycling on and off-road.

Chris Spence has been a professional graphic designer since 1989 (yes, that was back in the pre-computer, wax paste-up days) and with the PD/GO Team since 2012. He attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where he graduated among the top 5 in his class. When not in front of his computer, Chris enjoys hiking, cycling, downhill skiing, photography, and exploring U.S. National Parks. Many people aren’t aware that Chris designed and managed a successful “Haunted Forest” Halloween attraction in Ohio from 1996-2008.

Richard is an illustrator, designer, writer, and animator who lives and works in Saint Cloud, Florida. Richard attended The Columbus College of Art & Design from 1990 to 1994 and then launched a career as an animator for companies like Warner Bros., Nest Entertainment, Character Builders Inc., Twentieth Century Fox and Walt Disney Feature Animation. In addition to his work with PD/GO, Richard is also the head of the art department at The Hollywood Collectibles Group in Orlando, and of course an avid freelance artist to the Orlando area theme parks.

Ben is a full-stack UX designer/developer who works on our CMS platform. Passionate in his pursuit of workflow optimisation, he has designed several versions of our CMS each time refining and improving the way we work with content in a web context.

Ben works remotely from the UK and his passion for workflow and design spills over into all aspects of his life - including exploring design and usability in his small YouTube channel. This spare-time project brings his interests together with his other main hobby; fimmaking.