JJ H., engineering, web, and embedded
Personal site: engineering services, projects, writing, and resume. Built with Astro and Tailwind.
Education
High School Diploma
Perkiomen School
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Lehigh University
Experience
Restomod Engineer
Sep 2024 - Present
Animal Garage
- Landenberg, PA
- • Classic and vintage vehicle programs at Animal Garage - restomod builds that preserve character while improving how they drive
- • Reverse engineering discontinued parts no longer in production - CAD, metrology, fabrication, and additive manufacturing to reproduce NLA hardware
- • Materials selection upgrades, weight reduction, and performance improvements over stock designs
- • Prototype-to-production workflows for custom assemblies - lighter, stronger, and more performant than original equipment
Digital Commerce Operator
Oct 2022 - Present
Heff.industries
- Landenberg, PA
- • Digital-first e-commerce network at Heff.industries - multi-brand catalog distributed through Amazon, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and additional channels
- • On-site warehousing and fulfillment for most SKUs; parallel dropship and brand-engineered digital-only storefronts where inventory stays virtual
- • Listing operations, channel integrations, and brand storefront management across marketplace and owned web properties
- • Commerce technology - Saleor and GraphQL storefront work, inventory sync tooling, and platform builds toward heff.world and stageastuff.com
Social Media Project
2021 - Present
Independent
- Landenberg, PA
- • Self-hosted creator stack on dedicated subdomains: Owncast (live streaming), PeerTube (federated video), Mitra (photo-oriented social), and Cinny as a self-hosted Matrix web client
- • Homelab deployment on Proxmox - Docker Compose stacks, Traefik and Caddy ingress, TLS, backups, and uptime monitoring across the multi-subdomain layout
- • ActivityPub and Matrix federation so distribution stays on owned infrastructure instead of rented algorithmic reach
- • Supporting surfaces - reverse-proxy routing, media storage planning, and cross-service identity experiments (Keycloak/OIDC still in progress)
- • Still missing: unified SSO across apps, a single home feed, native mobile clients, cross-post automation, moderation queues, short-form vertical video, and discovery at platform scale
Data Engineering Student (Cohort 3.1)
Jun 2022 - Sep 2022
Zip Code Wilmington
- Wilmington, DE
- • 12-week, Python-focused data engineering program (80-100 hours per week)
- • Capstone: built Django-Auto-Forum - automotive how-to forum with profiles, discussion apps, and S3 media storage
- • Deployed on Heroku with PostgreSQL, gunicorn, django-storages, boto3, and django-crispy-forms
- • Built additional projects with Django, Flask, REST APIs, and Jupyter notebooks
Powertrain Lead Engineer
May 2019 - May 2021
Lehigh University Formula SAE
- Bethlehem, PA
- • Led powertrain design, manufacturing, and education for competition vehicle development
- • Managed weekly sub-team stand-ups, technical demos, and SolidWorks release packages
- • Oversaw Yamaha YFZ450R rebuild and student engine dynamometer development in the Packard lab
- • Received the Thomas E. Jackson Award for contributions to the engine testing laboratory
R&D Engineering Intern
May 2020 - Aug 2020
RR Racing, Inc.
- Exton, PA
- • First engineering intern: quality assurance, BOMs, and prototype-to-production revisions
- • Operated dual Creality FDM printers using PLA, ABS, and TPU for rapid prototyping
- • Introduced surface modeling, design for manufacture, and GD&T to the intern team
Engine & Drivetrain Engineer
Aug 2017 - May 2019
Lehigh University Formula SAE
- Bethlehem, PA
- • Built a MATLAB tire simulation UI to validate deflection models against large tire datasets
- • Developed internal engine heat-rejection modeling and cooling test procedures for the team
- • Performed acoustic analysis of intake and exhaust systems
- • Supported manufacturing as lathe operator, welding assistant, and fabricator; vehicle X49 placed 56th at FSAE Michigan 2019
Licensed Realtor
Aug 2017 - Jan 2019
Keller Williams Preferred Properties
- Long Beach Island, NJ
- • Helped establish a new Keller Williams office location on Long Beach Island during branch expansion
- • Provided technical support, HTML web development, and online and media advertising for the team
- • Partnered with seasoned agents and branch executives to introduce web-based tools for the new market
- • Balanced real estate client work with university engineering and seasonal hospitality roles
Restaurant Team Member
2017 - 2018
Panzone's Pizza
- Long Beach Island, NJ
- • Seasonal front-of-house and kitchen work at family-owned Panzone's locations in Beach Haven and Surf City
- • Customer service, food prep, and line operations during high-volume summer seasons on LBI
- • Built early client-facing and operations experience alongside college and real estate work
Certifications
Zip Code Wilmington Data Engineering Cohort 3.1
2022State of Pennsylvania Engineer in Training (EIT)
2022SolidWorks CSWE
2018Thomas E. Jackson Award (engine testing laboratory)
2021Languages
English 10/10
German 4/10
Hard Skills
SolidWorks & 3D CAD 95%
Mechanical design & DFM 92%
Additive manufacturing (FDM) 93%
Product development & prototyping 90%
Powertrain & drivetrain systems 88%
GD&T & quality assurance 84%
MATLAB & engineering simulation 77%
Python & data engineering 79%
TypeScript & full-stack web 81%
GraphQL APIs 72%
HTML, CSS & web content 71%
Django & cloud deployment 74%
Cloud infrastructure 52%
Soft Skills
📋 Project management
🔄 Agile & Kanban
🚀 Entrepreneurship
🤝 Cross-functional collaboration
💬 Technical communication
⚙️ Engineering leadership
🏡 Client-facing sales & service
📚 Team coaching & mentorship
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