R&J Strategic Communications, a full service integrated marketing and public relations agency, announces the hiring of Chris Schmieder as Web Developer. Schmieder will play an integral role in delivering the enhanced creative and digital services offered by R&J following the firm’s recent acquisition of Fifth Room Creative, an award-winning boutique branding and web design shop previously located in Denville, N.J.

“Chris’s technical skills and fluency in programming make him a crucial asset to the R&J team as we continue to enhance our full-service, integrated marketing capabilities,” said Steve Guberman, VP of Creative and Digital Services at R&J Strategic Communications. “With his modern training and eagerness to learn, Chris’s work remains at the forefront of industry trends and developments, allowing us to consistently boost our clients’ online presence with fresh, responsive designs and innovative programming.”

As a member of R&J’s creative and digital team, Schmieder is tasked with creating and managing numerous web pages for R&J’s clients. He plays a pivotal role in writing and editing languages such a HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. Schmieder’s ability to turn code into interactive webpages brings clients’ brands to life on the world wide web through responsive, mobile-friendly designs. Prior to his hiring at R&J, Schmieder held positions as both a freelance web developer and at Statenweb, a New York-based web design development agency.

A resident of Staten Island, Schmieder graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Financial Economics. As a former high school math teacher, Schmieder strongly believes in the power of education and continues to pick up new skills throughout his career including WordPress theme development, search engine optimization (SEO), and cross-browser compatibility.