Licensed Michigan builder / Operations leader / Software builder / Benton Harbor, Michigan

I build the job and the software that runs it.

Licensed Michigan builder with 30+ years in construction, from laborer to operations manager. I've taken a builder from 20 houses behind schedule to 15 ahead and run a 22-unit school-to-condo conversion. I also design, build, and ship the software those jobs need: field inventory, project tracking, a CRM, AI assistants, and mobile apps.

Download resume (PDF, 4 pages) Full career record (PDF)

Two trades, one standard

Both are current. The job site is why the software is any good, and the software already runs on real jobs.

On the job site

Thirty years of residential construction, starting as a laborer in 1992 and working up through framing, finishing, supervision, estimating, purchasing, and operations. Today I manage installation projects and run my own residential building work.

  • Ran production framing and siding on up to 65 houses per week, with field operations for a crew of more than 250
  • Implemented prefabrication that moved production from nearly 20 houses behind schedule to more than 15 houses ahead within 8 months
  • Project schedules, budgets, job costing, purchase orders, and change orders across concurrent builds
  • Full-scope estimating and material takeoffs using On-Screen Takeoff and AutoCAD, plus bid packages and competitive vendor quotes
  • Purchasing and procurement: bulk pricing negotiation, purchase order tracking, inventory controls, value engineering
  • Custom home builds, remodels, decks, and finish carpentry including staircases, railings, and trim
  • Permitting, inspections, and code compliance across municipal and insurance requirements
  • Large-loss insurance restoration: documentation, approvals, escalation, and rebuttal

Licensed Michigan Builder / OSHA 30 / VSI certified / ComTrain climber and rescuer

In the codebase

Self-taught, and everything below is something I built and run rather than something I read about. Tavira tracks field inventory for crews, and the project dashboard I built answers project questions in plain language.

  • Custom AI agents and agent harnesses, including multi-agent orchestration across multi-step work
  • LLM integration against the OpenAI and Anthropic APIs, with prompt engineering and evals
  • Custom GPTs built for real workflows: roofing estimation, insurance claim analysis, scope clarification, material takeoffs
  • Retrieval over a vector database, wired into a working project dashboard for natural-language search
  • MCP servers and tooling that let agents reach real systems safely
  • Full-stack product work: a password manager, a CRM, project management, QR and digital cards, field inventory
  • Mobile apps: Pitch Please is live on the App Store and Google Play

TypeScript / PHP / React Native / Postgres / Astro

From laborer to operations manager

  1. 1992 to 2001 Laborer to Foreman Early Career Progression
  2. 2001 to 2003 Area Manager Mark Scott Construction
  3. 2003 to 2006 Account Manager MWB Building Contractors
  4. 2006 to 2012 Operations Manager Stewart Builders LLC
  5. 2013 Project Lead Abayla Contracting Services Inc
  6. Nov 2016 to Mar 2020 Construction Manager Build Rite Construction LLC
  7. Mar 2020 to Aug 2021 Purchasing Manager and Estimator Community Home Builders
  8. Aug 2021 to May 2022 Construction Manager Build Rite Construction LLC
  9. May 2022 to May 2023 Site Supervisor Tom Gold Construction
  10. May 2023 to Present Residential Builder Akamai Building & Home Improvement LLC
  11. Dec 2023 to Dec 2024 Quality and Experience Manager JB West Roofing Siding Gutters
  12. Dec 2024 to Present Project Manager JB West Roofing Siding Gutters

Every role, in full

Selected work

Every item carries its real status: shipped, in use, in development, or proof of concept.

Fortilis

Shipped

Zero-knowledge password and secrets management for teams.

FTC

Shipped

Ball-in-court project management for teams tired of chasing ownership.

Apex

Shipped

Apex takes a deal from lead to ledger in one connected system.

GDK Nexus

Shipped

Dynamic QR codes and digital business cards that keep working after you print them.

Tavira

Shipped

Field inventory control for construction teams, in active internal use.

Pitch Please

Shipped

Roof pitch measurement from a phone, no ladder required.

Custom GPTs

Shipped

Purpose-built GPT assistants loaded with workflow-specific knowledge.

job-hunter

Shipped

An open source skill family that searches job boards and drafts application materials.

Elsie

In use

A self-hosted project tracker that runs as the standing progress ledger for local work.
All products All projects
8
Products shipped
10
Custom GPT projects
as of 2026-10-22
94
Personas in the corpus
as of 2026-10-22
907
Notes in the memory system
as of 2026-10-22

How I got here

I started as a laborer in 1992 and worked up through framing, finishing, supervision, estimating, purchasing, and operations. I ran field operations for crews of more than 250 people and managed custom home builds, remodels, and insurance restoration. I still do that work today.

Along the way I got tired of doing the same work by hand twice, so I started building software to do it. That turned into a product line, a set of internal systems, and a habit of shipping.

Most people who build AI systems have never run a job site. Most people who run job sites cannot ship production software. I do both, and that overlap is the whole point.

Get in touch Download resume (PDF)