Over 19 years the practice grew from a one-person design shop into a multifaceted creative and systems consultancy working across small businesses, nonprofit theaters, commercial real estate firms, and corporate enterprises, trading as Underground Professional from 2011. Growth was entirely organic: no advertising, no cold sales, no investor capital. Every engagement came through referral or repeat business, and the billing records bear that out. Across the measured window, 2012 to 2023, 97.5% of revenue came from clients who had hired the firm before.

The first six-figure billing year was 2017, driven by recurring retainers and larger corporate contracts. The work shifted steadily from design execution toward custom technical systems (multi-user web portals, CRM architecture, API integrations, workflow automation), reflecting a consistent pattern: clients brought problems, and the answer was always a system, not just a deliverable.

The through-line connecting this work to AI infrastructure is direct. Coordinating diverse stakeholders under tight deadlines and compliance requirements. Building workflow automations and documentation to streamline client operations. Translating complex problems into scalable systems built to run without constant intervention. The archive evidences a 19-year track record of client-centric, technically rigorous, operationally disciplined delivery.

• Design-ops system, small design firm 2026

  The firm ran quotes, work orders, invoices, and design schedules out of separate files that had drifted apart from each other. The same job existed in several places with slightly different numbers, and the only thing reconciling them was one person remembering which file was current.

  I built the truth layer first: one canonical record per job, with every document generated from it and none of them permitted to become a second source. Then the documents themselves, formatted the way the firm already sent them to clients. The system lives inside the client's own Google account, so there is no server, no subscription, and no dependency on my continued availability. Owner and admin tools stay hidden; the daily path is open the workbook and click the document you need.

  Two weeks after handoff it was still in daily use by two people who had no part in building it. That is the measure that matters, and it is why there is no screenshot: the system belongs to them now.

Project and revenue figures are counted from the practice's own invoicing database, which covers 2012 to 2023. Years active covers the full run of the practice.

Client breakdown by sector

• Small businesses and entrepreneurs: independent retailers, local service startups, e-commerce builds
• Nonprofit and arts organizations: theater companies, arts districts, community platforms
• Commercial real estate and property management: conference center sites, Class A office tower programs
• Corporate and enterprise clients: healthcare firms, talent agencies, major hospitality brands
• Other: public figures, miscellaneous engagements

Scale milestones

• First six-figure billing year: 2017, driven by corporate retainers
• Peak years: more than fifty projects invoiced annually, with subcontractors coordinated on demand
• Two multi-year institutional relationships anchored the practice: Specialdocs Consultants (64 projects) and Jones Lang LaSalle (91 projects), both held by a one-person shop
• Of the clients billed in the measured window, 25 spanned two or more calendar years

Organized as an Illinois LLC in 2016 for liability and corporate client requirements; the practice itself predates the entity by several years. No full-time employees; virtual team structure maintained throughout. Predominantly Chicago-based clientele through 2015, expanding to national projects (NYC, LA) via referral partnerships thereafter.

• Corporate Concierge Services 2012–2018

  Long-term B2B partner providing concierge and tenant services for Class A office buildings. Served as CCS's go-to digital partner, developing conference center booking websites with real-time room reservations for multiple properties including One South Wacker, Chicago. Managed multi-party coordination between CCS management, property managers (JLL), and vendors. Led the 2015 e-commerce portal project integrating Authorize.net payments, delivering a complete internal ordering system on a fixed small-project budget. Physical signage and print collateral produced for 111 South Wacker's tenant amenities program, requiring installation logistics and building compliance under tight event deadlines.

• Specialdocs Consultants 2013–2018

  Built and maintained web infrastructure for a healthcare firm serving physicians transitioning to membership-based practice. Core deliverable: a secure physician portal, a custom web application enabling doctors to log in, access resources, and interact via a private Q&A forum. Involved database design, data privacy controls aligned with HIPAA considerations, intake form automation, and payment processing for patient memberships. Five-year ongoing relationship covering both initial build and sustained maintenance. Directly relevant to regulated-data handling and secure multi-user system architecture.

• Grossman & Jack Talent 2013

  Engineered three distinct database-driven management systems for a top Chicago talent agency (one per department: TV/film, theater, commercial), enabling agents to independently manage rosters, media, and client submissions. Heavy PHP/MySQL back-end development; custom user roles, talent profile databases, and unified admin interface. High-value corporate delivery with zero margin for failure: the agency's daily operations ran on these systems immediately post-launch.

• Brookfield Properties: Brookfield Place 2018

  Consulted on a tourism program proposal for Brookfield Place, a major Manhattan commercial complex. Developed a comprehensive PR and events deck with multi-channel marketing plans for a corporate board-level audience. High-profile pitch prepared in collaboration with a PR partner.

• Belmont Theater District 2017

  Built Chicago's largest theater district coalition platform, aggregating events from 20+ theaters alongside a deals directory for local restaurants. Required multi-stakeholder consensus building across arts organizations, the Chamber of Commerce, and City Tourism officials. Produced non-technical admin interfaces so theater managers could self-manage their own event listings. Delivered in-person training sessions. The project is a direct analogue to coordinating complex cases with multiple parties of varying technical sophistication.

• Bailiwick Chicago Theater 2009–2019

  Served as Brand Manager (volunteer board role) for this Chicago theater company. Led branding and marketing for multiple seasons (show posters, programs, social media) and maintained cohesive brand identity across all public communications. Produced print collateral for fundraisers and productions annually. Hands-on nonprofit governance experience: grant proposals, city arts grants compliance, community organizing, and navigating bureaucratic approval processes with multiple stakeholder groups (donors, boards, city officials).

Additional notable clients include ComedySportz Chicago (entertainment venue website and ticketing integration), Equity Commonwealth (REIT property marketing proposals), DoubleTree by Hilton (hospitality print and web pitches), Terp Studio (e-commerce builds), and Dr. Smoothie/Bevolution (beverage industry product marketing).

Technical innovation was a core offering alongside creative design throughout the firm's history. The pattern was consistent: clients arrived with workflow problems, and the answer was a system, not a template. Key capabilities demonstrated across the archive:

• Custom Web Applications and Databases

  Bespoke functionalities built on top of CMS platforms. Grossman & Jack required three distinct database-driven management systems: custom PHP/MySQL back-end with user roles and a unified admin interface. Specialdocs required a secure Q&A portal with login access and data encryption. These projects required programming well beyond standard web design and demonstrate comfort with secure database design and multi-user system architecture.

• API Integration and E-Commerce

  Integrated third-party services throughout the portfolio: Xola API for online theater ticketing, Authorize.net for payment processing in Corporate Concierge's ordering system, PayPal Website Payments Pro for event sales. These integrations required reading API documentation, handling callbacks, and ensuring transactional security, directly transferable to automating complex financial workflows.

• Scheduling and Booking Systems

  Interactive scheduling tools for conference center bookings, most notably the One South Wacker Meetings site, providing real-time room reservation with calendar interface and email confirmations. Experience with time-based data, form processing, and calendar API integration; analogous to scheduling automation in case management systems.

• Workflow Automation and Process Design

  Numerous mini-automations built to streamline manual processes: email subscription import tools, custom WordPress plugins for event listings and interactive maps, retainer billing automation. The consistent objective was finding ways to let software handle repetitive tasks. The same mindset applies today to automating document generation, data syncing, and client lifecycle management.

• Client Training and Documentation

  Standard practice: after launching a system, train the client to run it independently. Produced admin dashboards, user guides, and custom video tutorials so non-technical staff could manage websites, email lists, and event calendars without ongoing vendor dependency. Expertise in documenting systems, writing user guides, and configuring role-based permissions, directly applicable to regulated financial environments where clear documentation drives adoption.

• Full-Stack Technical Range

  By 2018, the core stack included HTML5/CSS3, advanced JavaScript (jQuery), modern PHP, Adobe Creative Cloud, and video editing. Linux-based web servers, Google Drive and Dropbox for client file management, domain management, DNS troubleshooting, and hosting infrastructure. Full-stack awareness that enables direct interfacing with IT teams and understanding of how data flows through multi-platform systems.