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Get In Touch

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Let’s Build What Works for You



Wherever you are with your website, Magnolia Web Development can help save you time and money with customized arrangements and our no contracts promise. Request a discovery meeting using the form on this page, and we’ll reach out if we think we’re a good fit.



Contact Us

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What We Do

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  • Mobile-First Solutions

    For Today’s Consumer Preferences

  • MOBILE-FIRST SOLUTIONS

    For Today’s Consumer Preferences

    father and son talking cheerfully in storage room while dad looks at mobile phone

Our People Make the Difference.



In many cases, standard-issue website builders are good enough… but we think you deserve better. Magnolia Web Development customizes these frameworks with additional programming to make them easier to manage, more dynamic, and cost-efficient in the long run.



DIY WEB BUILDERS VS. MAGNOLIA WEB DEVELOPMENT


THEM US
Complicated, Overused Themes

Easy-to-Use, Custom Templates

Limited Features & Functionality

Ability to Build Functionality

Recurring Costs to Upgrade Services

One Transparent Estimate

Teach Yourself Using Help Articles

1:1 Training at the End of the Project

Lackluster Customer Support

A Reliable Partner Committed to You



SEE OUR WORK VIEW TESTIMONIALS MEET OUR TEAM

Like many of the clients we work with, the services we offer at Magnolia Web Development are self-taught, and have been learned through hands-on experience while keeping up to date with the latest innovations in web development.

INTERACTIVE WEB PROGRAMMING


Movement and animation draw the eye toward priority content, while dynamic features engage your audience for an action-oriented user experience.

E-COMMERCE & FULFILLMENT


Manage your digital marketplace and integrate your shipping provider to seamlessly track your online orders while automating customer communications.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT


Some of our past work includes building user portals, point of sale & credit systems, application servers, SMS gateways, and various other dynamic databases.

CUSTOM THEMES & PLUGINS


There is no greater investment in your business than developing proprietary assets. We’ll build your website around your brand for a distinctive online presence.

SERVER-SIDE MAINTENANCE


Not to be confused with IT services, we offer ongoing support for domain renewals, self-hosting, and routine plugin updates to keep your website running smoothly.

REQUEST A CONSULTATION


Modernize Your Website


What makes a modern website? We look for these four things:


  • Can you skim it & get the point?

  • Is the design mobile optimized?

  • Does it have room to breathe?

  • Is it easy to use and manage?


LEARN MORE

Code Samples

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Any good programmer worth his salt will have a “portfolio” of code samples to show off his skills. It may look like Greek to some of our clients, but it shows that we do have some knowledge of the things we claim to know.

Here are some of my code examples split out by language:

Resume

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Specialties:

WordPress, Expression Engine, HTML, CSS, Javascript, Java, PHP, SQL, Apache, Informix, Oracle, MySQL, XML, TCL, Csh/Bsh/Sh scripting, Weblogic, AJAX, JQuery

 

Current

* Owner of Magnolia Web Development
* Lead Web Developer at Roar Media

 

Past

* Java Programmer at Cellular South
* Internet Systems Engineer at West Interactive
* Target Materials Analyst/Systems Administrator at U.S. Air Force

 

Summary

Experienced professional in the Information Technology arena in a number of different job areas including: programming, systems administration, database management, and project design and development. Always interested in learning new programming languages and new web/software technologies.

 

Job Experience

Freelance Web Programmer (Current)

Phi Theta Kappa – Web Programmer (Current)
May 2005 – Present (3 years 6 months)

Cellular South – Programmer
March 2000 – May 2005 (5 years 3 months)
Maintenance programming, and development of new tools and software for internal use, and to provide to customers.

West Interactive
July 1997 – March 2000 (2 years 9 months)
Set-up of web servers, and supporting application servers to create environment for development and deployment of internet applications and services. Develop web sites for clients. Development of software, tools, and supporting code for use by application development, and others.
Target Materials Analyst/Systems Administrator

U.S. Air Force
March 1990 – July 1997 (7 years 5 months)
In addition to my normal job of Target Materials Analyst, I was responsible for the set-up, maintenance, and trouble-shooting of hardware and software used to support our mission. Managed servers, client machines, and database servers.

Education

City Colleges of Chicago(Overseas), 1988
Arizona State University, 1987
Heidelberg American High School (1985,1986 – Graduated)
Belton High School (1983,1984)

Interests:

Bible, history, reading, computers, programming languages, mmorpg’s, basketball, football, fishing, poetry

Groups and Associations:

Jackson Java Users Group

Honors and Awards:

John Levitow Award – Airman Leadership School – Offutt AFB – 1996
Junior Enlisted Airman of the Year – 1996
Intelligence Airman of the Year – Junior Enlisted – 1996

 

View Rick Potratz's profile on LinkedIn

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Who We Are

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  • Simple, Southern Hospitality

    Integrity. Generosity. Respect.

  • SIMPLE, SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

    Integrity. Generosity. Respect.

    closeup of white magnolia flower shown with green and orange center and delicate petals

Built on Relationships & Good Old-Fashioned Hard Work

We’ve been very fortunate to work with clients from all walks of life. Mom & pop shops, professional hobbyists, sole proprietors, and in some cases, even international corporations. Most of these were friends of past clients. Many are still friends today.

Big and small, all of our clients have one thing in common: they pour their hearts into their work.

They help people.

We aim to match that effort, and give the little guys a platform to do more of what they do best.



SEE OUR WORK

Meet Rick



Rick Potratz is a full-stack web developer and founder of Magnolia Web Development, based in Brandon, MS.

Rick started programming as a hobby, and his professional career began after being assigned to a Linux systems administration two-week boot camp while serving in the U.S. Air Force. From there, he taught himself various front- and back-end programming languages, and ultimately founded Magnolia Web Development in 2010.

Rick provides web consulting, development, and support services for his clients and typically builds customized solutions on top of existing web frameworks and content management systems like WordPress. He is highly skilled in building e-commerce solutions, brochure-style websites, customer portals with API integrations, and server management, among many other areas of specialization.

Rick studied elementary education at Arizona State University and stays up to date on emerging technologies & design trends to keep his clients at the forefront of web innovations.

Happily married since 2000, Rick and his wife Paula have five children and a beautiful granddaughter. He is an active member of his church, leads a weekly discipleship group, and goes on mission trips throughout the year. Rick spends his free time reading, playing games with the family, watching the latest Marvel movie with the kids, and babysitting his granddaughter. He is also an advocate for improving access to behavioral health for children and adolescents, especially in the area of OCD and anxiety.

Connect with Rick on LinkedIn here.