Martin City Marketing

As a Software Engineer at Martin City Marketing, I am responsible for the end-to-end development of client-facing websites and internal software systems. Day-to-day, I translate design concepts into production-ready code, build frontend interfaces, and manage deployments. I work in a small team of three — collaborating with a UI/UX designer and another backend developer — while primarily focusing on frontend development. Most client website projects are built and delivered directly by me, giving me ownership and accountability for the entire process.

Projects & Achievements

So far during my time at MCM, I have contributed to several impactful projects:

Wanna Sell Your Car – A custom web application integrated with external APIs and optimized for lead capture.
Martin City Marketing Website – Redesigned and developed the company's main site to be fast, modern, and SEO-friendly.
The MCM Store – An e-commerce platform for branded merchandise, including Stripe payment integration and admin-friendly dashboards.
Internal Software Optimization – Improved a GraphQL backend server's response time by 200% by switching from sequential to parallel processing of requests. Added a Redis caching layer to reduce API load and increase performance, substantially improving usability for the team.

These projects not only improved client satisfaction but also resulted in more efficient internal workflows and faster, more reliable applications.

Collaboration & Teamwork

Working in a tight-knit team, I have learned how to bridge communication between design and development. With designers, I discussed practical UI/UX trade-offs; with backend developers, I collaborated on software architecture decisions. Disagreements were inevitable, but I found ways to focus on areas of agreement, give teammates ownership when appropriate, and advocate strongly for solutions when I knew they would have long-term benefits. This adaptability made collaboration smoother and reinforced the importance of respect and communication in team-based projects.

Problem-Solving & Technical Growth

One of my most significant technical challenges was designing a caching strategy for our backend software. The system needed to fetch data from external APIs without overwhelming them, while still storing responses in a cache to serve future requests efficiently. Implementing Redis solved this, cutting latency and reducing unnecessary API calls.

I also expanded my technical toolkit by:

Learning React Native while contributing to a mobile sweepstakes app for Cable Dahmer stores.
Writing Playwright test scripts to catch bugs and validate key workflows automatically. This improved quality control and reduced regression issues before deployments.
Optimizing applications for performance, including database queries, frontend load times, and API response handling.

Work Ethic & Soft Skills

I would describe my work style as proactive, detail-oriented, and collaborative. I made it a habit to go beyond the initial requirements, often adding extra functionality — such as data history pages — when I saw that it would benefit the client or the business. I ensured my work was high quality by regularly syncing with my teammates and aligning deliverables with company standards.

Lessons Learned & Growth

This being my first professional role, Martin City Marketing has taught me the nuances of working on real-world projects with a team. I learned when to advocate for my own ideas and when to step back, how to adapt to different working styles, and how positivity can make me an asset to any project. Most importantly, I left the role confident in my ability to contribute to large-scale, team-based projects with both technical depth and strong interpersonal skills.