March 2012 Update

It's been a while, here's a quick summary of some of my recent projects.  Most of my time recently has been dedicated to product managing MapQuest Developer Services.

MapQuest Developer Services
I've jumped into product management with both feet, taking on management of both the MapQuest APIs as well as the Developer Network.  Here are some highlights:

• Took over a product line that had been untouched for months, a declining user base complaining of product quality and a sales team with few leads. In under a year, I helped engineer a turnaround that included a 300% increase in lead conversion, a 115% increase in developer signups, vastly improved SEO, growing new business numbers and a sales team complaining of more leads then they can manage.
• Revamped licensing model to provide revenue growth opportunities as well as differentiate ourselves from Google - announcement of change in terms, terms overview
• Relaunched developer.mapquest.com, old site, new site
• Improved SEO on developer.mapquest.com from 0 first page results to 20+ (See "geocoding api", "traffic api", "javascript map")
• Streamlined developer sign-up process (see this video of the old signup process, compare with current)
• Released Android and iOS APIs, JavaScript API v7, Flex Mobile API
• Launched MapQuest Showcase App into Apple and Android app stores  
• Built analytics on product usage, Devnet usage and effective marketing channels using GetClicky, Salesforce and Microstrategy
• Dove into the open source mapping technologies (Leaflet, OpenLayers, PolyMaps, Mapnik, Tilemill, OSM) and attended events such as WhereCamp and FOSS4G to inform internal decisions

Economics

I also finished up over a year's worth of research with Eileen Norcross at the Mercatus Center. Last fall we released our working paper: Accounting for the Cost of a Public Sector Worker in New Jersey.  It's the first paper I'm aware of that attempts to estimate the full costs of public employees at the local level.  This includes correctly accounting for pension and OPEB costs as well as accrued liabilities at a risk-adjusted discount rate.  

Early in 2011 I also made the front page of Budget & Tax News, covering some of Governor Christie's reforms: "Caps Highlights Christie's NJ Reforms".

Last Fall I moved into the "elective" phase of my Master's degree and had the pleasure of taking Professor Coyne's Austrian Economics class.  Here's my term paper covering the full effects of government subsidy of alternative energy investments from an "Austrian" perspective. 

Current Projects - June 2010 Update

Currently, I'm working for MapQuest, studying Economics at George Mason and finishing up "Standards of Ethical Conduct".  See below for details.

Economics at George Mason
(Recent research) - The Cost of Public Sector Union Laws
Download the paper
Blog post

Summary:
Are public employees overpaid?  This paper looks at how the state and local legal environment affects compensation, comparing two states on opposite ends of the legal spectrum.  California, with friendly public union laws, is compared to North Carolina, where collective bargaining with public sector unions is banned.  These laws greatly affect the amount of unionization among public employees, as well as compensation. 

The paper estimates that California overpays their state and local employees by $49 billion a year when compared to North Carolina, which is more than the entire California state income tax.  Local employees are far more overpaid than state ones.  Vast overcompensation among firefighters causes new job openings within fire departments to attract thousands of applicants, who literally camp outside the firehouse for an opportunity to simply file an application. In Vallejo, a city in California that recently filed for bankruptcy, the average firefighter cost was nearly $270k per year.   

This overcompensation is not surprising when one examines the influence unions can have on elections and how public employee benefit costs can be pushed off into the future by politicians and bureaucrats.  Unlike private sector union negotiations, where ownership has a financial incentive to limit costs, in a public sector negotiation, both the union and the negotiating politician can benefit from meeting union demands.  The taxpayer is the only party truly interested in saving money.  Unfortunately, they are often ignorant of promises being made to public employees until years later, when the bill is due, and the benefits are legally guaranteed.  California is currently staring down budget shortfalls due to over 12 thousand public retirees receiving over $100k in pension benefits per year.   

This issue could become more serious, as a federal law is trying to guarantee the same legal rights that exist in California nationwide.


(Full-time job) MapQuest
Full-time role as the Senior Sales Engineer, supporting our sales team as well as working on strategic initiatives to improve the platform.  Wireless prototypes, improving the platform and developer sites and an SEM campaign are some of the things I am focusing on. Here is some of my recent work:

Tweets on a map (Designed and developed)
Webcast showing the new MapQuest Route Planner (Designed, recorded, edited)
Blog post announcing v6 of JavaScript SDK (Wrote, created graphics)
Emergency Planner Map Prototype (Designed and managed development)
Tour de Flex (Designed, developed and managed MapQuest samples)


(Film) "Standards of Ethical Conduct"

A 45-minute office comedy that debuted in 2009 and is currently available for both download and streaming (YouTube).  The movie received strong reviews, including:

“disarmingly sweet and funny” and “a refreshingly piss take on office culture”
    - Bret McCabe, Arts Editor, City Paper

"It's a tightly scripted and well acted exploration of the absurdities of the corporate world..."
    - Lisa Morgan, Co-Host of "The Signal" on National Public Radio

“this comical and tightly woven office film has universal appeal”
    - 5280 Magazine 

Official Movie Site - www.standardsofethicalconduct.com
Director's Blog - blog.dozapictures.com
YouTube Channel - youtube.com/dozapictures

Trailer