Technical leadership, craftsmanship, founder energy
Robert Phillips
I help practical teams modernize the systems that carry their work, and I build businesses with the same care.
Tech lead at Bibles for America, founder of Acer Coffee, and a builder drawn to operations, quality, craftsmanship, and durable tools.
Current work
Modernizing real operating systems
Since 2021, my work at Bibles for America has moved from full-stack contribution into shared technical leadership.
Tech Lead
Helped guide a broad modernization effort from primarily Ruby on Rails full-stack apps and Jekyll sites toward a composable platform.
- Adopted AI-assisted workflows and modernized business systems across product, content, and operations.
- Helped shift platform architecture toward Shopify, AdminJS, AWS Lambda functions, and focused services.
- Added end-to-end testing and substantially expanded CI/CD coverage to improve quality control and speed to production.
- Promoted to tech lead in 2026.
Engineering, construction, ministry leadership, and software transition
Industrial and systems engineering, technical sales, team leadership, and a deliberate move into software development.
- Built a systems-first lens through Georgia Tech engineering, HVAC/construction consulting, and cross-functional leadership.
- Moved into software through full-stack Rails and React work, static sites, automation, and quality-focused delivery.
Selected proof
Where the through-line shows up
BfA platform modernization
Helped evolve a legacy Rails/Jekyll-centered environment into a more composable platform using Shopify, AdminJS, AWS Lambda, and targeted services.
Quality systems and delivery
Introduced and expanded end-to-end testing, CI/CD workflows, and release quality controls so production changes could move faster with less risk.
Acer Coffee
Built the business, shop, product model, and online sales flow for a small-batch roasting company now open for nationwide shipping.
Dispatch
An earlier Mapbox/Rails/React project for assigning service workers across a metro area. Kept as a useful marker of product thinking and location-based workflow design.
View archive
Founder case study
Acer Coffee is where craft, software, and operations meet.
Acer Coffee began officially around Thanksgiving 2025 as a real business build: equipment, shop fit-out, roasting operations, product setup, online sales, subscriptions, and nationwide shipping.
- Small-batch roasting with an emphasis on fresh coffee for home brewing.
- One-off online purchases and subscription flows built for repeat customers.
- Founder-led operations spanning product, software, packaging, fulfillment, and customer experience.
- A fledgling business now opened beyond local sales into nationwide shipping.
Writing
A new home for field notes
The old blog remains archived, but future writing should be intentional: coffee notes, business lessons, engineering practice, and leadership reflections in one place.
Open writing hubCoffee
Roasting notes, brewing experiments, origin learning, and customer education.
Business
Founder lessons from building Acer Coffee while staying close to software work.
Engineering
Modernization, CI/CD, testing, composable architecture, and pragmatic delivery.
Leadership
Teams, responsibility, communication, faith-shaped integrity, and durable work.
Contact
Open to serious conversations.
I am not actively job hunting. I am happy in my current tech lead role and building Acer Coffee, but I want the door open for meaningful partnerships, consulting, investment conversations, and unusual opportunities that fit the season.