About Creative Sarasota Design & Development
Creative Sarasota Design & Development started as the cooperative brainchild of Max Kelly and Christopher Austin. Introduced in 2004, the two recognized that they shared several core interests. Most notably, they were both IT professionals as well as musicians. While they performed music together regularly, they maintained their independent occupational IT paths for 14 years.
In 2018 they had the opportunity to work on a few web development projects together. These interactions highlighted their different yet highly complementary skill sets and compatible personalities. As a result of this apparent symbiosis, they decided to pool their collective talents and Creative Sarasota Design & Development was born.
In the years that followed, Creative Sarasota continued to slowly but steadily grow. Adding new enterprise services, features, and software, they expanded their project capabilities and client roster. Eventually, they wanted to expand to offer ecommerce solutions and increase their custom programming capabilities. To do this, they vetted and tapped their long-time friend Ricardo Ruggiero.
Ricardo’s impressive skill set exceeded expectations. With an expansive knowledge of ecommerce, robust IT background, and multiple programming languages, he broadened and augmented the company’s service offerings and credentials. In addition to his technical value, Ricardo’s personality and principles perfectly mirrored the Creative Sarasota business culture, standards, and direction.
Together, Christopher, Max, and Ricardo represent a depth of knowledge and experience in a wide variety of overlapping disciplines. This technical synergy, combined with a dedication to old-fashioned customer support, produces uncommon, world-class IT services.
Christopher Austin
Lead WordPress Administrator
A life-long artist and musician, Christopher Austin has been developing a broad and robust set of Internet technology skills since 1999. Starting his career in technical support, he steadily advanced to gain experience in nearly every field of the IT industry. As a manager or owner of a variety of hosting, design, and development companies, his experience and expertise evolved to include WordPress, website design, Linux, technical support, hosting, networking, customer service, SEO, AV, project management, and more. In 2004, Christopher became an early adopter of the trailblazing WordPress Content Management System. Now, a 19+ year veteran of the industry-standard software, his skills are the foundation of Creative Sarasota’s WordPress development, hosting, and maintenance services.
Max Kelly
Creative Director
Max Kelly is carrying on the creative tradition inspired by his father and his father before him. Both accomplished artists in the fields of illustration and photography, Max’s artistic bonafides are one that can only come from growing up with true masters of the visual arts. Steeped in creativity, Max spent his youth in darkrooms, at drafting tables, and studying the design and photo annuals that littered his family home. Building upon that irreplaceable creative foundation, Max went on to seek more formal instruction studying fine art in Chicago and in New York, including the renowned School of Visual Arts in New York City. This unique combination of intuitive, real-world, and institutional learning provided Max an uncommon and extraordinary talent. For over two decades, Max has refined and shaped that talent working as a professional graphic and visual designer and photographer. The sum of these experiences and skills are the core of Creative Sarasota’s creative and design services.
Ricardo Ruggiero
Ecommerce & Programming Administrator
A true student of the world, Ricardo Ruggiero has never stopped developing his talents. Beyond his bachelors, masters, and MPhd, he has developed an unparalleled diversity of skills over the decades. Not only does he boast an impressive eight different programming languages, expert Ecwid ecommerce capabilities, and a 15-year WordPress veteran, he has been a trusted, successful, and award-winning entrepreneur in his community. Ricardo Ruggiero radiates the values, experience, and work ethic integral to Creative Sarasota’s success: Critical and analytical thinking; An unstoppable creative drive; A devotion and attention to customer needs.