our team
Jeff Cairns, P. Eng.
Director Operations and Engineering
Jeff manages our Operations and Creative departments and is a co-founder of AFS. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the province of Alberta and an APEGA “Life Member” – having earned his B.Sc. in Engineering (1981) from Queen’s University. He is a serial entrepreneur with numerous years of start-up venture experience in both the petroleum and software industries.
Jeff was a co-founder and President of Cityhues Corporation, a private company founded in 1997, involved in the development of community-focused Web portals and business-to-consumer e-commerce initiatives. He was the Vice President of Product Development for VerticalBuilder Solutions from 2000 to 2003 where he led the development of cloud-based collaboration and procurement software tools focused on the energy industry.
In 2003 he founded the AutoHunter network of online automotive portals which had a wide footprint across Canada from 2003 until 2007. In 2005, he co-founded and was the Chief Operating Officer of Peace Oil Corp, a private oilsands development company that was sold to a group of US investors in mid 2007.
Jeff has significant experience managing and leading teams in the development of thin-client web delivered applications, mobile data solutions, custom engineered Content Management Systems, graphic design, website development and corporate digital strategy leadership. Additionally, Jeff has over 20 years experience in the international and Canadian upstream petroleum industries and has significant direct experience in corporate financing, business development, production operations, project management and facilities engineering.
In his spare time, Jeff enjoys working on home renovations, downhill skiing, golfing (which he is horrid at) and travelling. He hangs his hat in Calgary with his wife and their Golden Retriever.
Matthew Cairns
Software Developer
Matt recently completed his degree in Computer Science at the University of Victoria. His main areas of focus being machine learning in artificial intelligence and computer graphics. Matt has been studying programming for several years and is proficient in numerous languages, notably Java, Python, C++, PHP and front end languages such as HTML and CSS.
Matt enjoys solving complex problems and learning new skills in order to solve them. He also has extensive knowledge of building, configuring and repairing many computing systems and has experience working with operating systems such as Arch Linux, Ubuntu, MacOS and Windows.
Lance Marsh
Director Client Services
Lance heads up and manages our Client Services department. After graduating from university with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Lance has successfully started and grown three small private companies in the construction and security industries. He has a strong business acumen and understands the distinct challenges faced by entrepreneurs.
Lance is an avid martial arts enthusiast and a keen outdoorsman who enjoys backpacking in the Alberta Rockies whenever possible.
Lance resides in Calgary with his wife and a Black Lab named “Chief”.
Judy Ferguson
Director Finance & Administration
Judy is a certified ‘Primal Health Coach” and does her level best to keep the rest of the team fit and eating properly.
When not working, she enjoys, reading, shopping and frequent trips to Hawaii.
we consult. we mentor. we advise. we design. we craft.
we're kinda old.
We’re older than most folks in this business. (Well at least Jeff is). But – we are exceptionally good at what we do and we understand the challenges small business entrepreneurs face.