HI! Welcome to my Bio

You've probably seen my name around a bit on this site, I am the President & CEO and founder of GATE Village -- GATE Village is the cumulation of my entire career in computers, it brings together everything I've learnt from IT administration, Customer Support, Human Resources, Marketing, Content Management, Mentoring, IT design, Software development, consultancy organizations, security, privacy, collaboration, and entrepreneurialism!

I believe myself to be somewhat of a unique creature, though I suppose many of us feel the same. I am as comfortable in mechanics' garage as I am in the boardroom and many points in between. Here are just some of the jobs I've held over the years:

1. I can (and do) perform virtually every trade in household construction (plumbing, electrical, structural, framing, finishing) to code
   1. I put myself through University running "Dave Does It All" a small handyman service
2.  I am a recognized world-wide expert in computer architecture, security and performance (mostly connected with Enterprise Content Management)
3. I've done virtually every job there is in the restaurant and hotel trade, from dishwasher to manager, cook to porter, bartender to busboy
4. I worked hanging tobacco leaves in kilns for three years running (a very physical job)
5. I planted 1,000+ trees a day for a couple summers
6. I've sprayed insulation, fixed car bodies, driven pizza deliveries, dug out basements by hand, helped build the largest indoor riding arena in Ontario, created business cards (one card at a time!), created, adressed, and sent 10s of 1,000s of Direct Mail literature (from raw stock)
7. I've worked in Computer Support departments, IT administration, software development, and software marketing
8. I am a dedicated family man with three great kids and a wife of nearly 20 years 

I am truly happy -- in short  I am a success story

I am aware of how arrogant that sounds, and I will admit to feeling very uncomfortable writing that for I think of myself as a humble man who rarely toots his own horn. But I can't very well purport to be an expert entrepreneur and not toot that horn just a bit, and when you consider that I left home and school at the age of 15 and spent the better part of the following decade trying to find various ways to court death -- there is no doubt in my mind but I have made a very good success out of life and I have done it my way, my own GATE Way to success if you will. But what has made me a real success has been my heartfelt desire to help others succeed in their job (or life situation as far as that goes). It might even be fairly characterized as selfless but it certainly isn't altruistic, it is what makes me happy!

So, GATE Village is my latest attempt to help an even greater number of people than I have in the past...I hope that I can help you too!

What Other People Think of me

Trust comes from knowledge, because knowledge is power! The Business Social Networking site called LinkedIn* is a good place to see what other's think of me where I have received more recommendations from previous peers, colleagues, managers, & clients than most people have connections in their network. "I am humbled and proud of those references, it wasn't something I milked at all, I just sent one email out to 200 of my connections asking them to say a few words if they thought I brought them value . It not only spoke volumes to me about what value I have brought to people, but it was that response that was the genesis of GATE."

I'll continue to update this bio over time, I have many interesting stories to tell about me, my life, my careers (yes, plural), my successes and my failures. I fancy myself a decent writer and I hope that you find this entertaining and educational.