“Before I elucidate on the technical acumen Jim possesses let me say that Jim, besides being an extraordinarily talented marketer is probably the most conscientious human being I’ve ever met in my 60+ years of life; I don’t make this statement lightly. I found Jim to be continually looking for ways to improve my site, we maintained regular, timely, and routine conversations regarding his work and updates. His whole focus was to make sure I understood what he had done and why, for internet marketing reasons, that those changes made sense. Occasionally I’d push back or say I wanted something different, and Jim would pleasantly and diplomatically explain his logic or experience as to the reason for the particular change. In some cases, my reasoning prevailed, but in most cases Jim’s logic was so sound I couldn’t refute his approach. So you see, Jim didn’t just approach my project as if it were another job, he ‘owned’ my project, and it was nearly more art than science on his part as he conscientiously rebuilt my site. The end result is a website he developed that I believe is fantastic! Yes, I also found Jim to be a great teacher, I learned a good deal about internet marketing as he educated me on that and the overall process of developing a website.

In closing, you’ll find the only thing that surpasses Jim’s work ethic and professionalism, is his character, integrity, honesty, his dedication to implement his customers desires, and the utter thoroughness he brings to ensure that his customers are completely satisfied with the final product he delivers them. Yes, I recommend Jim Akagi, and his superb internet marketing services.”

R.M. – US Navy SEAL Captain (Ret)

“Jim and I worked on a web production team at Microsoft to build and launch Office 16 worldwide. Of a total of 25+ (U.S. and India) on the E-Commerce team of Web-Prods, there were 5 total of us that were hand picked for high profile Office-launch work.

A tremendous amount of coordination, prep-work, QA, bug squashing, planning, revising, and careful building went into these product launches. Both launches went up without any major issues, and everyone was very happy with the results in the end.

I found Jim incredibly pleasant to work with. He’s always willing to lend a hand, always has a great attitude (and always has the best snacks!) Jim’s confidence and smarts would make him a valuable member of any team. I wouldn’t hesitate to dive into any new project with him, certain we’d be headed for success.”

Whitney Wishart – AEM Specialist and Web Producer at Visa

“Jim is one of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He always had an encouraging word to say and knew exactly how to motivate you to do your best work. At work, we would jokingly say that Jim was “everyone’s biggest hype man,” but it was true. He knows how to lead a team with a level of passion, enthusiasm, and encouragement that no one else can.

His one-of-a-kind personality made our team want to do our best and work our very hardest. He is one of the best managers I have ever worked with, and I don’t think you could ever find anyone that would have a bad word to say about him. He has forever positively changed my life…”

Madeleine Pelson – Experience Developer

“It was a huge pleasure to work with Jim Akagi who brought new life, energy, and passion to the workplace at Extreme Arts and Sciences (EAS). His experience and influence set a tone that helped our team find chemistry and balance amongst each other to grow and build a stronger foundation for the future. His ability to effectively communicate, educate, and motivate teams in the department are just some of the few key highlights of what he can bring to the table.

My time with Jim at EAS was filled with many opportunities to learn about SEO and User Experience, as well as learning more about myself as a Designer. Every discussion we’ve had has been insightful and critical. I admire Jim for the breadth of knowledge he provides in his work, he understands what a project lacks and how those gaps can be filled. I also appreciate the value he saw in everyone in the office, he has shown his quality by making me and my teammates see ours.

Jim was able to bring the team together to execute efficiently as a whole. He communicated properly to both Design and Development on what the needs and goals are which allowed the leads and managers to delegate tasks appropriately. Jim did a great job in orchestrating a rally to revamp what was broken and re-create it into something strong and impactful that gave the team something truly valuable for the future. I also know Jim the family man, while being deeply committed to the team he’s also a person who believes in the concept of family and a healthy work-life balance. The positive energy he has and how he carries himself in the workplace has been great to be a part of and I will surely miss being around that mentality. I can honestly say that Jim has been a big influence on my upbringing and I am sure he will continue to help others grow in the same ways I have in his next project.”

ADRIAN LEON – Digital Illustrator | Visual Designer

“Very few individuals I’ve worked with can match Jim’s enthusiasm and spirit he brings to the workplace. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve come across anyone with the kind of passion Jim has for what he does and the people he works with. Simply put, he is a “teams” guy who is willing to do everything and anything to achieve the mission. Now, we’ve all worked with hardliners with an uncompromising attitude towards success, but a unique thing about Jim is that the success of his colleagues share the same importance as the mission in his mind. In fact, he has told me several times, “If you’re not successful, I’m not successful.” That’s something you don’t hear everyday, especially in competitive work environments.

When it comes to digital marketing and conversion rate optimization (CRO), Jim is an expert. I was always confident that our clients were receiving tremendous value when Jim was involved on a project. Another factor to consider is that the world of SEO and digital marketing is constantly evolving. It becomes easy for a digital marketer to become complacent or stuck in their ways. This is never the case with Jim. He is constantly looking upstream consuming resources and publications on new developments in the digital marketing world. When SEO practices shift, or a new technology emerges, Jim is the first to know about it. This is why I consider him a true expert. As digital marketing evolves, so does he.”

John Miller – Owner at Miller Studios

“It is my great honor to write this letter of recommendation for James. James and I worked for the same company, Drugstore.com, for more than 15 years – from the founding of the company through its evolution into a mature business. For the majority of our concurrent service at Drugstore.com, James and I were in complementary roles in which I designed & developed software that James used to create & manage promotions, campaigns, and other web content for sites such as Drugstore.com, Beauty.com, and VisionDirect.com. This relationship afforded me the pleasure of getting to know James and his high standards of quality, diligence, and accountability.

As a software engineer supporting James and his teammates, I became very familiar with the needs, pressures, and priorities of the Web Production team. James thrived in this space and was known for trustworthy execution and mastery of the knowledge domain. Due to the complex, home-grown nature of Drugstore.com’s content-management systems, substantial tenacity and passion was required to acquire productive expertise. James brought these qualities to the job and thus positioned himself among the elite few who were true subject-matter experts. For me, James was a valuable “go to” resource when I had questions about complex scenarios or system interactions.

Another dimension of James that you can understand only by working with him is the positive energy he brings to the team. There was broad affection for James at Drugstore.com. It was counted as a big loss when he made the decision to move on, as he was widely regarded as an individual of exceptional character and considered a friend by many. I believe James will go to the ends of the earth to thrive in whatever work he sets his mind and heart to. This has been my experience.”

Tom Peterson – Principal Engineer/Technical Architect at Walgreens.com

“I have known and worked with James for over 10 years. James never says no, he would look at the request and develop a test to see how or if it would execute as requested. Sometimes ideas just don’t translate and when we had issues James would explain the challenge and offer alternate methods that may meet the goal.

In addition to his role on our sites he still had a responsibility to provide assistance on other sites maintained in the Bellevue offices (drugstore.com and Beauty.com). I know to be true that he met or exceeded expectations as it related to those requirements. Vision Direct experienced over 7 consecutive years of double digit revenue growth with net revenues of over $120M prior to its acquisition by Walgreens.

He was considered an extremely valued component to overall business. I strongly believe you would find James to be a valued employee within your organization.”

Thomas C. Pemberton – Manager, Brand and Customer Experience | Walgreens

“I was introduced to Jim last year by a mutual-friend and company owner with whom I am developing a leadership-based consulting effort along with several other retired Navy SEALs. Jim’s primary duties in the endeavor were to spearhead the branding and marketing of the effort.

I can say without hesitation that Jim brought more energy, passion, and enthusiasm to the effort than all the rest of us combined! In my military career, I was accustomed to working with dedicated, tireless, and principled professionals. I had not met many similar-minded people in the civilian sector…and then came Jim.

I consider myself fortunate to call Jim a friend and I can’t endorse him highly enough. He spares no personal energy, effort, nor sacrifice to get the job done and make everyone glad to be a part of the team. I challenge you to find a more committed, caring, diligent, and dedicated person to serve in your organization. Select him! You will be glad you did!”

D.P. – US Navy SEAL Captain (Ret)

“James is an outstanding communicator and has great attention to detail. James was always on top of every detail of the projects I worked with him on – coordinating the drafts and delivery of the email campaigns we needed to execute. [He] managed all the marketing communications thru our first ESP (Responsys) and then later thru our replacement ESP (TailoredMail). James was the principal contributor in evaluating TailoredMail. He worked with the development team (myself and others) on evaluating the feasibility of this tool for our transactional needs as well as evaluating the tool for marketing needs. In his role he needed to recruit support from many teams such as development, IT and finance. He was great at reaching out to folks and building connections and getting the support he needed for marketing to perform its job. He is very outgoing and always very positive. A pleasure to work with and someone you wanted to do things for. When I worked with James on projects, he was always willing to go the extra mile and do more than his share of work. If there was something he could help on, he did it. Always diligent about getting the job done on time. [Also] great at being thorough. He did not cut corners. I would recommend Jimmy highly. I worked with Jimmy mostly on email campaigns but I saw the work he did no SAFR.com which was really well done.”

Steven McMillen – Senior Director of Solutions Engineering for SAFR (Secure Accurate Facial Recognition) division at RealNetworks

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with James for over 5 years at two different companies. He is one of the most easy-going, love-able and hardest working coworkers I’ve ever had. He has always put the customers ahead of himself and thinks about the greater good.

He is a quick learner and loves to help others learn what he knows–and is eager to learn things he doesn’t. James will always succeed with a strong manager that keeps him engaged and challenged.”

Irfan Shariff – Web Content Professional

“…We worked with Jimmie nights and weekends in addition to our normal hours to make sure his projects would not be delayed. It quickly became apparent how hard Jimmie works to meet his deadlines. My team and I loved working with him. It was always a pleasant experience even in the high-stress situations that he was often force into.

…Jimmie is a valuable asset to any team that has a need for his skill-sets. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him if given the opportunity. He’s a hard-working individual that doesn’t just perform his tasks and responsibilities but whole-heartedly owns them and sees them through to completion. I’m happy to discuss Jimmies qualities if you have any further questions or would like more detail.”

Ray Young – Sr. Manager, Corp IT | RealNetworks.com

“He is an incredible team player, and one of his most important assets is the positivity he brings along… As a digital marketer, his understanding of the search landscape is second to none. He is very thorough with SEO, including both on-page, off-page. It is this 360 degree approach of his that really makes him a conversion rate optimization specialist.

And despite having been in the industry for such a long time, he keeps up with changing times by investing a lot of time in reading, getting acquainted with the latest algorithms, exchanging thoughts with fellow SEO experts, and bouncing ideas with peers and seniors alike. I would strongly recommend Jim for any marketing or digital marketing role (especially SEO) for reasons just beyond his marketing acumen. He is very committed towards his job, is a team player, a motivator, looks for opportunities that can help the company grow, and most of all is an eternal learner…”

Kanhaiya Maheshwary – Digital Marketer | Recipient of MC Research Award '20 | Double Masters (Digital Media | MBA, Marketing)

“People like Jim are rare finds; he brings passion to everything he does, an insatiable amount of curiosity, strong desire and opinions on creating the best possible customer experience for every step of the journey, and complete loyalty and devotion to his team. As a marketer Jim wields an incredible tool chest, allowing him to investigate, unpack and improve the customer experience from every digital touch point, brick and mortar experience, through loyalty programs to increase retention and brand affinity.

As a team member, Jim constantly asks the most of himself and the team around him. He is always ready to help a teammate work through a challenge and I believe he feels the most successful when the team around him is succeeding, I look forward to my next opportunity to work with Jim.”

A.J. Peper Ph.D. – Founder and CEO at Command Sight, Inc.