I run a software development company out of Bardstown, Kentucky. It’s a small town — about 14,000 people — sitting between Louisville and Lexington in the heart of bourbon country. People come here to tour distilleries, not to find software developers.
And yet this is where I work. I’ve built Rails applications for clients in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and a dozen other cities — all from a small office on Stephen Foster Avenue. The geography matters less than the work, and the work is what I want to talk about.
Why Kentucky?
Because this is where I’m from and where I want to be. Simple as that.
I spent time working in bigger cities and with larger organizations. Good experience. But Bardstown is home, my family is here, and the cost of living allows me to run a lean, focused operation without the overhead that drives most development shops to overhire and underdeliver.
Lower overhead means my rates reflect the work, not the zip code. Clients in major metros often discover that working with a Kentucky-based shop means comparable quality at rates that make sense for the project.
What It Means to Work Remotely
The pandemic settled the question of whether remote development works. It does, when you have good communication habits and the right tools.
My process:
Async-first communication. Most decisions don’t need a meeting. They need clear documentation and a reasonable response time. I use Basecamp or Linear for project communication, keep updates written and searchable, and reserve real-time meetings for things that actually need them.
Timezone alignment. Working from EST means I’m in sync with East Coast clients naturally, and I have morning overlap with Midwest and Mountain clients before their day gets busy. West Coast clients get afternoon overlap. It works.
Clear deliverables. Remote work lives or dies on clarity. I’m explicit about what I’m building, what “done” looks like, and what decisions I need client input on versus what I’m just going to decide and move.
Regular demos. Every week, you see what was built. Not status reports — actual working software. This keeps projects honest and makes sure we’re building the right thing.
The Kentucky Manufacturing Angle
Something that doesn’t get talked about enough: Kentucky has a real and growing manufacturing sector. Toyota, Corvette (General Motors), Ford, UPS — major operations here. Plus hundreds of smaller manufacturers making everything from bourbon barrels to automotive parts to horse trailers.
I’ve built software for several manufacturing clients. Inventory systems. Quality control tracking. Production scheduling. Integration with ERP systems like SAP and NetSuite. This sector has unique needs — ruggedized processes, real-time data requirements, complex compliance — and I understand them in ways that a developer who’s only ever worked with SaaS startups won’t.
Being embedded in this economy, knowing the mindset of people who make physical things, has made me a better developer for this kind of work.
What I Build
Rails applications, primarily. But “Rails application” covers a lot of ground.
For mid-market businesses, the most common projects I handle:
Custom CRM and workflow tools. Off-the-shelf CRMs rarely fit the way manufacturing and distribution businesses actually work. A custom tool that matches your process is faster, cheaper to maintain, and doesn’t require you to adapt your business to the software’s limitations.
API backends. Rails API mode for mobile apps, third-party integrations, and internal service communication.
Client portals. Give your clients visibility into their orders, invoices, and project status without constant back-and-forth via email.
Integration work. Connecting systems that don’t talk to each other — your ERP, your shipping platform, your accounting software, your CRM. This is often the highest-value work I do.
Legacy modernization. Rails applications from 2010 are still running. Some need performance work, some need security updates, some need new features built on top of an aging foundation. I know this codebase type well.
Working With Me
I work on a retainer model (starting at $500/month for a package of hours) and on project-based engagements for defined scope. For intensive development sprints, I offer a dedicated week rate.
What you get is direct access to me — the person who writes the code, reviews the architecture, and is accountable for the outcome. No account managers, no bait-and-switch from a senior developer to a junior on your project, no overhead you’re paying for that doesn’t benefit you.
Most of my clients aren’t in Kentucky. Some are. All of them get the same thing: a developer who’s been doing this for 20 years and genuinely cares about the outcome.
If you’re looking for a Rails development shop that works without the big-city overhead and overhead that goes with it, reach out. I’m in Bardstown, KY. The bourbon’s good and so is the code.