MightyMerchant Services & Features > About > Meet Our Web Development Team

Meet the MightyMerchant Web Development Team

Datahost, Inc., the creators of Mighty Merchant, is based in Springfield, Oregon and has been providing top-level technical services to nationwide clients since 1996.

Our Goal

We believe getting your business online should be a fun and stress-free adventure for you. We love getting to know you, learning about your business, and putting together great websites. Our goal is to provide business owners with straight-forward, comprehensive, and affordable Internet services that produce positive financial results.

Staci Schipporeit

Co-Owner and Software Architect

I'm Staci, creator of our hosted eCommerce platform, MightyMerchant. I have been fascinated with computers since I got my first Radio Shack TRS-80 back in the 70's. I graduated with a CIS degree from the University of Oregon in 1987 and I've been writing database driven software applications non-stop since then.

After graduating, I spent a few years at the UO writing conference and course registration software, then moved onto mortgage origination software and sprinkled in several vertical market applications as an independent consultant. I've been developing software for the web for about 10 years.

Professionally, I love user-interface design, ideas, marketing, OOP, php, social networking and all things internet. I love to create software that is transparent so you don't have to think about how to use it, it just works as you expect it to.

Personally, I love spending time with my three kids, gardening, playing volleyball, tennis and soccer, working outdoors, reading and doing art.

Michael Stearns

Co-Owner, CEO, and Thumbs-Up Guy

I am Michael Stearns - the co-owner, jack-of-all-trades, and head cheerleader at MightyMerchant. My main areas of responsibility include System Architecture, Technical Administration, Customer Support, and doing anything and everything it takes to keep our customers' websites ticking along.

Since Al Gore has already laid claim to founding the Internet, I can't take the credit for that one, but I have been a die-hard Internet user since the early days. Prior to founding MightyMerchant, I worked as an Internet Technical Writer at the University of Oregon and went on to be the lead designer and maintainer of the University's central website. My initial focus of doing visual design and writing content has evolved into a much more technical one. My primary interest, as far as computing goes, is how people can use computers to improve the quality of communication.

For the past half dozen years my life has been focused on our Internet business, my wife and 3 kids, and our 17 acre mini-farm in Oregon. Sometimes this is a hard act to balance. But I am never at a loss for something fun and interesting to do.

While the Internet has been a very fast rags-to-riches-to-rags story for many participants in the dot-com craze, Datahost has taken a slow and steady approach to building our business. We like to think of ourselves as the Heinz Ketchup of Internet companies. We invite you to give us a try!

Kathy Smith

Lead Designer

After a previous life as an RN, I graduated in 1997 from the University of Oregon with a degree in English and a certificate in Electronic Publishing. Since that time, I have worked as a graphic and web designer.

I have been a web designer with MightyMerchant since Feb 2003 and think I have the best job around. I enjoy creating websites that look good and function well, and MightyMerchant's software features make that easy.

In my free time I like to watch movies, hang out in the backyard, and spend time with my husband. And I'm always up for a good game of Guitar Hero (yes, I am a rock goddess).

Carrie Todd-Michelson

Customer Care Specialist

I joined the Datahost/MightyMerchant/HEROweb Marketing and Design Team in Oct 2005. My daily tasks are customer relations, domain management, bookkeeping, administrative support to the office team, and reception.

My work history includes variety, human resources, customer service, medical billing, retail sales, and floral.

When I am not juggling a busy schedule, taxiing teenagers, caring for 3 cats, a puppy, and 3 fish tanks, I enjoy gardening, and growing pretty colorful dahlias. With two active teenagers, my volunteer efforts are endless at Pleasant Hill High School, and the Pleasant Hill Community Theatre.

As a family my husband, and 2 daughters love vacationing in Maui, camping, and trips to the beach.

Kathleen Boynton

Web Developer

I have always been interested in technical pursuits especially when they are combined with creativity.

In the mid-1980's and early 1990's I went to school for Recording Engineering in Ohio and British Columbia, Canada. Music has always been a major passion in my life and Recording Engineering was a perfect fit. However, after school opportunities in the recording studios were limited. Before long I found myself working for a cable television company in Central Oregon. The first eight years I worked in cable advertising on the technical side of things and the last eight years I worked in web development.

In 2006, after 16 years it was time for a change so I moved to the Willamette Valley and began working here at HEROweb.

When I'm not creating websites, some of my favorite things are being with my family, doing genealogy research, going to concerts, reading books, baking and playing golf (not very well).

Dave W. Reed

Internet Marketing Specialist

I joined the HEROweb/MightyMerchant team in mid-2009 as an online-marketing specialist, an industry I have been a part of for 5 years.

I came to Eugene from Salem in 1997 to attend the University of Oregon. Since then, I have worked in such varied fields as high-energy physics, campus ministry, jewelry manufacturing, and search-engine marketing.

When I'm not dazzling the HEROweb team with my PPC and Shopping Feed prowess, I am likely to be found on my bike, gathering vegetable scraps to feed to my worm compost bin, enjoying a good book at the Beanery, or keeping up my Urban Greenery blog.

Nekhia Christian

Web Projects Facilitator

Oregon born and raised, I graduated from the University of Oregon in 1999 with a specialization in entrepreneurship, a passion for business, and experience running a franchise of a home painting business. It was the height of the dotcom boom, and I jumped in and started a web services company up in Seattle specializing in websites and Internet marketing for brick & mortor small businesses.

After 10 interesting, rewarding, and successful years working with great businesses all over the Puget Sound & Pacific Northwest, I decided it was time to move on and try new things. It had been awhile since I spent much time with my family, so I came to back to Oregon for an extended visit, and ended up deciding to stay. My entrepreneurial sprit, as well as my interest in the Internet, has continued through my own eCommerce business: www.DiffuserStore.com.

I had been missing working with clients and helping to improve their businesses; then I found HEROweb/MightyMerchant. They are a company that shares my values of genuinely caring about helping their customer's businesses over the long term. I like them so much in fact, that not only am I now part of the HEROweb/MightyMerchant team, I am also a client myself.

I look forward to putting my wealth of experience and knowledge to work growing HEROweb/MightyMerchant and improving our client's/your businesses.

Robert Asumendi

Web Developer

A nomadic path not unlike the plot line of The Alchemist brought me to the Willamette Valley in 2005, where I've met enough great people to convince me that this is Home. For a guy who started life among seemingly-endless Midwestern cornrows, this is a pretty amazing corner of the world.

My background in advertising design covers a variety of skills in addition to Web design and development, including brand identity, print design, art direction, packaging, and promotional merchandising.

I am well into my second decade of building Web sites. I joined the HEROweb/MightyMerchant team in 2010 because after having seen it all, I'm qualified to say we offer a really unique, bulletproof combination of people and technology. That's such a rare thing in this industry. I leave the office every day impressed with what we do.

Almost all of my spare time is spent salsa dancing and promoting the local salsa scene. I try to plug the holes in my dance schedule volunteering down at Food for Lane County.

Julie Schulte

Website Developer

Julie lives with her husband and dance-partner in Eugene, OR. She has degrees in Psychology and Computer Science as well as a minor in journalism. With an educational background like that it is no surprise that she enjoys interacting with clients just as much as she enjoys the development itself.
Her experience includes Project Management, Advertising and Information Management, Technical Support for Users, Layout, Typesetting and Copy-Editing, Programming, and Running and Marketing a small business.
She enjoys home-brewing, hiking, biking, and playing soccer. Julie is also a volunteer radio host at the public radio station KLCC in Eugene.

Barrett Avery

Web Programmer

My name is Barrett Avery. I was raised in a military family, born in Brindisi, Italy and spending much of my youth in the beautiful state of Alaska. Up in Alaska I lived on the Air Force Base in Anchorage, Elmendorf, for about five years then moved out to the Matsu. Valley in Wasilla, which is about 40 miles north of Anchorage. I loved it up there and hope to visit in a few years. Right after my 16th birthday my father retired from the Air Force, after over 22 years of service, and we moved down to the Denver area of Colorado. At first I did not like Colorado much, it was not Alaska after all. But once I made a few friends, one of them becoming my wife after a few years, Colorado was not so bad after all. My wife and I got married when we were 19 years old and have been happily married for over 11 years.

As the population began to grow in the Denver area my wife and I started looking for a quieter place to settle down, Denver was just too big. We both love to hike and I am really into nature photography, so Oregon was a natural choice. There are not many places in the U.S. where you have a temperate rain forest; snow capped mountains, glaciers, a pristine coastline and desert architecture all within an hour's drive. We have been living here in Oregon for about 10 years and are loving it! We spend much of our leisure time either cuddled up with one or more of our six cats, playing with our dog Tod, working in our garden or out exploring the natural wonders Oregon has to offer.

I have been into computers since I was in elementary school, running on the old Apple Classics. Since then I have self-trained myself in various web development languages, such as PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, and a bit of Java as well as recently earning my Bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix. I also really enjoy building computer from scratch. Or, as in most cases, take dead computers and bring them back to life. On top of being an all around geek, I also enjoy playing Adventure RPG video games such as the Final Fantasy series when I get a chance.

Greg Gant

Web Developer

Like most Oregonians, I'm originally from California. I started my college tour at Art Institute of Seattle and made my way back south where I (eventually) graduated from University of Oregon with a degree in Digital Arts. At this point in my life, I'm pretty sure I'm Eugenian as I consider skateboarding a legit means of alternative transportation, I can't ever get enough Thai food, and I aspire to one day put solar panels on my house.

My life prior to Heroweb has been working primarily in education on the tech side of things. I enjoy skating, running, hiking, music, eating anything absurdly hot, listening to too much NPR, and watching the Ducks (preferably winning).

Johnathan Curry

Web Programmer

Originally from Alaska, I moved to Oregon in 2007 with the love of my life.

My formal education and experience is in entrepreneurial management, information design, and website development. I began programming websites in 2002 as a paid hobby which quickly morphed into a lifetime obsession. All of my formal and self directed education revolves around architecting the perfect online experience.

I maintain a very active lifestyle full of bicycling, running, hiking, camping, dancing, and anything else that involves laughter and adrenaline. I really enjoy political and economic history, intellectual conversations about quantum mechanics, scalar technology, and theoretical discussions about where we came from. If I had not become an Internet enthusiast I would have pursued a career in the material sciences.

"When you want something you have never had, you have to do something you have never done."

Teija Stearns

Intern

Hi, my name is Teija and I am back for my fourth summer working in the family business. I've observed the growth of this business since an early age (when it was only Mom and Dad working out of the basement in our house) Working at HEROweb/MightyMerchant has taught me so much and it has been a great experience working here!

I just graduated from Pleasant Hill High School where designing the yearbook consumed most of my time. This fall I will attend the University of Oregon. I like photography, running, tennis, reading, playing piano, hiking, and surfing the web.

Quinn Stearns

Intern

Hi, I'm Quinn, and this is my second summer working at HEROweb/MightyMerchant. This year I've graduated from performing basic tasks in the office to heading up video production. In the fall I will be a junior at Pleasant Hill High School. I participate in cross country, track, and chess at school. In my spare time I enjoy playing tennis and making videos with my friends.

Megan Faber

Intern

This is my first summer at HEROweb/MightyMerchant and so far it has been great. I've been learning all the basics and working on a variety of projects. I just finished my sophomore year at Pleasant Hill High School, where I am a part of the volleyball team as well as various clubs. This year I had an amazing experience traveling to New Zealand, for 6 weeks of visiting friends and seeing as many of the sights as possible. I also enjoy reading, camping, canoeing, skiing and hiking.