OpenConcept strives to provide everything you need to build an effective web site for your organization.
Our team is dedicated to high-quality service. We work to ensure that your web publications have the greatest impact for your target audience.
The team at OpenConcept emphasizes the importance of developing a positive relationship with our clients and the community.
All of the members of our team are active members of our communities. We all devote a portion of our time and resources to the environment, human needs, and education.
We also work with you to meet the needs of your organization and staff. It is more important than ever that the content of your web site is kept up-to-date. This is why OpenConcept works with dynamic, database driven sites. Using the proven technology of Drupal CMS, clients can have the option to update their site directly through a simple online interface.
We collaborate on projects to provide you with web services that meet your particular needs. Our services include: hosting, domain name registration, design and layout, multimedia, interactive scripting and programming, network security and more.
Mike Gifford, President
Mike Gifford is the founder of OpenConcept Consulting Inc, which he started in 1999. Since 2000, he has been particularly active in developing and extending open source content management systems to allow people to get closer to their content. Mike has been very active in building online campaigns for progressive organizations and politicians in both Canada and the United States. Working with a wide range of organizations, OpenConcept is in a unique position to build community and share the accumulated knowledge from a variety of sectors. Before starting OpenConcept, Mike had worked for a number of national NGOs including Oxfam Canada and Friends of the Earth.
As a techie at heart, Mike likes to get into the code when he gets the chance. Being familiar with everything from accessibility issues to system administration provides the ability to understand the technological big picture. Being ultimately concerned though about the implementation and implications of the technology he is able to envision how your website can become a much more powerful communications tool for your organization.
Mike has been involved with accessibility issues since the early 1990's and is a strong advocate for standards based design.
Eliot Che
Eliot has worked closely with clients on a number of important projects including CUPE National, IDRC, Women's Learning Partnership, and Octopus Books. Although working primarily on design & implementation, Eliot has also done substantial work providing customized programming for various clients. Socially, his current interests include subversive forms of art activism and un-training his dog, Max. Academically, he studies the political implications of technological transformation and the social effects of virtual space.
Ethan Chiddicks, B. Eng.
Ethan has worked on a number of module development projects, including a job tracking module for Union Web Services. Ethan spends his spare time tinkering with his bicycle, cooking, and enjoying Camp Neekaunis. His other interests include culture jamming, the idea of open everything, and building things.
Joe Stewart
Joe has been doing Server Administration, Drupal and Back-End support work with OpenConcept since 2003. Joe has worked closely on bilingual and multi-lingual code with the WLP & FIS. Backed with a BSEE from many moons ago, he has applied technical training and a thirst for knowledge into the crazy world of internet applications programming and support. He's been providing support and programming for websites since 1998. He and his daughter explore the outdoors above and below ground by hiking to area caves and then climbing and crawling through them.
Pawel Skorupski, B. CompSc
Pawel demonstrates his programming versatility with Drupal, PHP and mySQL on a daily basis . Working with a number of high profile clients at Environment Canada, Industry Canada, Canadian Labour Congress and Aboriginal Sports Council he has also become our standard bearer for client training and assistance. Pawel is extremely patient and very skilled at his craft, regularly making Drupal content management and site administration training interesting and fun. Pawel enjoys rock-climbing and mountaineering.
Ron Schnider, B. Comm
Ron has been creating websites since 1996. His areas of expertise are Drupal website development and management, eCommerce, database management and CRM programming. Ron's life passions are parenting, biking, yoga, community website building, cooperative development and organic farming.
Russell McOrmond
Russell is the Founder of Flora Community Web and has been hosting progressive web sites since 1995. Russell is especially familiar with Web databases, application servers, and server side scripting. However, his skills are not limited to server administration, as he has years of experience working with organizations like Make Poverty History & the Sierra Club working to see that their campaigns are a success. In his spare time he is also the Policy Coordinator for CLUE - The Canadian Association for Open Source.
Steve McCullough, PhD, Chief Technical Officer
Steve works on a wide range of Drupal/CiviCRM development & server administration activities. A long-time computer guy, his technical experience has included scientific programming in Fortran, web development in ASP and PHP, and business programming in S/370 assembler (really!). Steve holds a doctorate in English Literature and works regularly as a sex educator with Venus Envy, an education-oriented sex shop and book store (where he is also the IT department).
Varun Baker
Varun has done work on such projects as Volunteer Canada, the Canadian Labour Congress and EBMtools. From design to programming and support, Varun uses his computer science background to deliver simple but functionally rich client interfaces.
Varun is an advocate for the use of Open Source software in cases where licensing costs can be avoided. Outside of this, his interests and activities include the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira and freelance photography.
Devin Johnstone
Devin brings along his experience in public and arts administration (National Art Centre, Ottawa Fringe Festival) as well as his experience designing and maintaining web sites. He is an advocate of open source software and sustainable living. When not in the office, he is working hard as a singer/songwriter in the folk genre.
