Jeffrey (Thomas) P.
Owner and Principal Design Engineer
Experience
Owner and Principal Design Engineer
Bright Things Workshop
Lead engineer and designer at a consulting company specializing in toys, games, and consumer products
Services include ideation, leading brainstorms, concept sketches, CAD, animation, mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, prototyping, manufacturing expertise, and play testing
Assembled a team of veteran freelance designers, electronics engineers, programmers, model shop managers, and preschool directors to offer a holistic approach
Outward Hound: Provided fully functional CAD for over a dozen products, manufacturing expertise, sample reviews, and experimental prototypes
Hasbro: Offered CAD, prototyping, play test focus groups, redesigned Potato Head brand, led brainstorms for Spark blue sky team, supported automation initiatives, and R&D on Spider-Man Real Webs Ultimate Web Blaster
Blue Marble: Conducted brainstorms for STEM preschool toys, provided turnkey CAD to factories in Asia, and developed licensed characters
Jazwares: Facilitated brainstorms for collectible toys with concept sketches, CAD, and experimental prototypes
Spin Master: Assisted with R&D on the Valor Scooter, provided CAD, metal prototyping, abuse testing, and led brainstorms for the Aerobie brand
Senior Product Development Engineer
The Little Tikes Company
Lead engineer supporting high tech preschool initiatives, tricycles, trampolines, inflatables, and VIRO RIDES projects
Primary LA contact for mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and advanced concept support
VIRO RIDES: Launched powered ride-on vehicles category; developed firmware for hoverboard; invented drifting skateboard mechanism; developed scooters (VR 550 and Vega); led sourcing efforts; initiated engineering brainstorm; built prototypes; assisted research testing; ensured compliance with safety standards; visited manufacturing plants
Little Tikes: Developed outdoor and ride-on products with innovative folding and storage features; coordinated with API, content, and electrical engineering teams; led seasonal brainstorms and prototype development; applied safety standards; created mechanical definitions and cost estimates; coordinated with China vendors daily
Senior Project Engineer (Temp)
Hasbro Studios
Led development of licensed toys for Disney brands (The Descendants, Elena of Avalor, Moana) focusing on mechanism design, inventing, manufacturing, product integrity, and costing
Products included fashion dolls with electronics and mechanical features, playsets, and RC vehicles
Spearheaded internal inventors team and developed idea documentation database
Worked with model makers on mechanism performance
Created mechanical definitions and sketches for turnover packages
Provided costing and tooling estimates
Coordinated daily with China vendors and engineering counterparts on definitions, revisions, cost reduction, and troubleshooting
Staff Engineer
Fisher Price Friends
Lead engineer for licensed toys (Bob the Builder, Thomas and Friends Trackmaster, Take ’n Play, Preschool brands)
Launched Thomas and Friends business including Trackmaster and preschool lines; 2015 sales $245 million
Redesigned Trackmaster Motorized Railway system reducing motor cost by 50% ($2.7 million annual savings) and improving performance
Supported Bob the Builder reboot line; 2015 sales $56 million
Inventor of app-driven toy concept winning two Mattel competitions
Led engineering innovation team for internal inventions and material research
Participated in China task force meetings for cost reduction and automation
Visited manufacturing plants in China and Mexico; resolved production issues
Tracked costs and schedules using milestone reports and Open Plan
Developed BOMs and supported PLM using Oracle Agile
Managed engineering interns and facilitated full-time conversions
Project Engineer
Fisher Price Friends
Supported product development of licensed preschool toys (Sesame Street, Wubbzy, Wonderpets, Backyardigans)
Managed 50+ items per year focusing on mechanism design, inventing, manufacturing, automation, product integrity, costing, and scheduling
Developed mechanical definitions and sketches for turnover packages
Led weekly status meetings with cross-functional teams; provided updates on costs, schedules, and issues
Provided costing and tooling estimates and creative cost-saving suggestions
Senior Engineer
Fisher Price Friends
- Supported product development of licensed toys for Sesame Street, Barney, and Krypto brands
Product Engineer
Fisher Price Friends
Supported product development of licensed toys for Sesame Street and Barney brands
Reviewed engineering samples with cross-functional teams
Coordinated daily with China vendors on definitions, revisions, cost reduction, and troubleshooting
Participated in quality and safety reviews
Summary
Passion for Bringing Innovative Consumer Products to Life.
Highly creative Mechanical Engineer and Designer with a deep understanding of product design and manufacturing processes. Passionate team leader who thrives from group synergy and steers products towards desired cost and performance. Skilled at managing projects with overseas vendors and effectively anticipates and troubleshoots issues in a timely fashion. Experienced with prototype building and generating inventions to inspire businesses to the forefront of innovation.
- Product Development
- Mechanism Design
- CAD
- Prototyping
- Engineering and Design Consulting
Languages
Education
Fairfield University
Bachelor of Arts · Liberal Arts · Fairfield, United States
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Bachelor of Science · Mechanical Engineering · Troy, United States
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