Profile

Corporate Director with 15 years of hands-on experience leading teams of 4 to 50 people. Managed countless projects ranging in budget from 10K to over 3 million. Broad knowledge of business application development, database management, and IT Operations with an emphasis on Microsoft-based environments, systems, and applications. Proficient at managing groups of different personalities and skill sets to accomplish business objectives. Adept at managing complex projects across geographically diverse job sites, and providing remote support to customers at many distributed offices.

Skills Summary

Professional Experience

Confidential

Director of Loyalty Solutions

In this role I am currently in charge of House Advantage's flagship product called HALO CORE casino player tracking and database marketing system . I manage the interaction of Operations, Application Development, and customer Product Managers for existing and planned implementations of HALO CORE. This includes project planning, meeting with customers to plan implementations of the product, performing installations, and managing customer experience and support after implementation. My responsibilities also include MS SQL Server database installation, administration, and performance tuning.

Primary Technical Skills Utilized:

SQL Server versions 2008 to 2014, Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012 R2, Office 2013.

Confidential

Director of IT Infrastructure

In this role I was in charge of IT Operations and Infrastructure for Phillips Pet Food, a nationwide chain of pet food distribution centers with 18 distribution facilities located in 15 states coast to coast. I oversaw data center operations, IT project planning, help desk operations, database administration and new distribution facility integrations. My staff consisted of three Network Administrators and four Help Desk Technicians.

Primary Technical Skills Utilized:

• SQL Server versions 2000 to 2014, Windows Server 2003 to 2012 R2, Office 2010.
• Selected Accomplishments:
• l Organized operations to utilize its very limited staff in the most productive way possible by prioritizing projects and help desk tickets and educating users how to resolve smaller more frequent issues themselves.
• l Planned the company's migration from an aging on-site Cisco UCS Phone system to a cloud based solution, saving the company over 75,000 a year and helping to recover 15-20 man hours a month wasted on supporting a local, unstable product.
• l Planned the migration of the company's onsite data center to an off-site hosted solution that when implemented will give them the redundancy and DR protection needed for a large scale nationwide operation with plans to go public.

Confidential

Director of Business Intelligence

In this role I was in charge of all open systems application development, analytics, reporting, and database administration for Fred's Inc. This included keeping systems and data available 24/7 to support 700 retail department stores and 364 pharmacies in fifteen states. I was normally managing twenty or more .Net application development projects, SQL reporting projects, ad hoc data delivery projects and corporate infrastructure projects simultaneously in an environment where the business's priorities were changing daily. I directly managed three application developers, two database administrators, and two business analysts.

Primary Technical Skills Utilized:

• SQL Server versions 2000 to 2014, SSIS SSRS SSAS, Windows Server 2003 to 2012 R2, Office 2010.
• Selected Accomplishments:
• l Designed and implemented a migration solution to move the company from its end-of-life SQL Server 2005 warehouse onto a scaled out SQL Server 2012 environment.
• l Aligned .Net development with business needs by working directly with business division leaders, calculating ROI, and choosing high-return projects.
• l Stabilized, consolidated, and upgraded Fred's third party business intelligence system onto new hardware to increase efficiency and reliability.
• l Rescued an aging, mission-critical SQL Server 2005 data warehouse by reorganizing database files, clearing and rearranging SAN space, and updating backup schemes to more efficient methods.
• l Reorganized and retooled the SQL / .Net development staff to increase the efficiency of delivery of applications and reports to end users and data extracts to external subscribers.
• l Moved all open systems development to the Microsoft .Net stack to maximize use of the platforms already owned outright by the business. Also standardized development tools and talent acquisition.
• l Implemented cross training among developers to eliminate knowledge silos.
• l Counseled the Technical Services staff on how to utilize existing servers, networking infrastructure, and PC hardware to create a more positive user experience, leading to more efficient users and extended life of existing hardware.

Confidential

Project Manager contract

• In this role I was in charge of IT Special Projects, which included: implementing SQL 2008 R2 instances at several remote locations around the country, testing new software and applications, writing technical documentation, managing software developers based in India and China, and implementing Office 365 internally at House Advantage.
• Primary Technical Skills Utilized:SQL 2000/ 2005 / 2008. Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Office 2010.

Confidential

Corporate Director of Gaming Systems

• In this role I was in charge of all SQL Server database administration, gaming systems, and the Mariposa Business Intelligence system for Resorts International. This included casinos in Nevada, Indiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey. I reported directly to the CIO. My job duties included, but were not limited to: SQL Server database administration, IT project management, testing and approval of system and application upgrades, purchasing hardware for data warehouse upgrades and new warehouse installations, negotiating support contract renewal rates, Mariposa user training, acting as a single corporate point of contact for all user support issues and enhancement requests, watching for areas where IT can streamline systems and cut costs, and coordinating many different system developers and support staff. Over the course of my tenure I had several engineers at each of the properties and many engineers at various vendors reporting to me and working with me through support issues and upgrades.
• Primary Technical Skills Utilized:SQL 2000 / 2005, Windows Server 03/08, Office 2003/2007. Built many Windows servers, installed several instances of SQL 2000 and 2005 in various locations around the country. Built and managed Hitachi SAN products.
• Selected Accomplishments:l Working directly for the SVP/CIO, I managed the deployment of the Mariposa Business Intelligence system at six different casinos in four states in 2006. My team and I mapped many different source systems into a single data warehouse and helped save the company's casinos millions of dollars by making it possible to keep their existing source systems while standardizing key performance data for business intelligence reporting across the entire company.
• l Oversaw the implementation of a centralized Help Desk for the reporting of service tickets, enhancement requests and change management related to the Mariposa Business Intelligence system. Later we adapted this system to record service tickets for various other systems.

Confidential

Product Manager of Gaming Systems

• My duties from Horseshoe Gaming carried over into this position after Harrah's purchased Horseshoe Gaming in 2004. I was absorbed into the Harrah's Corporate IT Slot Development department. My responsibilities included but were not limited to : IT project management, purchasing hardware for system upgrades and new system installations, negotiating support contract renewal rates, managing the Horseshoe Gaming Slot Test Lab, working with Horseshoe software developers to make sure that all system changes met user needs and regulatory requirements, evaluating new technologies for their potential for cost savings, testing all slot system and player tracking system changes to make sure they worked to specification and met regulatory requirements, testing all slot machine platforms to ensure compatibility with Horseshoe gaming systems, overseeing user training, writing all slot system technical documentation, escorting updated software through all jurisdictional regulatory approval labs and compliance efforts, deploying all new systems and software changes, and acting as a single point of contact for slot system support after deployment. I trained Harrah's Corporate IT in the use of Horseshoe systems. I was a member of the Harrah's/Caesar's integration team when Harrah's purchased Caesar's Entertainment in 2005.
• Primary Technical Skills Utilized:SQL 2000, Windows Server 2000/ 2003 Office XP / 2003. Built many Windows servers, installed several instances of SQL 2000 in various locations around the country. Implemented SQL backups and log shipping instances.
• Selected Accomplishments:l I was a member of the Harrah's/Horseshoe integration team working to assimilate Horseshoe Gaming into Harrah's after they purchased Horseshoe Gaming and its three riverboat casinos. I worked with Harrah's Corporate IT to make sure that Horseshoe slot systems met the reporting requirements of a public company Sarbanes-Oxley compliance .
• l At Harrah's I continued to support existing Horseshoe gaming systems and acted as resident expert to help Harrah's IT integrate Horseshoe systems into their support structure with minimal disruption.

Confidential

Product Manager of Gaming Systems

• I advanced to this position in the Horseshoe organization after working closely with the CIO and Horseshoe Corporate to develop and test the SlotTrak CMS slot system. I installed and managed this system in the Horseshoe properties in Indiana, Mississippi, and Louisiana. My job duties included: IT project management, managing the Horseshoe Gaming Slot Test Lab in Tunica, working with Horseshoe software developers to make sure that all system changes met user needs and regulatory requirements, testing all slot system and player tracking system changes to make sure they worked to specification and met regulatory requirements, testing all slot machine platforms to ensure compatibility with Horseshoe gaming systems, overseeing user training, writing all slot system technical documentation, escorting updated software through all jurisdictional regulatory approval labs and compliance efforts, deploying all new systems and software changes, acting as a single point of contact for slot system support after deployment, managing the Slot Users Committee to keep a record of support issues and enhancement requests, overseeing SlotTrak system engineers at each Horseshoe property, and working with the CIO and property Slot VPs to keep them informed of new slot technologies that could be integrated into our organization.
• Primary Technical Skills Utilized:SQL 2000, Windows Server 2000/ 2003, Office XP / 2003. Built many Windows servers, installed several instances of SQL 2000 in various locations around the country. Implemented SQL backups and log shipping instances.
• Selected Accomplishments:l I built a virtual casino from scratch in the IT department's training room to be used for developing and testing slot and player tracking systems in house at Horseshoe Gaming Holding Corp. I also tested all third-party equipment for compatibility with existing systems in this lab slot machines, scales, cash counters, etc. .
• l Upon implementing the SlotTrak slot system, we immediately saved the company millions of dollars by eliminating many FTE's, automating many previously time consuming tasks, and retiring an old system that required expensive specialized maintenance.
• l Working directly with the CIO, from August 2001 to March 2002 I prepared a new, almost unknown slot system SlotTrak CMS for deployment and walked the system through all regulatory hurdles and approvals in three gaming jurisdictions. From May 2002 to December 2002 my team and I completely deployed the SlotTrak slot system in the three Horseshoe casinos 6,200 slot machines total in Indiana, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Confidential

IT Systems Engineer

• During this time I administered the Kronos, Stratton-Warren, Lawson systems AS400- based systems and the IGT SMART slot system. I worked with the vendors of these systems to implement systems upgrades, and worked with the system users to make sure they were trained on all new features after upgrades. I also built/upgraded PCs and servers, changed printers, set up new users, and worked with all casino departments to make sure their IT needs were met.
• Primary Technical Skills Utilized:Windows NT 4/ 98 / 2000, AS400, SQL 7/2000, Office 97/2000/XP, Novell administration
• Selected Accomplishments:l During this time I worked closely with the VP of IT and the CIO on building the first version of Horseshoe's SlotTrak system from base code purchased from Tech Innovations.
• l Through a series of promotions I worked my way up from an IT Systems Engineer to become the Corporate Product Manager of Gaming Systems in just eight months after transferring into the IT department from surveillance.

Confidential

Surveillance Supervisor

• I monitored daily surveillance operations and supervised a staff of 21 surveillance operators and two surveillance technicians. I trained new surveillance operators in casino games, cheating techniques, internal controls, and casino operations. Made sure that gaming regulations were being followed and that violations were reported to the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
• Selected Accomplishments:l Served as Technology Expert in Surveillance. I installed and trained all Horseshoe surveillance staff on the company's first cheater/card counter online database and biometric facial recognition system CVI .