At Microsoft, Steve helped pioneer the design of hypertext help systems that
paved the way for the design of today's web sites. He was lead designer for
the award-winning Microsoft Access and Basic help systems, and was a
charter member of the Visual Basic product team.
Later, Steve wrote documentation for Access programmers and became an Access
programmer himself, creating applications for his group at Microsoft and for a
growing list of clients outside the company.
Businesses and non-profit organizations use his affordable custom applications
to track their critical information, including customers and orders, lodging
reservations, real estate listings, donors and donations.
Since 1996, the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) has used his
race management application, Racetracker, to
produce accurate and timely results for its popular cross-country ski and
running races.
Before his years at Microsoft, Steve was a reporter and editor for newspapers
in Utah, Maine, and Massachusetts, and a technical writer in the database
group at Digital Equipment Corp. He holds a master's degree in journalism from
Boston University, a graduate certificate in technical writing from
Northeastern University, and a bachelor's degree in technical writing and creative writing
from Carnegie-Mellon University.
As principal of Smiling Country, Steve enjoys combining his technical, design, and
editorial expertise to help businesses succeed.
