ABOUT US
Who We Are
THE TEAM
President
Daniel Hester
Daniel started Hester Fabrication in his garage in 2010 with the goal of designing and building innovative solutions to the highest standards in the industry. From the beginning, his unique ideas have been sought out by companies across the country and in a variety of industries ranging from manufacturing, to aerospace, to retail. While Daniel has a degree in civil engineering from San Diego State University, he considers his extensive hands-on experience to be his biggest influence in creating ideas that improve work flow and streamline production. Prior to starting Hester Fabrication he worked in the heavy construction industry managing the construction of major civil projects including the Bay St. Louis Bridge in Mississippi and the San Francisco Bay Bridge Self Anchored Suspension Span. While working in heavy construction he gained extensive knowledge and experience in heavy lift and rigging design, as well as learned the importance of project management.
In his spare time Daniel enjoys spending time with his family, flying airplanes, and training his dog.
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.
Quality Control Manager
Dan Cajumban
Dan comes to Hester Fabrication with a strong experience in Lean Manufacturing. Before joining the team he worked for multiple consumer electronics companies where he designed systems to streamline manufacturing and product design. At Hester Fabrication he oversees a lot of our continual improvement initiatives and is our ISO9001 Coordinator. In addition to being skilled in Solidworks Design, Dan is very knowledgeable in all aspect of fabrication and is a very detailed project manager. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineer from Colegio De San Juan De Letran.
Dan always seems to be doing something new and exciting in his spare time ranging from MMA fighting to flying gliders.
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.