[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":623},["ShallowReactive",2],{"case-studies":3,"case-studies-seo":547,"index-cta":561},[4,96,144,195,241,285,328],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"date":75,"description":13,"extension":76,"featured":77,"image":19,"imageAlt":18,"impact":14,"meta":78,"navigation":77,"path":79,"rotation":80,"seo":81,"slug":69,"stem":93,"technologies":94,"__hash__":95},"caseStudies/case-studies/chitown-champions.md","Chitown Champions: Turning Website Visitors Into Program Participants",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":70},"minimark",[10,15,20,25,31,35,39,44,49,53,56,65],[11,12],"case-study-header",{"description":13,"impact":14,"title":6},"A leadership program disguised as a tumbling initiative required a distinctive online platform to convey its unique essence to target audiences. Transformed a small nonprofit's digital presence from conversion barrier to growth engine in 2 weeks.","107% increase in monthly website traffic, 30% increase in class inquiries, 40% reduction in page load time, 100% increase in grant acquisition",[16,17],"case-study-image",{"alt":18,"src":19},"Chitown Champions website homepage showcasing the tumbling and leadership program","/case-study-media/cc-screenshot.png",[21,22],"project-links",{"project-label":23,"project-url":24},"VIEW PROJECT","https://chitownchampions.com/",[26,27],"project-overview",{"role":28,"team":29,"timeline":30},"Sole developer - strategy, content architecture, design, development, migration, SEO, and training","Solo project","2 weeks (MVP in 2 days)",[32,33],"challenge-section",{"challenge":34},"A 36-year-old youth development nonprofit serving Chicago's South Side needed to transform their digital presence from a conversion barrier into a growth engine. Their previous WordPress and GoMotion sites failed to communicate their unique positioning as a 'leadership program disguised as a tumbling team,' had no online registration, and created operational friction. With tight budget constraints and a 2-week timeline, they needed a solution that nonprofit staff could manage independently while dramatically improving enrollment conversion.",[36,37],"results-section",{":results":38},"[\"107% increase in monthly website traffic after restructuring and SEO optimization\",\"100% increase in grant acquisition per year through improved digital presence and grant application support\",\"30% increase in class inquiries and sign-ups from improved conversion funnel\",\"40% reduction in page load time, especially critical on mobile\",\"Significant boost in local search visibility for Chicago tumbling and youth program searches\",\"Reduced bounce rate on key landing pages\",\"Staff empowered to manage content updates independently\"]",[40,41],"solution-section",{":technologies":42,"solution":43},"[\"Framer\",\"AI\",\"StoryBrand Framework\",\"SEO Optimization\"]","Built a comprehensive StoryBrand content framework first, then implemented a mobile-first Framer site optimized for conversion. Used ChatGPT strategically to accelerate brand voice and messaging work. Created a complete content strategy, information architecture redesign, and comprehensive handoff documentation. The solution balanced speed (MVP in 2 days, full site in 2 weeks) with strategic depth, ensuring long-term sustainability.",[45,46,48],"h2",{"id":47},"project-details","Project Details",[50,51,52],"p",{},"Transformed a 36-year-old Chicago South Side youth development nonprofit's digital presence from a conversion barrier into a growth engine in just 2 weeks. Built comprehensive StoryBrand content framework, then implemented a mobile-first Framer site optimized for conversion.",[50,54,55],{},"Used ChatGPT strategically to accelerate brand voice and messaging work. Created complete content strategy, information architecture redesign, and comprehensive handoff documentation. Achieved 107% traffic increase, 100% grant acquisition increase, and 30% conversion improvement while empowering staff to manage the site independently.",[57,58],"case-study-cta",{"description":59,"primaryButtonText":60,"primaryButtonUrl":61,"secondaryButtonText":62,"secondaryButtonUrl":63,"title":64},"Let's discuss how I can help bring your nonprofit or small business project to life with the same strategic approach.","START YOUR PROJECT","/contact","VIEW MY SKILLS","/resume","READY TO BUILD\nSOMETHING SIMILAR?",[66,67],"related-case-studies",{":limit":68,"current-slug":69},"3","chitown-champions",{"title":71,"searchDepth":72,"depth":72,"links":73},"",2,[74],{"id":47,"depth":72,"text":48},"2024-08-06T00:00:00.000Z","md",true,{},"/case-studies/chitown-champions",1,{"title":82,"description":83,"ogTitle":6,"ogDescription":84,"ogImage":85,"twitterTitle":6,"twitterDescription":84,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":86,"author":87,"articlePublishedTime":75,"articleTag":88},"Chitown Champions: Turning Website Visitors Into Program Participants — Case Study","How a Chicago nonprofit transformed their digital presence in 2 weeks, achieving 107% traffic increase and 30% conversion improvement. Full-stack developer case study showcasing rapid iteration and strategic web development.","How a Chicago nonprofit transformed their digital presence in 2 weeks, achieving 107% traffic increase and 30% conversion improvement.","https://placehold.co/1600x900?text=Chitown+Champions","nonprofit web development, Chicago developer, Framer website, StoryBrand, SEO optimization, conversion optimization, youth program website, rapid development, full-stack developer","Charles McGregory",[89,90,91,92],"Framer","AI","StoryBrand Framework","SEO Optimization","case-studies/chitown-champions",[89,90,91,92],"h5Zi8jN__BR5HHgLmkq5V9C60gH09JaWZpTF6DnzPIQ",{"id":97,"title":98,"body":99,"date":75,"description":109,"extension":76,"featured":110,"image":111,"imageAlt":112,"impact":113,"meta":114,"navigation":77,"path":125,"rotation":72,"seo":126,"slug":140,"stem":141,"technologies":142,"__hash__":143},"caseStudies/case-studies/eden-of-the-west.md","Eden of the West: Building a Music Platform That Grows With Its Community",{"type":8,"value":100,"toc":107},[101,104],[50,102,103],{},"An internet radio station operational for over a decade, combining chill music with anime culture. Co-founded with friends and continuously evolved through progressive technology migrations.",[50,105,106],{},"Seeing the passion and creativity of our listeners and featured artists has been constant motivation to keep building and improving the station. The platform serves as a continuous learning laboratory, using real-world usage patterns to test and refine emerging technologies.",{"title":71,"searchDepth":72,"depth":72,"links":108},[],"A music streaming radio station platform combining chill music with anime culture. A decade-long evolution from WordPress to modern, scalable web application.",false,"/case-study-media/eden-screenshot.png","Screenshot of Eden of the west","10+ years of continuous operation and community growth",{"challenge":115,"solution":116,"results":117,"timeline":121,"projectRole":122,"team":123,"projectUrl":124},"The original WordPress setup couldn't handle growing listener demand and needed modernization to keep pace with technological advances while maintaining the community's core values.","Progressive technology migration: transitioned from WordPress to Laravel, implemented Azuracast (PHP-based with Vue frontend), currently migrating to Nuxt 3 with serverless and microservice architecture.",[118,119,120],"Nearly 10 years of continuous operation","Growing passionate listener community","Platform serves as learning laboratory for emerging technologies","10+ years (ongoing)","Co-founder and full-stack engineer","Started with group of friends sharing passion for chill music and nerd culture","https://edenofthewest.com","/case-studies/eden-of-the-west",{"title":127,"description":128,"ogTitle":98,"ogDescription":129,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":98,"twitterDescription":129,"twitterImage":130,"keywords":131,"author":87,"articlePublishedTime":75,"articleTag":132},"Eden of the West: Building a Music Platform That Grows With Its Community — Case Study","A decade-long journey transforming an internet radio station from WordPress to modern Nuxt 3 architecture. Case study showcasing progressive technology migration and community-focused platform development.","A decade-long journey transforming an internet radio station from WordPress to modern Nuxt 3 architecture.","https://placehold.co/1600x900?text=Eden+of+the+West","music streaming platform, Nuxt 3, Vue.js, serverless architecture, microservices, JAMstack, internet radio, community platform, full-stack developer",[133,134,135,136,137,138,139],"Nuxt 3","Vue.js","Node.js","Serverless","Microservices","JAMstack","Azuracast","eden-of-the-west","case-studies/eden-of-the-west",[133,134,135,136,137,138,139],"uU75T4Tn3hbyGn2xoDtXQ_W-LHMlX-4IDM9dvGXafxg",{"id":145,"title":146,"body":147,"date":75,"description":160,"extension":76,"featured":77,"image":161,"imageAlt":162,"impact":163,"meta":164,"navigation":77,"path":176,"rotation":177,"seo":178,"slug":190,"stem":191,"technologies":192,"__hash__":194},"caseStudies/case-studies/pdfrest-api.md","PDFRest API: Making Powerful Tools Accessible From Command Line to Cloud",{"type":8,"value":148,"toc":158},[149,152,155],[50,150,151],{},"Led the design and development of the PDFRest API, transforming Datalogics' command-line applications into a cutting-edge SaaS product. Built comprehensive API infrastructure using Node.js, Docker, and Python, deployed with AWS EC2, API Gateway, and RDS.",[50,153,154],{},"Designed and developed training programs using JSDoc, OpenAPI, and Postman, resulting in a 73% increase in cloud team productivity. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify pain points and innovate solutions using TypeScript, Prettier, and Jest, achieving an 80% decrease in bug reports and a 75% improvement in system stability.",[50,156,157],{},"The project emphasized the importance of automation when scaling applications and used usage analytics to inform feature prioritization. Successfully launched on AWS Marketplace, enabling enterprise accessibility to powerful document processing tools.",{"title":71,"searchDepth":72,"depth":72,"links":159},[],"A SaaS-based API transformation project converting Datalogics' command-line applications into cloud-accessible services for file processing.","/case-study-media/pdfr-api.png","pdfrest api lab screenshot","Successfully launched cutting-edge SaaS product on AWS Marketplace as enterprise self-hosted solution",{"challenge":165,"solution":166,"results":167,"timeline":173,"projectRole":174,"projectUrl":175},"Modernizing proprietary command-line tools and making them accessible through a scalable, web-based API platform that could handle growing user demand.","Led the design and development of comprehensive API infrastructure using Node.js, Docker, and Python. Deployed with AWS EC2, API Gateway, and RDS. Built training programs using JSDoc, OpenAPI, and Postman. Distributed via AWS Marketplace.",[168,169,170,171,172],"Successfully launched cutting-edge SaaS product on AWS Marketplace","Enabled enterprise accessibility to powerful document processing tools","Increased cloud team productivity by 73% through comprehensive training programs","Established foundation for scalable SaaS delivery model","Achieved 80% decrease in bug reports and 75% improvement in system stability through TypeScript, Prettier, and Jest integration","Enterprise development cycle","Developer at Datalogics","https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-iprslcx6flkhs","/case-studies/pdfrest-api",-2,{"title":179,"description":180,"ogTitle":146,"ogDescription":181,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":146,"twitterDescription":181,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":182,"author":87,"articlePublishedTime":75,"articleTag":183},"PDFRest API: Making Powerful Tools Accessible From Command Line to Cloud — Case Study","Enterprise API transformation project: Converting command-line tools into scalable cloud services. Launched on AWS Marketplace with 73% productivity increase and 80% reduction in bug reports.","Enterprise API transformation: Converting command-line tools into scalable cloud services, launched on AWS Marketplace.","API development, Node.js, AWS, Docker, Python, enterprise SaaS, AWS Marketplace, microservices, full-stack developer, cloud architecture",[135,184,185,186,187,188,189],"Docker","Python","Shell scripting","AWS","Jenkins","AWS Marketplace","pdfrest-api","case-studies/pdfrest-api",[135,184,185,186,193,188,189],"AWS (EC2, API Gateway, RDS, Lambda)","h7JtmALFH45RBG0CggJdMcDCrAVBttI4oMKHioy0GkQ",{"id":196,"title":197,"body":198,"date":75,"description":208,"extension":76,"featured":110,"image":209,"imageAlt":210,"impact":211,"meta":212,"navigation":77,"path":224,"rotation":80,"seo":225,"slug":237,"stem":238,"technologies":239,"__hash__":240},"caseStudies/case-studies/pdfrest-website.md","PDFRest Website: From Slow WordPress to Lightning-Fast Performance",{"type":8,"value":199,"toc":206},[200,203],[50,201,202],{},"Developed and implemented a scalable front-end architecture for PDFRest, transforming the web presence from WordPress to a modern JAMstack architecture. Built using Vue.js, Nuxt, Python, Stripe, and Netlify, the solution delivered an 88% decrease in page load times with lightning-fast performance and superior scalability.",[50,204,205],{},"Created a Design Document library to improve developer experience and maintainability. Led the team's adoption of newer technologies and architectural patterns, creating a foundation for continued growth and innovation with improved separation of concerns between frontend and backend.",{"title":71,"searchDepth":72,"depth":72,"links":207},[],"A website built for PDFRest SaaS product, transforming command-line tools into a user-friendly web interface with modern JAMstack architecture.","/case-study-media/pdfr-website.png","pdfrest website screenshot","88% decrease in page load times with lightning fast performance and superior scalability vs previous WordPress setup",{"challenge":213,"solution":214,"results":215,"timeline":221,"projectRole":222,"projectUrl":223},"Transitioning from traditional command-line tools to modern SaaS platform with accessible web interface, while improving upon company's previous WordPress-based infrastructure.","Developed and implemented a scalable front-end architecture using Vue.js, Nuxt, Python, Stripe, and Netlify. Implemented modern tech stack featuring Nuxt for server-rendered Vue.js applications, JAMstack architecture, Tailwind CSS with DaisyUI for styling, and Ghost as the content management system.",[216,217,218,219,220],"Decreased page load times by 88% compared to previous WordPress setup","Created Design Document library for improved developer experience","Lightning fast performance with superior scalability and maintainability","Improved user experience for document processing tools","Better separation of concerns between frontend and backend","Team project","Led team adoption of newer technologies; full-stack development","https://pdfrest.com/","/case-studies/pdfrest-website",{"title":226,"description":227,"ogTitle":197,"ogDescription":228,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":197,"twitterDescription":228,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":229,"author":87,"articlePublishedTime":75,"articleTag":230},"PDFRest Website: From Slow WordPress to Lightning-Fast Performance — Case Study","Modern JAMstack transformation: 88% decrease in page load times by migrating from WordPress to Nuxt and Vue.js. Case study showcasing performance optimization and scalable architecture.","Modern JAMstack transformation: 88% decrease in page load times by migrating from WordPress to Nuxt and Vue.js.","JAMstack, Nuxt, Vue.js, WordPress migration, performance optimization, Tailwind CSS, DaisyUI, Ghost CMS, full-stack developer, modern web development",[231,134,185,232,233,234,235,236,138,184,187],"Nuxt","Stripe","Netlify","Tailwind CSS","DaisyUI","Ghost CMS","pdfrest-website","case-studies/pdfrest-website",[231,134,185,232,233,234,235,236,138,184,187],"3T-z3tlwPO9AmvKtUIdzia2s03p-nSMHeJPHoEvXmx4",{"id":242,"title":243,"body":244,"date":75,"description":254,"extension":76,"featured":110,"image":255,"imageAlt":256,"impact":257,"meta":258,"navigation":77,"path":270,"rotation":271,"seo":272,"slug":281,"stem":282,"technologies":283,"__hash__":284},"caseStudies/case-studies/sammy-dyer-site-redesign.md","Sammy Dyer Site Redesign: Empowering Clients With Independent Content Management",{"type":8,"value":245,"toc":252},[246,249],[50,247,248],{},"An early career full-stack website redesign project where I modernized a client's website using contemporary web development practices. Successfully delivered a modern, scalable solution that empowered the client with independent content management capabilities.",[50,250,251],{},"The project balanced modern architecture with familiar tools, making the transition smooth for the client while providing a solid foundation for future growth.",{"title":71,"searchDepth":72,"depth":72,"links":253},[],"A full-stack website redesign modernizing an existing site with contemporary web development practices and empowering the client with content management.","/case-study-media/sdst-strapi.png","sdst website","Empowered client with independent content management and streamlined updates",{"challenge":259,"solution":260,"results":261,"timeline":266,"projectRole":267,"projectUrl":268,"repoUrl":269},"The client's website was in desperate need of a redesign, required regular content updates, and had substantial content volume needing migration from the legacy platform.","Implemented JAMstack architecture combining Vue.js (frontend), Strapi (backend), and Heroku (deployment). Integrated headless WordPress CMS for content management, balancing modern architecture with familiar tools.",[262,263,264,265],"Delivered modern, scalable website","Empowered client with independent content management","Streamlined update processes","Successfully migrated all legacy content","Early career project","Full-stack engineer (solo with direct client collaboration)","https://sds.charlesisa.dev/","https://github.com/IamCharlesM/SDS-Redesign","/case-studies/sammy-dyer-site-redesign",0,{"title":273,"description":274,"ogTitle":243,"ogDescription":275,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":243,"twitterDescription":275,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":276,"author":87,"articlePublishedTime":75,"articleTag":277},"Sammy Dyer Site Redesign: Empowering Clients With Independent Content Management — Case Study","Full-stack website redesign modernizing client site with Vue.js and JAMstack architecture. Case study showcasing client empowerment through independent content management capabilities.","Full-stack website redesign modernizing client site with Vue.js and JAMstack architecture, empowering clients with content management.","Vue.js, Strapi, JAMstack, headless CMS, website redesign, client empowerment, Heroku, full-stack developer, modern web development",[134,278,279,280,135,136],"Strapi","Heroku","Headless WordPress","sammy-dyer-site-redesign","case-studies/sammy-dyer-site-redesign",[134,278,279,280,135,136],"1DTiZLe7x1l_-sEMoViDj3L6byEfQoVtoGltxuFDnhs",{"id":286,"title":287,"body":288,"date":75,"description":298,"extension":76,"featured":110,"image":299,"imageAlt":300,"impact":301,"meta":302,"navigation":77,"path":312,"rotation":313,"seo":314,"slug":324,"stem":325,"technologies":326,"__hash__":327},"caseStudies/case-studies/socialboost-digital-website.md","SocialBoost Digital: Launch Fast, Learn Quickly",{"type":8,"value":289,"toc":296},[290,293],[50,291,292],{},"A personal odyssey in building a modern digital marketing agency website using Nuxt, Tailwind, and Daisy-UI. The strategy was simple — launch fast and learn quickly, prioritizing incremental improvements over perfectionism.",[50,294,295],{},"Built with a focus on performance, accessibility, and user experience, this project showcases the power of JAMstack architecture and modern web development practices.",{"title":71,"searchDepth":72,"depth":72,"links":297},[],"A full-service digital marketing agency website built to showcase branding, content creation, and SEO services with modern web technologies.","/case-study-media/sbd-website.png","Social boost website","Achieved 90+ Performance Score on PageSpeed Insights",{"challenge":303,"solution":304,"results":305,"timeline":309,"projectRole":310,"projectUrl":311},"Balancing aesthetic design with performance optimization, managing static image rendering, maintaining content updates without hosting complications, and achieving high performance scores while preserving visual quality.","Implemented Nuxt.js with Tailwind CSS and Daisy-UI components for efficient development. Leveraged Nuxt Content for effortless content management. Replaced Nuxt Image with standard HTML img elements to resolve rendering issues. Adopted an iterative 'launch fast, learn quickly' approach.",[301,306,307,308],"Optimized SEO, accessibility, and user experience","Created dynamic, evolving digital presence","Delivered scalable foundation for ongoing updates","Iterative development with weekly goals","Full-stack developer","https://socialboostdigital.com","/case-studies/socialboost-digital-website",-1,{"title":315,"description":316,"ogTitle":287,"ogDescription":317,"ogImage":318,"twitterTitle":287,"twitterDescription":317,"twitterImage":318,"keywords":319,"author":87,"articlePublishedTime":75,"articleTag":320},"SocialBoost Digital: Launch Fast, Learn Quickly — Case Study","High-performance agency website achieving 90+ PageSpeed score using Nuxt.js and JAMstack architecture. Case study showcasing iterative development and performance-first approach.","High-performance agency website achieving 90+ PageSpeed score using Nuxt.js and JAMstack architecture.","https://placehold.co/1600x900?text=SocialBoost+Digital","Nuxt.js, Vue.js, Tailwind CSS, Daisy-UI, JAMstack, PageSpeed optimization, performance, SEO, accessibility, full-stack developer, modern web development",[321,134,234,322,323,138],"Nuxt.js","Daisy-UI","Nuxt Content","socialboost-digital-website","case-studies/socialboost-digital-website",[321,134,234,322,323,138],"BO9apETUNEU9CG7mHC9fR_Umf8HwMIcc3uplrd9324Q",{"id":329,"title":330,"body":331,"date":525,"description":335,"extension":76,"featured":77,"image":340,"imageAlt":526,"impact":336,"meta":527,"navigation":77,"path":528,"rotation":80,"seo":529,"slug":515,"stem":544,"technologies":545,"__hash__":546},"caseStudies/case-studies/trustclarity-platform-modernization.md","TrustClarity: AI-Accelerated Modernization of a B2B Surplus Equipment Platform",{"type":8,"value":332,"toc":516},[333,337,341,345,350,353,356,360,362,367,375,382,387,408,411,415,418,421,455,458,462,469,472,492,495,499,506,509,513],[11,334],{"description":335,"impact":336,"title":330},"Full-stack platform modernization for a B2B surplus equipment marketplace — legacy website rebuilt in 2 weeks, enterprise observability, Claude-powered n8n workflow automation, and a POC inventory tool scaled into a major lead generation product.","Website rebuilt in 2 weeks, 16,597 SEO errors resolved, 5 services instrumented, company-wide Claude AI adoption, and a POC scaled into a major lead generation tool",[16,338],{"alt":339,"src":340},"TrustClarity redesigned homepage — Turn Excess Inventory Into Revenue with clean B2B SaaS layout and featured brand logos","/case-study-media/tc-homepage.png",[21,342],{"project-label":343,"project-url":344},"VIEW SITE","https://trustclarity.com",[26,346],{"role":347,"team":348,"timeline":349},"Solo Full-Stack Consultant — strategy, frontend, infrastructure, observability, analytics, automation, and product","Solo engagement","Website: 2 weeks; full platform Jan–Mar 2026",[32,351],{"challenge":352},"TrustClarity's platform had accumulated years of technical debt at every layer: a legacy website with a silent SEO-destroying canonical bug, five production services with zero observability, analytics fragmented across two domains, manual workflows creating operational drag, and no AI tooling across the team. Meanwhile, the product roadmap needed an AI-powered lead generation tool — fast — to support their sales motion.",[36,354],{":results":355},"[\"Led company-wide Claude AI adoption: championed Claude Team account, integrated Claude Code throughout the engagement, and wired the Claude API into production n8n workflows\",\"3 Claude-powered n8n automations in production — Google Ads pipeline, GitHub PR notifications across 5 microservices, and Jira heartbeat — with 70%+ resource reduction vs. prior workflows\",\"AI-powered Inventory Evaluation Tool shipped across 6 epics and 25+ stories, live in the TrustClarity sales process\",\"16,597 duplicate canonical SEO errors resolved in a single deployment by fixing root-cause logic bug in MetaData.js\",\"13 HTML pages modernized with Bootstrap 5.3; 520-line design system replacing 200+ CSS conflicts\",\"5 production services fully instrumented with OpenTelemetry (server-side traces + browser Web Vitals), all reporting to SigNoz\",\"21 Terraform-managed alerting rules deployed across all services, routing to Microsoft Teams\",\"GA4 unified across trustclarity.com and store.trustclarity.com; GTM migration, Apollo visitor identification, and Klaviyo event tracking integrated\",\"Website redesign delivered in 2 weeks; stakeholder feedback and PriceIt integration extended the full rollout, resulting in a consistent design and a POC elevated into a primary lead generation tool\"]",[40,357],{":technologies":358,"solution":359},"[\"Claude API\",\"n8n\",\"OpenTelemetry\",\"Terraform\",\"Bootstrap 5.3\",\"AWS ECS\",\"SigNoz\",\"Node.js\"]","Delivered a four-track modernization engagement covering frontend redesign, SEO remediation, full-stack observability on AWS ECS, and an AI-powered lead generation product. Claude was central to every track — used as the primary development tool via Claude Code, wired into production automation workflows via the Claude API and n8n, and adopted company-wide through a Claude Team account championed during the engagement.",[45,361,48],{"id":47},[363,364,366],"h3",{"id":365},"website-modernization","Website Modernization",[50,368,369,370,374],{},"The corporate site needed more than a facelift — it needed a clearer story. The old homepage split the screen between a white text column and a dark sci-fi background image, with a product search widget competing for attention on the right side. The redesigned homepage opens with a clean layout, a direct headline (",[371,372,373],"em",{},"Turn Excess Inventory Into Revenue","), and social proof through featured brand logos (AFL, Cisco, CommScope, Juniper, Motorola, Corning, and others). Every element directs to one action.",[50,376,377],{},[378,379],"img",{"alt":380,"src":381},"Legacy TrustClarity homepage with dark split-screen hero and generic tech imagery","/case-study-media/tc-before.png",[50,383,384],{},[378,385],{"alt":386,"src":340},"Redesigned TrustClarity homepage with clean B2B SaaS layout and featured brand logos",[50,388,389,390,394,395,399,400,403,404,407],{},"I migrated all 13 HTML pages to Bootstrap 5.3.3, replaced over 200 lines of conflicting CSS overrides with a structured 520-line design system, and rewrote the homepage copy around outcomes — completing the core redesign in ",[391,392,393],"strong",{},"2 weeks",". The highest-leverage change was fixing a silent bug in ",[396,397,398],"code",{},"MetaData.js"," — the canonical tag was reading from an environment variable pointing to the wrong origin, so every page was telling Google it was a duplicate of a URL that didn't exist. Fixing it to use ",[396,401,402],{},"window.location.origin"," resolved ",[391,405,406],{},"16,597 duplicate canonical errors"," in one deployment. I paired this with a dynamic sitemap, a GTM migration, GA4 consolidation across both domains, Apollo visitor identification, and Klaviyo event tracking.",[50,409,410],{},"The full release took longer than the redesign itself. Translating stakeholder feedback into precise design decisions and integrating the standalone PriceIt proof-of-concept directly into the site required additional iteration — but the result was a coherent, consistent implementation rather than a bolted-on tool, and it laid the foundation for PriceIt to become a primary lead generation driver rather than a standalone experiment.",[363,412,414],{"id":413},"enterprise-observability","Enterprise Observability",[50,416,417],{},"TrustClarity had five active production services and zero visibility into any of them. I designed and deployed a full SigNoz observability stack on AWS ECS — ClickHouse, ZooKeeper, OTel Collector, and the SigNoz frontend — with VPC networking, EFS persistence, an ALB, and IAM roles managed end-to-end in Terraform.",[50,419,420],{},"I then instrumented all five services with OpenTelemetry:",[422,423,424,431,437,443,449],"ul",{},[425,426,427,430],"li",{},[391,428,429],{},"trustclarity-website"," (Node.js/Express): server traces + browser Web Vitals via proxy endpoint",[425,432,433,436],{},[391,434,435],{},"tc-platform-webapp"," (Next.js 16): browser-side OTel SDK",[425,438,439,442],{},[391,440,441],{},"tc-ms-admin"," (Express + Apollo GraphQL + Prisma): server traces with Winston log correlation",[425,444,445,448],{},[391,446,447],{},"tc-knowledgegraph / Arivu"," (FastAPI): 8 manual spans and 6 custom metrics for Neo4j queries, LLM calls, and Cohere embeddings",[425,450,451,454],{},[391,452,453],{},"trustclarity-frontend"," (React 16 / CRA): instrumented via an esbuild pre-bundle pattern to work around the legacy Webpack 4 build toolchain",[50,456,457],{},"Twenty-one Terraform-managed alerting rules cover P95 latency, error rates, and absence detection across all services, routing to Microsoft Teams. The AI knowledge graph received a two-tier model: trace-based service health (Tier 1) and component-level metrics for Neo4j, LLM, and Cohere (Tier 2).",[363,459,461],{"id":460},"claude-ai-adoption-automation","Claude AI Adoption & Automation",[50,463,464,465,468],{},"I'd been using Claude Code throughout my own deliverables — for architecture decisions, documentation, and code generation — and the velocity gains were visible enough that I made the case for a ",[391,466,467],{},"Claude Team account"," for the engineering team. Early outcomes include faster feature release velocity, more consistent code quality across the team, and the first Claude-powered automation workflows for the finance team, with more in flight for operations.",[50,470,471],{},"For workflow automation, I integrated the Claude API directly into n8n to build three production automations:",[422,473,474,480,486],{},[425,475,476,479],{},[391,477,478],{},"Google Ads → Airtable",": Automated ad performance pipeline feeding sales intelligence",[425,481,482,485],{},[391,483,484],{},"GitHub → MS Teams",": PR notifications across five microservices, with Claude-generated summaries",[425,487,488,491],{},[391,489,490],{},"Jira → MS Teams",": Ticket status heartbeat for the full team",[50,493,494],{},"These workflows also established a repeatable pattern for extending Claude into TrustClarity's existing toolchain without dedicated infrastructure — a foundation the ops team is now building on.",[363,496,498],{"id":497},"ai-powered-inventory-valuation-tool","AI-Powered Inventory Valuation Tool",[50,500,501,502,505],{},"The ",[391,503,504],{},"Inventory Evaluation Tool"," began as a standalone proof-of-concept — a simple file upload that returned rough pricing estimates. The goal was to validate demand before investing further. It validated fast. Rather than ship it as a separate product, we integrated it directly into the redesigned corporate site, which required both the design system and the tool to meet a higher bar of consistency and polish. That decision extended the overall timeline but transformed the outcome: what started as a POC became a primary lead generation driver embedded in the main sales funnel.",[50,507,508],{},"Delivered across 6 epics and 25+ stories, the final tool includes drag-and-drop file upload with intelligent header detection, batch validation against TrustClarity's pricing API, two-phase item scoring, real pricing for top-qualifying SKUs, obfuscated pricing to drive contact form conversion, SSE streaming for live progress feedback, and a results dashboard with session-persisted state. The tool went live in March 2026 and is now active in the sales process.",[57,510],{"description":511,"primaryButtonText":60,"primaryButtonUrl":61,"secondaryButtonText":62,"secondaryButtonUrl":63,"title":512},"Looking to modernize your platform, build production-grade observability, or get your team up and running with Claude? Let's talk.","READY TO MODERNIZE\nWITH AI?",[66,514],{":limit":68,"current-slug":515},"trustclarity-platform-modernization",{"title":71,"searchDepth":72,"depth":72,"links":517},[518],{"id":47,"depth":72,"text":48,"children":519},[520,522,523,524],{"id":365,"depth":521,"text":366},3,{"id":413,"depth":521,"text":414},{"id":460,"depth":521,"text":461},{"id":497,"depth":521,"text":498},"2026-03-29T00:00:00.000Z","TrustClarity redesigned homepage — \"Turn Excess Inventory Into Revenue\" with clean B2B SaaS layout and featured brand logos",{},"/case-studies/trustclarity-platform-modernization",{"title":530,"description":531,"ogTitle":532,"ogDescription":533,"keywords":534,"author":87,"articlePublishedTime":525,"articleTag":535},"TrustClarity Platform Modernization — Case Study | Charles McGregory","Solo full-stack engagement modernizing a B2B surplus equipment platform — Bootstrap 5.3 rebrand, SigNoz observability on AWS ECS, Claude-powered n8n automations, and an AI inventory valuation tool delivered in under 90 days.","TrustClarity: AI-Accelerated Platform Modernization","How one engineer modernized a B2B platform's website, observability, and product — with Claude at the center of the workflow.","Claude API, n8n automation, OpenTelemetry, AWS ECS, Terraform, Bootstrap 5.3, SigNoz, GA4, GTM, B2B SaaS, observability, AI adoption, surplus equipment, inventory valuation, full-stack consultant",[536,537,538,539,540,541,542,135,543],"Claude API","n8n","OpenTelemetry","AWS ECS","Terraform","Bootstrap 5.3","SigNoz","AI adoption","case-studies/trustclarity-platform-modernization",[536,537,538,540,541,539,542,135],"dIDuxODvNzjKkRXTZcvIKOwQG9NMuqNkIHszao_jGD0",{"id":548,"extension":549,"meta":550,"seo":558,"stem":559,"__hash__":560},"caseStudiesIndex/case-studies.yml","yml",{"path":551,"body":552,"title":557},"/case-studies",{"seo":553},{"title":554,"description":555,"ogTitle":554,"ogDescription":555,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":71,"twitterDescription":71,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":556,"author":71},"Case Studies — Modern Web Systems & Applications","Explore real-world projects showing how clean architecture, accessibility, and thoughtful design improve performance, security, and user experience.","case studies, portfolio, web development, projects, modern web systems, clean architecture, accessibility","Case Studies",{"title":554,"description":555,"ogTitle":554,"ogDescription":555,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":71,"twitterDescription":71,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":556,"author":71},"case-studies","o23qdjiTRsq0BL1vzxFleTZEamHTalul3pdn4SVlxM4",{"id":562,"cta":563,"extension":549,"hero":573,"meta":601,"seo":620,"stem":621,"__hash__":622},"index/index.yml",{"titleLines":564,"description":567,"primaryButton":568,"secondaryButton":570},[565,566],"MODERN WEB APPS,","BUILT WITH PURPOSE.","I design and develop scalable, accessible digital systems that help nonprofits, creatives, and small businesses operate with clarity and confidence.",{"text":569,"url":61},"Start a Project",{"text":571,"url":572},"Connect With Me","/links",{"tagline":574,"titleLines":575,"description":579,"portraitImage":580,"portraitImageAlt":581,"badgeText":582,"ariaLabels":583,"primaryButton":586,"secondaryButton":588,"socialLinks":590},"Full-Stack Developer & Systems Architect",[576,577,578],"WEB APPS","BUILT WITH","PURPOSE!","I develop modern, scalable digital systems that streamline operations through clean architecture, thoughtful UX, and accessibility-first engineering.","/me.jpg","Me","Ready to Build!",{"primaryButton":584,"secondaryButton":585},"VIEW MY WORK - Navigate to case studies page","Let's Build Together - Navigate to contact page",{"text":587,"url":551},"VIEW MY WORK",{"text":589,"url":61},"Let's Build Together",[591,596],{"icon":592,"url":593,"label":594,"ariaLabel":595},"i-lucide-github","https://github.com/IamCharlesM/","GitHub","Visit GitHub profile (opens in new tab)",{"icon":597,"url":598,"label":599,"ariaLabel":600},"i-lucide-linkedin","https://www.linkedin.com/in/forcharles/","LinkedIn","Visit LinkedIn profile (opens in new tab)",{"path":602,"body":603,"title":71},"/",{"hero":604,"cta":612,"seo":616},{"tagline":574,"titleLines":605,"description":579,"portraitImage":580,"portraitImageAlt":581,"badgeText":582,"ariaLabels":606,"primaryButton":607,"secondaryButton":608,"socialLinks":609},[576,577,578],{"primaryButton":584,"secondaryButton":585},{"text":587,"url":551},{"text":589,"url":61},[610,611],{"icon":592,"url":593,"label":594,"ariaLabel":595},{"icon":597,"url":598,"label":599,"ariaLabel":600},{"titleLines":613,"description":567,"primaryButton":614,"secondaryButton":615},[565,566],{"text":569,"url":61},{"text":571,"url":572},{"title":617,"description":618,"ogTitle":617,"ogDescription":618,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":71,"twitterDescription":71,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":619,"author":71},"Full-Stack Developer in Chicago | Web Apps Built With Purpose","I build modern, accessible systems for nonprofits, creatives, and small businesses—turning scattered workflows into clean, reliable digital platforms.","full-stack developer, Chicago developer, web development, portfolio, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Vue, Nuxt, nonprofit web developer, accessible web development",{"title":617,"description":618,"ogTitle":617,"ogDescription":618,"ogImage":71,"twitterTitle":71,"twitterDescription":71,"twitterImage":71,"keywords":619,"author":71},"index","vCpasW4S8Y62Dqs9Y7NlFApT2m7nS-M6JEfqXV75Nw0",1783847734853]