Brent Russell

Programmer / Systems administrator / Angle investor / Traveler /Photographer

Brent Russell

I am a technology enthusiast and angle investor in the marketing, telecommunications, and cryptocurrency industries. I have over 15 years experience in information technology and am an expert software engineer with heavy experience programming in a Linux system environment. I'm also a systems and network administrator with MySQL and Microsoft SQL server experience. Currently I am the Chief Technology Officer for Coinlock and the founder of Voz Technologies LLC. Also noteworthy, I was the CTO and Co-Founder of Bleam Ventures until becoming a board member with Voip-PAL after it's acquisition, a major success early on in my IT and investment careers.

In addition to technology, I love to travel. I have been to almost every state in the USA (I have 3 left, ask me which ones), to 78 different countries and to every continent in the world. Through travel I have learned a few languages. English is my native language and I speak Spanish fluently. I have also learned a lot of Italian and Portuguese however, I have failed to use it and is very limited now. I have also perfected my self taught photography skills through all that travel.

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What I Do

Software Engineer

PHP has been my strong suite as it is easy and quick. I have used TCL on Cisco as5400 switches, VB.net, JavaScript, Jquery, Node.js, ColdFusion, HTML5, CSS3, VXML, Perl AGI, awk, C++ and more. I also have some exposure to C# and Java but I am no expert. It seems I am always learning and using a new API: Twitter API, Facebook API, Proxies API, TD Ameritrade API, Cloudflare API, Solidity smart contracts and many others. There are a slue of other libraries and systems I have used and there are too many to list them all here.

Systems and Network Administration

Since 2004 I have been managing Linux systems; Redhat, Fedora, Suse, Ubuntu, Centos and more. I am an expert with DHCP, DNS, Apache, Nginx, memcache, Varnish, MySQL, MariaDB, iptables and more. I have experience in cloud based systems such as AWS and managing dedicated servers. I have also performed as a Network Administrator for an all Windows network and mixed networks including Mac OSX.

Angel Investing

Over the past few years I have been an investor in a few projects. Most notably my own projects and those I have co-founded leading to acquisitions such as in the case of Bleam Ventures. Currently I have stepped out of my normal investment comfort zone and have become an angel investor in a natural resources and commodities startup in Puerto Rico.

IT Business Analyst

Through each of the startups I have been involved in, cash has been tight. I have been thrown into creating budgets, forecasts, and IT strategies that have to be aggressive and effective to survive in an industry full of sharks. I have added many business tools to my arsenal such as Google Analytics, Salesforce, Slack, Visio, Excel, Photoshop, and so much more.

Testimonials

Brent is one of the most innovative programmers I've ever had the opportunity to work with. I'm not qualified to comment on his breadth of knowledge because I'd be sure to miss something. Brent can whip out clean, complex code with his eyes closed while solving tech problems over the phone - I've been a witness. He is nothing short of a prodigy in his field.

Jordan Delgado

Sr. UI/UX Designer & Art Director

Without Brent, our projects would have been a much more difficult battle. He has the ability to notice possible barriers and detour around them guaranteeing success. With Brent on your team you know things are going to get done, unfortunately that is not something that can be said for everyone in IT.

Alan Friedland

Chairman and Founder of FinTech Investment Group

I have had the opportunity to work with Brent on a number of different projects and one thing I can tell you that makes him stand out is the ideas which he makes a reality. Brent has always been on my list of people I confide in when problems arise and an expert is needed.

Vladislav Petrovskiy

Systems Engineer

Resume

17 Years of Experience

Experience

2017 - Current

Coinlock Mumbai, India London, England Miami, FL

Chief Technology Officer, Stakeholder

Architected the infrastructure of the CoinLock.com trading platform and created specifications for CoinLock's development structure. Spec'd and started office location in Mumbai, India. Hired, trained, and managed a team of engineers, human resources, and support staff with astronomical cost savings over their US based conterparts. I later managed the migration of development and operations to a home based enviroment due to Covid-19. Advised on blockchain best practices and cryptocurrency community culture. Forecasted and reported IT development and budget forcasts. Liased with 3rd parties such as Bitgo, Kingdom Trust, XHUB, and Bosonic to create B2B tech specification.

2008 - Current

Voz Technologies Digital Nomad

Founder / Programmer / SysAdmin / Everything else

Voz Technologies started as an automated web marketing system I created which scraped information from classified ad websites and presented it with affiliate marketing advertisements. It has grossed over 2 million dollars to date. Later, in 2016 through Voz Technologies I started investing in crypto currencies and creating stock trading algorithms. Voz Technologies has since become a catch all company for ventures I am involved in.

2009 - 2012

Bleam Ventures Las Vegas, Nevada

Co-Founder and CTO

Self-funded, developed and maintained all aspects of CallArc.com/FreeCreditPhone.com (now defunct after multiple acquisitions) including business models, marketing, phone system API’s, websites, and databases. Bleam Ventures was successfully earning a profit 6 months after its launch in 2010 with no debt and no investments. It was acquired by Voip-PAL (VPLM) in 2011 with over 60,000 subscribers.

2007 - 2008

Tollfreeforwarding.com Los Angeles, California

Senior Applications Engineer

Maintained the existing Coldfusion software and oversaw the development and architecture of new software supporting the mission of TollFreeForwarding.com. Managed all telecom and IP systems. I developed the backbone software which makes up the core systems for the Tollfreeforwarding business model using Cisco AS5400 switches, TCL, php and VB.NET.

2006 - 2007

Mobile Messenger Sydney, Australia Los Angeles, California

Lead Application Developer

Started the IT department in the US by liaising with the Sydney office. Developed IVR systems needed for telecom operations in the US. Provided guidance for other programmers and IT staff. Administered high traffic Linux Apache servers and Windows IIS servers. Domain Controllers, Exchange, DNS, DHCP etc.

2004 - 2005

Science Center of Iowa Des Moines, Iowa

Network Administrator

Served as the only person in IT tasked with administering domain controllers, exchange servers, DNS, DHCP, IIS, veritas backup systems, voip phone system, Cisco Pix firewall, printers, and desktop support for a 150+ workstation network. Developed Digistar dome theater software that became a major exhibit and was featured at many science centers around the world.

Education

Books and Online Courses, Self Learning

2020

Cryptozombies Online

Solidity Path: Beginner to Intermediate Ethereum Smart Contracts

Cryptozombies brings you through a fun game like course that teaches smart contracts allowing you to have your own crypto zombie on the blockchain, mimicking the controversial cryptokitties ERC20 token.

2020

Udemy Online

Business Analysis Fundamentals

Creating business cases that align with business objectives. Modeling diagrams for project documentation. Project requirement specifications. Waterfall and Agile frameworks

2020

Udemy Online

The Macroeconomics Course 2020

Aggregate Output and Economic Growth. Business Cycles. Monetary and Fiscal Policy. International Trade and Capital Flows.

2019

Brady Raanes Book

In Light of Yesterday: The Backstory of the Global Economy

The events that have shaped the global economy, by exploring pivotal events in the US, Europe, Japan, China and Latin America.

2019

Udemy Online

The Python Mega Course: Build 10 Real World Applications

Teaches everything to get a developer up and running then giving instruction while taking you through 10 applications from web scrapping, a bookstore application interfacing a database, a mobile app, a motion detector, a portfolio website like this one here and more.

2015

Fred McAllen Book

Charting and Technical Analysis

Understanding price and market movments through the technical analysis of trading charts. Core trading concepts of indicators such as moving averages, RSI, and bollinger bands. How to identify shifts in market direction with resistance, support, and how to find other indicators such as head and shoulders, bull flags, wedges, cup and handle and more.

2013

David Amerland Book

Google Semantic Search: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Techniques used by companies to obtain higher search engine rankings in turn boosting trafick and revenue.

2009

Kevin Mitnick Book

The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind Exploits

2007

Chetan Sharma Book

VoiceXML: Professional Developer's Guide

Bridges the gap for developers wanting to get started building voice application with VXML.

2007

Tony Bautts Book

Linux Network Administrator's Guide, 3rd Edition

An overview of Linux networking, common services such as DHCP, Bind DNS, openSSH, Sendmail, IPTables, Samba, LDAP, and more. Instruction on basic hardware installation, wireless networking and troubleshooting in a Linux environment.

2004

Julie C. Meloni Book

Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache

This book teaching the groundwork for someone to get started with the Apache webserver on Linux. It then teaches how to use php and Mysql to build web applications.

Formal Education, Professional Training

2004

Kaplan University Des Moines, Iowa

Networking and Systems Administration AAS

Course work consisted of typical computer science classes with an emphasis in Linux administration and Windows networks. Database and VB.net were also a part of the curriculum.

2004

New Horizons Des Moines, Iowa

Macromedia Flash MX Professional I and II

Creating and manipulating flash objects, advanced animation techniques, ActionScript, planning and creating Flash projects.

2000

United States Air Force Sheppard AFB, Texas

Aerospace Ground Equipment

This 6 month intensive training program given to enlisted military is a set of classes teaching electrical schematics and theory, HVAC, and hydraulics. Many certifications are obtained during this course such as EPA section 608 and 609. It's purpose is to get Airmen ready to perform their job in the field after boot camp. Classes are 8 hours a day while under the eye of strict military training leaders.