My name is Richard Feich. I am a software engineer and business 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. I worked under Wing Toy (a true engineering genius and wonderful mentor) as a hardware engineer designing integrated circuits and circuit boards for 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. I built features for the 5ESS (AT&T’s large-scale digital switching system) for the next ten years. This was real-time embedded software development using C/C++.

In 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 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. 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 and repair  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.