About JC Write
JC Write is a small company founded in 2009 by Jim Collins and is located in Ceres, CA (right next door to Modesto in the California central valley).
Jim Collins
Jim Collins has extensive technical, managerial, and writing experience. He has created/written a wide array of technical and business documents for print and the web. There are several samples of Jim’s work listed under Experience to the left.
Resume
Qualifications
A successful record of producing documents on time and to exacting standards through excellent communication combined with analytical and writing skills.
A wizard at translating convoluted, highly technical language into text the everyday user can easily understand.
Extensive experience researching and developing technical publications and other documentation.
Management experience with large and small teams.
A team player who thrives in a fast-paced, high-stress, and diverse working environment.
Technical summary
Proficient with Word, Excel, InDesign, Acrobat, PhotoShop, and PowerPoint.
Experienced at reading schematics; familiar with the electronics used in communications, navigation, radar, and computing. Familiar with storage networks’ concepts and software.
Professional achievements
Provided extensive editing of over 100 high school, advanced placement, and middle school science labs and associated front and end matter documents for PASCO Scientific. Subjects included high school and AP level Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science, and Middle School courses. There were three versions created for each of the high school and AP level labs – a teacher version and two student versions; the Middle School labs had two versions each – one for the teacher and one for students.
Helped develop a training course on the principles of writing clearly for the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) designed for administrative, managerial, and scientific personnel. I have given the course to over 150 CIWMB personnel to date.
Developed a training course for CIWMB on planning, writing and editing clear, succinct scientific and technical reports. I have given this course to 45 technical/scientific and management personnel to date with over 30 more scheduled.
Maintained and updated 19 software user, installation, and operating system guides for the HP XP disk array through research and superior communication with numerous subject matter experts.
Created one new operating system guide (NonStop OS) for the HP XP disk array plus new installation and user guides for the HP Cluster Extension EVA system.
Edited numerous laboratory manuals for different educational levels on a variety of subjects including Chemistry, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Biology, Biology, and Environmental Science.
Edited numerous complex and highly technical contractor reports on a variety of environmental and scientific subjects for CIWMB. This improved understanding and allowed better decision making by Board and California state legislative members.
Helped develop guidelines for writing CIWMB certification letters to improve structure, organization, and readability. Edited four letters.
Developed a master calibration manual for scales. Rewrote and combined widely scattered and poorly written information for 16 different scale models into one comprehensive document. This reduced down time and enhanced in-shop training.
Produced a comprehensive maintenance and troubleshooting manual for a critical high-speed weighing system. This significantly reduced down time and production losses.
Produced and edited dozens of personnel evaluations, status reports, technical reports, discrepancy reports, change recommendations, planning and strategy documents and other reports and documents related to maintenance planning and management.
As managing editor of The Capital Letter (Sacramento chapter of the Society for Technical Communication newsletter), expanded and improved the size, content, graphics, and format.
Awards and recognition
Award of Merit (2005), Award of Excellence (2006), and Most Improved (2006) for The Capital Letter in the annual newsletter competition of the Society for Technical Communication.
Navy Commendation Medal (3rd award). Awarded for leadership, communication, and management skills. These skills directly contributed to a 99.7% sortie completion rate and a successful six month deployment as the first S-3B squadron to provide sole tanker support for a deployed carrier air wing.
Professional experience
Staff Technical Writer.
WVS – The Technical Writing Company, Nevada City, CA. 2005 – present.
Lead Technician.
Foster Farms Poultry, Livingston, CA. 1996 – 2005.
Maintenance Master Chief.
Sea Control Squadron 38, Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, CA. 1994 – 1996.
Maintenance Master Chief, Production Control Officer, Maintenance/Material Control Officer.
Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Dept. (AIMD), NAS Moffett Field, CA. 1990 –1994.
Sacramento Society for Technical Communication.
Newsletter Editor 2004-2006. Vice President for Public Relations 2005-2007. Webmaster 2006-present.
Education
Presenting Data and Information seminar (Edward Tufte), San Jose, CA.
Certificate in General Business (with Technical Communication concentration)
University of California, Los Angeles, Extension.
Associate of Arts, University of Phoenix.