Karen Dredske's Web Portfolio

I have been working on Websites since 1996 when I was in graduate school pursuing an MBA at George Mason University. At the university I was introduced to the World Wide Web back when everyone was using Netscape version 0.8.

I recently launched my own consulting firm, KD Global Consulting, Inc. We specialize in Section 508 compliance and the use of web standards to make websites accessible to everyone on any type of device.

Prior to launching KD Global Consutling, I worked for Trex Company, Inc. as the Web Coordinator. (They are my largest and first client.) Trex is a small manufacturing company in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. There, I worked in the IT department and coordinated all Web-based initiatives. DLS Engineering Associates is another client I am working with to improve their website and online approach to doing business. For fun I recently did a website for my favorite pet sitter in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia - Heather's Helpers Pet Sitters.

Trex Company, Inc. - www.trex.com

We just did a facelift to the primary Trex website. The 2007 version made a subtle color change that gave the site a dramatic new look.

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The Trex Fencing site was a great challenge. It was a collaborative effort with a great company called Media Box who did all the Flash work. I did the work to make the HTML version of the site comparable to the Flash.

Trex Racing site. This site supported the cooperative marketing partnership with DeWalt of NASCAR driver, Matt Kenseth. I worked with the marketing staff and graphic designer on requirements including information architecture, wire frames, and usability. This site has been discontinued because Trex is no longer sponsoring NASCAR events.

One of the tools that Trex customers use is the BuyTrex site where they purchase railing accessories online. I led a large cross-functional team of members from almost every department at Trex to implement this site. It replaced a previous online shopping site and includes new functionality and a lot less headache for everyone -- especially the customers.

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TrexConnect™ is the Trex Company Extranet. It is a customized implementation of Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003. This site connects Trex channel partners with tools and resources that they can use to promote their Trex business.

The first major project I completed at Trex in 2004 was the deployment of a completely re-designed site for Trex which included a re-organization of the content to make it accessible.

For this effort, a professional usability review was conducted during the design phase to increase the success of the new site. A primary target audience was determined, print marketing designs were examined, and branding was focused on. The new site contains new information and is easier to navigate than the old site. The new site was also architected to make the updating of information easier to manage. The design was started by an outside designer. However, the person became difficult to deal with and so I worked with marketing staff and completed the design that is in use today. To date, the redesign appears to be a major success. Currently there is a new re-design effort underway to include the curve that is consistent with all print marketing collateral.

The trex.com site has also been localized into sites for the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Norway. Trex has left these countries so the sites are no longer live.

My primary responsibilities included creating and managing Website reports, managing outside vendors, designers, researching new technologies, and assisting IT managers in making money-saving decisions that would benefit the company. I also did (and continue to do) all minor front-end design work and site updates for Trex on both their public sites and secure, private sites.

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