Kyle Zipp Senior Software Engineer

Programmed to Program

Kyle Zipp

Hello! I'm Kyle Zipp.

I've been building web applications professionally for over 15 years, and today I work alongside an amazing team at Life Advantages to deliver one of the EAP industry's leading platforms.

I'm passionate about solving everyday problems. Whether it's an internal dashboard that highlights useful insights, a client portal with roles and permissions, or an automated workflow that cuts out manual grunt work, I design tools that remove friction and make everyone's day a little easier.

Under the hood, I live in Laravel and the TALL stack, backed by AWS infrastructure, Cloudpanel, CI/CD pipelines, and industry standard security practices. PHP is my foundation, and I'm always exploring new frameworks and techniques to keep things sharp. Thanks to the addition of AI tools, I've been able to enhance my workflow and improve the quality of my code.

Experience

Life Advantages, LLC

November 2014 - Present

Chief Technology Officer

Leading technology strategy and execution at Life Advantages, a pioneer in EAP innovation since 2000. I oversee a team of developers and operations staff to deliver scalable, secure solutions.

  • Define and execute the long-term technology roadmap, aligning quarterly sprints with business goals while systematically reducing technical debt and accelerating feature velocity.
  • Modernize the core product with a scalable multi-tenant Laravel architecture, improving maintainability, slashing onboarding time for new clients, and enabling 50+ sites to launch in under one day.
  • Design and manage end-to-end CI/CD pipelines and AWS security hardening, eliminating manual release steps, cutting deploy times from days to under an hour, and sustaining 99.9% uptime.
  • Lead security and compliance efforts, completing 20+ vendor security questionnaires and coordinating penetration tests and remediation to support HIPAA and SOC 2 readiness.

Senior Software Engineer

Over the first 7 years at Life Advantages I was the lead developer on multiple SaaS-style applications, some of which changed industry standards. These new tools have introduced digital and automated versions of manual processes include invoicing and payments, scheduling, user management, reporting and many more.

  • Lead Developer for 5 major software builds and several minor builds
  • Maintain all software, including feature updates, bug fixes, security concerns, and HIPAA concerns
  • Ensure all software and websites are user friendly, display on all screen sizes, and are up to current standards
  • Monitor and resolve both client and internal workflow issues to provide a better day to day experience and Life Advantages

CopyPress

August 2011 - October 2014

Lead Developer

Copypress was originally formed as a Blueglass (see below) child company which quickly grew into its own. A handful of employees made the transition to the new company which allowed for us to truly see a company form and grow. From the piles of paperwork to selecting an office space, or building custom time-management software, the few of us truly wore many hats.

While forming this new company, it was important not to forget about the hundreds of users and clients that allowed for this opportunity. For me, this included:

  • Lead Developer for client projects, including websites, software, social media, and newsletters
  • Manage a team of developers and programmers, both local and overseas
  • Lead IT position for entire company

BlueGlass

September 2010 - August 2011

WordPress Web Developer

Blueglass was an amazing first stop on my career path. While I didn't realize it at the time, I was working with and learning from some of the greatest SEOs we have ever seen.

  • Develop and manage a network for 3,000+ websites with HTML, CSS, PHP, and WordPressssss

When I'm Programming Outside Of The Office

Programmed to Program screenshot

Programmed to Program

Stash it now. Use it later.

Designed and developed a bookmarking tool with Laravel and Livewire. A Chrome extension and mobile app are also in progress.

Tools: Laravel, Livewire, JavaScript, NativePHP, AWS

Check it out
ZippDroid screenshot

ZippDroid

Personal blog and e-commerce shop

Developed a personal blog with a print-on-demand shop using the TALL stack. Integrated Printify and Stripe APIs for e-commerce and hosted on AWS.

Tools: Laravel, Alpine.js, Livewire, Tailwind CSS, API Integration, AWS

Check it out
Home Assistant dashboard screenshot

Home Assistant

Smart home dashboard & automations

Implemented Home Assistant to create a centralized dashboard and automation hub. Integrated Aqara, Google APIs, and Nest for enhanced home automation.

Tools: Home Assistant, Google APIs, YAML

Education

University of Central Florida

University of Central Florida

2005 - 2009

B.A. in Digital Media

"The B.A. in Digital Media allows students to integrate the multiple domains of art, storytelling, and technology. It is designed to provide a solid foundation in techniques and theory in one focused area of competence, provide a broad understanding of related disciplines including arts, humanities, and technology, and provide extended experience in working in multidisciplinary teams on realistic problems. It recognizes that there are many combinations of courses which meet the needs of individual students. Two specializations -Game Design and Web and Social Platforms - lead to a Bachelor of Arts degree." ~ UCF

When I started at UCF in 2005, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future. I started my education with a focus on business, and within a year I knew it wasn't for me. I have always known that I was Programmed to Program, but I didn't realize it was something I could actually have a career doing. I was able to make this change early enough to graduate in 4 years with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Digital Media/Internet and Interactive Systems.

When I'm Not Programming

Married. Clearwater, FL. Programmed to Program. Chase the Kitten. Lego. Sports. Heat. Dolphins. 3d printing. Learning. More Lego. Work/Life Balance.