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Resume

--- site: nathanpelton slug: resume status: draft ---

I've been building web applications in PHP since 2007, most of that time in ecommerce. Here's the full picture: where I've worked, what I built there, and the skills I lean on.

Professional Experience

Founder & CEO, Pelton Solutions, LLC

2012 - Present · Marquette, MI

  • Bootstrapped Pelton Solutions to build custom web applications that fix inefficient business processes.
  • Built our flagship product, Knowledge ERP, a customizable inventory management system with detailed tracking and check in/out support for rental and loan equipment.
  • Wear a lot of hats beyond development: SEO, CSS customization with Bootstrap, and ad campaigns on Google Adwords, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
  • Run sales demos and study entrepreneurship to grow and manage the business.
  • Started migrating Knowledge ERP from a custom PHP framework to Laravel and FilamentPHP, standardizing the stack so it scales better and new developers can get productive faster.
  • Keep picking up new skills and technologies as the market changes.

Director of Technology, Successories

2019 - Present · Boca Raton, FL

  • Promoted to Director of Technology at Successories, with full responsibility for the company's ecommerce websites.
  • Configure and manage the AWS environment, keeping the sites fast and consistently online.
  • Integrated product APIs from outside vendors so product information stays accurate and current.
  • Built an email marketing engine that handles configuration, scheduling, sending, and reporting for large daily campaigns.
  • Built tools that speed up the customer proofing process.
  • Keep improving site features and backend processes as the business and its customers evolve.
  • Regularly update the company's PHP framework to modern PHP standards so the stack stays current, secure, and efficient.

Senior Technical Lead, Successories

2010 - 2019 · Boca Raton, FL

  • Rebuilt the company's ecommerce websites on an existing framework, then kept refining it for better performance.
  • Worked with the in-house UX engineer to pair solid technical work with a site people actually enjoy using.
  • Led the overhaul of the original PHP framework, producing a new version with better optimization, security, and structure.
  • Moved the website servers from physical hardware at Rackspace to AWS and handled the migration end to end.
  • Configured and maintained the AWS setup to keep the ecommerce sites performing and online.
  • Supported the sale of motivational products and customizable awards, the core of the business.

Senior Technical Lead, MyPhoto & Polaroid Fotobar

2015 - 2019 · Boca Raton, FL

  • Improved the MyPhoto user interface, focusing on making photo uploads simple for customers creating custom photo products.
  • Co-invented a patented technique (US-20140053081-A1) that streamlines how customers upload their photos.
  • Built tools that helped the production warehouse manage orders through the manufacturing process.
  • Adapted the website to support both online orders and physical stores in South Florida and Las Vegas.
  • Tuned the site's photo product customization for a wide range of customers, improving both the customer experience and production efficiency.

YouTube Content Creator, BasketMC

2012 - 2018 · YouTube

  • Created and published gaming videos on YouTube and broadcast live gameplay on Beam and Mixer.
  • Edited everything in Adobe Premiere Pro.
  • Used OBS for recording and high-quality streaming.
  • Ran a Discord community of viewers and followers.
  • Attended video game conferences and expos to network within the industry.

Senior Web Application Programmer, Active Media Architects

2007 - 2010 · St. Clair Shores, MI

  • Worked with a team of PHP developers and front-end designers, learning object-oriented PHP design and team-based project development.
  • Helped develop the Activa Framework, the company's proprietary PHP framework for its ecommerce clients.
  • Mentored new programmers and trained them on the Activa Framework.
  • Reviewed code for quality and efficiency before changes went live.
  • Led development of Flex applications that let customers customize products on ecommerce sites, including real-time product design editors.
  • Oversaw integration of those customization tools with the websites.

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Computer Science

1999 - 2006 · Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI

My coursework at NMU gave me a strong foundation in programming logic, data structures, and object-oriented design. I built extendable puzzle solvers that could take on increasingly hard challenges, and I got practical experience writing website scrapers, including one that indexed IMDB so I could build my own version of the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" concept. Those projects sharpened the analytical habits I still use in web development today.

Skills

Languages

  • PHP: 17 years
  • MySQL: 17 years
  • Java: 4 years
  • JavaScript: 17 years
  • CSS: 12 years

Software/Platforms

  • AWS: 8 years
  • Laravel + Filament PHP: 0.5 years
  • PHPStorm: 5 years
  • Claude Code: 0.5 years
  • Claude Cowork: 0.5 years

Concepts

  • Ecommerce: 17 years
  • Project Management: 10 years
  • SEO: 3 years
  • Inventory Management: 15 years
  • Web to Print: 5 years

Curious what some of this work looks like in practice? Have a look at my projects, or get in touch if you'd like to talk.