Dave Sterling
Auburn,NY
Summary
Dynamic founder and automation engineer with a proven track record in leading cross-functional teams at Digital Firehouse and Leonardi Manufacturing. Expert in CNC programming and product launches, I excel in project management and technical integration, driving successful software deployments and advanced robotic manufacturing systems for enhanced production reliability.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Founder
Digital Firehouse
Weedsport, NY
01.2025 - 01.2026
- Founded and led development of the Digital Firehouse software platform from concept through production launch and live customer deployment
- Defined product architecture, technical standards, and delivery workflows from design through customer rollout
- Managed and directed senior engineers, junior engineers, and contractors across feature development, infrastructure, and integrations
- Led client acquisition and technical pre-sales discussions, converting customer requirements into scoped features and delivery plans
- Ran sprint planning, task breakdown, and technical reviews to keep engineering work aligned and on schedule
- Built and launched a 51,000-page static website directory covering 27,136 U.S. fire departments using multiple publicly released government datasets
- Drove SEO and platform visibility growth from approximately 5–10 daily search impressions to over 1,500 daily impressions within 15 days of release
- Established repeatable build, test, and deployment pipelines to support reliable staged releases and platform growth
Automation Engineer
Leonardi Manufacturing Inc
Weedsport, NY
03.2020 - 01.2025
- Led design and manufacturing process development for four product launches: Hitch Wrap, Tree Mount, Pintle Coupler, and Friction Block
- Led CNC, CAM, and robotic programming efforts supporting product prototyping and early production runs
- Designed CNC fixtures and production tooling to support repeatable manufacturing
- Integrated ABB robotic systems with standalone CNC machines for automated machine tending
- Led robot end-of-arm tooling and fixture design and primary robotic programming and machine communication setup
- Led cross-functional teams to implement advanced robotic systems for increased production reliability.
- Revised a patented swivel bucket design and produced formal patent drawings for submission under US-11268257-B1
CAD Engineer
Leonardi Manufacturing
Weedsport, NY
06.2019 - 03.2020
- Operated CNC machining and robotic welding systems for prototype and production parts across multiple product lines
- Performed setups, tool changes, and inspections to maintain tolerances and stable production output
- Created 2D/3D part and fixture models in AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor for manufacturable production designs
- Developed CAM toolpaths and CNC programs for laser and mill operations
- Translated engineering designs into machine-ready programs and shop floor build packages
Education
Bachelor of Science - Technology Management & Business Administration
SUNY College At Oswego
Oswego, NY12-2022
Skills
- Cross-Functional team leadership
- Project management
- Autodesk Inventor, Fusion 360, AutoCAD Mechanical
- CAM and manual programming
- CNC Setup and troubleshooting
- ABB Robot Studio Simulations
- ABB Robotics & CNC integration
- IP / Networking systems
- SQL Database Systems
- Linux Systems Management
- Product Launches
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Spanish
Limited Working
Timeline
Founder
Digital Firehouse
01.2025 - 01.2026
Automation Engineer
Leonardi Manufacturing Inc
03.2020 - 01.2025
CAD Engineer
Leonardi Manufacturing
06.2019 - 03.2020
Bachelor of Science - Technology Management & Business Administration
SUNY College At Oswego