Shawn Spartz Email & Phone Number

Milwaukee, Wi, Us

Greater Milwaukee

Greater Milwaukee Area

As the Creative and UX Director at nvisia, I have been instrumental in building and expanding the Creative Practice since I joined in November of 2019. In this role, I am responsible for training, guiding, and overseeing a talented team of UX and Front-End Development professionals. Together, we collaborate with clients in Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago, playing a crucial role in the upfront strategy of every product that nvisia helps create and deliver.One of our key accomplishments is the consistent recognition we have received for our UX and design services. Over the past decade, our team's work has garnered over 100 national and international awards. This recognition serves as a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional user experiences and innovative design solutions.In addition to leading the team, I take pride in establishing career paths for our talented professionals. By providing mentorship and guidance, I ensure their growth and development within the company. I also play a vital role in defining the UX and Front-End standards that we uphold when working with clients. Each account we work on receives a customized approach, tailored to their specific needs and goals.By training and overseeing a skilled team, we have been able to deliver impactful solutions to clients across the Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago areas. Our consistent recognition in the form of numerous national and international awards is a testament to our commitment to excellence in UX and design. I am dedicated to establishing career paths, defining industry-leading standards, and providing customized solutions for each of our valued clients.

Greater Milwaukee Area

With launching Graydient Creative, I had the privilege of leading and inspiring creative and development teams, driving project success from concept to completion. A key aspect of my role involved maintaining open communication with business leaders and stakeholders. By tracking projects and analyzing results, I consistently aligned technical solutions with stakeholder expectations, ensuring optimal outcomes. Additionally, I provided regular coaching and mentoring to my direct reports, fostering their professional growth and development. By offering constructive feedback and expanding their responsibilities, I nurtured their potential for wider roles and responsibilities.Creating a positive work environment was a priority for me. I modeled cultural expectations and guided leaders in rewarding performance and valuing traits such as accountability, diversity and inclusion, flexibility, continuous improvement, collaboration, creativity, and fun. I took pride in leading Agile scrum environments and effectively managed the company budget. Moreover, I played a key role in client and business strategic planning, organization, and relationship management.Recognizing the importance of brand awareness and marketing efforts, I led the direction in creating initiatives to enhance company visibility. I successfully developed cost models and pricing structures for our products, services, and subscriptions. Additionally, I implemented a monthly billing system, time tracking, and ticketing system to streamline processes, improving overall efficiency.Investing in the growth and success of our employees was another aspect of my responsibilities. I worked closely with each team member to create quarterly personal action plans, aligning their growth, training, and achievement of personal career goals with the company's objectives. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, I ensured that our team remained motivated and focused on both personal and business goals.

Greater Milwaukee Area

As a mentor and coach for Ward 5 Code Camp, a non-profit organization, I had the opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of inner-city high school students. I actively participated in the development of scholarships and recruitment plans, aiming to create opportunities for these students to explore the world of technology.In my role as a visiting instructor, I brought my expertise as a local tech professional into the classroom. I shared my knowledge and skills with the students, providing them with valuable insights and guidance. Additionally, I played a crucial role in mentoring and assisting in the development of curriculum, ensuring it aligned with the emerging trends in the IT workplace. By staying up-to-date with industry advancements, we equipped students with the knowledge and skills necessary for future success.The impact of our work at Ward 5 Code Camp was widely recognized. Media outlets such as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Xconomy reported on the nonprofit's initiatives, highlighting the organization's commitment to providing computer coding classes and expanding the talent pool in Milwaukee. Through the official website of Ward 5 Code Camp, we reached out to a broader audience, sharing information about our mission and the opportunities we offered to students.In summary, as a mentor and coach at Ward 5 Code Camp, I played an integral role in developing scholarships, serving as a visiting instructor, and mentoring students. Together with the organization, we focused on keeping the curriculum aligned with the latest IT industry trends. Our efforts received recognition from media outlets, and through the official website, we aimed to raise awareness and provide access to coding classes for inner-city students.

Greater Milwaukee Area

During my tenure at Marcus Hotels & Resorts as the Director of Creative, Development & IT Operations, I provided strong leadership and inspiration to the creative and development teams. From generating multiple concepts for projects to managing the entire project lifecycle, I ensured successful outcomes and efficient achievement of application development goals. By forecasting resource needs, prioritizing tasks, and providing guidance, I effectively managed workloads and tracked project progress to align technical solutions with stakeholder expectations.A key aspect of my role was coaching and mentoring direct reports, fostering their professional growth and development. By creating a positive work environment that valued accountability, diversity and inclusion, flexibility, continuous improvement, collaboration, creativity, and fun, I ensured a motivated and high-performing team.As part of my responsibilities, I led an Agile scrum environment, fostering efficient and collaborative workflows. Managing the Marcus Hotels IT Department's P&L and a substantial budget, I strategically planned and organized IT initiatives. This included leading training initiatives on team building, customer service, and other relevant areas. I also managed customer and business relationships, ensuring their needs were met and their expectations exceeded.Recognizing the importance of brand awareness and marketing, I led efforts to create awareness for the department, known as Marcus Technologies. Through various channels, such as the website, blog, social media, and department newsletters, I promoted the department's services and expertise. I developed cost models, pricing structures, and implemented streamlined processes through a monthly billing system, time tracking, and ticketing system.In everything I did, I always kept focused on playing a vital role in supporting business success and exceeding customer expectations.

Greater Milwaukee Area

During my time as an IT Operations Manager at Marcus Hotels & Resorts, I held a multifaceted role that involved managing the IT Department's P&L and a significant budget of $2 million. I was responsible for strategic planning and organization within the IT department, ensuring that our initiatives aligned with the overall business goals and objectives.I spearheaded department training initiatives focused on various areas such as management, team building, customer service, and more. Through coaching and mentoring, I provided individualized guidance to staff members, supporting their professional growth and development.Customer and business relationship management was a key aspect of my role. I established and nurtured strong relationships with customers and key stakeholders, ensuring their needs were met and exceeded. I implemented Agile and ITIL methodologies within the department, fostering efficient workflows and aligning our practices with industry best practices.Developing cost models and pricing structures for IT products, services, and subscriptions was another crucial responsibility. By conducting thorough analysis and research, I ensured competitive pricing and optimized revenue streams for the department. I also implemented a monthly billing system, time tracking, and ticketing system, streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency.Collaborating with hotels, outlets, and corporate divisions, I played a pivotal role in developing annual budgets for the IT department. By aligning budget allocations with business priorities, we ensured effective resource utilization and supported organizational objectives.I led the development of an application that allowed for accurate tracking of all assets at the corporate, hotel, and outlet levels. This initiative enhanced transparency and accountability within the department.

Greater Milwaukee Area

In my role as an Application Development Manager, I served as a ScrumMaster for a development team of 8, following agile methodologies and collaborating closely with the product manager. I successfully managed an interactive/web team at Marcus Hotels & Resorts for 5 years, overseeing projects related to hotel, spa, and restaurant websites, mobile websites, and digital signage. Additionally, I led the Marcus Ecommerce Department, coordinating projects and schedules to meet the specific needs of the hospitality industry.I actively collaborated with the Marcus Hotels IT team to develop and deploy a custom internal email campaign management tool, enhancing our internal CRM system. This tool was implemented across all Marcus Hotel properties and Marcus Theatres, streamlining communication and marketing efforts.I also worked on various other projects, including the development of a Hotels Data Warehouse, implementation of a Hotels Customer Loyalty Program, creation of a Hotels Customer Survey Application, and the setup of Business Intelligence Reporting systems.Furthermore, I had the honor of serving on the Marcus Hotels & Resorts 2011 President's Council, contributing my expertise and insights to strategic initiatives within the organization.My management style and achievements were recognized in an article titled "Making Your Ordinary Day Someone's Extraordinary Day," highlighting my impactful contributions to the team.Overall, as an Application Development Manager, I successfully led teams, implemented agile methodologies, managed a diverse portfolio of web projects, collaborated on innovative solutions, and received recognition for my contributions to the organization.

Greater Milwaukee Area

As a Senior Developer/Programmer, I excelled in building robust and dynamic websites using custom CMS platforms for various industries, including hotels, resorts, restaurants, and spas. I also demonstrated expertise in developing and administering ecommerce applications, customer loyalty databases/programs, CRM systems, and other custom programming projects.A particular area of specialization was establishing API connections between different hospitality industry software, such as Property Management Software (PMS) and Restaurant Management Software. This integration enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of data exchange, streamlining operations for businesses in the hospitality sector.One notable achievement was the creation of an internal bidding system for fundraising events. This system, requested by United Way, was recognized for its effectiveness and subsequently adopted by multiple companies throughout the United States who hold fundraising events for United Way. This contribution showcased my ability to develop innovative solutions with real-world impact.Throughout my role as a Senior Developer/Programmer, I consistently delivered high-quality projects, leveraging my technical expertise to meet the unique requirements of clients and organizations.

As a Developer/Programmer at TSR Solutions, I played a crucial role in designing and developing content management systems for customer websites, intranets, and extranets. I focused on creating robust and user-friendly platforms that allowed clients to efficiently manage their online content.Additionally, I served as a database administrator, ensuring the smooth operation of database servers. This involved setting up new databases, managing user permissions, and maintaining SQL Server and MySQL databases. By effectively managing database infrastructure, I supported the reliability and performance of the systems.In addition to my development and database responsibilities, I was also responsible for setting up various components to enable seamless operations. This included configuring FTP access for customers, setting up websites within IIS (Internet Information Services), and configuring and managing email services on the Exchange Server.Throughout my tenure at TSR Solutions, I demonstrated my technical expertise in development, database administration, and infrastructure setup, contributing to the successful delivery of high-quality solutions for our clients.

As the owner and developer/programmer of Architect Design, I led a partnership business specializing in constructing and developing small to medium-sized company websites. My primary focus was on building custom CMS-based websites tailored to each customer's specific requirements. Additionally, I had experience implementing existing "off the shelf" solutions when appropriate.In addition to my development role, I actively sought new business opportunities. I took charge of finding potential clients and organizing meetings and presentations to showcase our services and capabilities. By effectively promoting our offerings, I was able to expand our client base and drive business growth.I also collaborated with various designer partnerships, serving as the back-end developer to fulfill their clients' database-driven website needs. This involved leveraging my technical expertise to ensure seamless integration and functionality.I successfully managed and grew the business by delivering customized website solutions over it's 7 year span of time, acquiring new clients, and fostering strong collaborations with design partners.

As a Developer/Programmer at Phoenix Technologies, I held key responsibilities in maintaining and updating the company website on a daily basis. Additionally, I developed custom intranet applications that optimized workflow processes within the organization, enhancing efficiency and collaboration.One notable accomplishment was the development of an E-Quote system for the sales team. This system integrated the company's CRM software database with the accounting software, eliminating the need for manual data entry and reducing paperwork. By streamlining this process, I significantly improved productivity and accuracy for the sales team.In addition to these responsibilities, I played a pivotal role in implementing GoldMine CRM software across the company on an international scale. This involved setting up company-wide SQL 7 databases, as well as configuring DNS and firewall servers, ensuring a secure and efficient infrastructure.During this role, I demonstrated my ability to effectively manage website updates, develop innovative intranet applications, streamline processes, and implement crucial software solutions. Through these efforts, I contributed to the growth and success of the organization.

As a Developer/Programmer at EbizConnect, my primary responsibilities involved developing and maintaining static websites. I demonstrated proficiency in building new websites from scratch as well as ensuring the smooth operation of existing ones.One of my key tasks was setting up new website accounts and domains within Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services). This involved configuring the necessary infrastructure, including FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and email account administration, to enable seamless website management.Furthermore, I played a crucial role in the transition towards content-managed websites. I started utilizing ASP 1.0 and Allaire Cold Fusion to build dynamic websites, enabling clients to easily update and manage their website content. Additionally, I was responsible for maintaining the Cold Fusion administration on the web server, ensuring the proper functioning of the content management system.At EbizConnect, I showcased my expertise in website development and management, taking charge of static website projects and successfully transitioning towards content-managed solutions.