Steve Schmidt

Web Strategist and Team Leader

Steve has planned and developed over 150 websites since founding Effect in 2003. Steve sees the big picture and knows how to leverage web components to get from A to B most effectively. Steve has helped many companies increase revenue, decrease waste, roll out new innovative tools to simply business processes, earn high ranking and seriously compete online.

Prior to founding Effect, Steve worked for a traditional web developer. Being unsatisfied with the traditional web developer mantra of churning over projects without any marketing strategy alignment, Steve created Effect. Steve is a graduate of Goshen College with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. In 2007, Steve won the Fort Wayne Business Weekly Innovator Award in the Technology category for his SaaS product StatsAdvisor®.

Shawn Nafziger

Organic Search Engine Optimization Director

With 13 years of organic SEO experience, Shawn oversees implementation of SEO strategies for clients to create significant long term organic traffic improvements, even for highly competitive niches. Shawn has helped many companies earn incredible natural search engine rankings that directly contribute to profit.

Prior to Effect, Shawn functioned as In-House SEO and independent consultant focusing primarily on link-building strategies helping 100’s of businesses gain top rankings.

Shawn is a graduate of Goshen College with a degree in Computer Science and Business Administration.

Michal Matsuka

Digital Creative Director

Michal has managed, directed and designed graphic presentations for Nokia, Discovery Channel, Budweiser and many others over the past 10 years. He has extensive experience in managing all aspects of digital production including: web user experience, creative prototyping, online marketing, planning, forecasting and global deployment. Michal is a keen prototyper and innovator, visionary who is constantly redefining the web and who has launched several SaaS solutions.

Currently based in the UK, Michal has worked in various agencies and client side organizations in Europe. Michal’s work is being deployed globally featuring clients from US, UK, Germany, Norway and Far East in Public and Private Sectors. Michal worked on a project for FMCG client that has generated over 150 thousand users per day and attracted over 4 million visitors.

Alzay Calhoun

Social Media Director

Alzay’s strategies leverages the right right social media tools to create focused, results-driven launch campaigns. He has conducted launches that range from huge corporate brands to local mom and pop businesses. Alzay understand what works versus what doesn’t.

Alzay planned and executed Sprite’s nationwide ‘Step Off’ competition focused on collegiate fraternities and sororities. The program resulted in 800,000 Facebook fans, 22 nationwide events (6 consecutive sell-outs) and a national television deal with MTV2.

Alzay is a 2001 graduate of Morehouse College and a 2006 graduate of the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia.