Darla Gay, Freelance Writer for Real Estate, Healthcare, Chronic Illnesses and other Industries

About

I have written content for my own websites for several years, and I wrote a weekly column for

until the pandemic started and my column was canceled. With my varied background, I can write about many different industries. I am a quick learner and can rapidly adapt to new subjects and new situations. In addition to 8 years of real estate experience, my background includes 20 years in the commercial printing industry; 15 years using Wordpress, and 15 years as a bookkeeper. I am proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign, as well as Quickbooks, Excel, Word, Grammarly, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. I understand SEO–using keywords correctly, internal and external linking, as well as other fields that are used in Wordpress posts.

Experience

darlajonesgay@gmail.com

Jan 2019 – Present

Southside, Arkansas

Owner

Personal portfolio website showcasing articles I've written for real estate and chronic illnesses.

White River Realty

Mar 2014 – Present

Southside, Arkansas

Principal Broker

• Build & maintain the company website, including IDX link for listings. • Write copy for listings, Facebook ads, and blog posts. • Ensure that all office procedures are followed and that all records are complete and in proper order.

Ronnie Gay Auctions

Oct 2012 – Present

Southside, Arkansas

Marketing/Bookkeeper

• Create traditional advertising needed for an auction: flyers, signs, and banners. • Write and layout newspaper ads according to publisher’s specs. • Post Facebook ads for each auction. • Create and publish e-mail newsletters to subscribers. • Create and update Wordpress based website. • Use current SEO methods to increase organic traffic. • Reconcile the paperwork at the end of the sale, make deposits, and pay the sellers.

R.M. Weaver Real Estate

Jan 2013 – Mar 2014

Southside, Arkansas

Sales Associate

• Responsible for showing land & homes to prospective buyers. • Completed necessary contracts for buyers. • Followed up with inspectors and title companies to ensure the property closed on time.

RiverCity Print & Office

Aug 2010 – Oct 2012

Batesville, Arkansas

Graphic Designer

• Responsible for design and layout of all types of commercial printing: forms, business cards, letterheads, and envelopes. • Designed four color brochures and point of sale displays. Also responsible for providing quotes to customers and placing orders with outsourcers for four color jobs. • Developed a spreadsheet for figuring prices, plus a written quote form to give to customers. • Worked primarily in Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Word, and Excel.

Golden Maille

Jun 2004 – Jun 2010

Batesville, Arkansas

Owner

• Responsible for designing, building and maintaining the website • All facets of running the business: bookkeeping with Quickbooks, ordering supplies, making the products, shipping orders and communicating with customers. • Developed complex custom Excel spreadsheets to streamline and simplify management and manufacturing processes.

Graphateria

Aug 1990 – Jan 2005

Tallahassee, Florida

System Administrator

System Administrator • Responsible for all computer related aspects of the business. • Duties included specifying, purchasing, installing, and maintaining servers and individual computer workstations for various segments of the business: prepress, plate-making, digital presses, accounting, estimating, and customer service. Estimator • Researched available estimating systems. • Installed and tested demo versions and decided which to finally purchase. • Set up the new system with press, prepress, proofing, and paper details. Prepress Supervisor • Started the electronic prepress department. • Wrote training manuals for every procedure used. Responsible for hiring, training, and supervising employees. • Maintained an on-going and ever-changing production schedule to meet deadlines, both internal and customer-driven. • Prepared customer-supplied files for printing, including page layout, image manipulation, imposition, and proofing. • Communicate with customers so that any file related issues were resolved. • Educated customers with tips for producing print-ready files. Accounting Supervisor • Upgraded accounting from manual, hand written ledgers and paychecks to a computerized system using Great Plains Accounting and continued to supervise the accounting department.

Education

Tallahassee Community College

Sep 1986 – May 1987

Certificate, Programming in Fortran

Southside School

Sep 1967 – May 1979

High School Diploma, General

Darla Gay

Freelance Writer for Real Estate, Healthcare, Chronic Illnesses and other Industries

Skills

Languages