Today we welcome Simon Gray as our new junior ASP developer. He joins Carl Ellis to form the “2 heads” behind the ASP programming team.

Here at HeadRed we operate what we like to call our “2 heads” production process, where all designers and developers work in teams of two to allow for pooling of knowledge and collective problem solving. By working in a team we ensure no project is completed in isolation.

Simon and Carl will work together to ensure a streamlined and efficient ASP service to our clients.

The time was 4:24pm, the place was Wedgnock Rifle Range, the man was Danny Wade.

Yes, that’s right, our very own PHP Developer extraordinaire was crowned HeadShot Champion 2008 this past Wednesday at the inaugural CWCC Clay Pigeon Shooting Competition hitting a stunning 25 out of 30 clays.

Danny’s sterling effort wins him the admiration of his fellow co-workers, plus a princely sum of £30 from our pockets!

Full leaderboard

• 1st – Danny – 25
• 2nd – Carl – 24
• 3rd – Liam – 21
• 4th – Phil – 20
• 5th – Chris – 19
• 6th – Jim – 17
• 7th – Adrian – 16

Not the best of days at the office for yours truly. It’s going to be a long time until I live this one down!

Here at HeadRed we enjoy a spot of healthy competition. Back in October of last year we reported Liam’s triumph in the great Halloween Pumpkin Carve Off of 2007. Now well into the New Year our thoughts turn to new challenges as we trade our safety knives and candles in for something with a little more bang.

On Feb 27th the team will don flat caps and tweed in abundance as we take part in the annual Coventry Chamber of Commerce Clay Pigeon Shooting competition. Bets are now being taken on who will fire their way to glory and the title of HeadShot Champion 2008.

The winner will be posted on the blog next month along with a full report of the event and any pictures we manage to take along the way.

“ PULL! “

Here at HeadRed we like to think we’re a creative bunch. After all, design and innovation forms a large part of our core offering. Well what better way to test our artistic flair and steady hand than with a spot of pumpkin carving!

So, with safety scalpel in hand and a trustworthy adult watching over us, we set about making our own HeadRed jack-o-lanterns. Unfortunately, the development team was too busy programming to take part, but Liam, James and I competed for the prize of best pumpkin 2007.

Full marks go to Liam for his sterling effort, with James picking up the wooden spoon for his stoic, if unspectacular, effort. Don’t give up the day job James!

Back in July we reported a new addition to the HeadRed family; SEO guru James Ray. His appointment brought a wealth of knowledge in the fields of online marketing and search engine placement.

Well, it seems it hasn’t taken long for him to weave his magic. He oversaw a comprehensive SEO audit of the Belt:Me site in August and the results speak for themselves:

• • “Custom Studded Belt” – 1st in Google*
• • “Design a Studded Belt” – 1st in Google*
• • “Personalised Studded Belt” – 1st in Google*

*as of October 1st.

James has also implemented a new optimised pay-per-click (PPC) campaign for Belt:Me and this, in combination with a much improved organic placement, has seen their online sales revenue increase considerably:

• • July – £15,721
• • Aug – £16,857
• • Sep – £20,595

So, if you’d like your company to see a similar level of success as BeltMe then please get in touch for an initial consultation. We’d be glad to help and are confident that you will see significant returns on your investment in a very short space of time.

HeadRed are proud to welcome Chris Hunt to the team.

Chris brings with him a wealth of PHP and software development experience. In his previous roles Chris has worked as the technological lead on a number of high profile projects. We are confident his skills and expertise will help to provide HeadRed’s clients with an improved level of service long into the future.