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PODS Enterprises LLC

Location: Clearwater, Florida
Duration: April 2017 – October 2021 (4 years, 7 months)
Employment Type: Full-time · Hybrid

Leading portable storage and moving solutions provider serving customers across North America, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Manager of Enterprise Web Development & Quality Assurance​

Duration: April 2021 – October 2021 (7 months)

Overview​

Led web development and QA operations during a critical growth period, managing internal and external development teams while driving significant improvements in website performance, conversion rates, and customer experience. Recognized as 1 of only 2 associates honored with the 2021 MVP Award for Innovation across the entire 600+ person organization.

Key Accomplishments​

Performance & Revenue Impact​

  • Transformed Speed Score - Raised Lighthouse Speed Score from 18 to 45 through targeted performance optimizations
  • Reduced Error Rates - Decreased website error rates by ~20% through systematic debugging and quality improvements
  • Increased Mobile Conversion - Improved mobile conversion rate from ~2% to ~7% (3.5x improvement)
  • Increased Desktop Conversion - Raised desktop conversion rate from ~9% to ~12% (33% improvement)
  • Elevated Online Revenue - Grew web-driven sales from ~20% to ~50% of all local orders by enhancing website functionality and user experience
  • Positioned Web as Primary Channel - Modernized booking and ordering systems, resulting in ~80% of orders starting online by Q2 2021

Team Leadership​

  • Directed Internal Team - Led 3 full-stack software engineers and 1 quality assurance analyst, coordinating daily operations and maintaining accountability for outcomes
  • Managed External Resources - Oversaw and leveraged third-party development team of 9 specialists, aligning internal and external workflows to expand project capacity and coverage

Major Initiatives​

  • Oversaw Booking Flow Migration - Led year-long migration project from legacy systems to Sitecore, architecting scalable and maintainable solution that became the primary customer entry point
  • Enhanced Digital Experience - Implemented improvements that fundamentally transformed the digital channel from supplementary to primary revenue driver

Senior Software Engineer​

Duration: April 2017 – April 2021 (4 years, 1 month)

Overview​

Evolved from sole developer to lead developer, establishing the foundation for modern development practices while delivering critical infrastructure projects. Built PODS' first Sitecore 9.0 Azure-hosted solution and successfully navigated rapid organizational growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Accomplishments​

Infrastructure & Architecture​

  • Delivered First Sitecore 9.0 Azure Solution - Architected and implemented company's first Sitecore 9.0 Azure-hosted solution, later upgrading to 9.3 in partnership with internal and external teams
  • Architected Complex Booking Flow - Designed and built comprehensive booking system combining Sitecore CMS with custom payment processing, real-time inventory management, and third-party logistics integrations
  • Introduced SDLC Patterns - Established development lifecycle patterns considering limitations of both legacy and modern applications, strengthening reliability of team development efforts

Legacy System Mastery​

  • Mastered Complex Legacy Codebase - Rapidly understood highly complex legacy codebase within months, accurately identifying coding patterns of multiple predecessors and enabling confident refactoring during major rebranding initiatives
  • Established Documentation Practices - Transitioned from sole developer to lead developer by creating documentation standards and coding guidelines, ensuring consistency across inherited and new systems

Payment & Integration Systems​

  • Modernized Payment Options - Integrated PayPal and Heartland/GlobalPay into legacy systems, extending transaction capabilities for customers
  • Collaborated on Platform Improvements - Influenced updates to web platforms with business owners and internal stakeholders, driving improvements in Lighthouse site metrics

Rapid Response & COVID-19 Adaptations​

  • Enabled Business Continuity - Responded to unprecedented organizational growth during COVID-19 pandemic by rapidly scoping, architecting, and deploying new features
  • Maintained Operations - Ensured continuous service delivery during period of explosive demand and operational challenges

Technologies & Skills Summary​

Core Technical Stack​

  • Languages: C#, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, SQL
  • Frameworks: ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC, Bootstrap 4, jQuery
  • CMS Platform: Sitecore 9.0/9.3
  • Cloud: Azure Cloud, Azure Web Apps
  • Database: SQL Server
  • Version Control: Git, Azure DevOps

Integrations & APIs​

  • Payment Processors: PayPal, Heartland/GlobalPay
  • Third-Party Logistics: Real-time inventory systems
  • Custom APIs: RESTful services for inventory and logistics

Architecture & Design​

  • Software Architecture & Solution Design
  • Cloud-Native Architecture on Azure
  • Legacy System Modernization
  • Enterprise Application Development
  • Performance Optimization
  • SDLC Implementation

Leadership & Management​

  • Team Leadership (3 engineers + 1 QA analyst)
  • External Vendor Management (9-person team)
  • Project Management & Coordination
  • Process Documentation & Standardization
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

Performance & Optimization​

  • Lighthouse Performance Auditing
  • Conversion Rate Optimization
  • Error Rate Reduction
  • Mobile-First Development
  • Progressive Enhancement

Notable Projects​

Booking Flow Migration​

Timeline: 12-month project (2020-2021)
Technologies: Sitecore 9.3, Azure Cloud, C#, SQL Server

Year-long architectural migration from legacy booking system to modern Sitecore-based solution:

  • Designed scalable and maintainable architecture
  • Integrated payment processing (PayPal, Heartland/GlobalPay)
  • Implemented real-time inventory management
  • Connected third-party logistics systems
  • Became primary customer entry point for 80% of orders by Q2 2021

Impact:

  • Positioned web channel as primary revenue driver
  • Enabled web-driven sales growth from 20% to 50% of local orders
  • Foundation for subsequent conversion rate improvements

Sitecore 9.0 to 9.3 Implementation & Upgrade​

Timeline: 2017-2021
Technologies: Sitecore 9.0/9.3, Azure Cloud, ASP.NET

Company's first Sitecore implementation on Azure:

  • Architected initial Sitecore 9.0 solution on Azure
  • Partnered with internal and external teams on cloud infrastructure
  • Successfully upgraded to Sitecore 9.3
  • Established patterns for future Sitecore development

Impact:

  • Modernized content management capabilities
  • Enabled marketing team autonomy
  • Established foundation for digital transformation

Performance Optimization Initiative​

Timeline: Q2-Q3 2021
Technologies: Lighthouse, Chrome DevTools, Azure

Systematic approach to website performance improvement:

  • Raised Lighthouse Speed Score from 18 to 45
  • Reduced error rates by ~20%
  • Improved mobile conversion from 2% to 7%
  • Increased desktop conversion from 9% to 12%

Impact:

  • Significantly improved user experience
  • Directly contributed to conversion rate increases
  • Reduced customer frustration and abandonment

Payment Integration Modernization​

Timeline: 2018-2020
Technologies: PayPal API, Heartland/GlobalPay API, Legacy Systems

Extended payment capabilities across legacy and modern systems:

  • Integrated PayPal payment processing
  • Implemented Heartland/GlobalPay integration
  • Maintained backward compatibility with legacy code
  • Ensured PCI compliance

Impact:

  • Expanded customer payment options
  • Improved checkout experience
  • Increased transaction success rates

COVID-19 Rapid Response Features​

Timeline: March-December 2020
Technologies: Sitecore, Azure, C#

Rapid development cycle to support unprecedented business growth:

  • Quickly scoped and architected new features
  • Deployed solutions to support demand surge
  • Maintained system stability during traffic spikes
  • Enabled business continuity during crisis

Impact:

  • Supported explosive business growth
  • Maintained customer service levels
  • Demonstrated system scalability

Awards & Recognition​

CEO Pinnacle Award for Innovation​

Issued by: PODS Enterprises - Kathy Marinello
Date: May 2021

"This award represents the highest honor, or pinnacle, of the PODS VIP program. After reviewing thousands of VIP nominations for the year, it became clear to the Senior Leadership Team that your contributions to the company put you at the top. Your exceptional performance and commitment to PODS Core Values were critical to our success in 2020 and I, as well as the Senior Leadership Team, are thrilled to have the opportunity to recognize your achievements and the value you bring to PODS. This award reflects not only our recognition, but also speaks highly to how others across the company view your performance and the important contributions you've made."

— Kathy Marinello, CEO

Summit Award of Excellence in Accountability​

Issued by: PODS Enterprises - Luci Rainey
Date: September 2020

Recognized for exceptional accountability and teamwork, consistently being available for help and guidance while finding the best solutions in all circumstances.

M.V.P. Certificate​

Issued by: PODS Enterprises - Luci Rainey/Paul Tucker
Date: December 2019

Recognized by Marketing Department upper management for dedication to the PODS website and efforts in ensuring its stability. Particularly acknowledged for work during the course of 2019 in maintaining critical systems.

Award of Excellence​

Issued by: PODS Enterprises - Briana Rittersporn
Date: May 2019

"Ariel went WELL above and beyond his duties to help solve an issue with the Canada website's urls that were affecting my campaigns. Instead of letting the issue continue because of slowness from a vendor, Ariel stepped up and took on the challenge himself to find a solution to the problem."

RESI Award​

Issued by: PODS Enterprises - David Redmond/Paul Tucker
Date: December 2018

Recognized by Marketing Department upper management for efforts in the web team, particularly for dedication to the PODS website and commitment to its stability and improvement.

Award of Excellence​

Issued by: PODS Enterprises - Samantha Heaps
Date: November 2018

"I was having a hard time coming up with a solution to solve a technical problem in the IT department. I reached out to Ariel for assistance and although this problem was not his to solve, or even part of his team responsibilities, he took it upon himself to help me come up with a solution."

Award of Excellence​

Issued by: PODS Enterprises - Briana Rittersporn
Date: November 2017

"Ariel went well above and beyond his job today to help me get code onto the PODS.com website to launch a campaign on time. He could sense my urgency, and stepped up without my asking to get the changes live quickly."