The Columbia Business Times app can be downloaded by visiting http://www.columbiabusinesstimes.com from your mobile device

Back in November, the Columbia Business Times launched a new format of their publication by changing from a bi-monthly newspaper into a monthly magazine. The Business Times Company called on Delta Systems to once again help them out with bringing their publications onto the web.

Last week, the CBT launched their December 2011 issue and announced the availability of their CBT mobile app.

The site works beautifully on all major mobile devices and tablets.  By default, viewing the website on an iPad or Android-based tablet yields the same experience as viewing from a desktop computer.

Delta also added some niceties for iPhone users with the ability to easily add a shortcut icon to your phone.

Visit http://www.ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com now in order to get the app and experience the magazine.

"Just Call Delta" Today!

Delta Systems Group, Columbia, MO is hiring web application developers

http://www.JustCallDelta.com

Do you have a passion for helping companies? Are you skilled in WordPress, PHP, PostgreSQL, MySQL, XML, Zend Framework? Delta Systems, an online application development company headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, offers an exciting and high-energy work environment. As a rapid application development company, we minimize over-engineering and empower you to make decisions and manage tasks.

Work Environment:

Since 1986, Delta has been building tracking systems for everything from napkins to insurance policies, from golf courses to hot dog ingredients, from horse ailments to yoga certifications, and from blood donors to paddlefish. Building online applications and data management systems that are intuitive yet powerful is our specialty.

Read about Delta in the Columbia Daily Tribune

Delta Systems has been named “one of Mid-Missouri’s foremost web design and support firms” by the Columbia Daily Tribune and “a premier providers of computing solutions” by the Columbia Business Times. Our employees enjoy many freedoms and benefits. We do group coding weekly for reviews and single-project focusing to knock out features, do some spec work, or just to put an app together to find and fix issues quickly. Free lunch-and-learn sessions provide opportunities for ongoing training.

Delta Systems employees exemplify professionalism in every aspect of client relations and work.

Typical daily activities:

* Work along other senior developers to provide PHP programming and functionality for a wide variety of consumer related websites, intranets, extranets, and web-based applications
* Be challenged on a daily basis to solve problems in new and creative ways
* Design, evaluate, update, and maintain object oriented applications in PHP
* Design, evaluate, update, and maintain complicated database schemas in PostgreSQL and SQL Server
* Share your opinions and insights with business leaders on a daily basis in order to affect rapid decision cycles and effective solutions to business requirements

Benefits:

- Paid by the hour (work 32,42, or 52 hours a week – pay doesn’t stop after 40 hours)
- Flex time – If you like working from 7am to 3pm or 3pm to 11pm great!
- Health Insurance, 85% paid by employer
- SIMPLE retirement plan with corporate matching
- Dental
- Paid vacation
- Paid sick leave
- Paid holidays
- AFLAC

Perks:

- Free soda, tea, coffee and occasional lunches.
- Development environments: Ubuntu, Windows, or Mac, whichever
- We’ll pay for applicable certification exams
- Subscription to O’Reilly Media
- Enjoy “Virtual Tuesdays”; you can work from anywhere you want.
- Dress is casual – jeans and t-shirts are just fine. When meeting with clients, we expect business appropriate attire and demeanor.

What we look for in you:

* 2 years of solid PHP and MySQL/PostgreSQL
* Experience with a MVC framework (Zend Framework, Cake, Symphony, Codeigniter)
* Strong working knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript libraries (YUI, jQuery)
* Capabilities in working with WordPress, Drupal, Expression Engine, Joomla, etc
* The ability to translate business requirements into system design.
* Develop solutions based on organizational and users’ needs, strategies, and goals, including recommending improvements based on researching and evaluating web software.
* Successful track record of working in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment
* Exceptional debugging skills
* Experience with Version Control Systems (subversion, github, etc)
* Zend PHP5 and/or Zend Framework Certification: If you’re not already certified, be expected to work towards obtaining certification. We’ll even pay for the first test.

BONUS Talents Sought:

* Know your way around Basecamp
* Experience deploying to a load-balanced environment
* Experience with the Zend Framework
* Ability to administer Linux servers running CentOS 5
* Familiarity with Xdebug
* Linux Server administration experience (Preferably Plesk)
* Know your way around Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Rackspace Cloud, etc.
* Know your way around Google Analytics, Omniture, etc.
* eCommerce platform experience (Magento, etc)
* Zend PHP5 Certified
* Zend Framework Certified

DO NOT APPLY if you:

* are “learning” PHP and want some experience
* are representing a company and want us to outsource to you

Email resumes to info@deltasys.com

Please no phone calls.

This job will also be posted on Craigslist, dice.com, Indeed.com, etc when we get around to it.

Delta Systems was founded in 1986

Delta Systems is looking for another self-motivated and enthusiastic web designer / front-end developer to join our team. You will be responsible for designing and developing websites and user interfaces for web-based applications. Strong creative and design sense, ability work efficiently in a team, and ability to communicate directly with the client are key. You will be expected to read and interpret client design briefs, translate their ideas into complete website mock-ups, and cut and code those designs into static HTML/CSS templates. Anything you can do beyond that is gravy. And we love gravy.

The ideal candidate will have real passion for the web and always keeps an eye on emerging technologies. You will be working closely in a team of highly skilled web developers that are scattered across the United States. If you can design it, they can make it a reality.

Requirements:

• Strong web design portfolio
• Bachelor’s degree in something (if it’s something related to graphic/interactive design, even better!)
• Proven experience designing for client needs
• Strong understanding of HTML/CSS
• Strong understanding of User Interface (UI)/User Experience (UX) principles
• Excellent written & verbal communication skills
• Understand and practice web standards
• Ability to work on multiple projects is essential

Bonus Points:

• Experience working with a modern CMS
• Experience templating for WordPress is a huge plus
• Experience with JavaScript / jQuery / YUI
• Strong understanding of HTML5/CSS3
• Experience with PHP would be nice, but not expected
• You know your way around Basecamp
• You are used to keeping detailed, client-friendly time records
• You have a dribbble.com account

Work Environment:

Since 1986, Delta has been building tracking systems for everything from napkins to insurance policies, from golf courses to hot dog ingredients, from horse ailments to yoga certifications, and from blood donors to paddlefish.

Building online applications and data management systems that are intuitive yet powerful is our specialty.

Read about Delta in the Columbia Daily Tribune

Delta Systems has been named “one of Mid-Missouri’s foremost web design and support firms” by the Columbia Daily Tribune and “a premier providers of computing solutions” by the Columbia Business Times. Our employees enjoy many freedoms and benefits. We do group coding weekly for reviews and single-project focusing to knock out features, do some spec work, or just to put an app together to find and fix issues quickly. Free lunch-and-learn sessions provide opportunities for ongoing training.

Delta builds award winning websites.

Delta Systems employees exemplify professionalism in every aspect of client relations and work.

Typical daily activities:

• Work along other senior developers to provide PHP programming and functionality for a wide variety of consumer related websites, intranets, extranets, and web-based applications
• Be challenged on a daily basis to solve problems in new and creative ways
• Design, evaluate, update, and maintain object oriented applications in PHP
• Design, evaluate, update, and maintain complicated database schemas in PostgreSQL and SQL Server
• Share your opinions and insights with business leaders on a daily basis in order to affect rapid decision cycles and effective solutions to business requirements

Benefits:

• Paid by the hour
• Flex time – If you like working from 7am to 3pm or 3pm to 11pm great!
• Health Insurance, 90% paid by employer
• SIMPLE retirement plan with corporate matching
• Dental
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick leave
• Paid holidays
• AFLAC

Perks:

• Free soda, tea, coffee and occasional lunches.
• Development environments: Ubuntu, Windows, or Mac, whichever
• We’ll pay for applicable certification exams
• Subscription to O’Reilly Media
• Enjoy “Virtual Tuesdays”; you can work from anywhere you want.
• Dress is casual – jeans and t-shirts are just fine. When meeting with clients, we expect business appropriate attire and demeanor.

Email resumes to info@deltasys.com

Please no phone calls.

This job will also be posted on Craigslist, dice.com, Indeed.com, etc when we get around to it.

Truman Wants YOU to Donate Blood

On this bright Monday morning, the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse in Columbia, MO is completely packed with equipment and dozens of blood donation stations. As the American Red Cross’ executive vice president of biomedical services, Chris Hrouda, finishes his remarks and the Chamber finishes their ribbon cutting, America’s largets multiday blood drive is underway.

Blood Donor Registration and Tracking System

Delta systems has been very pleased to help out the American Red Cross blood drive for the past 20 years with a customized, and ever-evolving blood donor registration and tracking system that has been in use at almost 40 blood drives and deferral days. This year is a bit different in that our capability to track the average donation time has been removed due to a reordering of the entire donation process. However, our real-time stats of overall donation numbers is still valid. The entire process continues to keep wait times to only a few minutes while providing the Homecoming committee with vital participant statistics that help to determine the winner of the Homecoming festivities.

The History of Homecoming

Homecoming is especially important at Mizzou, since they invented it, and are celebrating 100 years of homecoming in 2011.

Mizzou’s Homecoming Blood Drive – America’s Largest

MU blood drive looks to set record - The Columbia Daily Tribune

The University of Missouri is home to the largest multiday blood drive in the American Red Cross system nationwide. Hitting the 5,000-unit goal would set a record for the organization and MU and has the potential to affect 15,000 lives. Read more at MU blood drive looks to set record

Read more about the 2011 Boone Dawdle in the Columbia Daily Tribune

Delta Systems was proud to sponsor the 2011 Boone Dawdle. Once again, our contribution was the creation and management of the online ticket purchasing and reporting system.

This is one in a series of efforts that Delta Systems has committed to the Columbia, MO born True/False film festival.

A Short History of the Dawdle

Delta Sponsors the 2011 Boone Dawdle

In the summer of 2010, True/False decided to create a new event to accompany their annual film festival. On August 21st, 2010 the First Annual Boone Dawdle took place, consisting of a bike ride from Columbia to Rocheport, followed by a local food picnic hosted by Les Bourgeois vineyards, and a screening of documentary film “Best Worst Movie” accompanied by its director and star.

Paul Sturtz and David Wilson have graciously allowed Delta Systems to work on the technical stuff with some of their amazing volunteers.

To manage the first ever Dawdle successfully, True/False asked Delta to create a ticket purchasing and reporting system. The system allowed multiple passes to be purchased at once, handled payment processing seamlessly, empowered the festival staff to manage content, and provided powerful reports to help staff manage the logistics of the event.

Delta Builds Tracking Systems

"Just Call Delta" Today!

Since 1986, Delta has been building tracking systems for everything from napkins to insurance policies, from golf courses to hot dog ingredients, from horse ailments to yoga certifications, and from blood donors to paddlefish.

Building online applications and data management systems that are intuitive yet powerful is our specialty.

How can we help? Give us a call and discuss it for free.

Unfortunately, for some website hosting providers, upgrading from MySQL 4.0 to 5.0 may not be an option. This will eventually leave your site without the ability to upgrade plug-ins and apply security patches.

How is Delta Web Hosting Different?

How is Delta different? The Only Way to Know is to Talk to Us

1. Our cloud-based website hosting servers are ready to host WordPress 3.2 sites.
2. We’ve had MySQL 5.0 running on them for quite some time.
3. As with previous WordPress updates, we will help all our clients climb into WordPress 3.2.
4. All we need is a quick phone call and approval to upgrade your site
5. Your website is backed up every 4 hours
6. Server image snapshots are taken often

Learn More About What’s New in WordPress 3.2

Taken from the WordPress official blog:

We are WordPress Design and Development Experts

The focus for this release was making WordPress faster and lighter. The first thing you’ll notice when you log in to 3.2 is a refreshed dashboard design that tightens the typography, design, and code behind the admin. (Rhapsody in Grey?) If you’re starting a new blog, you’ll also appreciate the fully HTML5 new Twenty Eleven theme, fulfilling our plan to replace the default theme every year. Start writing your first post in our redesigned post editor and venture to the full-screen button in the editing toolbar to enter the new distraction-free writing or zen mode, my personal favorite feature of the release. All of the widgets, menus, buttons, and interface elements fade away to allow you to compose and edit your thoughts in a completely clean environment conducive to writing, but when your mouse strays to the top of the screen your most-used shortcuts are right there where you need them.

Flanked by past winners, Michelle Spry received the 2011 Debin Benish Outstanding Businesswoman Award at the Columbia Chamber of Commerce annual meeting.

The award was presented by the 2010 winner, Karen Miller, at the 2011 Columbia Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting & Awards Banquet. With the support of Steve Powell, the current owner of Delta Systems, and Debin’s husband Dave Benish, Women’s Network continues the encouragement of Debin’s smile with this memorial award, an engraved picture frame, and $1,000 grant.

This award is designed to honor a Columbia Business Woman who:

• Exhibits leadership in supporting small business
• Has a record of volunteering in the community
• Is a mentor to other business women, and
• Owns or is employed by a Chamber-member business, preferably a Women’s Network member

About The Award

Debin Benish started Delta Systems Group at a time when women were not encouraged to venture out on their own, not to mention in a technology field. During her 18 years in business, Debin and her staff trained thousands of people in Mid- Missouri on many different software programs and provided computer network support to hundreds of companies.

In addition to achieving great success in her company, Debin was actively involved in the Chamber and Women’s Network. She served on the Chamber Board of Directors, Accreditation Task Force, Business Conference and Showcase Committee, Government Affairs, Education, Leadership Columbia, Women’s Network Business Owners Committee, and Ambassadors.

Debin had a philanthropic heart. She and the Delta Systems staff quietly assisted many charities and non-profits with their technology needs, such as the Central Missouri Food Bank, as she served on countless technology committees and boards. Among the most noteworthy accomplishments is the revolutionizing of the registration process for the biannual MU blood drives by creating the system that is still used to this day to assist in minimizing donor wait times. For all these reasons and her corporate mantra of providing excellent customer service and caring for projects, the Chamber honored Debin and Delta Systems as the 1992 Small Business of the Year and again in 2005 as a Small Business of the Year Finalist.

A Transcript of the Award Announcement

It is our honor to present the 7th Annual Debin Benish Outstanding Business Woman Award. I’m Dave Benish, and this is last year’s winner, Karen Miller, Boone County District 1 Commissioner, and Steve Powell with Delta Systems Group.

KAREN:
What a thrill it was last year when I was presented this wonderful award. I’ll forever cherish it. In the spirit of Debin Benish’s giving of her time, talent and treasure I used last year’s grant money to participate in the Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge.  Greater Missouri is an annual traveling symposium designed to bring together women leaders from global corporations, small business, academia, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Through the course of the year, we are exposed to critical issues confronting our communities, state and nation.
I find this a wonderful opportunity to build strong relationships with women leaders across this state and work collaboratively to find solutions to everyday problems facing our citizens, our businesses and our governments.

STEVE:
Debin was a dedicated pioneer in the technology world. She started Delta Systems Group and led a successful business for 18 years. While at the same time she was active in the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Woman’s Network, other community and state programs and charities.
KAREN:
With the support of Steve Powell, the current owner of Delta Systems, Debin’s husband Dave Benish, and Women’s Network who continues to encourage and recognize career women with this memorial award and a $1,000 grant. This award is designed to honor a Columbia Businesswoman who:
•    Exhibits leadership in supporting small business,
•    Has a record of volunteering in the community,
•    Is a mentor to other business women,
•    Owns or is employed by a Chamber member business, and   preferably a Women’s Network member.

STEVE:
This businesswoman works hard yet volunteers extensively in the community. She’s been described as someone who’s “genuine, trustworthy, caring, generous, honest and interested in everyone she meets.”  A real agent of Change!

DAVE:
This year’s recipient is heavily involved in Women’s Network – an instrumental player on the Changing the Odds committee, which helps women re-enter the workforce. Within the Chamber, she’s been a strong voice on the Chamber’s Small Business Committee, and it would be a rare occasion if she missed an Ambassador’s ribbon cutting event.

KAREN:
This year’s recipient is definitely a pioneer for women whose career could be considered non-traditional. She exudes confidence in herself and her abilities. She owns and operates a business with her husband, which was awarded the Small Business of the Year in 2009. Always encouraging continued education to her employees, this businesswoman has gone so far as to prepare dinner for her employees so they can go right from work to class without missing a meal.
I first got to know this nominee during a Leadership series program. I was impressed with her willingness to stand up in front of the class and tell everyone how she struggles in the office with being a control freak.  She received advice on how to loosen up some of that control and would come back weekly and give updates on how it was working.  She is a great example of a true leader- always wanting to improve and taking every opportunity to do so.

DAVE:
This year, it is my honor to present Michele Spry co-owner of Midway Electric with the Debin Benish Outstanding Businesswoman Award.

About the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting & Awards Banquet

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce helds its 106th Annual Meeting & Awards Banquet at the MU Alumni Center.

UPDATE:

The new Columbia MO Women’s Network website has an article about Michelle Spry’s award

• More Color
• More Crafty
• More Curves
• More Capacity
• More Coolness
• More Creativity

The Laboratory of Applied Ecology (LEA) is part of the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences (FSA) at the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC-Benin). The LEA is one of the most advanced research institutions on natural resources in West Africa.

The Republic of Benin is a country of about nine million people and is located in West Africa.

Delta Systems became involved thanks to Dr. Roland Holou, then an ambitious doctoral student at the University of Missouri – Columbia.  Roland’s commitment to helping his fellow countrymen is exemplary.

Delta Systems set out to help the Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée put up a system that would allow them to showcase their work, partnerships, and extensive photo collection. The site needed to be available in English, French, and eventually Yorùbá. To keep costs low, the site needed to be able to allow the adding, updating, and translating of content to be handled by multiple people on multiple continents.

Delta Systems provided the website design and is the web hosting provider for the LEA.

Delta helped out by quickly adding forms and items to their WordPress system to allow online bidding during the silent auction. A representative onsite would be notified of the bids coming in from TigerQBClub.com/auction and can quickly coordinate virtual bids with those being made onsite at The Club at Old Hawthorne. With the assistance of the general public bidding on items via the website, the online auction system was a great success and netted several thousand dollars for the Tiger QB Club.

Update: This was the BEST auction results the group has ever attained. Online bids were rolling in even before golfers were getting off the course. Several fevered bidding wars erupted as people onsite sat perched, ready to place higher bids, waiting for online bidders to strike.

Some of the items included in the auction were

1. Brad Smith #16 New York Jets Jersey Donated by TQBC
2. Jeremy Maclin #18 Philadelphia Eagles Jersey Donated by TQBC
3. Chase Daniel #10 New Orleans Saints Jersey Donated by TQBC
4. Blaine Gabbert #11 University of Missouri Jersey Donated by TQBC
5. Swing Analysis Donated by Golf Tech
6. 6 Suite Tickets to Cardinals All Inclusive, parking pass, $1500 value Donated by Huntley-McGhee
7. Smokehouse Sampler Donated by Burgers Smokehouse
8. Timeless Treasure Gift Pack Donated by Burgers Smokehouse
9. 1953 Bowman Stan Musial Baseball Card – Autographed Donated by Bill Carner
10. $25 Gift Card to Macaroni Grill and 2 Tickets to Ragtag Cinema Donated by Cindy Sheltmire
11. Weekend Rental of Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Donated by Mid America Harley- Davidson
12. Carl Edwards Autographed Car Donated by Carl Edwards
13. Overnight Stay and Breakfast for Two Donated by Courtyard by Marriott
14. Sterling Silver Hand Crafted Tiger Head Necklace Donated by Sturhahn Jewelers
15. Tiger Blanket Donated by John Pile
16. White Knight 10 Passenger Limo Ride for 4 hour block Donated by White Knight Limousine
17. MU/OU Autographed Coach Pinkel Print from 2010 Season Donated by TQBC
18. $25 Gift Card to D’Rowes and 1 Year Power Mizzou Subscription Donated by D’Rowes and Gabe DeArmond
19. $25 Gift Card and 1 Year Power Mizzou Subscription Donated by D’Rowes and Gabe DeArmond
20. Coach Gary Pinkel Autographed Football Donated by TQBC
21. Gus Otto Autographed Football Donated by TQBC
22. Roger Wehrli Autographed Football Donated by TQBC
23. Johnny Roland Autographed Football Donated by TQBC
24. Tony Temple Autographed Football Donated by TQBC
25. Chase Coffman Autographed Football Donated by TQBC
26. Coach John Kadlec Autographed Football Donated by TQBC

Need an online auction system? Just Call Delta

Delta Systems is a full-service computer consulting company with a suite of web development, web design, and computer network support talent.

How is Delta different? The Only Way to Know is to Talk to Us

Building online applications and data management systems that are intuitive yet powerful is our specialty.

Do we build simple websites too? You bet. And we do it well using WordPress, Drupal, Expression Engine, and custom solutions.

We also have experts in Microsoft Access Development, EXE development, product commercialization, training on all major software, and more.

Give us a call and find out why over 800 companies have trusted Delta Systems with their networking, web, and programming needs since 1986. Ask around.

You’ll hear people say, “Just call Delta” so much that we made it our website – http://JustCallDelta.com