Who Am I?

I am what they call a "Prosumer"

First and foremost I am a husband and a father.

My strengths lie in taking a business concept and forming a business model around it, and then trying to capitalize on it. I also enjoy negotiations/deal-making and finding investments that make sense and help accelerate growth for industry or community. I also have a strong understanding of day to day business operations ranging from AP/AR, high finance, customer service, support administration, sales, and HR services, which helps me to delegate tasks more appropriately to the people involved with whatever project it is I am working on.

Projects and Achievements

1. Petentials.com - System Administrator and Marketing consultant (Social Networking site for pets now "Live")
2. Forest Hills Hardwood Flooring - Business Modeling, Sales Management, Business Development, Operations Consultant, Technology Development and Solutions, and Internet Marketing
3. Pepsi Play For A Billion - Administrative Production Support and Technology Solutions (broadcast on network television)
4. Fashion Rock by Lou Pearlman - Production Technology Support and Technology Solutions
5. Talk Of The Town Restaurants - Reservation Systems Development and Implementation (Charley’s Steak House, Vito’s Chop House, Fish Bone, Moon Fish, and Texas Cattle Company)
6. Osceola County - Network Design and Installation (all buildings including court house, fire houses, tax collector, more)
7. Charles Clayton Custom Homes – Smart Home Design (Scott Stapp from the band “Creed” in Winter Park, FL)
8. Universal Studios Florida – Network design and installation (Production offices)
9. Merchants Solutions, Inc. – Process and Procedure Development, Operations Consulting

Music Bio:

I marched 1996 –1997 Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps under James Powell, CC, and Keith Stevens. I marched 1998 – 1999 Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps under Jeff Moore, Jeff Spanos, and Jim Yakus. I taught Magic of Orlando Drum & Bugle Corps in 2000 and Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps in 2001. I have been acting caption head, percussion tech, and clinician at various middle and high schools from 1997 – present throughout Illinois and Florida. I have taught and played set and rudimental percussion professionally for the last 15 years for various cover, original, orchestral, and banquette bands. I have studio sessions experience and have years of recording production experience. I really feel that teaching is a forte of mine and I really enjoy it, sometimes even more than playing.

Tech Experience:

Who am I? I am Charlie Krueger; business owner, technician, web media technology consultant, blogger, and business adviser. You can view my resume at emurse or by clicking on the link HERE. Some of my experiences include Pepsi Play For A Billion production back office infrastructure. I worked for HP as a Sales Facilities Administrator with the Workplace Solutions department managing all things technical and web related within the individual sales offices. At HP I also headed up a training program where I served on a the national committee developing web based application and resource sharing training throughout the company nation wide. I served as Operation Manager for a Central Florida based technology company ITDS running all operations and general direction of business day to day. From the time I started we had a total of 5 employees and one location and increased to three locations and more than 20 employees and a substantial increase in customer satisfaction as well as organized processes and procedures improving the overall productivity of the business in my 2 years there. I was project head of the “Talk of The Town” restaurant reservation system, where I directed the overall project development and implementation of the currently used reservation system in resutrants like Fish Bones , Charley’s Steak House , Moon Fish , Vito’s Chop House , and Texas Cattle Company. Other projects include Osceola Tax Collectors network install including Cisco routers, switches, Cabling CAT5e and Fiber Networks; New Webster University campus network infrastructure in Longwood, FL; and many other local business network and website development projects.

My Extended Music Auto Bio:

March 20th 1978 in Edwards Hospital, Naperville, IL at 7:30 P.M. Charles Thomas Krueger was born. The first born of Mr. Thomas P. Krueger and Karen B. Krueger would not be an only child for long. He grew up with his 4 younger brothers and sisters. Paul was 1 year younger than him, born in 1979. Amy was 3 years younger born in 1981. Elizabeth, youngest of the girls was born in 1986. Finally the youngest of the boys is Robert born in 1987. Mom and dad both were professional musicians and made their living doing that. Of course when the family got to more than 3 kids, my father went to school for his computer science degree and is now a programmer. My mother currently is still teaching voice and piano lessons. Both of my parents continue to play and perform professionally. Of course growing up with muscial parents, it was bound to rub off. Every one of the children found a passion for music either through physical instruments, voice, or both. Music is in our blood.

I went to preschool at the Bolingbrook Park District. I then attended kindergarten and elementary school at Independence Elementary School in Bolingbrook. I began my first hints of formal education as far as music is concerned. I participated in the church children’s choir where my mother was the director of music. I continued from there onto 6th grade at Jane Adams Middle School. I began my formal education for percussion there with Leroy Eversgard my band director (and confirmation sponsor later) and Bill Zervos (drum teacher). There I acted as the percussion section leader for the concert, symphonic, jazz, and marching bands. From this point I graduated into high school where I attended Romeoville High School. Out of all the school experiences it is simple to realize that high school had the most impact in choices of musical direction made in my future, and life changing choices. In high school I continued my formal music education with numerous instructors. Tom Drake, band director of my Freshman and Sophomore years in high school. Clarke Anderson, band director of my Junior and Senior years in high school. Gary (porky) Adams was my first percussion director at Romeoville, and Jim Dettrich was percussion director my Junior and Senior years in high school.

Having become section leader early on in high school and leader in general in the band, I had many friends in the band. One of these friends was Doug Curry. This was the beginning of Drum Corps for me.

Doug took me up to Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps weekend camp on March 20th 1994. It was my birthday present from him to me. I had no idea that this day would change the rest of my life. So he introduced me to drum corps and I was hooked. It was so intriguing to go to and participate in an organization that teaches performance excellence and has many other players involved much better than you. It was such a pleasant challenge presented to me. A place that I really felt I could grow in.

Pat Seidling was corps director that year I remember. I was placed on the bass drum line and marching with them for the 94 season, or so I thought. I attended “Death Camp” in I think it was spring break cause it lasted a week. This was my first spin the bottle experience, but that is another story for another blog. Anyhow, after Death Camp where we learned a good portion of the show and Memorial Day weekend, I was ready to go on tour for the summer. However, my parents didn’t realize what I was getting myself into and couldn’t imagine Charlie, only 16, going off with people my parents didn’t know, with an organization they didn’t know anything about, not to be seen for 3 months. Being a father now I can relate. So after much conversation between my folks and Pat Seilding, I stayed home that year.

I did goto DCM Finals to cheer Pioneer on though, and two years later I joined them once again for the 1996 season. This time I was a senior in high school turning 18, making my own money to pay for the trip. Nothing could stop me.

I marched with Pioneer and my friend Doug for the next two years, the 1996 and 1997 seasons. After that I went onto join the Madison Scout Drum and Bugle Corps with some of my fellow bass drummers Scott Baldwin and Mike Sowers. 1998 and 1999 were fantastic years for memories as well. I will not forget the training or the experiences received in either of the drum corps I marched in. The teaching staff I had in both corps were top notch. In Pioneer, James Powell, Keith Stevens, and Nicholas Wheeler, all former Sky Riders and Velvet Knights really knew what they were doing and set the foundation for me and the others to be ready to join a top twelve division one corp like the Madison Scouts. In the Scouts I received instruction from UCF percussion professor, Jeff Moore, UNT Graduate, Jim Yakus, and University Of Wisconsin graduate, Jeff Spanos. There were many other credible guest instructors in and out through the years, too many to mention.
Today I teach and perform professionally and for fun. You can see my list of professional experience HERE