Bob Yexley

Front End Web and Distributed Software Developer

  • JS
  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • node

Family-first husband and father of two boys, I believe a good work-life balance is essential to maintaining the focus and productivity needed to achieve great results. I believe in using the right tool to get the job done in the most effective and efficient manner possible. In my 15+ years of experience, that has involved the use of various tools and platforms, but most recently my focus and specialization has been on native front-end web application development using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript connecting to flexible and powerful REST and microservices on the server. I'm passionate about delivering high-quality, user-friendly solutions that deliver business value to my customers and clients on the most ubiquitous and accessible platform available to them: the web.

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Skills and Proficiencies

  • Web Development (Advanced)

    • JavaScript
    • HTML5
    • CSS3
    • ES6
    • ES2015
    • React
    • Flux
    • Backbone.js
    • Knockout.js
    • Webpack
    • Grunt
    • Gulp
  • Architecture and Backend (Intermediate)

    • REST
    • Hypermedia
    • node.js
    • ExpressJS
    • SQL
    • NoSQL
  • Tools (Advanced)

    • Sublime Text
    • Git
    • GitHub
    • Terminal
    • Chrome/DevTools

Work History

More work history

  • appendTo // Senior JavaScript Engineer and Team Lead // from December 2012 to October 2014

    appendTo

    Senior JavaScript Engineer and Team Lead

    Senior JavaScript Engineer and Team Lead in the Solutions Delivery group at appendTo.

    • Built a large, complex single-page-application for an international client. The application made heavy use of KnockoutJS with numerous custom bindings and extensions, and custom developed modules to handle client-side routing, logging and other architectural concerns, as well as Twitter Bootstrap for UI layout (grid) and components.
    • JavaScript module development and migration as part of a responsive re-design of a client's public web site and commerce application.
    • UX development (JavaScript (jQuery, Knockout.JS), HTML5 and CSS3) for a customer building a large-scale custom commerce application.
    • Built several native iPad applications using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript (jQuery, Backbone.js) with Cordova/PhoneGap.
  • Food Donation Connection // Senior Software Developer // from September 2011 to December 2012

    Food Donation Connection

    Senior Software Developer

    Built data-driven web applications and backend services. Single-page JavaScript applications using Backbone.js and jQuery, with HTML5 and LESS/CSS, calling a HTTP/Hypermedia API written with the Nancy framework in C# on the server side.

  • Scripps Networks // Senior Software Developer // from July 2008 to August 2011

    Scripps Networks

    Senior Software Developer

    Senior member of a team at Scripps Networks responsible for the development, maintenance, testing and delivery of internal customer-facing and integration software.

    • Developed an ASP.NET MVC web application to allow users to perform batch editing of media asset metadata, calling SOAP web services on the backend.
    • Rebuilt an existing Access application using Silverlight, WCF and SQL Server with Telerik Reporting services for the maintenance and amortization of affiliate accounting data.
    • Maintenance and development of new modules for content accounting and billing applications using C#/WinForms and SQL Server Reporting Services.
    • Development of BizTalk and WCF services for financial application integrations.
  • Extreme Consulting // Software Developer // from April 2008 to July 2008

    Extreme Consulting

    Software Developer

    Our client was hosting an international event with various educational tracks that consisted of breakout sessions in different rooms (each with different, limited capacity) at a conference center. They needed an application that would allow attendees to register for the event and breakout sessions. I designed and created it for them.

  • Lexis Nexis Corporation // Software Developer // from June 2006 to March 2008

    Lexis Nexis Corporation

    Software Developer

    Member of a team at LexisNexis responsible for the development of UI functionality consuming SOAP web services rendering results of public records searches for customers.

    • Developed an ASP.NET (C#/webforms) web UI to allow users to perform public records searches. Used jQuery to perform client side form validation and DOM manipulation.
    • Created HTML and CSS for printable reports based on search results.
    • Established a configuration management environment for the project using Subversion for version control and CruiseControl.NET for continuous integration, automated build and deployment.
    • Developed a windows service to monitor database information and generate e-mail notifications to sales employees of service usage.
  • Lighthouse Technologies, Inc // Software Engineer in Development and Test // from June 2005 to June 2006

    Lighthouse Technologies, Inc

    Software Engineer in Development and Test

    Member of a team at Lighthouse Technologies that developed a custom application for our client, Collins-Stewart. The client needed a custom financial analysis application designed and built from the ground up. It required the flexibility to be able to deal with the ever-changing financial forecasting and reporting data provided them by their financial data vendors, and the power to allow them to do complex dynamic computation and reporting on the financial data of publicly traded companies from around the globe.

    • Developed all layers of several application modules, including UI, (logical) middle-tier components, data access layer components and database artifacts (tables, views, stored procedures).
    • Created and executed manual test scenarios for several application modules.
  • Northrop Grumman for Air Force Research Labs // Database Administrator and Developer // from January 2002 to June 2005

    Northrop Grumman for Air Force Research Labs

    Database Administrator and Developer

    Member of a team of contractors supporting the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL), I performed the following duties in support of a number of applications that allowed AFRL personnel to maintain and distribute data in support of research contract management.

    • Performed database administration and support for Oracle databases.
    • Provided maintenance, new development and technical support for desktop/thick-client applications written on top of an Oracle database.
    • Extended the availability and reach of the application by rewriting the entire application from the ground up as a web application using Macromedia ColdFusion and JavaScript.
  • Air Force Institute of Technology // Database Administrator and Developer // from August 1997 to December 2001

    Air Force Institute of Technology

    Database Administrator and Developer

    As a military staff member of a team at the Air Force Institute of Technology, the U.S. Air Force's graduate school for officers, I performed the following duties in support of a number of applications that allowed organization staff and faculty to maintain student education and personnel management data.

    • Performed database administration and support for Oracle databases.
    • Established and documented organizational configuration management processes and procedures.
    • Provided maintenance, new development and technical support for desktop/thick-client applications written on top of Oracle databases.

Open Source / Code

A collection of open source projects I've either created or contributed to. Should hopefully provide some helpful examples of code I've written, for those interested in that kind of thing.

  • Poplar

    This project is an Electron menubar application for MacOS that I built for use in controlling a Wemo power outlet for turning a light on and off from my laptop. It's build with Electron, React and Redux.

  • Decked Out Workout

    React/Redux web application optimized for mobile devices for facilitating a quick-and-easy workout from anywhere you are when you have time. Code walkthrough available upon request.

  • This Resume

    The code that generates this resume. I like to use this project as a sandbox to try various tools and techniques, and as an example of how I typically organize my code (although this is really an overly simplistic example). It's a simple node.js script that uses React components for each distinct section of the resume to generate a static HTML view. The CSS is modularized and processed with PostCSS and takes advantage of a number of advanced CSS3 techniques for styling a view that is responsive and easy to view from any device. A single JavaScript module handles page initialization, some on-page navigation and toggling the visibility of older work history elements. The entire thing is driven by a JSON Resume Schema compliant document, merged with an additional JSON document that adds some enhanced data beyond what the schema supports for customization. Editing and maintenance is simple, started with npm (which just launches a Gulp watch task), and updates to any file are reflected immediately in-browser with the use of BrowserSync.

  • Quakie

    This was a fun project that gave me a great opportunity to get more comfortable with some tools I was interested in expanding my knowledge of. There is a node.js script that iterates over a series of dates and downloads historical weather data and persists it to a Postgres database. With all of the historical weather data I was interested in persisted locally, I created a web UI with React, Webpack, postal.js, express.js, axios and Massive.js to extract the data from the database and generate graphs with weather trends using Chart.js.

  • Sycamore

    A JavaScript mixin that simplifies the organization and execution of jQuery `$.ajax` calls.

  • Sumac

    A JavaScript mixin that extends a module with postal.js messaging functionality. Supports both publishing and subscribing functions, as well as a simple messages and subscriptions configuration syntax.

  • Various others

    I have a number of others in various states of relevancy and completion. Some are no longer in use or are outdated by now, and others are the product of learning new tools and techniques, and never really got completely "finished." You know how it goes, right? ;-) Feel free to poke around in them anyway.

Publications / Writings

Some things I've written...

Personal Interests

In case you're interested...while my favorite things in life are growing old with my wife, and watching and helping my sons grow up, these are a few other things I enjoy when I have the time.

  • The Great Outdoors

    • Hunting
    • Fishing
    • Camping
    • Boating
    • Hiking
  • Sports

    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Golf
  • Reading

    • The Bible
    • Science Fiction
    • Fantasy
    • Techno-thriller/Spy fiction
    • Westerns
    • Military

A little more

If you've gotten this far and still want to know more, here's a very brief, high-level end-to-end career overview...

After graduating from high school, I served for eleven years in the U.S. Air Force: the first six years as a Munitions Systems Specialist and the last five years as a Communications Computer System Programmer. Some of the assignments I served at included George Air Force Base (AFB) in southeastern California, Spangdahlem Air Base (AB), Germany, Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia, Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona and Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. I separated from the Air Force in December of 2001 and have worked as a software developer ever since.