About

Hello, I’m Cary Snowden.

Cary SnowdenI am President of Square Compass, a web application development company focused on building Web systems that provide interactive data management over the Web. I founded this new venture on the basic principle of helping clients ‘find their way out of the box‘. I keep telling our clients, and everyone I meet: ‘Your website should be doing more than you think you can.’ And it should.

I love the Internet, and can trace my roots back to the early days at Novell when I was coached by a friend in the engineering group on how to browse the Web using a crude version of today’s browsers. Very exciting. I spent my spare time communicating with my workmates from home through CompuServe over my 2400 baud modem. I would literally dial in, go fix myself a bowl of cereal, and arrive back at my computer in time to see the login screen disappear. My, how things have changed.

As an entrepreneur, I have been involved with several companies here in Utah Valley. I recently started two successful Internet businesses; Considered Sales is an online CRM application, and ListPipe is an SEO service providing custom content for search engine optimization.

Lately, I have been dedicating my time to the launch of Linking Universe, a company created to bring great online business applications to social networking. In particular, our first product will be released for the Facebook platform.

Formerly, I was founder and editor in chief of two industry-leading publications: CertMag, and Professional Certification Magazine, both publications emphasize the value of professional IT certification in the job market.

Later, I lead the migration of Professional Certification Magazine into ProCert Labs, a quality assurance laboratory for technical courseware products. ProCert served industry leaders such as CompTIA, Microsoft, and the Utah States education system. While at ProCert, I architected a Web-based system that allowed the company to leverage the talents of quality assurance reviewers from across the country while maintaining strict adherence to quality guidelines, consistency, and accuracy.

Before establishing ProCert, I worked as a contractor to Microsoft where I was responsible for the development, promotion and marketing of the Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) program. MOUS was a certification program aimed at end-users of Microsoft’s popular Microsoft Office applications suite. It is still around, though the name has changed several times. I helped design the original program process and was instrumental in building strategic relationships with key content and delivery partners as well as the development and implementation of a major reseller channel.

Earlier I worked as the director of account services at The Hurst Group, an advertising and marketing communications company, where we developed successful marketing and communications plans, including Web systems, for companies such as Novell, HP, Century Software, US Robotics and Franklin Quest.

Prior to working at The Hurst Group, I enjoyed managing NetWare communications as Program Manager for Novell’s NetWare Products Marketing team.

During my seven year stint at Novell, I defined strategic marketing and communications objectives for Novell’s education, corporate communications, and NetWare products marketing groups.

While at Novell I had the unique opportunity and good fortune to be selected as NetWare Product Manager, serving in Sydney Australia, where I was responsible for reseller channel development and implementation of a test marketing initiative to small business. Right, Mate; it was a jolly good time.

I learned Afrikaans, though I rarely have any chance to use it. My international experience includes living in South Africa for a couple years (yes, you guessed it), a summer gig in Australia, and visits to Germany, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay, Honduras, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. Canada and Mexico, too. And I have been to Blanding.

I am a Utah Valley Businessman. I have seen success, failure, and several points in between and have enjoyed every minute of the experience. There is a lot to learn from our business culture, and a lot of success to be proud of. There is hardly a better place to grow a business than Utah Valley.

I am a member of BNI and currently serve as the vice president of the NetGain chapter. I am also a member of Corporate Alliance, a relationship-based organization of business professionals.

Thanks for reading.

-Cary Snowden