J. Michael Smith
For nearly twenty years I have run the operations other people describe in job postings: camps, community centers, a resort department, a 2,000-resident community, and a business of my own. I build systems, I hire well, and when the plan meets reality, I am the person who adjusts the plan. This page proves it the fun way. The button up top proves it the normal way.
Pick a lens
Same career, three honest ways to read it. The lens highlights the strongest evidence for each.The Situation Room
Five real situations from my career. Pick what you would do; I will show you what I did.Photos
The road so far
Tap any stop to open it up.The builder shelf
Recent proof that when the right tool does not exist, I build it.A CRM of my ownKey evidence
My handyman business runs on a customer system I designed and built myself: quoting, scheduling, and follow-up in one place, because the off-the-shelf tools did not fit how the work actually flows. Run the live demo — the full business site and this system on sample data (admin password: demo).
Basil — family financeKey evidence
A calm household finance app, designed and shipped in 2026 with AI development tools: live bank connections, budgets, and alerts. Built because the subscription tools cost too much and showed too little. Try the interactive demo.
Handled — household HQKey evidence
A family command center, also designed and shipped in 2026: daily checklists, school and sports ride planning, weekly menus, and grocery lists that build themselves from the menu. Try the interactive demo.
Plus SmithWorks, a family task tracker, and the website at stahandyman.com, rebuilt from scratch in 2026. The Basil and Handled links open public demos running on sample data; the real family versions stay private.
Performance review
Self-review. Obviously. References who would say nicer things are available on request.| Absorbing chaos and returning a schedule | Exceeds |
| Hiring people who turn out great | Exceeds |
| Building the system instead of complaining about it | Exceeds |
| Willingness to wear the Grinch costume for two hours when the city tree needs saving | Exceeds |
| Spreadsheet enthusiasm (self-described as phenomenal) | Documented |
| Meetings that could have been emails | Avoids |
| Pretending to know software I have not used | Never |
The improv corner
Twenty years of improv comedy taught me the three skills every operations job quietly runs on: listen all the way to the end of the sentence, build on what the other person gives you, and recover in public without panic when the scene changes. A thunderstorm over a camp field, a client whose plans just changed, a staff member having the worst day of their year — it is all the same muscle. Humor is one of the most undervalued tools in management. It lowers the temperature, it tells the truth sideways, and people remember the leader who made a hard day lighter. I bring it on purpose.
J. Michael Smith
Program Manager & Operations Leader · St. Augustine, FL 32086
(203) 572-2443 · Mike4g8rs@gmail.com · LinkedIn · PDF resume
Summary
Operations and program leader with experience across municipal recreation, resort operations, residential community management, and small business ownership. Led teams of up to 40 staff and a $600,000 department budget; grew a single summer camp of 75 children into five camps serving more than 200; built operating systems including a rentals program, a self-built CRM, and three web applications shipped in 2026. Bachelor's degree in Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida (2004).
Experience
Own and operate a residential home services company. Designed and built the CRM used for quoting, scheduling, and client follow-up. Up-front quotes approved by clients before work begins.
Directed a nine-week summer camp: 20 staff, 70 children.
Youth Supervisor, then Community Center Supervisor. 40 staff and a $600,000 department budget across five summer camps, adult programs, facility rentals, front desk, and facility operations. Grew camp offerings from one camp of 75 children to five camps serving more than 200. Created a rentals coordinator role and built the rentals operation into a tracked system.
Present for the launch of the SurfStream attraction; primary supervisor in charge of its daily operation; trained staff on its operation.
Full-time parent to five children; wrote and published a parenting blog.
Directed recreation for a community of 2,000 residents; supervised 7 staff; produced a monthly resident newsletter; rewrote hiring criteria and interview process for department roles.
9 staff, 60 children.
Caseload of 30 children in the child welfare system.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Family, Youth and Community Sciences — University of Florida, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (2004).
Skills
- Team leadership and hiring (teams up to 40; hiring process design)
- Budget management ($600,000 department budget)
- Program and operations system design (rentals, scheduling, CRM)
- Software: Microsoft Excel, CivicRec, Markate, HighLevel; designer and builder of web applications using current AI development tools
- Vendor and contractor coordination; cross-department municipal event production
The full one-page resume is available as a PDF. Florida driver's license; able to pass a background check.