About — Firefly Software

The short version

I took an unusual path to web development — missionary kid, Air Force air traffic controller, FAA operations supervisor — and every step taught me something I use today: how to stay calm under pressure, how to communicate clearly, and how to build systems people can depend on.

Growing up overseas

I was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and spent nine years between PNG and Alotau in Milne Bay Province while my parents served as missionaries. After that, high school in Regina, Saskatchewan, followed by two years of bible college preaching for small farming community churches on the Canadian prairies.

That upbringing gave me two things that still shape how I work: a comfort with figuring things out in unfamiliar territory, and a deep respect for people who build something from scratch — whether it’s a church in a farming town or a business on Main Street.

Military and air traffic control

I married my wife Chante’ in 2008 and started at Oklahoma Christian University, but enlisted in the United States Air Force before finishing my degree. I served six years as an air traffic controller, earned the rank of Staff Sergeant, and spent four months on a detail with the Base Honor Guard at McChord AFB. After separating from the Air Force, I took a six-month contract as a civilian air traffic controller in Afghanistan — working out of Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif. In February 2018 the FAA hired me, and I became a Certified Professional Controller at El Paso approach control, then transferred to Boeing Field in Seattle, and eventually took an Operations Supervisor position in Helena, Montana so we could raise our kids in a place that felt like home.

From controller to developer

While working full-time as an air traffic controller, I finished my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science through Southern New Hampshire University in 2019. That same year I founded Firefly Software in Washington state. When we moved to Helena in 2021, I re-established the business here.

Air traffic control and software development have more in common than you’d think. Both demand attention to detail, clear communication, and building systems that don’t fail when it matters. The difference is that nobody’s life depends on your website loading — but your livelihood might.

Why small businesses

I’ve watched enough small business owners get burned by agencies that overpromise and underdeliver. You pay thousands for a WordPress site, then find out you need a different agency to maintain it, another to fix it when it breaks, and a fourth when you need a simple text change.

That’s why Firefly works differently. One developer — me — from the first conversation to the finished product. I build it, I host it, I maintain it. When you need something changed, you call me and it gets done. No account managers, no support tickets, no waiting.

Helena is home

We chose Helena because it’s where we want to raise our family. I coach youth soccer and basketball, we’re active at our church, and my kids are growing up in a community I’m proud to be part of.

When I build a website for a business here — or anywhere in Montana — I’m not just shipping a project. I’m helping a neighbor. That matters to me, and I think it shows in the work.