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Thomas Young thomasbyoung.com
Forward-Deployed Systems & Enterprise AI Builder

Full-Stack Software Engineer & Enterprise AI Builder.

I work the way forward-deployed teams do: embed in an operation, isolate the real problem, and ship the production system.

ASP.NET Core React Python PyTorch Kizer.ai High-Stakes Ops
Profile

Diagnostic Engineering in High-Stakes Operations

I build production software and enterprise AI systems for organizations with messy, high-stakes operational problems. The way I work is consistent, mapping closely to what forward-deployed engineering teams do: embed inside an operation, figure out what the problem actually is, then build and ship the system that solves it.

Often the real problem turns out to be operational or communication-shaped rather than technical, and part of the job is knowing the difference before anyone spends money on the wrong fix.

At Clune Construction, I build and own several of the firm's custom applications, brought in whenever an operational challenge calls for a tailored software solution in direct partnership with VPs and operational leads. Simultaneously, as founder of Kizer.ai, I develop vertical AI systems engineered to navigate unstructured, complex workflows without catastrophic hallucinations.

Methodology

The Forward-Deployed Operating Matrix

How production-grade systems succeed in environments where failure has direct financial and physical consequences.

01

Diagnostic Pragmatism

Separating operational knots from genuine technical requirements before writing a single line of architecture. Preventing expensive buildouts for the wrong problems.

02

Enterprise Resilience

Architecting rock-solid backbones in ASP.NET Core, Python, and relational databases engineered for zero downtime, transactional integrity, and tight ERP integration.

03

Adoption & Change

Software only succeeds if operators actually rely on it. Partnering directly with project executives, estimators, and field teams to build tools that eliminate daily friction.

04

AI Grounded in Reality

Eliminating black-box hallucinations. Deploying deterministic RAG architectures and deep learning models designed to expand human agency rather than obscuring accountability.

Production Systems

Active Ventures & Enterprise Track Record

Chicago, IL · Real-World Operational Footprint
Active Founder Venture · Vertical AI

Founder @ Kizer.ai

Apr 2023 – Present · Chicago, IL kizer.ai

Founded and lead product architecture for an applied vertical AI platform addressing high-friction knowledge synthesis and workflow coordination in complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise operations.

  • Engineered specialized agentic pipelines and grounded document reasoning engines to process high-dimensional operational data, contracts, and field logs.
  • Architected deterministic verification layers to prevent hallucinations in high-stakes scenarios where errors carry immediate financial and operational penalties.
  • Drive full technical execution: ML model integration, retrieval pipelines, React interface design, and product roadmap.
Core Stack: Vertical AI Deterministic RAG PyTorch Python Vector Embeddings
Enterprise Core · Active Role

Solutions Developer @ Clune Construction Company

Mar 2022 – Present (4+ yrs) · Chicago, IL

Build and own multiple custom enterprise applications for a premier national commercial general contractor. Embedded directly with department heads to replace brittle spreadsheets and disconnected third-party software with high-throughput custom platforms.

  • Directly collaborate with VPs and operational leads across Operations, Finance, and Marketing to identify core operational bottlenecks.
  • Architect, deploy, and maintain production ASP.NET Core, React, and Python applications integrated with enterprise data backbones.
  • Drive user adoption across national offices, ensuring custom tools are intuitively matched to field and office realities.
Core Focus: ASP.NET Core · C# · Python · Enterprise Integrations · SQL Server

Senior Software Engineer @ ForYourParty.com

Apr 2020 – Mar 2022 (2 yrs) · Skokie, IL

Engineered software systems bridging custom manufacturing and modern e-commerce infrastructure. Resolved critical bottlenecks in real-time personalization rendering and automated shop-floor job routing.

High-Throughput Manufacturing · Production Workflows · Full-Stack Engineering

Founder & Principal Consultant @ Concept and Color

Feb 2015 – Dec 2021 (nearly 7 yrs) · Chicago, IL

Technology consulting and venture incubation studio. Delivered custom production software, including deploying an end-to-end computer-vision quality inspection system directly onto an active factory floor.

Computer Vision · Industrial Quality Control · Venture Studio
Sentinel Technologies
Solutions Analyst
Enterprise systems analysis, infrastructure mapping, and technical client requirements.
AR-EN Party Printers
Operations Strategy Lead
Industrial print manufacturing workflows, shop-floor capacity planning, and throughput optimization.
Oakton College
Adjunct Professor
Higher-education pedagogy, analytical instruction, and complex conceptual communication.
Intellectual Depth

Continental Philosophy & Technical AI Synthesis

A rigorous theoretical lens examining ontology, algorithmic agency, and organizational epistemology.

“Part of building artificial intelligence that actually functions within human organizations is knowing what an algorithm is—and what it isn't. Technology either expands genuine human agency or suffocates it under brittle abstractions.”
On Epistemology, Alignment & Enterprise Tooling · Thomas Young
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2015 – 2026

Philosophy, Art & Social Thought

The European Graduate School (EGS)

Graduate research investigating ontology, ideology critique, and the metaphysics of computational systems. Served as Teaching Assistant for Slavoj Žižek and François Noudelmann.
Master of Science (MS) 2022 – 2025

Data Science (AI Specialization)

Northwestern University

Advanced neural networks, statistical inference, computer vision, data architecture, and applied enterprise machine learning.
Master of Science 2025 – 2027

Artificial Intelligence

Udacity Institute of AI & Technology

Hands-on deep learning architecture, PyTorch optimization, transformer networks, reinforcement learning, and production deployment.
Master of Business Administration (MBA) 2020 – 2021

Executive Business Administration

Quantic School of Business and Technology

Corporate finance, strategic decision analysis, and operations economics—enabling direct strategic alignment with C-suite and VP leadership.
Academic Footprint: Univ. of Chicago (GSAL) Loyola Univ. Chicago (BA Philosophy) The European Graduate School (MA Media Studies) Northwestern (Full-Stack Bootcamp)
Architecture

Systems & Technical Capabilities

Enterprise Core

ASP.NET Core & C#

High-performance backend web APIs, microservices, authentication architectures, and scalable transactional pipelines.

.NET 8 EF Core Web APIs
Machine Learning

Python & PyTorch

Deep learning architectures, computer vision pipelines deployed on live manufacturing floors, and applied model evaluation.

PyTorch Computer Vision Pandas / NumPy
Platform UI

React & Modern Frontends

Responsive, dense web interfaces designed for low friction, high daily usage, real-time data feeds, and operational clarity.

React TypeScript Tailwind CSS
Data Architecture

Relational DBs & Enterprise ERPs

Schema architecture, indexing, transactional integrity, ERP system integration, and high-frequency analytical queries.

SQL Server PostgreSQL ETL / Pipelines
Vertical AI

Kizer.ai & Agentic Workflows

Domain-specific agentic systems, deterministic RAG with strict factual grounding, and operational document processing.

Grounded RAG Vector Search Agent Loops
Operational Reality

ConTech & Industrial Operations

Deep operational fluency: estimating systems, subcontractor workflows, project management, ERP pipelines, and shop-floor logistics.

Commercial GC Manufacturing VP Partnership
Direct Reach

Connect on LinkedIn

The primary channel for professional dialogue, enterprise collaborations, speaking inquiries, and discussion around operational AI systems.

Founder Venture
kizer.ai
Base Location
Chicago
US Central Time (CT)
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