Jan 24
2

Red Foundry Announces Renewal of i.c.stars Sponsorship Agreement

By on January 24, 2023 | Press Release | No Comments

The annual agreement provides financial sponsorship and community engagement to i.c.stars Chicago through the funding of events, volunteering on Board and Advisory committees, hiring of i.c.stars  program graduates, and the technical mentoring of i.c.stars students.

January 9, 2023 – Red Foundry, a leading provider of software design, development, and digital product innovation services in the Chicago area, today announced the renewal of a sponsorship agreement with i.c.stars. For over 22 years, i.c.stars has been developing future IT and community leaders through their innovative and intensive project-based training programs designed to develop the business and technical skills of program participants.

“We are honored to have worked closely with i.c.stars over the last 12 years, and excited to build on that relationship by reaffirming our commitment to i.c.stars and renewing our sponsorship. We are also excited to apply our commitment to IT community engagement through the hiring of i.c.stars graduates. We look forward to contributing to their ongoing national expansion and assisting with the delivery of their mission to talented IT professionals,” commented Rich Linden, Red Foundry Partner and i.c.stars Board Member.

“With Red Foundry, it’s more than just financial support. Red Foundry employees advocate for our mission, mentor our students, volunteer on committees and support i.c.stars in our community by expanding our network of IT executives”, said i.c.stars Chicago Managing Director Amanda Hogan. “We are so thrilled to continue this partnership.”

About Red Foundry:

Red Foundry is a digital product design and development consulting firm. Founded in 2009, and led by seasoned business and technology executives, we help our clients “Innovate, Transform, and Launch Their Business” by creating award-winning custom native, web-responsive, and cross platform web and mobile applications. Utilizing our product-optimized methodology, we work with established corporations to design and build web and mobile products that support their digital transformation, and we partner with entrepreneurs and early stage startup ventures to launch their technology-enabled business. For more information, visit: www.redfoundry.com, or call 888.406.1099.

About i.c.stars:

Formed in 1998, Inner-City Computer Stars (“i.c.stars”) is an educational and workforce development organization offering technology training, leadership development, and career readiness to inner-city young adults. Using project-based learning and full-immersion teaching, i.c.stars helps break the cycle of multi-generational poverty, of limited horizons, and dead-end jobs. It also helps companies fill the growing number of tech positions while addressing the need for greater diversity in the tech sector. i.c.stars nurtures leaders who stay connected to their neighborhoods and build stronger communities. i.c.stars delivers training in Chicago, Milwaukee (opened in 2018), and will open in Kansas City in 2023. For more information, visit: http://www.icstars.org.

May 26
74

2 Year Anniversary at Red Foundry. Hooray!

By on May 26, 2021 | Mobile App Development, Uncategorized | No Comments

Written by Diana Olariu

I am, and will always be, thankful for i.c.stars.

There are a few turning points in my life that really shaped my professional and personal journey. i.c.stars was without a doubt one of those turning points. It opened up an entire new world for me, one that I didn’t even know was possible to reach at this point in my life. i.c.stars taught me what it means to be a leader, an effective communicator, and problem solver. But they also taught me one of the most important skills in life – how to learn. i.c.stars showed me that I could learn anything I set my mind to. Since that time, I have grown tremendously as a software developer, person, and member of my community. i.c.stars was the beginning of it all! I am so happy I found them, and that they accepted me as a member. I hope they continue to teach and empower the communities within inner cities. The world needs more diverse leadership!


Red Foundry – My opportunity to shine!


Over the past 2 years, my mind has woken up. I love spending every single day applying my problem solving skills. It’s so much fun and feels like I’m solving puzzles that become useful mobile and web-app products for our clients. Taking a moment, I’d like to say… I love React Native! And I love Red Foundry :)


I started working at Red Foundry in January 2019 as a QA Analyst. I learned how to test an application, identify issues, write user stories, and anticipate client needs. Little by little, I started to feel more comfortable with software applications, user requirements and coding. They eased me into looking at code and “playing,” with it. I was given more responsibility incrementally and encouraged to choose coding tasks I would feel comfortable learning to solve. They encouraged me to look into courses that would help accelerate my learning process.


I started rapidly learning UI layouts and became quite good at it. Soon after, I started creating components and exploring backend end points. When I was confident and ready, Red Foundry encouraged me to complete a more complex course – a Nanodegree certificate, in order to improve my understanding about React, React Native, Redux and API’s.


Step by step, my tasks varied, and I was starting to see a real and rewarding improvement. Soon enough, I was assigned my first lead project. Such a challenge! You can feel the magic of a wonderful team when you are blocked, and you think there is no way you are going to make it! All of the team members encouraged me, guided me, and offered me their full support. I am grateful for that!


Now, after 2 years, I feel that I’ve grown a lot – both professionally and personally. The saying “anything is possible,” feels true with a team like Red Foundry. It’s an experience that I can’t fully describe, but I can assure you that working in a team with great professionals, that encourages you and is always there for you, is one of the best things to find in a workplace. The environment is wonderful, relaxed, and productive. Red Foundry hires talent, and arms newbies with an amazing toolset for learning and growing as a software developer. They nurture you and coach you to learn new things every day. They want to help you grow, improve, build confidence, accept mistakes, and thrive for more and better.


Red Foundry continues to show me new possibilities in the field of IT. I care about having a successful future, and Red Foundry is the company that continues to offer me support on this journey!


Red Foundry is open to use different tools, frameworks, learn and apply new technology. They encourage us to be resourceful, and therefore become better software developers. It is both fun and challenging. And though it can be extremely frustrating at times, I just think of how much I get to learn while going through the process. It’s amazing! I love this career and Red Foundry. It is perfect for the curious, for the forever learner. And that’s a big part of who I am.


Red Foundry, Thank You!

Feb 11
78

Red Foundry Promotes Kerri Klun to Partner

By on February 11, 2021 | Press Release | No Comments
February 10, 2021 – Red Foundry, a leading provider of mobile product design, development, and digital innovation services in the Chicago area, today announced the promotion of Kerri Klun to equity Partner – Client Delivery.

“We are excited to welcome Kerri’s talents to the partnership and look forward to her continued leadership of our client delivery team. Over the last 2 years, Kerri has reimagined our client delivery model, launched numerous mobile and web-app projects, embedded mentoring into our staff development plans, and doubled the size of our internal design and development teams. Under Kerri’s leadership, this investment in our talented team has led to many client success stories”, commented Rich Linden, Red Foundry Managing Partner.

“Developing teams is my passion and I am so grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm of the Red Foundry staff. Our goals are challenging but we have fun and truly enjoy being a part of our clients’ digital transformations. I look forward to continuing to build on our success this past year”, said Kerri Klun, Red Foundry Partner – Client Delivery.

About Red Foundry:
Red Foundry is a mobile application design and development consulting firm. Founded in 2009, and led by seasoned business and technology executives, we help our clients “Mobilize Their Business” by creating award-winning custom native, web-responsive, and cross platform mobile applications. Utilizing our mobile-optimized methodology, we work with established corporations to design and build mobile products that support their digital transformation, and we partner with entrepreneurs and early stage startup ventures to launch their mobile-enabled business.

Jan 05
100

Red Foundry Partners Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary of i.c.stars Sponsorship

By on January 5, 2021 | Press Release | No Comments

January 1, 2021 – Red Foundry, a leading provider of mobile product design, development, and digital innovation services in the Chicago area, today announced the renewal of an annual sponsorship agreement with i.c.stars. For over 21 years, i.c.stars has been developing future IT and community leaders through their innovative and intensive project-based training programs designed to develop the business and technical skills of program participants.

“We are honored to have worked closely with i.c.stars over that last 10 years, and excited to build on that relationship by reaffirming our commitment to i.c.stars and renewing our sponsorship. We are also excited to apply our commitment to IT community engagement through the hiring of i.c.stars graduates. We look forward to contributing to their ongoing national expansion and assisting with the delivery of their mission to talented IT professionals,” commented Rich Linden, Red Foundry Partner. “Red Foundry has been a model partner of ours for years,” said i.c.stars President and Co-Founder Sandee Kastrul. “As an employer of i.c.stars talent, a supporter of our events, a mentor to our interns and residents, a committed Board member and an advisor, Red Foundry is helping us to grow the organization and the impact across the Midwest. We look forward to another year of an impactful partnership.”

The annual agreement provides financial sponsorship and community engagement to i.c.stars Chicago through the funding of events, volunteering on Board and Advisory committees, hiring of i.c.stars program graduates, and the technical mentoring of i.c.stars students.

About Red Foundry:
Red Foundry is a mobile application design and development consulting firm. Founded in 2009, and led by seasoned business and technology executives, we help our clients “Mobilize Their Business” by creating award-winning custom native, web-responsive, and cross platform mobile applications. Utilizing our mobile-optimized methodology, we work with established corporations to design and build mobile products that support their digital transformation, and we partner with entrepreneurs and early stage startup ventures to launch their mobile-enabled business. www.redfoundry.com.

About i.c.stars:
Formed in 1999, Inner-City Computer Stars Foundation (“i.c.stars”) is a national technology workforce training and placement program that prepares young adults for technology careers and community leadership. Using project-based learning and full-immersion teaching, i.c.stars has trained more than 600 individuals and places 90 percent of qualified graduates in jobs. Participants see their annual earnings increase by an average of 300 percent as a result of the program. i.c.stars also works to change employer perceptions and practices around nontraditional talent and has engaged more than 10,000 employers since inception. http://www.icstars.org/.

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