Contributors 211
Matt Secoske (omaha, nebraska, U.S.)
Matt Secoske is principal of Nimblelogic, LLC, a boutique software devel-
opment company dedicated to making kick-*** web applications. He blogs
at http://mattsecoske.com and is on Twitter as @secos.Richard Sheridan (Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.)
After only two years in business, Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innova-
tions, became the Forbes “Hire Yourself ” cover story for all those choos-
ing entrepreneurship over unemployment. The next year, it was a Wall
Street Journal article on the unique office Menlo uses for software design
and development. Within six years, Menlo had become one of Inc. 500’s
fastest-growing privately held firms in the U.S. What makes this story truly
remarkable is that it occurred against the backdrop of an IT industry that
everyone assumed was leaving the U.S. for offshore.
Sheridan’s team at Menlo breaks all the rules and, in doing so, produces
phenomenal results for its customers. No walls, offices, doors, or cubes—
one big open room, à la Edison’s original invention factory in Menlo Park,
New Jersey. In this noisy, fun atmosphere, Menlo has produced software
for all walks of industry, from health care to scientific equipment to high-
fashion e-commerce to diesel motor vehicle diagnostics, and many more.
Software developed by Menlo for its clients is designed for everyday people
by Menlo’s High-tech Anthropologists®, built to last by Menlo’s world-class
agile software development team, and managed by a set of professional
project managers listed among the nation’s 50 Most Prolific by the Project
Management Institute. Sheridan and Menlo have won numerous awards
and honors, and he and his team regularly are invited to present nation-
ally and internationally, sharing the secrets of the Menlo Software Factory™
with all who wish to learn how to build a learning organization that can
keep pace with today’s advances in software and design.Derry Simmel, PMP, MBA, FlMI (Chapin, South Carolina,
U.S.)
Derry Simmel has been in IT and project management for over 25 years.
Recently he has been creating PMOs, having built three in the last six years.
The latest of theses is for an $89 million program for the state of South Caro-
lina. Derry has an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BS in computer
science from the University of South Carolina. He currently serves as the
vice-chairman of membership for PMI’s Project Management Office Specific
Interest Group and as the VP of programs for the PMI Midlands Chapter.