Learning AI.
Sharing
knowledge.
I've moved codebases from Angular 8 to Angular 17, kept 20,000+ users working the whole time.
ColdFusion, Angular, Python, Java. 25 years, same curiosity.
About Me
25+ years building enterprise applications, the last 10 at Union Pacific Railroad. I hold a graduate certificate in cybersecurity from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and am working toward another in AI. I automate what I can.
Why I Build
I got into software because I liked solving puzzles. I stayed because the best puzzles aren't in the code. They're in the gap between what a team thinks it needs and what it actually needs. Same curiosity, 25 years later.
I used to give ColdFusion conference talks and write training material. I still teach, just inside the company now. Phishing training, developer security sessions, monthly tech deep dives with 20 people from across the railroad. Same instinct, different room. When I'm not at a screen I'm working through a graduate certificate in AI at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
What I Write About
384 posts from 2007 to 2014, back when I was deep in the ColdFusion world.
Conference talks, training material, framework plugins, and community rants. Archived, not current.
My Recent Career
Union Pacific Railroad
Career Progression • June 2016 - Present
Key Achievements
- Found SMTP spoofing gap through Python analysis (2024)
- Automation: Built Python ETL and Tableau self-service programs that retired manual admin work and trained 50+ users
- Delivery: Shipped the $1.8M Shipment Management application on Angular 14, kept 20K+ users productive through Angular migrations
Associate System Engineer (Technology)
September 2024 - Present
Building Angular and Lit applications for enterprise railroad operations. From 2024-2026 focused on customer-facing tools: built the Customer Vision search feature in Angular 17, coordinated monthly tech deep dives with 20+ cross-functional stakeholders, and led an Angular 11+ migration for a critical vendor application. Shifted April 2026 to an HR-focused portfolio within Technology, supporting workforce systems and internal tooling.
Manager I Audit Information Technology (Finance)
January 2024 - August 2024
Ran IT audits and security assessments, auditing CIS v7 controls over 6 months (January-August 2024). Found an SMTP spoofing gap through Python analysis in July 2024 and got it to the network security team.
Associate System Engineer (Technology)
December 2021 - December 2023
Built Shipment Management application with Angular 14 over 9-month development cycle (2022-2023), contributing to $1.8M initiative supporting 20K+ users with 1.7M monthly hits. Developed enterprise platforms including Shipment Dashboard, Forecast, Track Shipment, and analytics dashboard providing business intelligence across shipping operations. Built out Tableau self-service infrastructure for analysts during this period.
Business Intelligence & Analytics (2016-2021)
Jun 2016 - Nov 2021
Four roles spanning business integration consulting, BI management, and data visualization. Built 29 Tableau data sources, trained 50+ users on Tableau self-service, automated stale content cleanup with Python, and retired 9 legacy ColdFusion applications. Cut maintenance overhead across the railroad.
Education & Certifications
Graduate Certificate in AI
University of Nebraska at Omaha
In Progress
Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Completed
B.S. Management Information Systems
Peru State College
Peru, NE
Completed 1999
Google Cybersecurity Certificate
Google / Coursera
Completed Dec 2024
What People Say
Mike took ownership when we needed it most — automating user management so analysts stopped chasing manual admin work. Customers came to him directly with new projects, and he shipped.
He picked up Tableau review board leadership and made our Python ETL stack certifiable. Easy to trust with hard problems.
Contact
Prefer email. I respond within a business day. LinkedIn works too if that's your speed.