December 2010 Employee Spotlight: Jason Carter!

For the month of November, Inuvo is spotlighting jason [dot] carter [at] inuvo [dot] com (Jason Carter.)  Jason is a Purdue graduate who has been part of the Inuvo team for a year. Jason has a vast technological background.  Take a moment to read more about him in the Q&A below!

Inuvo:  Hello Jason, please tell us a bit about yourself:

Have you ever heard of the song “Small Town” from John Mellencamp? Well, I am from the VERY place he sings about, Seymour, IN. It’s definitely a small town but it was a great place to grow up in, even if corn husking was substituted for throwing a baseball. I moved to Tampa after I graduated from college because I could not take the thirty-plus days at a time with no sunshine during the winter months. I moved here knowing no one and I realized after my first grocery trip that a can opener was a MUST in order to have some chicken noodle soup for dinner. I have lived here for 13 years this January and I still love seeing the ocean every day.

Inuvo:  What is your professional background?

I graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Computer Technology. My title at Inuvo is Data Architect.  I have several years of experience with working as a database administrator/developer over the past 10 years and that is my passion. I have worked several positions from desktop support, wiring network closets, creating web pages, to building PCs from scratch. I have had a passion for technology since a very young age, and yes I do think playing video games, although it drove my parents crazy, had a huge impact on me taking this path.

Inuvo:  Any exciting projects you are working on?

Currently, I am working on Babytobee.com. Back in May, the entire project was pulled from overseas and was brought in-house with little to no documentation or support. It has been a rough four or five months but we pulled off the impossible with a little old fashion elbow grease. Over that time, we automated numerous reports and extracts, performance tuned code, and built new tools and monitors. It’s truly a never ending process but seeing the impact it has had on the business is very rewarding and there are many new additions to come.  

Inuvo: What are your goals for December?

My main goals right now are to continue growing Babytobee.com. There have been several changes with the new web site and bringing on Contact Centers of America.  We are continually working at improving the way we do business. We want to decrease the amount of time offers are built, improve the processes for creating the offers and continue to evaluate our lead quality. We also want to provide the business the opportunity to evaluate data and create reports in a timely fashion to make better business decisions and drive higher revenue.

Inuvo:  What are your goals for yourself and Inuvo?

I want to continue to work on projects that will define what and who Inuvo is. I will be the first one to admit that I love new technology and I’m willing to dive into shallow water to get my hands on it. But ultimately my efforts must benefit and drive the company to higher grounds. This Industry is based upon hard work and dedication.  Technology is a huge factor in remaining top in the industry and if you cannot keep up with its evolution then you are going to get left behind. The key is balancing the “latest and greatest” in true innovations and cost savings to the business that will have the biggest impact. I truly believe BargainMatch and DealEx are two great technologies and I hope to be engaged in future endeavors.

Inuvo:  What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most? 

In general, I LOVE working at Inuvo. It is a small company that packs a lot of punch. I came from a company that you truly were a number. For the first time in a long time I feel a part of something and a have a “family-like” feeling with the people I work with. There are several people I am not fortunate enough to interact with on a daily basis but there is still a family-based attitude here that is extremely hard to find anywhere else. The IT department I am a part of is extremely talented.  It is awesome to be surrounded by people who know how to get the job done and at the same time be able to increase your own skills and knowledge.

Inuvo:  When you are not at work, what would we be most likely to find you doing?

I love to workout. It is something I have been doing for years and it just makes you feel great. No matter how bad my day can be, a solid workout will always clear my mind and help refresh my personal and professional life. I also listen and play music which is another great outlet. All of these activities are great but lately my favorite fun activities are those I share with my girlfriend Sherry.  We enjoy a relaxing hot air balloon ride every now and then, walking on the beach and traveling to Europe.