ABOUT US
Who We Are
THE TEAM
PRESIDENT
JOHN RETTIE
John has 16 years of experience in manufacturing and construction. John started his career at ConXtech a structural steel manufacturing company where he worked for over a decade. He helped with the growth and manufacturing of up to 200 employees as the Director of Fabrication. Before joining Hester Fab, John worked at RAD Urban a manufacturer of pre-fabricated and pre-finished Urban apartment buildings as the director of Manufacturing/Co-GM.
John plans on building on the knowledge of the incredible team to continue to deliver the value of the Hester brand.
On his spare time, John enjoys going on outdoor adventures with his wife and son.
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Jason Bruce
Jason has many years’ experience designing robust, turnkey solutions for automated, manufacturing environments. Combining Lean principles and an eye for innovation he has consistently proven himself to be a valuable asset to the team. He is the rare engineer that can comfortably design a system and then walk into the shop and build it himself. Jason has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida.
In his spare time he enjoys working on his motorcycle, watching sports, and drinking beer in no particular order of importance.
Mechanical Engineer
Daniel Wiggins aka “Wiggins”
Since Mr. Wiggins was the 2nd Daniel on the staff, he doesn’t actually get to use his first name. Wiggins joined us from another fabricator and brings a breadth of knowledge that is hard to compete with. In addition to consistently winning our morning trivia he is also a machinist, project manager and can figure out a solution to just about any problem. He has a deep knowledge of mechanical devices of all types and is an accomplished engine builder. Wiggins has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University
In his spare time Wiggins can be found machining heads or rebuilding an engine from yesteryear.
Mechanical Engineer
Chris Van Steyn
Chris joined Hester in 2019. After years of experience in engine building and fabrication, Chris went back to school and graduated from UC Davis with a degree in mechanical engineering. He quickly adapted to Hester's ways of "getting after it" Without a doubt, Chris will stay until the end of the day to get the job done.
On he's downtime, Chris likes to spend his time working on cars and motorcycles, but most of all Chris loves spending time with his baby daughter Teagan.
Office Manager
Janette Salas
Janette joined the team after a tenure working at a major consumer retailer. Among other things, she manages the accounting, material procurement, HR, and generally keeps us all in line. Janette runs a very tight ship which helps facilitate many aspects of project success from beginning to end. In addition to being the glue that holds the team together, she is also the lead arbiter of Spanish/English translations.
Janette has what could be described as a passion for true crime mysteries and Harry Potter.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and watching true crime documentaries.