Today is Contribupendence Day (or so says Jeff Blankenburg). I have chosen 5 individuals to recommend. My initial reaction to Jeff's challenge to recognize good people was "Why 5". If someone deserves a recognition of work well done, I'll give it to them. Then I looked at my LinkedIn contacts and realized that there were a bunch of people I hadn't "recommended" (LinkedIn's way of recognizing good work) that probably deserve it. Then my knee jerk reaction was to just recommend more than 5 people. After settling down from my excitement I settled with 5 because frankly I can't spend all day writing recommendations. So if I left you off the list, know it wasn't because you didn't deserve a recommendation, it was because I didn't have enough time today. I'll do my best to get to those who deserve it.
1.) Tom Augustine
I've known Tom for about 8 years. After leaving Sterling Commerce (as a client) in 2002, we lost touch for a few years but I had often thought about his energy and how he was doing until I heard from him about a 4 years later. He called me up and had some great ideas of some social networking sites he wanted to work on. We worked on some ideas and started creating some prototypes. The project eventually became too big for me to handle with work/personal life commitments but his energy regardless of what was going on his life never subsided. It's always a pleasure to do work with Tom. He definitely deserves this "recommendation" on Linked In.
"When I met Tom, he struck me as a driven individual. It wasn't until years later when I realized the energy and momentum that he can add to whatever he's doing. He inserts casual professionalism into what he's doing and his personality is contagious to everyone he works with. Any chance I get I like to work with Tom. It's always a refreshing experience."
2.) Sue Dolan
Sue hired me out of school to my first job. I loved the job and she took a chance on a guy with a below par GPA but a passion for technology and production of results. I like to think she made the right choice ;) Through the past 8 years there's been no other person that has stimulated a greater change in my career than Sue. She's motivational, energetic and results oriented. She produces with every role I've seen her in. She currently works for HMB and operates in a dual business development and employee development role. Plain old extraordinary.
"After meeting Sue in 1998 while attending Miami University, I knew that she was a remarkable person. After getting hired by her to SARK, in 2000, I found out how deep her abilities to produce quality recruits for her employer really went. With every turn, Sue provides professionalism and energy to her endeavors. She injects corporate culture with multiple stimuli to build business and improve quality. At several points in my professional career she has given new life to my interests and capabilities."
3.) Leon Gersing
I met Leon a few months ago through a reference by some developers associated with the .Net community. He was referred to me as a guy who knew what was important to a SharePoint developer. After seeing a couple of his presentations at Central Ohio Day of .Net and several emails back and forth, I would have to agree. I've hit him up with a bunch of questions from "hey I have this error" to "what are the different, and what is the best way to do this type of thing" in SharePoint. He's provided insightful and useful assistance each time.
"After meeting Leon through some .Net community events in or around Central Ohio, I've had several conversations with him. His knowledge runs deep and vast (a rare combination). He's helped me on several different problems with SharePoint and has provided insight into good development practices."
4.) Jill Zelein Tubaugh
Jill and I worked together at SARK. She's second to none and whenever our companies are competing for the same project I get a little down because I know how good she is at identifying a project's needs and the right solution to fill those needs. She's great at what she does and deserves this recommendation.
"Jill and I worked together on a few proposals with SARK. Through those encounters I learned that Jill is someone that is dependable, thorough, insightful and eager to achieve the end result. She leaves no task undone and adds value to everything she is involved in."
5.) .Net Community
Ok, so it's not a person. I think that this group deserves a big recognition though. A couple of years ago I pretty much was running on auto pilot with my career and just reacting to my day-to-day job requirements. For some reason (insert Tom Augustine and Sue Dolan's inspiration noted above), I started to pay a little attention to the Central Ohio .Net Developers' group. From that came some interest in some Days of .Net conferences and community based professional gatherings. Not too many years ago, the .Net/Microsoft centric community was, to be blunt, a little lame. Over the past few years with the donation of time from some remarkable individuals a solid community has risen and the energy is snowballing. There really is no one or small group of people that should be recognized here, the recognition needs to go to the group as a whole. You've given inspiration to do things the right way, research new technologies, and share and collaborate to a lot of people who would otherwise been on autopilot.