Origin:

• Colorado (birth)
• Minnesota (grade and middle school)
• Wisconsin (high school)
• New York (2000 to 2008, 2011-2013)
• Seattle (2008 to 2011, 2013 to 2014)
• Austin (2014 to 2016)
• Denver (2016)
• Rochester (2017+)

Education:

Skills:

• Old house renovation
• Composites
• Structural Engineering
• Project and Program Management
• Materials development
• Building things
• Analysis (Engineering, Strategy, and Finance)
• Troubleshooting
• Welding
• Auto body
• Mechanical rework
• Insatiable curiosity (is that a skill?)

1962 Volkswagen Beetle

The greatest challenges of this 2000 restoration were my 18 year old age and my lack of money.  I taught myself to weld, to do body-work (most of the aft wheel wells were rotted out), to upholster interiors, to R&R a transaxle, and to paint a car.

When I sold it in 2011, the time elapsed between posting the ad and the new owner driving away was about two hours.  

​In hindsight, I probably under-priced it.

Albright Manor Bathroom Renovation

What is the easiest way to get free rent for two years during grad school?  Find a way to trade services with your landlord.  My landlady Cheryl wasn't very handy, so I traded free rent for a bathroom renovation.  I was also house-sitting while she traveled for two years.  I gutted (to the studs and floor joists) and remodeled a bathroom in her house over a period of about a year.  She was happy because she got a new bathroom, and I was happy because I didn't have to take out loans for living expenses.

Some of the video diaries I sent her are shown here:

Adorable Nephews

Rally: do a lot with a little

In 2007 I built my own '84 GTI rally car (with the help of some friends).  We retrofitted a  roll-cage with structural door bars and gussets, built reinforced seat frames, added FIA safety harnesses and seats, and fixed up the MegaSquirt custom fuel injection system.  Being a privateer rally racer is all about being creative and making the best car using limited resources.

Diesel tow vehicles are expensive.  The best solution: buy a used school bus.  It turns out well maintained low mileage school buses can be purchased for almost no money, because there isn't a large secondary bus market.  It was $3200 out the door for a bus with great towing capacity, 82k miles, and green vinyl seats. Yes, the stop sign still worked.

Retired HAM Call-Sign: KC2QIS

Colleagues say I'm nice too

"John met/exceeded his BG&Os and made progress on his developmental goal. John is always ready for the most complex problem, and continues to impress me with his ability to satisfy the needs of the Boeing Company. He is currently serving on the flight test program, and has impressed me further with his adaptability to a new environment. 

 John has great charisma and a cheerful disposition. He is a great team player and has volunteered many times to be the team leader. John has the ability to see the big picture and his commitment to others is unsurpassed.

Thanks for a great year John!"

~Excerpt from Boeing Performance Review