Engineering & Product Leadership

Thomas Reesbeck

M.S. Mechanical Engineering  ·  Lead Engineer  ·  Canton, MI

I bridge rigorous engineering and strategic product thinking — leading cross-functional teams from concept through manufacturing, turning complex technical challenges into measurable outcomes.

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15+
Years Leading
Engineering Teams
5
Granted
Patents
Thomas Reesbeck
Core Competencies

What I Bring to the Table

01
Engineering Leadership

Building and scaling high-performance engineering teams. Cross-functional leadership across hardware, software, product, and operations — with a track record of delivering on time and on spec across domestic and international programs.

02
Product Development

Full lifecycle ownership from market research through EVT/DVT validation and manufacturing handoff. Specializing in precision mechanical and electromechanical systems for demanding global markets.

03
Systems & Process

Certified Lean Six Sigma practitioner. Architect of engineering processes that reduce cycle time, improve traceability, and cut defect rates — including AI-assisted PRD/ERD validation pipelines and domain-specific review agents.

Career History

Experience & Impact

2024 — Present
Whisker
Auburn Hills, MI
Lead Engineer
  • Mentor and guide junior engineers, fostering a collaborative, high-performing team environment aligned to rigorous quality standards.
  • Collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to define technical requirements and roadmaps for connected consumer devices.
  • Drive adoption of engineering best practices in design, testing, and deployment across the team.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve critical production issues, ensuring system stability and reliability across connected consumer devices.
2022 — 2024
ChessTrees Labs
Canton, MI
Engineering Manager & Founder
  • Built and led a hardware engineering team from the ground up — owning budgeting, hiring strategy, tooling, and delivery.
  • Delivered submersible and electro-mechanical products for international clients, from concept through validation and manufacturing handoff.
  • Led market analysis, architecture decisions, prototyping strategy, and regulatory alignment for NPD/NPI programs.
2022 — 2024
Kokido Limited Technology
Hong Kong, HKG
Head of Technical Product Development
  • Mapped 3-year strategic product innovation plan around EU 2026 regulations and evolving global market for submersible pool tools.
  • Organized systems engineering improvements across 62 consumer electronics products for the Hong Kong design team.
  • Led global team to relocate manufacturing with complete engineering redesign, establishing EVT & DVT while improving QA/QC & PVT.
  • Reduced customer returns from 19% to <5% and unit cost from $26 to $22 on a 100,000+ unit product within 6 months.
2015 — 2022
Stage 2 Contract Engineering
Farmington Hills, MI
Senior Design Engineer → Product Development Engineer
  • Led design development using additive and subtractive manufacturing methods, working with global teams in India, China, and across the US.
  • Developed a novel line of filtration systems including sediment, carbon, catalytic carbon, calcite, hollow fiber membrane, and UV denaturing filters.
  • Took HANS Premium Water from concept to business as a spin-off — managing full product development lifecycle.
  • Integrated and mentored engineering college graduates into cross-functional teams for client programs.
2012 — 2018
Wolverine Strength & Conditioning
Canton, MI
Co-Founder & Head Coach
  • Co-founded a first-month-profitable service business scaling to >300 active automated subscriptions.
  • Led organization with 13 employees, 7-day operations, and 150 daily customers.
  • Implemented strategies across branding, product, marketing, sales, and staff development while optimizing growth and minimizing churn.
Education, Patents & Certifications

Credentials & Recognition

Education
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
Rutgers University, NJ · 2013
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, cum laude
Rutgers University, NJ · 2009 · J&J Slade Scholar
Certifications
Lean Six Sigma
Industry Certified — Program Management
CrossFit Level 2 Coach
2018 · CrossFit Affiliate Manager 2012–2018
Publication
Experiments on the vortex wake of a swimming knifefish
Exp Fluids 54, 1588 · 2013
Granted Patents
Power Pack
US 11811259 B2 · 2023
US Patent
Water Treatment System
US 11802061 B2 · 2023
US Patent
Groundwater Sampling Pump
AU2014360502 B2 · 2018
AU Patent
Groundwater Sampling Pump
EP3077677 B1 · 2019
EU Patent
Adaptor for Spa Cleaner Accessories
USD 683918 S1 · 2013
US Design Patent
Engineering
  • SolidWorks / FEA
  • CAD Design & Prototyping
  • FDM / SLA / SLS 3D Printing
  • Electro-Mechanical Systems
  • EVT / DVT / PVT
  • Arduino / ESP32
Product & Process
  • NPD / NPI Lifecycle
  • Lean Six Sigma
  • Systems Engineering
  • Requirements Traceability
  • Supplier Negotiation
  • QA / QC Management
Leadership
  • Cross-Functional Teams
  • Hiring & Mentorship
  • Budget Ownership
  • Roadmap Development
  • International Collaboration
  • Stakeholder Management
AI & Tools
  • AI-Assisted Engineering
  • PRD / ERD Automation
  • ChatGPT / Gemini / Copilot
  • Ollama / ComfyUI
  • KiCad
  • Stable Diffusion
Get in Touch

Let's Connect

Whether you're building a team, developing a product, or looking for engineering leadership — I'd welcome the conversation.

Location Michigan, USA
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/treesbeck
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