The Résumé & Portfolio of Blue McClellan
My name is Blue McClellan. I was born and raised in the country north of Toronto. Since attending the University of Waterloo for math, I have worked in New York and Toronto, primarily in the financial industry. I am a polymath - sometimes referred to as a Renaissance man. I am a problem solver and efficiency geek. I can read code or build a computer; write poetry or paint; play the piano or lead a nature hike. I have experience writing user case studies and redesigning corporate processes. In my spare time I've built ecommerce sites. In both paid and volunteer roles I have managed teams. There are no challenges that I will not undertake. In my spare time, I enjoy playing and coaching ultimate, Scrabble, organizing events, and leading a farm-share in the country.
I am currently seeking opportunities to assist individuals and/or corporations to excel, overcome their challenges, and to be more efficient. My areas of expertise are best summarized below, but I invite you to review my full resume on this site.
- Project management, resource management, knowledge systems management, product management, production management.
- Life coaching, ultimate frisbee coaching, NCCP certification.
- Photography, Photoshop, website design, ecommerce.
I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
– Albert Einstein (Letter to Carl Seelig, 11 March 1952)
My Résumé
My co-operative work experience though the University of Waterloo exposed me to many different business models. My work as a consultant furthered that by placing me inside some of North America’s largest financial institutions in key project roles. Acting as a manager has also broadened my skills and introduced me to the unique challenges that accompany increased responsibility, both to external clients and to internal resources.
I am seeking either a full time or contract position with a forward thinking company. In spite of the many external projects and volunteer interests I have, I take a keen interest in the business world and especially the company I work for. I can be expected to constantly strive to improve your company and look for solutions to problems, above and beyond my assigned role.
Logic and analytical thinking led me to a career. Intelligence and determination led me to seek a career with you. I look forward to discussing job opportunities in your company.
- I am not an average person. If you want average, don't hire me.
- I am creative and resourceful. I love solving problems.
- I am multi-faceted, and not a singular specialist. My domain is anything that interests me..
PriceMetrix Inc. - Manager, Knowledge Systems
2010 / 2011
Responsible for the selection, implementation and support of all internal business applications and their associated processes. The breadth of applications crossed all functional groups, ranging from Finance, Customer Support, Sales, Human Resources, Operations and Development.
Some major accomplishments include:
- implemented SalesForce.com for 45 users across 4 departments with complex business processes
- developed seminars educating employees in use of technology
- configured and maintained Replicon system for time, project and expense tracking
- developed corporate intranet for information sharing team communication solutions
PriceMetrix Inc. - Production Manager
2006 / 2010
This role owned the responsibility for ensuring that PriceMetrix core monthly publication process was run efficiently and effectively. The process included; data loading, transformation, cleansing, and calculation, electronic and physical publication of proprietary analytics.
Some major accomplishments include:
- reduced turnaround time by over 70% while the client base doubled
- reduced risk of exposure to the company significantly
- lowered operating expenses by 50%
- automated and improved process to the point of eliminating 3 full time positions
Marketrend - Product Manager and Project Manager
2003 / 2006
The role oversaw more than twenty-five unique products including customer management, content management, web-to-press, call centre, direct mail, customer loyalty and technical integration programs. Combined they accounted for an annual revenue of six million dollars. During my tenure, I redesigned core development processes and the delivery model, advised upper management through meetings and presentations, determined whether projects were cost-beneficial and/or technically feasible and onboarded a new executive upon their entry into the company and continued to operate the Product Management department largely autonomously thereafter
Siebel - Resource Manager, Professional Services
2001 / 2002
Position Objective:to ensure the correct resources are matched to each project and to manage finances Major Accomplishment
- reduced outstanding accounts by over five million dollars in three months
- assisted as part of management team in decisions for professional services group
Siebel (Janna) - Consultant, Professional Services
2000 / 2001
Position Objective:to provide functional and managerial support for professional services team on site Major Accomplishment
- faced off against client of major investment banking firm
- process design and variance tracking
The Ultimate Experience - Founder and President
2003 / present
The Ultimate Experience is an organization devoted to providing administrative and organizational support to the touring community. We aid and support a number of club-based touring teams who compete on a provincial, national and international level. We own and operate several ultimate tournaments. We provide support and consulting to other ultimate activities and organizations on an as needed basis.
Ultimate Canada - NCCP Master Learning Facilitator
2012 / present
The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), launched in 1974 and delivered in partnership with the government of Canada, provincial/territorial governments, and national/provincial/territorial sport organizations, gives coaches the confidence to succeed. Master Learning Facilitaors train and certify coaches for their sport.
Gender Blender - Tournament Director
2008 / present
A yearly event held in Fergus, Ontario which attracts 800+ participants from around the world for a weekend of camping, entertainment and a 40 team+ ultimate tournament.
Toronto Ultimate Club - Events Director, World Under-23 Championship
2012 / present
The World Championship event for ultimate in the under-23 bracket. An expected attendance of 40 nations taking part in the competition.
Toronto Ultimate Club - Chairman, Board of Directors
2008 / present
The Toronto Ultimate Club is the leading not-for-profit corporation that provides the highest quality Ultimate experience to the greater Toronto community. Its growth is measured by member value and is driven by integrity, excellence, and citizenship.
Ultimate Canada - Canadian Ultimate Championships Competition Director
2010 / 2011
To oversee and resolved disputes for all Regional qualifiers and the National competition in Canada as sanctioned by the national organization, Ultimate Canada.
Ultimate Canada - Co-organizer, 2007 Canadian National Championships
2007
The final event in the 2007 national club series, hosted in Toronto. Was the largest (80 teams) event of its kind to date.
University Of Waterloo - BMath, Mathemetics
September 1994 / April 1999
Courses in Probability, Mathematical Logic, Programming Principles, Statistics, Graph Theory, Nonlinear Optimization, Calculus, Critical Thinking, Micro- and Macro- economics, Greek and Roman History, Medieval Society, Physics, Newtonian Mechanics, Linear Algebra and Business Organization.
Human Potential Plus - Level 5
September 2009
Human Potential Plus training reinforces the success of other trainings your organization has completed. They teach people the value of getting along and achieving quality which is a catalyst for personal and professional development. They believe that when people get along and are willing to work together together toward a common goal, productivity soars.
I am a person who enjoys learning and new challenges. As a result, I have a very broad list of skills.
Project Management 
I have worked as a team lead and project manager for several years in combination with my
other roles at companies.
Photoshop 
My own hobbies (photography, web design) combined with the management of graphic design team memebers
and product design have built over a decade of experience using Photoshop.
Salesforce.com
A year as the sole administrator and configuration specialist for a 50 person company installation, in addition
to my years of experience in the CRM workspace through Janna, Siebel and Marketrend.
Product Management
The product
designer behind a web-to-press solution, a lead management system, and a content management application for the automotive
industry.
Html / Css / PHP
I have been building web pages since 1994 and am intimately familiar with the technologies used since. My direct hands on
experience is largely limited to HTML, CSS and PHP, though I have managed teams using ASP .NET, C#, Flash and other technologies.
Photography
I consider myself an amateur photographer though have taken contracts for corporate headshots, websites, and successfully
retailed my photographs.
I do not believe in the phrase "references available upon request". I live my life, personally and professionally, under the belief that you should bear responsibility for both your successes and mistakes. I am proud to have had more of the former, and learned from the latter when they happened - after all, the heart experience comes not from your successes but from your mistakes. It is whether you are capable of learning or not that defines whether those mistakes are critical or not, and whether you will have success in the future.
I welcome any potential employer contacting any firm or client I've had in the past to review my professionalism and competency. I have provided a few references below for some of my more recent work.
References from my role as Founder - The Ultimate Experience
Blue's vision and goal of unifying the Touring systems is instrumental in creating a competitive
environment that will benefit the development of the sport..
References from my role as Manager - Pricemetrix Inc
Kurtis was a great manager, a great coordinator and was always able to improve efficiencies in any areas.
Kurtis was very easy to work with, and could always be counted on to get the job done. I've worked with Kurtis in a few different roles, and in
each of these he demonstrated a keen attitude and ablility to think outside of the box to achieve great results.
I highly recommend Kurtis to any employer, he is multi-talented and has always followed through with great results.
References from my role as Product Manager - Marketrend
Kurtis is one the brightest professionals, whom I had a pleasure to work with. His broad marketing
vision combined with technical knowledge would make an exceptional contributor to any organization.
Kurtis is a talented product manager. He is very good at understanding customer requirements and
translating them into well written documents. He also has an excellent grasp of proper web design and has good analytical skills.
Website and/or Photography Clients
- VC Ultimate
- Balance Bound Travel
- Empress Chic Designs
- Bytown Flatball Club
- Lotus Ultimate
- Longview Asset Management
- Toronto District Cystic Fibrosis Canada
Events
- Canadian Ultimate Championships (2007)
1600+ participants from across Canada
- Gender Blender (2008-2013)
800+ international participants
- World Under-23 Championships (2013)
1100+ international participants
Pre-tirement
The end of April 2011 was marked
by two major changes for me. For quality of life reasons, with guidance from my naturopathic and medical doctors I needed to change my diet.
It's a hard thing to go from a lover of fine food, to giving up fresh baked bread and butter! Though I had always eaten healthy, needing to completely
overhaul my diet was a challenging thing when I started. Thankfully, it has paid off greatly! The second, and far more tragic of the two events,
was the passing of my grandfather, who had long been a mentor to me growing up as he did next door on the family farm. At the
age of 93, still working on the farm, he passed away watching playoff hockey in his armchair after a day chopping down trees in the bush. At the time,
these issues combined and were resulting in a performance that was below my expectations of myself, both at work and in life.
Thus it was, that after over a decade of
working, and with no financial obligations, I was in the unique and enviable position of being able to afford to take some time off of work to
grieve, to heal, and to explore life. In keeping with my new diet, I decided to start a small gardening co-op on my grandfather's farm, which
had remained in the family. Growing everything organically with a group of a dozen people has been a learning experience but has borne fruit - literally.
My overall energy and health returned to levels I hadn't experienced in years. It was also a time of personal growth
experiencing the ups and downs of the agricultural lifestyle my grandparents knew.
I also found time to travel. I competed in a World Beach Ultimate
Championship in Italy, and touring through London, Paris and numerous sites in Northern Italy as well. Some of the time, such as a week living in Venice,
was with friends, other time was touring alone. All of it was a great experience. Returning from overseas, my own parents took ill in the winter
of 2011/2012, and both underwent surgery and recovery for tumours. Having the time off allowed me to be around to support them through this. I also
took the opportunity to give back to the community and took on a number of both volunteer and pro-bono projects, applying my skills in business to
assist in getting new businesses started and improved. I took on clients as a life coach, and helped people to realize and achieve their dreams.
Throughout all of this, I still maintained my connection to the
ultimate community. Building an online web store for VC Ultimate, one of the major clothing manufacturers for the sport. Acting as the Chairman of the
Board of Directors for the Toronto Ultimate Club, and working to improve their governance. I became certified under the National Coaching Certification
Program as a Master Learning Facilitator, responsible for training community coaches throughout Ontario. I coached traveling competitive teams, captained
local league teams, and even went and competed at the 2012 Canadian Ultimate Championships in Victoria. I recently stepped onto the Board of Directors of a
new provincial sports organization, Ontario Ultimate.
Not quite ready to give up the joys of my own days, I taught myself to paint - pairing it with the passion for photography I had
developed during my time off, and took a number of paid photography assignments. I also took the opportunity to marry two longtime friends out in
Nova Scotia. However, while under no financial pressure to do so, heading into 2015, I can no longer put aside the urge to want to return to working
full time. My time off has been full of wonderful new experiences and learning opportunities. Now, I want to take these experiences, ideas and renewed
passion and apply it to companies and clients. I hope to be proactively engaged with either clients, or full-time work through 2015 while winding down my
remaining volunteer committments to make room for additional professional certification.
Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
– Theodore Roosevelt, (Speech in New York, September 7, 1903)
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, design a building, conn a ship, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve an equation, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
– Robert A. Heinlein (Time Enough for Love, 1973)
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.
– Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich, 1937)
Challenges I Conquer
When I'm not hanging on
the outside of buildings, I am a multi-talented employee. My managerial experience runs from the front-end of the
process (Business Analysis, Requirements Gathering, Consulting, Marketing), through the middle (Project Management,
Product Management, Resource Management), to the delivery (Production Management, Client Management, Event Management).
Product Management & Development
Need an application?
While at Marketrend organized many
divergent applications into an integrated suite of products while maintaining and growing the existing client
base to over 6 million dollars in revenue annually. The suite included Lead Management, Web To Press Marketing
and Website Content Management applications.
Marketrend's production facility housed two HP Indigo 3050 digital presses capable of printing up to 16,000 letter-sized sheets per hour using fully digital processes that eliminated the need for set-ups and allowed Marketrend to create fully personalized print materials by pulling its clients' customer data from an integrated system.
The Marketrend Lead Management application was powered by the company's integrated automotive business intelligence engine, which allowed auto retailers to store, manage and work with customer and prospect data. The system also produced monthly ROI reports that dealership sales managers reviewed.
Project Management
Need a solution?
During my time with Siebel, I worked specialized
in Siebel e-Finance vertical and facilitated Functional Requirements Gathering, Process Analysis, Data Analysis and Project
Management for Corporate Banking division of a major investment banking firm in New York
Pricemetrix needed a Salesforce.com implementation but lacked the resources to hire an administrator. This project, as well as the creation of a corporate intranet using Sharepoint, and configuration and administration of a time keeping system using Replicon were passed on to me in the new role of Knowledge Systems Manager. I happily ramped up to speed on all projects and launched them functional, on-time and well under budget compared to a hired consultant.
I was able to take on that role, after having eliminated my own position of Production Manager, having improved efficiencies in delivery of the core analytical product to clients, decreasing errors by 85%, increasing volume by 250%, while reducing resources by 50%.
Event Management
Need to attract a crowd?
I have run several major sporting events over the
last 5 years. This involves all aspects of these major national and international events, including; permitting, security,
accommodation, food, transportation, partnership attraction/fulfillment, media relations, health & safety, promotion and budgeting.
The smallest of the events was for 600 guests, and the largest approximately 1600 guests with additional spectators over 2500 people.
In addition to these major sporting events, I have run and executed training sessions for community coaches, primarily educators themselves. I have also successfully run corporate training sessions for classes of 30 people on a wide variety of technical training topics that can be delivered in person, or on demand via the internet. Courses in public speaking, coaching, and human interaction support me in these endeavours.
Other Projects
Have a special project?
I love special projects. In many companies I have worked, I
often become the go to guy for unique one-off type projects. The sort where there is a problem, and ideas of how to solve it, but no
tried and true method. I excel in charting uncharted waters. My varied skillset, broad array of work experience, and creative and passionate
problem solving method lends itself well to these situations. In short, I am highly skilled at thinking outside the box.
I don't view this as the opportunity to write your own ticket however. I complete cost benefit analysis of technologies and solutions, capturing both technical and humanistic requirements and challenges to determine if change would increase productivity, profitability and/or morale prior to recommending a preferred solution.
Portfolio
Featured Work
A quick look at a couple of my website projects over the last 20 months.
Bytown Flatball Club
Bytown Flatball Club is a competitive travelling sports team based out of Ottawa, Ontario. With a six year history, they approached me about the possibility of designing and launching a new website to promote their brand and attract sponsorship. Created to be visually appealing, and always up todate with dynamic fresh content by incorporating feeds from Twitter and Flickr.
VC Ultimate - Online Store
VC Ultimate is an established brand, and one of the largest suppliers to club teams, leagues and events around the world. They had an existing marketing website and ordering system for their custom uniforms, but had not yet invested in an online storefront for their stock items. Building the store in under two weeks, and working on a commission basis, I created an online presence that proved their market and resulted in a new channel of revenue.
Knowledge Systems Management
While in my last full-time position, I undertook the configuration and management of three different applications, two of which are cloud based.
The Sharepoint implementation was primarily used to create an internal corporate intranet, which contained feeds from the file system on the network, training videos, social activities, reporting, human resources forms, and ticket tracking. The Replicon system was used throughout the organization, and required multiple levels of signoff and reporting, for both full-time employees and part-time casual labourers. The SalesForce.com implementation was leveraged by the customer service desk, sales team, internal IT department, and management.
PriceMetrix is a financial analytics firm which aggregates commission data for the financial retail brokerage industry and provides analysis to financial advisors and their management on how to improve their business. While they now have several products, their core deliverable remains these individualized financial advisor reports.
Production Management
When I was hired at PriceMetrix, they had 8 clients and were delivering against a 10-day delivery timeline with a full-time staff of 3 and a part-time staff of 3. Each month, a number of errors could be anticipated along with at least a couple of clients going out late or on time only due to heroic late-night efforts. Over the course of 4 years, I worked to change processes resulting in the eventual automation and reduction of my department. In 2010, with 16 clients, a 4-day delivery timeline and a staff of 1 FTE plus 2 part-time resources, and a record of no errors for a 6-month period, I was transitioned into a new role at the company to take on new portfolios.
Results
We had extensive reporting detailing every step of the process allowing us to identify bottle necks, and accurately report on progress with real numbers.
- decreased errors by 85%
- increased volume by 250%,
- reduced resources by 50%
Contact Information
If you would be interested in contracting my services, I am almost always up for another interesting project, time permitting. Email is the best method to contact me, either using the email address to the right.
- 416-487-7882
- 519-939-6246
- http://www.bluemccellan.com
- blue@bluemcclellan.com
- Download Resume
Download Resume
If your interest has been piqued, or if you simply prefer a more conventional resume, you can click below to download a copy of it.