jonathanapex09

Operations Manager

I’m a founder-operator who came up through the trades and now builds at the intersection of construction, AI, and Web3. I founded and run Forward Handlers LLC, a skilled-trades staffing company serving industrial and hyperscale data-center projects. In parallel I built ApexForge, where for the past year I’ve delivered production AI automation tools (RFIs, daily reports, safety logs, change orders) directly to general contractors and project managers using Claude API and n8n. Before founding, I worked as a stick pipe welder and then as Project Engineer on the cooling-tower and condenser-water systems of a hyperscale data center. I’m an active crypto investor and currently designing an NFT collection that represents the construction industry. Looking for high-impact Web3 and tech roles (1099 / contract / full-time) where real operator experience + applied AI can help ship products that matter — especially AI tooling, operations, infrastructure, or real-world + crypto projects.



Experience: 4 years

Yearly salary: $152,000

Hourly rate: $90

Residency: 🇺🇸 United States


Experience

Project engineer
Staffing Solutions
2022 - 2025
Served as Project Engineer on the heat-rejection scope of a hyperscale data center campus, acting as the day-to-day link between the project manager, client, and mechanical, rigging, electrical, controls, and structural trades. Owned planning, scheduling, design review, material procurement, safety oversight, and progress reporting for modular cooling tower and condenser water (CDW) systems, including packages from Kelvion, SPX Marley, and EVAPCO. Developed and maintained look-ahead schedules for cooling tower module setting and CDW piping installation, sequencing crane picks, material deliveries, and multi-trade activities against the master CPM schedule to protect aggressive hyperscale milestones. Acted as primary field point of contact for the project manager and client representatives — leading coordination meetings, reporting progress and manpower, escalating constraints early, and driving RFIs and design conflicts to resolution. Coordinated daily execution across pipefitting, rigging/crane, electrical, controls, structural steel, and insulation crews in a congested multi-trade environment while managing work sequencing and area access. Reviewed mechanical drawings, isometrics, P&IDs, shop drawings, submittals, and OEM installation manuals against field conditions to identify clashes, dimensional conflicts, and constructability issues. Performed material take-offs and tracked spool fabrication, delivery, staging, and inventory for pipe, fittings, valves, strainers, expansion joints, hangers, and supports so crews were never delayed. Managed the set and field tie-in of modular factory pre-assembled cooling tower cells, skid-mounted equipment, and pre-assembled pipe racks, verifying anchor bolt layout, datums, and elevations. Directed pre-commissioning support including system flushing, hydrostatic and pressure testing, punch-list walkdowns, and QA/QC readiness, then assembled as-built markups and full turnover documentation packages for the client and commissioning team.

Skills

business-development
community-manager
contracting
digital-marketing
integration
recruiter
salesforce
teaching
project-manager
english
french
spanish