Catherine Kleimeier

Rhymes with "climb higher"

Web Developer

I’m a versatile, full-stack web developer living in Grand Rapids, Michigan with my wife, cat, and ever-growing collection of multi-sided dice.

When I’m not coding, I enjoy reading, podcasts, odd music, table-top roleplaying games, languages, and going for long walks.

What I love most about coding is using the magic of language to create tangible things that you can interact with and the feeling of finding a simple and elegant solution to an abstract, complex problem.

Skills

Back-End

I have experience building, maintaining, updating, and upgrading custom websites using Content Management Systems (CMS). I also have experience writing custom functionality to integrate with those CMSs. I’ve built and maintained very large websites with thousands of pages, single-page websites, and websites of every scale between.
To be more specific, I have experience in:

Craft CMS (including database setup, templating, and writing custom modules)
Yii
Laravel
PHP
Relational Databases, SQL, and MySQL
Twig

Front-End

I have experience translating static mockups and designs into functional, fully-fledged websites. Some tools I'm proficient with include:

Javascript (vanilla and jquery)
Vue
Various frameworks, including Foundation and Tailwind
Javascript task runners, package managers, and module bundlers (including Gulp, npm, and webpack)
HTML, CSS, and SCSS

Other Skills

Communication
I excel at written communication, but am also a clear and personable speaker. I take the time to plan out my communication. I strive to be clear, concise, and effective.
Organization and Planning
I regularly plan out projects and features, including specific details about structure and functionality as well as big-picture plans and processes.
Project Management
I’ve spearheaded a number of projects, from gathering requirements and clarifying expectations with clients to planning out the execution of projects with developers.
Leadership and Teamwork
I’ve frequently guided projects and features by leading collaboration among developers and other team members, organizing and managing plans, and initiating or facilitating frequent and clear communication.
Education
I’ve successfully taught end clients how to use their new CMS, from generalities about the control panel to specific features exclusive to their site.

Other Technology

Git version control
Responsive websites
APIs (building and consuming)
RESTful web services
Google products (particularly Google Maps)
Mapbox
Server management with Crucial, RunCloud, DigitalOcean

Experience

Résumé available upon request

Web Developer with Clearfire Studios — November 2021 to Present

Build and maintain custom websites using Craft CMS
Build and maintain interactive website front-ends and single-page web apps with React and Vue
Create first-party APIs
Plan, document, and execute website and content migrations
Work with Figma, Tailwind, and other design tools
Work as part of a widely-distributed, remote team

Full-Stack Web Developer with Masuga Design — May 2018 to November 2021

Build and maintain custom websites using Craft CMS and ExpressionEngine
Upgrade websites from older/different Content Management Systems
Build custom functionality to integrate with websites, including CMS plugins/extensions and third-party integrations
Communicate with clients to gather information, clarify and manage expectations, solve problems, and maintain relationships
Write clear documentation and create instructional materials for clients and developers, including website functionality and best practices
Create and maintain servers with RunCloud and DigitalOcean
Engage in planning and managing web projects
Research and analyze solutions for every aspect of web development
Learn and implement new technologies on-the-fly
Research, create, and implement systems to optimize and standardize the web development process
Work with designers, project managers, third-party developers, and end clients

Full-Stack Web Developer with Artisan Digital Media — December 2016 to August 2017

Build custom websites using ExpressionEngine and Craft CMS
Maintain and work with existing/legacy projects
Build a large-scale project including complex, multi-functional features development (integrated blog for large law firm)

Annotator and Geographical Researcher with HERE Technologies — 2012 to 2018

Evaluate the effectiveness of HERE’s map search program by analyzing the User-entered Queries and software-provided Responses
Research, evaluate, and communicate findings
Establish validity of software information through geographical research
Assess performance and understanding of tagging team by supervising work and providing feedback
Promoted to highest “tagger” supervisory position within six months and helped train several new recruits through reviewing and critiquing work

Portfolio

While most of my development work has been done on private repositories to protect client privacy, I have many non-code materials that demonstrate my proficiency with technical and non-technical skills.

Organizing Assets in Craft CMS
Video In this video, I cover some common Asset-related functionality in Craft CMS, including the creation and naming of subfolders, how to move, rename, and replace files, and more.
Saved Filters Functionality for CP Filters Out Now
Blog In this brief blog post, I detail the new "Saved Filters" feature I added to Masuga Design's "CP Filters" custom Craft CMS plugin. I explain what the feature does and why the feature specifically, and the plugin more generally, are useful.
Craft CMS 3 Feature Tour
Blog This extensive blog post serves as a guide to Craft CMS, intended for content editors. I methodically break down every feature of the Craft CMS Control Panel, using images, gifs, and short videos to display visual information. I also make and explain recommendations and offer “how-to”s while explaining the basic functionality of all native Craft CMS features.
Switching to Mapbox: the Less Expensive Google Maps Alternative
Blog In this blog post, I offer a brief overview of Mapbox and its features, as well as covering why to switch from Google Maps to Mapbox.
Converting Google Maps to Mapbox
Blog This blog post is a short guide on how to switch from Google Maps to Mapbox. In it, I offer code samples and explanations, along with some light evangelizing about why I love Mapbox.
Using Vue.js with Server Rendered Form Input Values
Blog In this blog post aimed at developers, I explain and offer solutions for a common Vue.js problem.
Craft CMS and Laravel Mix
Blog This extensive blog post covers Masuga Design’s switch from a Gulp-based taskrunner setup to a webpack- and Laravel Mix-based setup. I offer more code samples, technical explanations, and reasonsings in this post, also.
Craft CMS Matrix Block Bug Report
Bug Report I’ve included this bug report both because it illustrates my technical communication ability, but also because it was for a long-standing and surprising bug which was fun to find.
Masuga Design CP Filters v1.1.0 Release Commit
Commit This merge commit shows several of my commits for the “Saved Filters” of Masuga Design’s CP Filters plugin. This commit contains several examples of my technical work with Yii and Craft CMS.