About Pixo

Renee Beere

Sr. Project Manager

Renee is part of the project management team at Pixo. As her client’s primary liaison, she advocates for the success of the project, making sure that the Pixo team has the resources and support they need.

Renee has more than 10 years of experience managing projects in diverse industries. She has led technology-driven efforts across the University of Illinois system, as well as museum exhibit design and fabrication projects that brought her to parks, nature centers, and museums across the U.S. and Canada.

Prior to her work in project management, Renee met with and profiled fascinating members of the community as a news and feature reporter in northern California.

Though Renee no longer writes words for a living that aren’t part of a project plan or client communication, using her professional skills to integrate people and connect with others has been a consistent thread in her career.

Additionally, Renee enjoys debates over grammar, drinking coffee, and laughing at her own jokes. In her free time, she reads design and lifestyle blogs, scavenges thrift shops and online sources for vintage furniture and DIY projects, and fixes up her 1960s ranch. Renee has a sweet tooth and wishes she were a good baker but, alas, no.

EXPERTISE

Organization and project planning; scheduling and time management; customer service; team integration; risk management; communication, writing, and presentation skills; marketing

EDUCATION

Project Management Institute – Project Management Professional

University of Toledo – B.A. in Communication, B.A. in Spanish

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2019 – Present – Sr. Project Manager

University of Illinois Administrative Information Technology Services, 2018-2019 – Project Coordinator

University of Illinois Office of Business and Financial Services, Business Solutions & Support, 2015 – 2018 – IT Project Manager

Taylor Studios, Inc., 2008 – 2015, Project Manager

The Eureka Reporter, 2007 – 2008 – Reporter, Home & Life Editor, District Manager

KIEM-TV News Channel 3, 2005 – 2007 – Reporter

Jason Berg

President

Jason joined the team in early 2015 to help leverage Pixo’s incredible reputation for developing user focused custom software and web applications, and to kick start the next phase of growth for the company.

With a degree in business, an eye for design, and a passion for technology Jason has played a unique and interesting role for organizations of all sizes; providing a thoughtful ear and keen insights to extremely talented individuals on all sides of creative engineering projects.

Jason works with clients to understand their unique business challenges, uncover strategic opportunities, clearly define organizational needs, and ensure each project is set up for success.

When not advocating for clients and the Pixo team, Jason is either in the kitchen cooking with his amazing wife, mixing up obscure cocktails, helping lead a smallish church, catering for friends (occasionally), or trying to keep up with his three incredible college age daughters.

EXPERTISE

Digital Strategy

EDUCATION

EMPLOYMENT

Amanda Covher

Quality Assurance Lead

Amanda joined the Pixo team in February 2018 as Quality Assurance Lead. She is a Certified Scrum Master and comes to Pixo with over eight years of experience in Agile coaching and ten years of experience in testing software. She began her career in software development while still in college studying Spanish, theater, and anthropology.

Prior to Pixo, Amanda’s wanderlust and strong technical skills moved her all over the world, including Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, and India. These days Amanda is happy to be back in Illinois, where she spent her childhood. She enjoys her time outside of work with her awesome son, playing drums, salsa dancing, singing karaoke, and crafting.

EDUCATION

Scrum Alliance — Certified Scrum Master

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — Bachelor’s degree

Parkland College — Associate’s degree

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2018-Present – Quality Assurance Lead

AT&T, 2016-2017 – Certified Scrum Master

CHC Wellness 2012-2015 – Software Testing Engineer & Certified Scrum Master

Amdocs, 2005-2012 – Senior Software Testing Engineer & Certified Scrum Master

Alex Doane

UI/UX Designer

Alex “Ace” Doane is a central Illinois native who joined the Pixo gang in 2020. She came to Pixo with five years of marketing and creative agency experience designing visual identities (logo design, print materials, and environmental design), web design (her absolute favorite!), and video and animation work, as well as art directing and managing video and photoshoots.

Ace studied arts technology and graphic design at Illinois State University and graduated in 2014 before moving back to Urbana-Champaign. As a UX and UI designer, her interests lie in combining technology, research, and art to visually create logical and ideal interaction experiences.

When she’s not at Pixo, you can find her pickin’ her banjo, bellowing her accordion, or just dabbling in most other instruments—she’s always down for a good jam session. Ace is also an avid board and video gamer, adventurer (let’s go fishing or kayaking), and cat lover. Oh, and she’s a pretty awesome Dungeon Master—leading her players through perilous adventures and joyous shenanigans all in one evening (dragons absolutely included).

EDUCATION

Illinois State University— B.S. in Graphic Design and Arts Technology

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2020 – present– UX and UI Designer
Surface 51, 2015-2020 – Senior Designer

Tyler Edwards

Graphic Designer

Tyler joined the Pixo team in 2014. As a graphic designer, Tyler guides the look and feel of web and mobile app development to ensure it accomplishes its impact and visual goals. He has extensive experience designing top-selling mobile applications, including the Wolfram|Alpha app for iOS, that (although internally robust), are both beautiful and a pleasure to use. As a (distant) student of the Bauhaus, Tyler’s work displays his affinity for the marriage of design and technology. He believes that form should never be impeded by function, but inspired by it.

After graduating from Illinois State University in 2010, Tyler married his best friend, Stacey, and moved to Champaign-Urbana. When he’s not at Pixo, Tyler enjoys watching movies that fit into the genre “action/sci-fi with a hint of comedy”, listening to and playing music, reading books from old theologians, trying new restaurants with Stacey, and sharing a dark stout in the company of good friends. Tyler is also an active member of his church where he enjoys preaching on occasion, leading a small group with his wife, and serving as a graphic designer for the church.

EDUCATION

Illinois State University — B.S. in Graphic Design

Spoon River College — A.S. Certificate in Graphic and Web Design

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2014-Present — Graphic Designer

Wolfram Research, 2011–2014 — Graphic Designer

Matthew Fotzler

Senior Software Engineer

Matt joined the Pixo team in September 2015 as a Developer. Born and raised in Champaign-Urbana, he has been interested in computers from an early age. He followed his passion to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and graduated with a degree in computer science. Matt has worked in software consulting since graduating and is experienced with Microsoft’s .NET stack, and enjoys learning other languages and technologies. Outside of the office, Matt likes to play video games and skate around on his rollerblades. His favorite video game genre is shoot ’em up (often abbreviated “shmup”). He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Amy, and cat, Mizu.

EXPERTISE

.NET, C#, HTML/CSS

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – B.S. in Computer Science

Parkland College – A.S. in Computer Science

Microsoft Specialist –  Certification in Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3

AWS Certified Developer Associate

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, April 2019 – present: Senior software engineer

Pixo, September 2015-April 2019: Developer

Codagami, September 2013-June 2014: Software Engineer

Radius CSG, Inc., January 2012-September 2013: Software Engineer

Accuraty Solutions, LLC, May 2011-January 2012: Software Engineer

Jenna Frye

Office Hospitality & Business Dev Admin

Jenna joined the Pixo business development team in 2020, coming from a 15 year career in the hospitality industry. Curious and quick, she seeks to support the needs of her team and the project by anticipating details and helping everyone think outside the box. Jenna also facilitates office culture as hospitality liaison by eagerly planning fun events and celebrations to keep everyone at Pixo entertained and connected. 

She is often found laughing at her own jokes, hanging with her one-eyed dog Craig, going out to her friends’ gigs, and trying to keep up with her busy podcast subscription schedule.

EXPERTISE

Project coordination, administrative support, event planning

EDUCATION

DePaul University – MA in Sociology
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign – BA Sociology & Spanish

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2020-present – Office Hospitality & Business Development Administrator

CMT Ventures, 2012-2020 – Project & Office Manager

Carmon’s Bistro, 2011-2012 – General Manager

Lindsey Gates-Markel

Senior Content Strategist

Lindsey helps teams realize their vision and reach their goals through thoughtful discovery work and content design. She likes asking questions and uncovering the narratives behind users’ perceptions and behaviors. She can break a website down into a content model faster than you can say “metadata.”

From 90s zine culture to an MFA in creative writing, Lindsey is a hands-on maker and reflective thinker. She met the job description for Pixo’s first-ever content strategist with a vision of her own, convincing us that content strategy and her years of acting and writing converged in one essential skill: empathy. 

EXPERTISE

Content strategy, interviews, discovery, content inventories, content modeling, synthesis & analysis, usability testing, writing for the web

EDUCATION

Lesley University – Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing

Monmouth College – Bachelor’s in Arts, English

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, August 2020 – present: Senior Content Strategist

Pixo, April 2018 – August 2020: Lead Content Strategist

Pixo, 2015 – April 2018: Content Strategist

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, 2012–2015: Grant and Technical Writer

Wolfram, 2010–2012: Copy Editor

Volition, 2008–2010: Receptionist

Lyndsey Groth

Content Strategist

Lyndsey helps people figure out what to say on the web. She knows the key to great content is knowing thyself, so she likes partnering with clients to understand who they are and how to connect with the people they serve.

Lyndsey’s experience as a writer/editor in marketing and communications taught her that simpler is better, clarity rules, and people do, in fact, love to scroll, if you give them good reason to do so.

When she’s not strategizing content, Lyndsey is doing other creative storytelling-type things—photography, design, and recommending podcasts that everyone’s already heard.

EXPERTISE

Connecting dots

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – B.A. in English

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2020-Present – Content Strategist
Freelance, 2019-2020 – Communications Strategist
Champaign Unit 4 School District, 2017-2019 – Assistant Director of Communications
University of Illinois Creative Services, 2014-2017 – Content Strategist/Marketing Coordinator
Carle Health System, 2007-2014 – Senior Editor

Noor Hillmy

Project Manager

Noor enjoys managing the day-to-day operational and tactical aspects of multiple projects simultaneously. She believes in the importance of building trusted relationships and working with her team and clients to inspire a shared project vision. 

Utilizing her expertise in problem-solving and building relationships, Noor honed her project management skills at an exhibit design-build firm, a major corporate retailer, and several publishing and media houses.

When not managing projects, Noor can be found building LEGO sets, going antiquing, binge-watching true crime and air crash investigation shows, planning her next road or camping trip, or simply exploring road and mountain bicycle trails.

EDUCATION

Northwestern University — Master of Science in Communication

Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia — Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication & Media Studies, Publishing

Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia — Associate of Arts in Creative Technology, Artistic Writing

EMPLOYMENT

Taylor Studios, Inc., 2018 – 2020 — Project Manager

JCPenney Corporation, 2015 – 2017 — Visual Merchandising / Divisions Manager

Kumpulan Media Karangkraf, Malaysia, 2012 – 2013 — Creative Executive Journalist

Chris Hopkins

Engineering Manager

Chris leads and supports the engineering team and contributes to multiple business functions at Pixo. This includes helping lead initiatives like systems administration, employee experience, training, outreach, hiring, and coming up with the occasional “Dad joke”. The engineers craft the engine that keeps Pixo running, and Chris’ job is to make sure they have the tools, space, and support they need.

Chris always wants to learn new things. He’s a source of 50% random facts and 50% useful information and has experience in software consulting, healthcare data management, telecommunications, finance, and music. He is a vegan who likes good food and is up for the challenge!

Fatherhood, technology, music, and human connections are the current pillars of his life. Outside of Pixo he can be found spending time with his family, watching baseball and playing music!

EXPERTISE

IT, leadership, project management, engineering, code development, content management, application administration, data security and integration

EDUCATION

Illinois State University – Bachelor’s in Applied Science, Information Technology

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2019-Present  – Manager

Carle Healthcare System, 2013-2019 – Engineer, Manager, Director

Code Hennessy & Simmons LLC, 2008-2012 – IT generalist

Amdocs, 2003-2007 – Data Center Specialist

Alex Kuhl

Lead Engineer

Alex came to Champaign-Urbana from the small southern Illinois town of Breese in 2007 to pursue a degree in Computer Science, fully intending to head back south when he completed it. That didn’t happen. The lure of the (relatively) “big city” kept him here. After graduating, he worked for several years in Research Park, developing web apps for education, before moving to University of Illinois Extension. Alex joined the Pixo team in February of 2017 after hearing of its welcoming environment and friendly team. His passion for technology came from an early love of video games, as is so often the case. He has a passion for problem-solving and writing readable code.

When not at work, Alex likes having game nights with friends, playing Nintendo games, getting locked in rooms with only an hour to escape, or just relaxing with his wife, Melissa, and his cats, Minion and Mara.

EXPERTISE

HTML/CSS, PHP, Javascript, SQL, Node.js, Angular

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – B.S. in Computer Science

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, February 2017-Present – Software Engineer

University of Illinois Extension, June 2014 – February 2017 – Software Engineer

Common Ground Publishing, March 2011 – March 2014 – Software Developer

Melinda Miller

General Manager

Melinda joined the Pixo staff full time in January 2012 after finishing her master’s degree in library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Melinda is intrigued by information problems and enjoys figuring out to effectively use words and design to solve problems.

A native of Macomb, Illinois, Melinda attended the University of Illinois and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. She moved to upstate New York, where she worked for 12 years in the newspaper industry in Elmira, Ithaca and Rochester. Melinda often got involved in side projects including redesigns, new product launches and system implementations, whetting her appetite to work on more complex information and technology problems.

In 2005, she joined Illini Media, a non-profit student media newsroom, and helped them transition into a multimedia operation and implement new publishing tools, including K4 and Drupal.

EXPERTISE

Information architecture, user experience design, content strategy, user research, usability testing, wireframing

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – M.S. in Library & Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – B.S. in Journalism

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2019 – present – General Manager
Pixo, 2018 – Director of Consulting
Pixo, 2013-2018 – Director of User Experience
Pixo, 2012-2013 – User Experience Designer, Information Architect
Illini Media, 2005-2010 – Editorial Advisor
Gannett Newspapers, 1993-2005 – Assistant managing editor, presentation editor, designer, copy editor

Joseph Mistretta

Software Engineer

Joseph joined Pixo in early February 2019 as a software engineer, and has been loving it ever since! Born in North Carolina, he was almost immediately carted off to live in Okinawa, Japan for several years. There, his fondness for travel and the outdoors was ingrained into his brain as he visited interesting places like Tokyo, the Great Wall, and Forbidden City of China. After returning to the states, he became an Eagle Scout and quickly retreated indoors to discover a passion for video games and programming. Not being able to choose between the two, Joseph pursued an education in both, eventually graduating with degrees in Computer Science and Game Design. As a result he enjoys finding interesting ways to blend artistic and technical prowess into everything he does, and has been programming happily ever after.

Outside of work, Joseph enjoys camping, developing games, the idea of traveling, letting Netflix play on an endless loop, slaying dragons with his mind, and hanging out with his Illinois friends. He hopes to one day revisit the distant places where he grew up, but he’s very satisfied with his new Illinois home in the meantime!

EXPERTISE

C#, C++, .NET, MySQL, Javascript, Unity, Unreal

EDUCATION

East Tennessee State University – B.S. in Computer Science
East Tennessee State University – B.S. in Game Design

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2019-Present – Software Engineer
Covenant Transportation, 2017-2019 – Software Developer

Nicole Moore

Project Manager & QA Specialist

After growing up not too far away in Normal, Nicole moved to Urbana to attend the University of Illinois and has been in town ever since. While at the University, she was heavily involved in the English department and enjoyed interning at the Spurlock Museum. After graduating in 2014 with a degree in English, she joined Human Kinetics as a managing editor. There she discovered her love for detail-oriented projects and outside-the-box thinking, skills that would translate well into her roles as Project Manager and QA Specialist at Pixo, which she began in 2017. Nicole is passionate about making all the puzzle pieces fit to ensure the success of a project, as well as the happiness of the clients, users, and her teammates.

When not at Pixo, Nicole can be found at any number of local trivia nights or at agility classes with her dog, Mylo. She enjoys running, playing the violin, and watching any and all TV.

EDUCATION

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign – Bachelor’s in English

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2017 – Present – Project Manager & QA Specialist

Human Kinetics, 2014-2017 – Managing Editor

Landi Najarro

Developer

Landi joined the Pixo team as our Support Engineer Intern in 2013, as she was finishing up her computer engineering degree at the University of Illinois. As soon as she stepped off the graduation stage, Pixo snatched her up! 

As a software engineer, Landi is an integral part of several teams and projects across Pixo. She spent years responsible for our extensive Technical Support and End User Help Desk. Now she uses her experience in support and accessibility to advocate for end users in the software she writes. Landi advises and tests for quality assurance and ensures project go-lives go smoothly. You’ll want her on your team for any static site, enterprise-level site, or connected engineering project that connects hardware and software.

Landi grew up in Chicago and trained in martial arts beginning at the age of 8. She used her training to teach martial arts to children with disabilities, which sparked her passion for accessibility. 

She has been instrumental in outreach programs to get young women and underrepresented students interested in engineering (including volunteering at the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club). Every other summer, she teaches robotics to high school girls at the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) camp, hosted by Women in Engineering at the U of I.

As Pixo’s reigning karaoke queen, Landi can slay a Beyonce run; as a Zumba enthusiast, you can find her leading a breathless group of Pixonauts every so often in our café. And if you’ve ever been to a Champaign Ladies Amateur Wrestling (CLAW) meet and wondered how the wrestlers fall so gracefully without getting injured… thank Landi.

EXPERTISE

JavaScript: Angular, React, React Native, Mocha & Chai, Nunjucks, Stylus

PHP: Symfony, Twig

Other languages: C, C# dotnet, C++, HTML/CSS, Assembler

Databases: MSSQL, PostgreSQL, CouchDB, Firebase

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – B.S. in Computer Engineering

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo – Support Engineer (2013-2017), Developer (2017-present)
University of Illinois Girls Adventure in Math, Engineering & Science, 2008-Present – Robotics Coordinator, Computer Science Coordinator, Lab Assistant, Counselor
University of Illinois Women in Engineering, 2013 – Office Support Associate
University of Illinois Micro & Nanotechnology Laboratory, 2010 – Curriculum Developer

Emilee Noh

Software Engineer

Emilee joined Pixo as an intern in February 2019 while finishing a degree in Computer Science + Linguistics at the University of Illinois. As an engineer, Emilee aspires to embody not only best coding practices but also the qualities that make teams great. She is excited to work at a company with such strong local ties and emphasis on helping others, and it is her personal and professional interest to use tech to meet the greatest needs of the community that surrounds her.

When she is off-duty, you can find Emilee listening to podcasts, John Piper sermons, and lo-fi hip-hop. Emilee is an avid learner of languages (both of the natural and programming world) and rocks a surf green telecaster. Words and sounds set her brain atingle, a sensation only paralleled by that of writing code that actually works.

EDUCATION

University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign – B.S. in Computer Science + Linguistics

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2019-present—Software Engineering Intern

Intelligent Medical Objects, 2018—Software Engineering Intern

Intel, 2017—Engineering Operations Analyst

Allie Ofisher

Lead User Experience Designer

Allie is an Illinois native interested in how technology can change human behavior, and in return how we can work together to build insightful, practical solutions.

She cultivated her creative passion and interest in human behavior by earning a B.F.A in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before Pixo, Allie was a designer for Creative Services at the University of Illinois. 

As a UX Designer at Pixo, Allie uses a combination of logic and creativity to bring clarity to each challenge and help improve our interactions with technology.

Allie fancies neatly folded clothes; her two fur baby cats, Skulliver and Squish; and a well brewed cup of coffee.

EXPERTISE

User experience design, wireframing, research & strategy, visual design, interaction design.

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – B.F.A. in Industrial Design

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2016-Present – User Experience Designer

University of Illinois Creative Services, 2014-2016 – User Experience Designer

Freelance Design, 2011-2016 – Designer

Jason Rambeck

Lead Web Developer

EDUCATION

Spirit Life Bible College – Missions School

EMPLOYMENT

Rambeck Group, 2008-2017 — Principle Consultant / Designer / Developer

Maxwire, 2005-2008 — Systems Administrator, General Manager

Freelance Web Designer,  2002-2007

Missionary, Namibia, Africa, 2000-2001 — Bible School Administrator & Instructor

Advanced Graphics & Publishing, 1999-2000 — Desktop Publishing Production Assistant

Renee Sliwa

Office Manager & Finance Lead

Renee joined the Pixo team in January 2017. A transplanted Chicagoan, Renee has seven years of experience supporting teams in Champaign and many more years of experience over-emphasizing short “a” vowel sounds.

Every part of Renee’s role at Pixo, from helping celebrate each team’s successes to maintaining our space to supporting our directors, helps cultivate an efficient, welcoming, and happy work environment.

In her free time, Renee enjoys cooking, listening to podcasts, reading Charlotte’s Web to her daughters, and quilting. 

EDUCATION

Eastern Illinois University – B.A. in Foreign languages, and English with Teacher Certification

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2017-present – Operations and Executive Assistant

EP Technology Corporation, 2013-2017 – Sales and Marketing Assistant

Joanna Troutman

Director of Business Development and Finance

A Champaign resident for over 16 years, Joanna joined Pixo in 2014. In years prior, she spent the bulk of her time in CU attending the University of Illinois, completing a BFA and an MBA, and managing cafes for Espresso Royale. In 2013, she got her ‘tech legs’ (as she likes to call it) by joining Oso Technologies’ team as Director of Business Development. These experiences and her love of vibrant, people-centered work environments brought her to Pixo’s door. As Director of Business Development and Finance, Joanna most loves making people’s lives easier, whether it be by helping clients find solutions to their business needs or by providing guidance and resources to members of her team.

In her free time, Joanna enjoys dinner parties with friends, cuddling with her cats, and watching bad horror movies with her husband.

EXPERTISE

Spreadsheets

EDUCATION

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign – MBA in General Management

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign – BFA in Painting

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2019-present – Business Development Manager

Pixo, 2018-present – Lead Account Manager

Pixo, 2014-2018 – Project Manager

Oso Technologies, 2013-2014 – Director of Business Development

Espresso Royale, 2005-2013 – General Manager

Chris Wahlfeldt

Web Developer

Chris joined the Pixo team as a web developer in 2020. Born and raised in Champaign-Urbana, Chris has worked with diverse clientele both as a developer and consultant. Studying 3-D animation and game design in college sparked his interest and eventual career in coding and web development. His keen eye for detail and ability to creatively solve tough problems make him an integral part of Pixo’s project teams. He loves coding for the aha moments and takes gratification in offering client solutions that become engaging products.

Outside the office, Chris spends his time playing music in his band, watching horror movies, playing video games, and hanging out with friends and family. He’s also known to be found in the garage tinkering with his motorcycle.

EXPERTISE

HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, WordPress, Drupal

EDUCATION

Parkland College — Digital Media

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2020-Present — Web Developer

McKenzie Wagner, 2016-2020 — Web Developer

Vertex Solutions, 2014- 2016 — Web Developer

Brian Walters

Lead Web Developer

EXPERTISE

JavaScript: Angular, React, Vue, Mocha & Chai, Express, Nunjucks, GreenSock Animation Platform, Stylus
PHP: Symfony, Doctrine, Twig, Sonata

EDUCATION

Parkland College – Digital Media

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2018 – present – Lead Web Developer

Pixo, 2014-2018 – Developer

2wav, 2009 – 2014 –  Developer

Ben Young

Senior Software Engineer

Born and raised in Central Illinois, Ben left the prairie for four years to study Computer Science at Tulane University’s School of Engineering in New Orleans. During his studies he realized that the Illinois prairie agreed with him just a bit more than the Louisiana swamps and so he retreated back north upon graduation. Ben joined Pixo in the Fall of 2007 doing development on a Microsoft .NET WinForms application. Since that time he has worked on numerous other projects developing custom Web solutions using ASP and ASP.NET, designing and implementing databases in Microsoft SQL Server, and leading Pixo’s entry into mobile development.

Ben is the chief engineer on Pixo’s automotive (VIN) barcode scanning technology.

EXPERTISE

ASP, ASP.NET, HTML, XML/XSL, PHP, Java Code Igniter, MSSQL, PostgresSQL, Sitecore Certified Developer, Android, iOS development

EDUCATION

Tulane University – B.S. in Computer Science

EMPLOYMENT

Pixo, 2008-Present – Senior Software Engineer

Volo Broadband, 2007-2008 – Software Engineer

Steve Zazeski

Lead Software Engineer

Steve joined the Pixo team in December of 2014 as a developer. He came from the small town of Morris, IL and has been intrigued by how computers worked since grade school. He graduated from the University of Illinois in Computer Engineering and loves building a linkage between the digital world of programming to the physical world.

EXPERTISE

React Native, C# dotnet, Swift, PHP, MySQL, MSSQL, Javascript, Python, ColdFusion/Railo, C, C++, Assembler

EDUCATION

EMPLOYMENT