design, development and strategy
About Us
We’re a small, talented and experienced company focused on web, mobile and emerging technology. Since the earliest days of the web, we’ve helped people figure out the best way to accomplish their goals online.
We combine strategic vision with a depth of hands-on expertise. We can assist you with everything from engineering to design — from information architecture to web analytics.
The four of us each have unique expertise.
- Aileen is our creative touchstone, with a mastery over pixels that leaves the rest of us in awe.
- John has brilliance in both technology and leadership stretching back for decades.
- Jason’s genius includes taking an idea, communicating exquisitely about it, and crafting a strategy to make it happen.
- Lyza works in the connective tissue between the geeky and pretty sides of the web, flexing both technical and creative experience.
But what’s remarkable about Cloud Four is not our individual talents, as extensive as they may be. It’s where we overlap that we really shine. Instead of working separately in our spheres of aesthetics and engineering, we look at the building of Web sites and applications as a cohesive process, not just a series of database views or mockups. Cloud Four is proudly based in Portland, Ore., but we serve customers worldwide.
Our Founders
John T. Keith, President, Technologist
John has been a professional software developer for more than 25 years, and has been developing web-based software and services since 1994. Before joining Cloud Four, John co-founded and spent ten years with Kavi, a web services company providing specialized, online collaboration services.
As Kavi’s senior technologist, John was responsible for all aspects of the company’s web software and services, including development, testing, deployment, and problem resolution. In practice this means that John knows quite a bit about some things and a little something about many things: software, servers, networks, databases, email, html, xml — all the usual suspects.
When all is said and done, though, John loves to write software, and especially web software. The idea of matching form and function, finding that perfect blend of usefulness and appeal that solves real problems ignites him. You will often find him working late into the evening, trying just one more variation on an idea, one more possible solution to explore.
Jason Grigsby, Vice President, Mobile and Web Strategist
When Jason was introduced to Mosaic, the world’s first web browser, he declared that “this web thing is too slow and will never go anywhere.” Within six months of making this foolish proclamation, he built his first web site and now has over 11 years of experience in web site development.
Despite his early incorrect prognosis about the web, Jason has a proven track record of identifying upcoming trends and positioning clients to take advantage of new technology. He specializes in helping customers determine the best way to accomplish their business objectives online.
Jason’s expertise includes information architecture, usability, and emerging technology like social media. He has been a featured speaker at various organizations on topics ranging from web analytics to web site performance.
Learn more about Jason at his blog User First Web.
Lyza Danger Gardner, Vice President, Creative Technology Director
Lyza spent a lot of her youth debating whether she wanted to be a graphic designer or a programmer. These two sides pitched such a fierce battle that in the end, she couldn’t remember which was which. Finally, she ended this war when she had the peaceful epiphany that she could be both.
Lyza grew up here in Portland, skipped out on high school a bit early in favor of college, and earned her BA at Portland State University. She spent a while living in England after that, attending the University of Birmingham’s (UK) masters program in computer science.
Lyza likes to do bits of everything. She likes things that change and evolve, and values lifelong education and figuring out how to do things. She takes a fair amount of photographs, reads like the dickens, loves wine (both drinking it and learning about how grapes are grown and processed), is obsessed with Portland and can usually be found tethered to the Internet.
Learn more about Lyza at Lyza.com.
Aileen Jeffries, Creative Director
Seven years of designing web sites for technical standards organizations has left an indelible mark on Aileen’s design philosophy. She believes that web design is most effective when it showcases content and keeps the goals of the user in mind. Good web design facilitates ease of navigation, reading and even management of the site. Great web design pulls this off and manages to look graceful and elegant at the same time.
Aileen earned a degree in architecture from Clemson University in 1999. Although an educational background in architecture may seem incongruous with a career in web design, there is considerable overlap between two fields. Solving problems within the constraints of a particular environment and melding function with form are common objectives.
