Patrick Freeburger
20 years of building things that work.
Now building with AI.
Los Gatos, CA • Lt. Colonel (Ret.) US Army Reserve • Six Sigma Black Belt
About
I've spent 20+ years getting complex things built — managing $200M capital equipment budgets, launching international supply chains, running combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, building custom homes on hillside terrain, and starting three companies.
Now I'm applying that same builder's mindset to AI. I use Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor as my daily development stack — designing products, writing code, and shipping apps to real users. I built XLPostcards (live on iOS) and am developing Grown From Love, a memorial forest garden platform.
I'm looking for roles where operational experience meets AI — infrastructure buildout, data center procurement, AI product strategy, or helping organizations adopt AI tools effectively. I bring the rare combination of someone who's managed $200M+ procurement budgets, led soldiers in combat, shipped hardware at scale, and can build a React Native app with AI assistance.
Professional Experience
Founder & Owner
2015 – PresentTruly Garden / Loma Creek Corporation
- ▸Built ecommerce business generating over $3M in revenue
- ▸Mastered all aspects of operations, advertising, accounting, and customer support
- ▸Partnered with Trees.org to plant over 125,000 trees
- ▸Currently building AI-powered apps: XLPostcards (iOS/Android) and Grown From Love (memorial gardens)
Director of Procurement & Operations
2019 – 2021Glint Lighting — Lighting Startup, Burlingame, CA
- ▸Set up initial supplier base and Asia-to-US supply chains
- ▸Led ERP vendor selection and implementation (Lilyworks)
- ▸Established operations and quality control processes from scratch
Senior Procurement Manager
2018 – 2019Emcore — Defense Contractor / Laser Manufacturer, Alhambra, CA
- ▸Saved 20% on $5M equipment spend to update fab and facilities
- ▸Implemented 3rd-party VMI cage — reduced MRO/spares POs by 80% while improving fab uptime
- ▸Realigned contract manufacturers — 10% cost reduction with improved quality and delivery
Senior Commodity Manager
2010 – 2017Philips Lumileds — LED Manufacturer, San Jose, CA
- ▸Light Engine Sourcing & Contract Manufacturing — managed vendor selection representing $250M in revenue across illumination, automotive, flash, and display segments
- ▸Reduced material spend 25%+ through strategic sourcing, value engineering, and negotiation
- ▸NPI Manager — sourced and ramped lead frames from 0 to 600M units in 6 months
- ▸Reduced costs 40% on PCB/flex substrates, IC drivers, and passive components
- ▸Capital Equipment Manager — managed $200M capex budget, negotiated $10M in savings on tool upgrades
- ▸Initiated supplier penalty/bonus agreements to ensure production capacity met schedule
Senior Sourcing Manager
2007 – 2010Spansion — $1B Flash Memory Manufacturer, Sunnyvale, CA
- ▸Managed procurement of corporate services: IT, HR, Legal, and Freight
- ▸Initiated reverse auction reducing laptop costs from $1,900 to $900
- ▸Managed data center relocation procurement — saved $2.5M on hardware and server maintenance
- ▸Led CPO's strategic process change: purchasing consortium, outsourcing, benchmarking, supplier consolidation
Founder & President
2006 – 2008BuildFast — Green Building Startup, San Carlos, CA
- ▸Developed structural concrete insulated panels for developing-world construction
- ▸Won $100,000 Google Green Building Prize at the 2007 California CleanTech Open
Director of Operations & OEM Solutions GM
2003 – 2004Mobile Digital Media — Startup, Mountain View, CA
- ▸Created new division with P&L responsibility — immediately generated 50% of company revenue
- ▸Generated $3M in a single quarter through new sales leads and processes
- ▸Managed procurement, production, and retail distribution for a $20M company
Senior Program / Product Manager
2000 – 2002ReturnCentral & Converge Inc.
- ▸Led 14-person team to develop and deploy first product at ReturnCentral
- ▸Led 11-person cross-functional team for first customer implementation at Converge (B2B marketplace)
Senior Supply Chain Operations Manager
1998 – 2000Dell Computer Corporation, Round Rock, TX
- ▸Implemented all major distribution and logistics initiatives for Dell Americas
- ▸Developed a patented process leading to 50% returns reduction and $12M savings
- ▸Designed new distribution model — $10M savings and 50% quality improvement
Military Service
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army Reserve — Civil Affairs Branch
1987 – 2015
General's Primary Staff
2012–2015Responsible for communications for 3,000-person Command including all IT and secure communications
Company Commander — Kandahar, Afghanistan
2011–2012Led ten 4-man teams managing $10M in project spend, directly supporting an Infantry Brigade in stabilizing a highly kinetic area
Company Commander & Acting Battalion Commander
2006–2010Directed training, equipment management, and soldier welfare — staff of 11, responsible for 250 soldiers
Civil Affairs Team Leader — Iskandariyah, Iraq
2004–2005Managed all military relations covering 400 sq km and 300,000 residents. Coordinated 50 development projects valued at $1.4M
UN Humanitarian Liaison — Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1995Distributed $4M of humanitarian aid
Awards: 2× Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, Meritorious Service Medal, 4× Army Commendation Medals, 3× Army Achievement Medals
Clearance: Top Secret Security Clearance (last granted August 2011)
Education & Certifications
MBA, Supply Chain Management
Arizona State University (top-ranked SCM program) & Thunderbird School of Global Management — 1998
BA, International Relations — Magna Cum Laude
University of Minnesota — 1991
Projects
XLPostcards
Live on iOSAI-powered mobile app for designing and mailing physical postcards worldwide.
Stack: React Native, Expo, FastAPI, Stripe
Grown From Love
In DevelopmentMemorial tree & forest garden platform — regenerative land use meets technology.
Stack: Next.js, AI-assisted design
PatrickCodes.ai
You're looking at itThis website — built with AI assistance as a demonstration of practical AI development skills. AI chatbot coming soon that can discuss my qualifications with recruiters.
Stack: Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Cloudflare Pages
Skills
AI & Development
- Claude / ChatGPT / Cursor — daily AI-assisted development
- React Native (Expo) — shipped iOS app
- Python / FastAPI backend development
- Next.js / TypeScript
- Prompt engineering & AI workflow design
Operations & Supply Chain
- Strategic sourcing & procurement ($200M+ budgets)
- New Product Introduction (NPI)
- Capital equipment procurement
- Vendor management & contract negotiation
- International supply chains (Asia focus)
- ERP selection & implementation
- Data center procurement & relocation
Leadership & Business
- P&L management — built divisions from zero
- Cross-functional team leadership (up to 250 people)
- Military command — combat leadership
- Construction project management (2 custom homes)
- Ecommerce operations (Amazon, DTC)
- Startup founder — 3 companies launched
🤖
AI Interview Bot — Coming Soon
Ask my AI assistant whether I'm a good fit for your role. It knows my full background and can discuss qualifications, experience, and availability.
AI Consulting Sessions
Need help figuring out how AI fits into your workflow? I offer 1-on-1 sessions where we work through your specific challenges — building AI-powered apps, automating operations, or understanding what's actually possible today.
$50
per hour
First 50 clients
$75
per hour
Clients 51–100
$100
per hour
After 100 clients
Available Monday–Friday, 11 AM – 2 PM Pacific
Sessions may be recorded for educational content on my YouTube channel (with your consent).
Book a Session →YouTube
I share what I'm learning about AI development — unfiltered and real. No production crew, just honest explorations of what works (and what doesn't) when building with AI tools.
Subscribe on YouTube