ABOUT US
Who We Are
ABOUT HESTER
Hester Fabrication was started in a garage in 2007 based on Daniel Hester’s passion for innovative, precise, and practical design and execution. After years of crafting custom engineered products for a wide range of customers, Hester developed a reputation across the San Francisco Bay Area for providing solutions to unique programs. After working as a civil engineer on the Bay St Louis bridge and the San Francisco Bay Bridge major bridge, Daniel left the heavy construction industry to start a small engineering and fabrication shop in Oakland, California in 2012. The business quickly grew, and the projects become increasingly technical and involved increasingly high-end clients. The business eventually moved to its current location in Hayward, California and continued to grow into a leader in complex engineering and fabrication, serving customers around the globe.
In 2020 Daniel Hester sold his stake of the company to Robert (Bob) Simmons who took over as CEO and John Rettie took over as president.
Bob Simmons, as his role as CEO is responsible for product innovation and strategy. Simmons holds more than 100 patents in manufacturing and construction technology and is a recognized thought leader in combining lean manufacturing, lean design and lean construction for marquee global companies. John Rettie, in his role as President, is responsible for all business functions. John brings a background in applying manufacturing and fabrication technologies in atypical industries like construction, as well as experience managing both detailed fabrication processes and large-scale product delivery. We continue to pursue technically challenging work in a wide range of industries where we can bring value to our customers.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
Wiggins
Daniel aka "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.

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.

Shop Manager
Bradley Jensen
With 10+ years of experience in fabrication & a certificated from Fab School Bradley is the perfect addition to the Hester Fab family! Bradley joined Hester in 2018 and with his passion for fabrication he quickly adapted to the “Hester way” of getting it done. After working abroad in a range of fields, Bradley moved back to the States where he worked at a movie set fabricating movie props.
When Bradley is not working on his 1970 Chevy he enjoys going on hiking, camping, and going off road racing in the desert.
Fun Fact: Bradley became Hester’s shop manager 10 months after joining the team!!

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.