Our Team

The people behind Gravity Works have a variety of interests, backgrounds, and experiences; but we share a passion for what we do, and doing it well. The sharp minds of our experts and an excitement to learn and grow puts us a step above the rest.

Our team is constantly growing and evolving, turning “I have an idea” into “you should see this” on a local, national, and international scale. Gravity Works was founded on a passion for detail-focused design, sound development practices, education, and community involvement.

Learn more at an upcoming speaking engagement, community event, or contact Gravity Works directly.

Partner & Director of Development

Jeff McWherter at the Gravity Works officeJeff McWherter

Jeff McWherter is a graduate of Michigan State University and has over 12 years of professional software development experience. Jeff is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD), Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA), Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD), and Microsoft Technology Specialist (MCTS).

In 2010 Jeff was awarded with the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for the third year in a row. Jeff is a published author, with Testing ASP.NET Web Applications (Wrox Press) and Professional Test Driven Development with C# (Wrox Press). Jeff is very active in developing programming communities across the country, speaking at conferences and organizing events such as the Lansing Give Camp, pairing developers with non-profit organizations for volunteer projects.

Likes:

Learning, reading, winter, eating

Dislikes:

Unformatted code


Twitter@jmcw

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Partner & Creative Director

Amelia Marschall at the Gravity Works officeAmelia Marschall-Miller

Amelia Marschall-Miller holds a degree from Northern Michigan University in Graphic Design and Marketing. Amelia has over five years of graphic design experience ranging from logos and branding, print media, and website design. Amelia has a complete knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite products, as well as HTML/CSS web development technologies. She is continually exploring the latest techniques in website design, and has spoken about the topic in the local development community.

Likes

Typography, swimming, skiing, camping and dark chocolate

Dislikes

Jimmy Johns


Twitter@MimiAmelia

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Director of Business Development

David Silva Smith at the Gravity Works officeDavid Silva Smith

David Silva Smith understands the challenges that stand between clients and their goals, from state government to the auto industry. A Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist with 14 years of programming and IT experience, David is a graduate of the Department of Telecommunications, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University. David loves learning about germane information services and computing as a business utility. Using .NET, JavaScript, SQL, and XML, he has created and delivered the software to turn business plans into profits. David is excited to be back in Lansing and part of a growing Michigan economy.

Likes:

Eating, playing sports, being social, learning, helping others

Dislikes:

Driving, usernames and passwords


Twitter@DavidSilvaSmith

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Senior Developer

Scott Gowell at the Gravity Works officeScott Gowell

Scott Gowell graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Network Computing: concentrating on the latest software development concepts. With non-profit organizations and large corporations, he has maintained and evolved existing legacy systems; steeped in the development of line of business and custom web applications, and his most recent development includes a selection of mobile applications. With almost a decade of professional programming experience, Scott is engaged in designing the next generation of tools for our clients to be more productive, and help make their lives easier.

Likes:

Lego, Doctor Who, surprisingly-loud keyboards

Dislikes:

Direct sunlight


Twitter@sgowell

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Developer

Adam Ryder at the Gravity Works officeAdam Ryder

Adam Ryder studied Computer Science at Lake Superior State University; his skill is founded in database and web application experience with local businesses and state-wide government. Adam is known to pick up a new book and start building, but believes technology does not outgrow the people-focused recipe for great functionality. He produces scalable applications by learning on the cutting edge while working with proven development methods.

Likes:

Lasagna, Tahquamenon Falls

Dislikes:

Plaster and Lathe


Twitter@ryderadam

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Information Architect & Editor

Lauren Colton at the Gravity Works officeLauren Colton

Lauren is a graduate of James Madison College at Michigan State University in Social Relations and Policy, who focuses on how people interact with technology to find and use information. She writes client web copy and Gravity Works sales and marketing materials; and uses modern methods for long-lasting results: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), accessibility, User Experience (UX), and interaction design. Her editorial work includes the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (Macmillan Reference USA) and Encyclopedia of Modern China (Charles Scribner’s Sons). Lauren is an IxDA Lansing board member and GiveCamp participant, volunteering Information Architecture (IA) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) skills to nonprofits.

Likes:

Information democracy, digital sociolinguistics, adventurous foods

Dislikes:

Grammar snobs, running out of ink in my favorite pen


Twitter@LaurenTGC

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UX Developer

Nathan Rabe at the Gravity Works officeNathan Rabe

Nathan Rabe is a graduate of Northern Michigan University, and a jack of all trades for the information age. From federal agency to software corporation, he has developed native mobile applications, taught Flash, and created graphic designs that communicate with the voice of the user. For every new puzzle, Nathan builds what people need to make their lives better, not just shinier.

Likes:

Game design, cognitive psychology, hiking

Dislikes:

Badly-designed interactions, memory management

Twitter@nwrabe

Front-End Web Developer

Heather Buchel at the Gravity Works officeHeather Buchel

Heather studied Computer Database Administration at Lansing Community College. She loves creatively using technical knowledge to create design solutions; Heather spends a lot of her time learning the latest HTML and CSS methods, creating custom WordPress themes and enabling front-end e-commerce solutions.

Likes:

WordPress, Hank's Root Beer

Dislikes:

Grape Gum

Twitter@hbuchel