Kimberly N. West

Kimberly N. West, Founder and CIO/COO of SpyderWeb, has enjoyed at least four careers in her lifetime. First, as an accomplished musician, second, as a successful management consultant, third as a restaurateur and fourth as an expert in technology solutions for the small/medium business sector and government agencies.
A classically trained musician from the age of six, Kimberly excelled at piano and violin, playing Lincoln Center in New York City and touring 10 European countries with an American orchestra before the age of 17. Her love of music brought her to the Hunter College School of Music at the City University of New York. There, West studied jazz violin and voice and became fully engrossed in New York's jazz and dance music culture. But the advent of the personal computer sparked Kimberly's imagination and she began taking on small projects and working in the family business in her spare time.

Not wanting to be a starving artist and feeling that life had more to offer, Kimberly matriculated at the University of Miami (Florida) School of Business (UM) in the late 1980s, studying entrepreneurial management and finance. Simultaneously, she joined her father's burgeoning management consulting firm as a full consultant where she began to use all that was learned at UM. From 1987 to 1996 West went from research assistant, to project manager, to consultant and finally COO/CIO of the company, a position which she still holds. Additionally, she took occasional positions at leading companies in corporate America to hone her skills. At each step, West took the intellectual lessons from academia, combined them with the practical experience of working with clients and married the two with her growing technical prowess.

Over the years Kimberly N. West has worked with businesses from the smallest 'mom and pop' shops to the largest conglomerates, across an array of industries. Some of her accomplishments include:

Directing software development for the European arm of CBSMarketwatch.com, FTMarketwatch.com (FTM) was the largest and most active financial web site in Europe.
Managing the strategic alliance between FTM's American and British parents, CBS and the Financial Times, respectively.

Writing several grant proposals for city agencies that were funded by the federal government.

Excelling as a Technical Evangelist at Microsoft Corporation.

Being part of the team that facilitated the technology transition for the NationsBank/Bank of America merger.

Writing business plans for small farming concerns that were later funded by the US Department of Agriculture and introducing farmers to mobile technology.

Diagramming and installing point of sale and back office systems for Mrs. Winner's Fried Chicken franchisees.

Directing project management at the Minneapolis headquarters of Donaldson Filtration, an international conglomerate with offices in over 30 countries.
In 2002, after taking a year off, West started SpyderWeb with the vision of providing small/medium businesses with the same high quality technology services and advice that large companies enjoy. From 2003 to 2004 SpyderWeb experienced exponential growth that almost threatened its existence and took considerable toll on Kimberly's health. After some roll-back, retooling and much needed rest, West and crew came back with a vengeance and some hot new products and services for 2006.

Not one to seek the spotlight, Kimberly has relegated herself to SpyderWeb's day-to-day company operations, engaging clients, screening prospective consultants and her other passion, teaching. West feels that assisting others in understanding the complex nuances of today's high tech society is a privilege. As a result, SpyderWeb currently has training contracts with several local and state government agencies and Kimberly personally oversees SpyderWeb's Executive Education program. Ms. West is listed in the 2006 and 2007 Who's Who in Black Atlanta, holds several technical certifications, and was the first African-American woman to enroll in the IPED Channel Elite MBA program. She also holds memberships and/or board positions in several technical and business associations.

Kimberly is a native of the New York suburbs currently living in Atlanta, Georgia and success and service runs in the familial veins. Her father was the nation's first African-American FDIC bank examiner, a college professor for over 20 years and is currently an internationally renowned management consultant. West's mother is a child development specialist and step-mother is a noted real estate broker. The family is completed by two brothers and one sister, all successful entrepreneurs in their own right. An avid student of bellydance and Capoiera, Kimberly spends her free time furthering philanthropic pursuits to educate the public in technology, gardening and entertaining close friends in her Grant Park home. Word has it that she's a wicked cook.