Ethan Gale, P.E.
Engineer & Builder
Summary
Licensed Professional Engineer who ships software. A decade of designing and estimating heavy civil retaining walls, plus products built and launched end to end. I turn complex constraints into systems that work, whether the material is soil or code.
Experience
Senior Design Engineer · Pinnacle Design/Build Group, Inc.Jan 2016 – Present
Heavy civil retaining wall design/build contractor
- Designed and estimated retaining walls for 300+ projects, running geotechnical and structural analysis across 12+ specialized software programs to FHWA, AASHTO and local codes.
- Automated recurring Civil 3D design workflows and rewrote design-engineer SOPs, improving efficiency on automated tasks by over 700%.
- Applied multi-scenario modeling, probabilistic and sensitivity analysis, and optimization methods (Monte Carlo, Simulated Annealing, Particle Swarm, Cuckoo Search) for critical failure searches.
- Produced stamped drawings and 50+ page engineering design reports for clients, field crews and governing bodies.
- Led project estimating: quantities, Gantt scheduling, material and equipment procurement, proposals, safety and sequencing.
- Directed field engineering in real time, verifying design compliance, workmanship and safety.
Products & Ventures
StepStation · Founder & Developerapp.stepstation.app
- Built and launched a web app that helps walking-pad and treadmill-desk users stay consistent: live session tracking (time, pace, incline, distance), daily and weekly goals, streaks, stats and trophies.
- Designed the social layer: squads with live leaderboards, high-fives, and standings posted to Slack or Discord. Paid tier adds Bluetooth treadmill sync (WalkingPad, UREVO, FTMS).
- Shipped as an installable web app for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, with free, Pro and organization plans.
Calendar Conductor · CreatorChrome extension
- Built a Chrome extension that turns Google Calendar into a full-screen focus cockpit: a glowing countdown timeline, the ZenShield distraction guard, lo-fi focus radio, and one-click meeting pre-flight and auto-join.
WaveScribe · CreatorWindows app · open source
- Built a private voice-dictation app for Windows that types into any app at the cursor, with streaming on-device speech recognition (Moonshine and Whisper via transformers.js, CPU or WebGPU).
- Added local-LLM text cleanup, "Smart edit" and spoken voice commands on selected text, plus an offline AI chat, all running on the user's own PC.
- Recommends models from the hardware and memory free right now; ships as an Electron installer with automatic background updates.
RapidRank · Founder@getrapidrank
- Building a viral content strategy and revenue-scaling brand that turns expertise into a lead-generating content engine on 4 hours of filming a month.
FaithForge Fitness · FounderPre-launch
- Founded an online, faith-based body-transformation coaching business, now in pre-launch. Built the brand, the four-stage FaithForge Process, the programming, and the delivery and operations stack.
Kairos Chiropractic · Co-Founder & Partner2021 – Present
- Co-founded a family chiropractic practice in downtown Middleton, WI, offering prenatal, pediatric, women's health and family care.
Skills
Languages: Python, JavaScript, SQL, HTML/CSS, VBA, R, AutoLISP
Tools & platforms: VS Code, GitHub, Jupyter, Kaggle, Power BI, Chrome extensions, Cloudflare, Blender
AI-assisted development: Claude and AI agents for building, automation and workflows
Engineering software: AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, Inventor, MathCAD, MSEW, SLIDE, SNAIL
Methods: Optimization, Monte Carlo simulation, data visualization, machine learning, process automation, estimating
Education & Licensure
B.S. Civil Engineering · University of Wisconsin–PlattevilleDec 2015
Dual emphasis in Structural & Geotechnical Engineering · ASCE student club · Track & field assistant coach
Double Major, Applied Mathematics & Engineering Physics · Augustana CollegeMay 2013
Presidential Scholarship · Varsity Track & Field captain · Rho Nu Delta fraternity · Physics Club
Professional Engineer (P.E.) · State of WisconsinLicensed
Interests
Health, family, weightlifting, running, volleyball, snowboarding, music production, drums, guitar, 3D modeling, coffee.