Obtiva Turns Five With Renewed Commitment to Chicago Community

CHICAGO, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Obtiva, one of the nation's most innovative and prolific software development companies, has come a long way in the five years since its founding in 2005. As it celebrates its fifth anniversary today, the company and its employees are taking a look back at how far they've come and looking forward to the projects and trends that lie ahead.

Obtiva hosts a fifth anniversary celebration and open house August 24 to thank its employees, customers, partners, friends and colleagues in the local technology community.  

Since its founding, Obtiva has grown to 37 team members, many of whom are among Chicago's most talented developers as well as leaders and innovators in the community. Obtivians are a busy group, among them:

AUTHORS: Dave Hoover's book "Apprenticeship Patterns" is on Amazon.com and published in multiple languages. Ethan Gunderson authored an article that is the lead story in the summer 2010 issue of Rails Magazine, while Noel Rappin just completed a new e-book, "Rails Test Prescriptions."

PROFESSORS: Obtiva Founder, Kevin Taylor is an adjunct professor at DePaul University and is designing and teaching a course on "Technology Entrepreneurship" for undergrad and graduate students.

SPONSORS: Obtiva regularly sponsors technology events ranging from WindyCityDB and SocialDevCamp to Refresh Chicago and ChicagoDB Meetups.

PRESENTERS: Obtivian Rappin speaks at the upcoming Windy City Rails event September 11 and Gunderson will lead a presentation at MongoDB in Chicago October 20. Ryan Briones spoke about "Learning Ruby for the Web" to the Refresh Chicago group. The Obtiva leadership team and developers are frequent presenters at technology events across the region.

FOUNDERS: Hoover is a co-founder of Software Craftsmanship North America, while Briones and Gunderson co-founded the new ChicagoDB User Group. Gunderson helped launch a Ruby User Group in Wisconsin. Matt Puchlerz has given Refresh Chicago a place on the map.

MENTORS: Katherine Nelson-Reid served as a mentor and judge at Startup Weekend Chicago, an event where business entrepreneurs pitch ideas, solidify concepts, brainstorm and create business plans.

BLOGGERS: Many Obtivians are avid bloggers with a strong reader following.

Obtiva's core values place emphasis on knowledge sharing and cultivating the next generation of the technology community, and their levels of community involvement reflect this.

"A large part of what we bring clients is the Obtiva culture," said Founder Kevin Taylor. "Of course we have exceptional technical expertise and deliver web and mobile applications that are nothing short of brilliant. But just as important, we impart to our clients an energy, a passion and an electricity that you can feel. Our culture powers us and our work."

Obtiva's approach is centered on software craftsmanship. The approach involves master craftsmen sharing their expertise with software apprentices and journeymen.

Obtiva is headquartered in loftlike office space at 566 W. Adams St. and has teams of developers working on site and at clients' offices across Chicago. The company also provides private and classroom training and bootcamps. Its customers range from Fortune 500 enterprises to startups.

About Obtiva

Obtiva ignites ideas to bring web and mobile applications to life. A full service Agile development shop specializing in Ruby on Rails, Obtiva's technical mastery shines through in its work. Obtiva's studio team of developers, project managers and mobile technology experts provide complete oversight for your web application's full life cycle. Obtiva's co-development services bring the specialized skill sets you need and infuse your team with the distinctive culture, creativity and energy that is Obtiva. Training programs deliver cutting-edge brilliance, led by senior developers with real-world experience, in private sessions at your location or in a classroom setting. The tribe of Obtivians is comprised of immensely talented practitioners who passionately care about their craft and your success. For more information call 630.588.8622 or visit www.obtiva.com. Follow Obtiva on Twitter @ObtivaCorp.

SOURCE Obtiva