Case Studies

Systems that perform, at the scale that matters

Every engagement below started with a system that couldn't keep up — and ended with architecture that changed what was possible. These aren't project summaries. They're proof.

876% Performance Increase

88% Cost Reduction

60K+ Concurrent Users

50 States Deployed

01 Government / Public Safety

NERIS Platform

FSRI / UL Research Institutes · Lead Software Engineer · 2022-Present

50 States National Scale

1M+ Data Points

The Situation

The U.S. had no unified system to collect, analyze, and visualize fire department incident data across all 50 states. Data was fragmented across thousands of local departments, making national-scale analysis impossible and leaving policy decisions uninformed by real evidence.

Why It Mattered

Without a national data platform, fire departments couldn't benchmark performance, identify emerging threats, or allocate resources effectively. Every year, critical patterns in fire incidents went undetected. Policy makers were flying blind, and the cost was measured in lives and property lost to preventable incidents.

The Approach

Architected the front-end for NERIS, a national platform aggregating incident data. Built progressive data loading patterns that render complex visualizations in under 2 seconds, even on 3G connections. Translated government stakeholder requirements into scalable technical solutions, working alongside a team of researchers, programmers, data scientists and other subject matter experts to process near real-time public safety reporting.

The Result

Deployed across all 50 states, processing 1M+ data points. Achieved near realtime visualization rendering on constrained networks. Enabled data-driven decisions at a local abd national scale for the first time at this speed and accessibility.

02 Enterprise SaaS

Ironforge Platform

Ironforge · Head of Engineering · 2022-2023

876% Performance Increase

88% Cost Savings

60K+ Concurrent Users

The Situation

Ironforge's monolithic Express.js backend was buckling under growth. API response times averaged 4.2 seconds, infrastructure costs were spiraling, and the platform couldn't handle the concurrent user load their sales team was closing.

Why It Mattered

Every slow API call was a customer considering the competitor. At 4.2 seconds per request, users were abandoning workflows mid-task. The engineering team was stuck in a cycle of patching symptoms while the monolith grew more fragile. Scaling up meant scaling costs linearly — an unsustainable trajectory that threatened the company's ability to grow.

The Approach

Led a complete architectural transformation: decomposed the monolith into event-driven Lambda functions, introduced Redis caching at strategic data paths, and implemented EventBridge for asynchronous processing. Built the infrastructure with AWS CDK for repeatable, version-controlled deployments. Introduced serverless observability and detailed documentation for the team.

The Result

API response times dropped from 4.2s to 430ms — an 876% improvement. Infrastructure costs fell by 88%. The platform scaled to handle 60K+ concurrent users with auto-scaling that matched demand without manual intervention. Took Ironforge from an idea to an enterprise-grade product.

"I had the pleasure of working with Edithson at Ironforge, where he consistently showcased exceptional technical expertise, leadership, and adaptability. Edithson's contributions were instrumental in taking Ironforge from an idea to an enterprise-grade product, and I have no doubt he will continue to excel in any role he's tasked with. Highly recommended!"

Samuel Klehr Global Head of BD and Sales, Ironforge

03 Events / Enterprise

Freeman OnlineEventPro

Freeman Company · Serverless Lead Architect · 2020-2022

88% Cost Savings

60,000+ Concurrent Users

0.00001% Error Rate

The Situation

Freeman's OnlineEventPro platform was hemorrhaging infrastructure costs and couldn't reliably handle peak event loads. Fortune 500 clients were running events with tens of thousands of concurrent participants, and the platform's authorization system added 120ms of latency to every single request.

Why It Mattered

When 60,000 people join a live event simultaneously, every millisecond of latency compounds. Slow auth checks meant delayed page loads, failed real-time interactions, and frustrated attendees at high-profile corporate events. With a projected 100+ shows per year, infrastructure costs were unsustainable — and one major outage during a client's flagship event could end the relationship.

The Approach

Rearchitected the SaaS offering from the ground up via Digispire Group. Implemented NoSQL Single Table Design and event-driven, async workflows. Designed a claims-based authorization architecture using Lambda@Edge, moving access control to the CDN edge and eliminating 120ms per request. Introduced Infrastructure as Code with AWS CDK, serverless observability, and detailed documentation for future team members. Trained development teams and business leaders on the benefits of serverless.

The Result

Infrastructure costs dropped by 88% per show. Performance increased from 750 concurrent calls to over 60,000+. QA reported they were unable to break the system. The error rate dropped to 0.00001125%.

"Edithson and I worked together at Freeman where he was a contractor for Digispire Group. I had the opportunity to work with him for two years, on Freeman's virtual platform OnlineEventPro. Edithson was amazing to work with and has impeccable communication. He was a major contributor in our authorization design and serverless implementation as a part of the OnlineEventPro product. Edithson is a valuable contributor, team member, and he would be an asset to any team."

Renee McInnis Product Manager, Freeman Company

04 Technology / AR

Project Tango — Sky Island AR Experience

Digispire Group · Lead Developer & 3D Artist · 2016

The Situation

Google's Project Tango platform offered groundbreaking AR capabilities but was new territory with limited documentation. We needed to build interactive AR demos that accurately mapped virtual objects to physical space while running smoothly on mobile hardware.

Why It Mattered

Each SDK update introduced breaking changes, and the physical-to-virtual scale calibration was critical — objects needed to feel naturally placed in real-world environments. The hardware and software limitations meant constant prototyping and adaptation.

The Approach

Built multiple demos with different scale ratios to calibrate physical and virtual space. Used raw geometries and basic lighting for rapid prototyping, running prototype after prototype to test how hardware and software held up. Models were created in Modo and ZBrush, textured in Substance Designer and Painter, then optimized for mobile AR rendering in Unity 3D.

The Result

Delivered working AR demos on Google Project Tango hardware with accurate real-world scale mapping, demonstrating the viability of AR product visualization and interactive experiences on mobile devices.

05 Media / Entertainment

truTV Responsive Redesign

truTV · Senior Software Engineer · 2015

The Situation

After the first redesign, truTV needed a second comprehensive overhaul to create a fully responsive/reactive site. The existing codebase had accumulated unnecessary code that impacted performance and developer productivity.

Why It Mattered

The site needed to serve a growing mobile audience while the codebase had become difficult for engineers to maintain and extend. Speed, reusability, and documentation were all lacking.

The Approach

Worked with truTV's engineering team to strip out all unnecessary code and create a more efficient codebase structure. Delivered a comprehensive overhaul using SASS and RequireJS with much-needed documentation covering the full architecture.

The Result

Delivered a responsive truTV.com with a clean, documented codebase optimized for both speed and reusability, enabling truTV's team to maintain and extend the site independently.

06 Media / Entertainment

truTV2GO — TV Everywhere Platform

truTV · Senior Software Engineer · 2014

The Situation

truTV needed to bring their content to TV Everywhere (TVE) — allowing authenticated subscribers to watch live and on-demand content from any device. The system needed to function as a scalable web app in single-page mode while also being flexible enough to exist as standalone widgets embeddable on any page.

Why It Mattered

This wasn't just a video player — it required authentication and authorization models, real-time feed integration, and a modular architecture that could serve content in multiple contexts without code duplication.

The Approach

Built a full Backbone application with templates, event systems, pub/sub messaging, services, and authentication/authorization models — all on RequireJS and Grunt with SASS. The modular architecture allowed the same components to run as a complete SPA or be dropped into existing pages as independent widgets.

The Result

Delivered a production TV Everywhere platform enabling truTV subscribers to access live and on-demand content across devices, with a component architecture that scaled across multiple page contexts.

07 Technology / Product Visualization

Interactive 3D Product Showroom

Digispire Group · 3D Artist & Developer · 2013

The Situation

Traditional product marketing relied on static photography and print collateral. Interactive 3D experiences could extend user reach across devices — online and offline — but required solving the fundamental tension between visual fidelity and runtime performance.

Why It Mattered

High-resolution models in ZBrush could reach millions of polygons — great for detail but unusable in real-time applications. The models needed to stream over the web and run in Unity 3D while maintaining visual quality, requiring sophisticated optimization workflows.

The Approach

Developed a full pipeline: high-res sculpting in ZBrush, retopology in Topogun, UV creation in 3D Coat, scale matching in Maya, and texture baking in Substance Designer for normal maps, ambient occlusion, and diffuse maps. Used Substance Designer's non-destructive workflow to create procedural textures with exposed parameters, including custom normal maps from vector files. Cloth physics simulations added natural draping to textile elements.

The Result

Delivered a real-time 3D showroom running in Unity 3D and deployable to web, demonstrating that high-fidelity product visualization was viable for interactive marketing, sales presentations, and e-commerce applications.

08 Education / Training

Fire Safety Training Module

Digispire Group · 3D Artist & Developer · 2014

The Situation

Traditional fire safety training relied on static materials and videos that failed to engage learners. An interactive approach could walk users through equipment features and usage in a more memorable, hands-on format.

Why It Mattered

Training modules need to balance visual fidelity with accessibility — they must run on standard hardware while looking professional enough to be taken seriously in corporate and institutional settings.

The Approach

Part of a larger fire safety training module, built an interactive walkthrough of fire extinguisher features and usage tips. Modeled in Modo with textures created in Substance Designer, then assembled as an interactive experience in Unity 3D. Users could rotate, zoom, and interact with the extinguisher model while following guided training steps.

The Result

Delivered an interactive training module that demonstrated the viability of 3D gamification for corporate training, combining Unity 3D real-time rendering with production-quality 3D assets.

09 Healthcare / Supplements

Nutritional Therapeutics — Product Companion Site

Nutritional Therapeutics · Lead Developer · 2015

The Situation

Nutritional Therapeutics was unveiling their new product lines and needed a companion website for the sales team to showcase products to prospective clients and customers on desktops and laptops.

Why It Mattered

The project called for translating existing print sales materials into a fast, versatile digital experience that sales reps could pull up instantly during meetings — simplicity and speed were paramount.

The Approach

Built a responsive companion site using AngularJS, SVGs, CSS3, LESS, and Gulp. Took advantage of SVG for crisp product visuals at any resolution and AngularJS for dynamic product navigation, bringing the project from print to digital.

The Result

Delivered a fast, responsive product companion site that enabled the Nutritional Therapeutics sales team to digitally showcase their new product lines during client meetings.

010 Finance / Private Equity

General Atlantic — Corporate Website

General Atlantic (via Tribal WorldWide) · Front-End Developer · 2014

The Situation

General Atlantic needed a corporate website that conveyed their brand's sophistication while delivering content effectively across all device sizes, with office locations visualized on interactive maps.

Why It Mattered

The subtlety of the design details required precise translation from mockups to code, and the content-led experience needed to feel naturally different on mobile versus desktop — showing a full Google Maps experience on desktop but a focused office list on mobile.

The Approach

Built a responsive site with Bootstrap, jQuery, and Google Maps, with content-led UX that adapted to each form factor. Desktop users saw full interactive maps with all office locations while mobile users got a streamlined list to choose which office to focus on. Used Grunt and LESS for the build pipeline.

The Result

Delivered a polished corporate website with subtle attention to design detail, responsive content-led UX that felt natural on every device, and integrated Google Maps for global office visualization.

011 Gaming / Interactive

Johny Appleseed — HTML5 Canvas Game

Digispire Group · Game Developer · 2015

The Situation

An existing Flash game needed to be ported to HTML5 to reach modern browsers and mobile devices as Flash support was declining across the industry.

Why It Mattered

The port required re-imagining how the original Flash assets and gameplay mechanics would translate to HTML5 Canvas and WebGL while maintaining the same fun and responsive feel of the original.

The Approach

Ported the game from Flash to HTML5 using Canvas and WebGL, re-imagining the original assets to work natively in the browser. The game features a young boy collecting apples in barrels after discovering someone ate all his apple pies.

The Result

Delivered a fully playable HTML5 browser game that preserved the charm of the original Flash version while running natively on modern browsers and devices without plugins.

012 Media / Advertising

Life Base for Women — Brand Creation & Website

Life Base for Women (Encompass Media) · Creative Director & Developer · 2012

The Situation

Encompass Media needed to launch a new brand — Life Base for Women — extending their advertising opportunities into a focused women's market spanning fitness, salon, maternity, OBGYN, experiential, and event media.

Why It Mattered

Starting from scratch meant defining the entire brand identity, strategy, and digital presence from inception to launch with full creative freedom and responsibility.

The Approach

Worked from inception to launch, defining brand strategy and creating an online presence that evoked the brand mission. Built the website on WordPress with PHP, jQuery, and CSS3. The full creative freedom allowed us to create a brand truly defined by its mission statement.

The Result

Delivered a complete brand identity and web presence for Life Base for Women, establishing Encompass Media's entry into the women's market across fitness, salon, maternity, and event media verticals.

013 Professional Services

Ferrara & Company — Flash Website

Ferrara & Company · Developer · 2012

The Situation

Ferrara & Company needed a new website that was SEO-friendly, supported rich media including video, and gave them the flexibility to swap any assets or text without developer involvement.

Why It Mattered

Flash sites were notoriously difficult to make SEO-friendly, and the client needed custom video players supporting both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios while keeping all content easily updatable.

The Approach

Built the site with ActionScript 3.0 and XML, with SWFAddress for SEO-friendly deep linking. Custom video players supported both 16:9 and 4:3 formats. The entire site functioned from within the XML, allowing the client to swap assets, text, and media without touching code.

The Result

Delivered a rich media Flash website with full SEO support via SWFAddress, custom dual-format video players, and complete content flexibility through XML-driven architecture.

014 Beverage / Spirits

Hendrick's Gin — HTML Email Campaign

Hendrick's Gin (via LBi) · Developer · 2011

The Situation

Hendrick's Gin needed a series of pixel-perfect HTML emails for their marketing campaigns, including global blasts for US and UK markets, welcome emails, and promotional series.

Why It Mattered

HTML email development required precise cross-client rendering across dozens of email clients while maintaining the brand's distinctive Victorian-era aesthetic with complex layouts and imagery.

The Approach

Built a series of HTML emails including global blast campaigns, welcome emails for US and UK markets, and promotional e-blasts — all with cross-client compatible HTML and CSS ensuring consistent rendering across email platforms.

The Result

Delivered a complete HTML email campaign suite for Hendrick's Gin spanning global markets, welcome sequences, and promotional series with consistent brand presentation across all major email clients.

015 Consumer Goods / Skincare

Neutrogena — Facebook E-Commerce Pages

Neutrogena (via LBi) · Developer · 2011

The Situation

Neutrogena needed updated and new Facebook pages to support their E-Commerce campaign, providing a social commerce experience for their skincare products.

Why It Mattered

Facebook's platform constraints at the time required careful HTML/CSS work within strict iframe limitations while delivering a polished e-commerce experience that matched Neutrogena's brand standards.

The Approach

Built and updated Facebook pages for the Neutrogena E-Commerce campaign, working primarily in HTML and CSS within Facebook's app framework. Created multiple page layouts for different product lines and promotions.

The Result

Delivered a suite of Facebook E-Commerce pages for Neutrogena enabling social commerce for their skincare product lines through LBi's campaign.

016 Consumer Goods / Food

Bisquick Pancake Campaign — Forecast App & Invite Refresh

Bisquick (via MRM WorldWide) · Developer · 2010

The Situation

Bisquick needed interactive digital experiences to complement their campaign refresh — a desktop weather widget and an updated Facebook invite tool that let users invite friends over for pancakes.

Why It Mattered

The desktop app required real-time weather API integration rendered through playful pancake-themed designs, while the invite tool needed a complete visual refresh with bug fixes to the email service and letter alignment system.

The Approach

Built an Adobe Air desktop app using AS3 and the WeatherBug API that displayed weekly weather forecasts in pancake-themed designs for any zip code. Separately refreshed the Pancake Invite Facebook experience with updated assets, fixed email service integration, and improved pancake letter alignment.

The Result

Delivered two polished interactive experiences for the Bisquick campaign — a desktop weather widget and a refreshed Facebook invite tool — both extending brand engagement beyond traditional advertising.

017 Entertainment / Comics

Marvel Comics — Super Hero Squad

Marvel Comics · Interactive Developer · 2009

The Situation

Marvel needed the Flash components for their new Super Hero Squad cartoon website to be flexible and reusable, with the ability to dynamically load and position characters, objects, and animations.

Why It Mattered

The site needed to support interchangeable x, y, and z positions for characters and objects, swappable animations, and fully dynamic content — all configurable without code changes.

The Approach

Built the site with OOP ActionScript 3 and XML, making it fully dynamic and customizable from a configuration file. Characters, objects, and animations could be loaded dynamically with interchangeable positions and properties, all controlled from the XML.

The Result

Delivered a fully dynamic, reusable Flash website for Marvel's Super Hero Squad that allowed the team to swap characters, objects, animations, and layouts entirely through XML configuration.

018 Media / Publishing

Martha Stewart — MSLO Media Kit

Martha Stewart (via Siite Interactive) · Developer · 2009

The Situation

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia needed a comprehensive digital media kit — over 70 pages with Flash components, streaming video, and a custom CMS for content management.

Why It Mattered

The project's scale — 70+ pages, 2 Flash pieces, streaming video, and a custom CMS — combined with an aggressive deadline made this one of the most demanding builds, requiring rapid architectural decisions.

The Approach

With the aggressive deadline looming, quickly decided to build on PHP 5 and MySQL. Delivered a custom CMS allowing MSLO's team to manage all 70+ pages, integrated 2 Flash pieces and streaming video, all built to handle the scale of Martha Stewart's media presence.

The Result

Delivered a large-scale media kit on time with 70+ pages, custom CMS, Flash rich media, and streaming video — giving MSLO a comprehensive digital sales tool for advertisers.