My name is Richard Feich. I am a software engineer and solution architect with 25+ years of experience building websites and web-based applications. I have a passion for using technology to solve business problems. For the last 13+ years, I have been a technology consultant and full-stack engineer focused on utilizing Microsoft technologies to help a diverse array of business, non-profit, and government clients with their operations.

I am a creative problem solver and an accomplished researcher with the innate ability to “think outside the box” to get the job done. I can easily switch roles as a  business analyst, solution architect, or lead developer. I work well in a team or solo.

What I don’t know, I’ll figure out and master.

I have an EE background and started my career at AT&T Bell Labs – Naperville, working under Wing Toy (a true engineering genius and wonderful mentor) as a hardware engineer designing integrated circuits and circuit boards to be used in mainframe computers and electronic switching systems. I enjoyed this work but switched to software engineering due to AT&T’s business needs. I fell in love with software engineering. For the next ten years, I was involved with building features for the 5ESS (AT&T’s large-scale digital switching system). This was real-time embedded software development using C/C++.

AT&T spun off Lucent Technologies, Inc., which included Bell Labs and Western Electric (and me). At first, things were great as the internet exploded in popularity and networks were overbuilt. Around 2000, the telecom industry bubble burst; Lucent was caught in a death spiral. I left Lucent at the end of 2002.

I started a web development company called ZRON Website Design and Engineering (a remnant of a bygone era), a full-service shop with web design, hosting, marketing, and photography. All LAMP-stack development; I was a one-man show responsible for graphic design to back-end programming, marketing, and the business itself. Also, I was buying and selling domain names when the market was hot.

In May 2004, I was hired into TEC Services as a Consultant/Software Engineer. My broad range of experience was suitable for this type of work. TEC Services is a certified Microsoft Gold Partner, so I began developing my expertise with the Microsoft technology stack. Over the years, I built dozens of applications: Web, Windows, Native Mobile, and even Roku, as well as managed IT infrastructure. Being a relatively small company, I wore many hats, i.e., Full-Stack:

  • Server, network, and hosting environment
  • Solution architecture
  • Customer documentation, development estimates, requirements, design,  and training
  • Development processes and methodology
  • Relational databases, creation, and management
  • Interact with APIs and the external world
  • User interface and user experience, including accessibility, graphic design, and branding
  • Quality assurance and deployment
  • Cross-cutting security concerns
  • Understanding customer and business needs

In February 2018, I was hired into Sunny Direct as a Software Engineer and Business Solution Architect.

  • Managed all IT infrastructure: data center and Azure.  Patched servers, deployed applications (IIS/Azure), managed corporate data and DBS, installed SSL certificates, DNS work, networking,  Active Directory, etc.
  • Architected solutions for internal use and external clients.
  • Refactored,  improved, and maintained legacy applications implemented with Classic ASP and ASP.NET/C#.
  • Mentored junior/mid-level developers.
  • Primary architect and developer of numerous business applications: eCommerce, eProcurement, logistics management, document management, API development, reporting, data management, etc., utilizing the Microsoft technology stack and Azure – ASP.NET Core  C#.
  • Interacted with clients in the role of business analyst, developing requirements and project planning.

This is what I do: full-stack engineering.

Using Technology to Solve Business Problems.

Other Interests:

  • I am an avid digital and analog photographer (yes, film). I built a professional wet (conventional) darkroom to process color and B&W materials back when film ruled the photographic industry. I mostly use digital, but I still use analog processes for B&W projects. I enjoy fine art, portraiture, and landscape photography. I also collect classic film cameras.
  •  Electronics: I restore vintage radios and amplifiers, i.e., vacuum tube equipment. I’m currently building a high-fidelity vacuum tube audio power amplifier with a modern tube design. I put together an electronics lab to facilitate high-voltage experimentation and testing.
  • VW Beetle enthusiast. I own a 1974 Super Beetle and a 1956 Oval Window Beetle.
  • The great outdoors, nature, hiking, fishing, and fresh air.
  • Foodie, home chef. My top 5 cuisines, in no particular order:  Japanese, Korean, Indian,  Italian, French…this list changes all the time.