Hi, I'm

Brian Davis

Builder. Entrepreneur. Engineer.

Self-taught engineer and former CPG founder who's been building with AI since before ChatGPT went public.

/ About Me

The Builder's Journey

I've been building things my whole life. The medium changes - the drive doesn't.

At 20, I quit everything to launch an energy shot company. Not a side hustle - I went all in. Formulated the product myself (caffeine + L-theanine for calm focus), built the brand from scratch, sold thousands of bottles personally, appeared on local TV twice. I made it to VitaminShoppe national buyer meetings - distribution was within reach.

Reality: CPG is expensive. No funding, no safety net. I worked retail jobs to survive while building Serenergy - not as a backup plan, but because I had to eat while chasing the dream. Never gave up. Then my commercial kitchen (Pilotworks Brooklyn) shut down in October 2018, taking hundreds of food startups with it. Lost the means to make the product overnight.

I pivoted to IT. Self-taught everything - no bootcamp, no CS degree. Convinced VitaminShoppe to promote me from retail Keyholder to IT Service Desk. That's trust earned, not a random job hop. Earned my AWS Solutions Architect certification. Now a System Administrator at TransCore.

In August 2022 - three months before ChatGPT launched publicly - I had API access and was already building. Top 0.1% of early users (ChatGPT Wrapped verified). I've used every major provider extensively: OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google, DeepSeek, Kimi. I've spent more on Claude than any other AI service because it's genuinely the most useful. Invested in an RTX 5090 specifically for local model fine-tuning. I don't just use AI tools - I build AI systems.

I have chronic pain from shoulder surgeries - every keystroke costs something. That's why I build voice-first interfaces. AI isn't abstract to me; it's how I get through my day.

Location

Staten Island, NYC

Current Role

System Administrator @ TransCore

Building

Aelorians - AI companion platform

Education

B.S. Business Administration

College of Staten Island, CUNY

AI Experience

API access Aug 2022

Top 0.1% early adopter

/ My Journey

2014

First Job

Started at PetSmart as an overnight stocker. First work experience - building the foundation.

2015

GNC & Supplement Industry

Joined GNC and learned the supplement industry from the inside. This is where the Serenergy idea was born - saw the market opportunity firsthand.

2017

Serenergy Founded

Quit to go all in on the dream. Launched a nootropic energy shot company at 20. 2oz caffeine + L-theanine shots, 'Serene Energy' branding. Built everything solo: formulation, brand, packaging, sales, supply chain.

2018

Traction & Loss

Appeared on local TV twice. Sold thousands of units. Got to VitaminShoppe NATIONAL BUYER meetings - distribution was within reach. Then Pilotworks shut down in October, taking production capability overnight.

2019

The Pivot

Made the hard decision to pivot to IT. Started self-teaching everything - no bootcamp, no CS degree. VitaminShoppe Keyholder by day, learning systems and scripting by night.

2021

VitaminShoppe IT

Internal promotion from retail Keyholder to IT Service Desk. VitaminShoppe saw something in me. Self-taught the skills, earned the opportunity. Remote position supporting 5,000+ users.

2022

AI Early Adopter

API access to GPT-3.5/ChatGPT playground in August - three months before the November public launch. Top 0.1% of early users (ChatGPT Wrapped verified). Started building with LLMs immediately.

2023

AWS Certified

Earned AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification. Completed Cloud Resume Challenge. Continued deepening technical expertise across cloud and automation.

2024

System Admin + Aelorians

System Administrator at TransCore. Started building Aelorians AI companion platform. Invested in RTX 5090 for local model fine-tuning. Now building AI systems, not just using AI tools.

2025

What's Next

Looking for the right opportunity to combine technical depth with customer understanding and builder mentality. AI-focused roles where I can work on technology that genuinely helps people.

/ Skills

Systems Administration

Windows Server expert
Active Directory expert
Group Policy expert
Linux advanced
Identity Management expert
Networking advanced

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS certified
Azure intermediate
VMware vSphere advanced
Docker intermediate
Terraform intermediate
Monitoring advanced

Development & Automation

Python advanced
PowerShell expert
C# intermediate
JavaScript/TypeScript intermediate
React intermediate
SQL/PostgreSQL intermediate
REST APIs advanced
Git/CI-CD advanced

AI & Machine Learning

LLM Integration expert
Prompt Engineering expert
Vector Databases advanced
AI Application Architecture advanced
Voice AI intermediate
Local Model Deployment intermediate

Technical Support

Enterprise IT Support expert
Technical Documentation expert
Stakeholder Communication expert
Training & Mentorship advanced
Escalation Management advanced
Remote Support Tools expert

Entrepreneurship

Product Development expert
Direct Sales expert
Brand Building advanced
Operations advanced

Certifications

AWS Solutions Architect - Associate

Amazon Web Services - 2023

CompTIA A+

CompTIA

RHCSA 9

Red Hat (In Progress)

/ Featured Projects

In Development

Aelorians

AI companions that actually remember

Building what Replika and Character.AI should be. AI companions with memory that works (evidence-based claims system, not hallucinations), user sovereignty (exportable data, no lock-in), and voice-first accessibility. Built for average people, not developers. Companions on the platform are called Aelorians.

- Memory that works: evidence-based claims system with contradiction detection
- User sovereignty: exportable data, no vendor lock-in
- Voice-first: designed for accessibility (disabilities, chronic pain, ADHD)

FastAPIPostgreSQLpgvectorRedisReactTypeScript +3

Designed from personal need - chronic pain makes voice interfaces essential

Completed

Serenergy

Nootropic energy shots - went all in

Quit to pursue this full-time at 20. 2oz nootropic energy shots with caffeine + L-theanine ('Serene Energy' = calm focus, no jitters). $2/bottle through events, farmers markets, direct sales. Built everything solo while in college. Worked survival jobs to fund inventory.

- Formulated nootropic shot from scratch (Caffeine + L-Theanine)
- 2 local TV appearances
- Thousands of units sold through direct sales

Product DevelopmentBrand BuildingSalesMarketingSupply ChainBusiness Operations

Ended when Pilotworks shut down October 2018 (WeWork-style commercial kitchen collapse) - lost production capability, not the dream

Completed

Cloud Resume Challenge

Serverless portfolio on AWS

Full serverless architecture demonstrating AWS proficiency. Static hosting, CDN, serverless functions, NoSQL database, CI/CD pipeline, and Infrastructure as Code.

- S3 static website hosting
- CloudFront CDN distribution
- Lambda functions (Python) for visitor counter

AWS S3CloudFrontLambdaDynamoDBAPI GatewayRoute 53 +3

GitHub Live Site

/ Experience

Current

System Administrator

TransCore

Feb 2024 - Present

Union, NJ (on-site)

Infrastructure and automation specialist supporting mission-critical toll collection systems.

Key Achievements:

Developed C# security monitoring application for fraud prevention across toll systems
Automated reporting workflows with Python, saving 5+ hours per week
Built PowerShell automation framework for batch user provisioning (100+ users)
Primary Domain Administrator managing 200+ workstations
Reduced ticket processing time by 75% through automation
Manage Linux production servers with Dynatrace monitoring
Coordinate vendor communications for hardware and software upgrades

Windows ServerActive DirectoryPowerShellPythonC#Linux (RHEL/CentOS)VMwareDynatraceServiceNow

IT Service Desk Analyst

VitaminShoppe

May 2021 - Mar 2024

Remote (remote)

Enterprise IT support for a national retail chain with 700+ stores. Internal promotion from Keyholder role.

Key Achievements:

Supported 5,000+ end users across corporate headquarters and retail locations
Maintained 99.5% SLA compliance for ticket resolution
Built Python automation for ticket escalation, reducing response time by 35%
Created PowerShell diagnostic tools for common issues
Managed hybrid identity across Active Directory, Okta, and Office 365
Trained and mentored new team members
Developed technical documentation and knowledge base articles

ServiceNowActive DirectoryOktaOffice 365Azure ADPowerShellPythonWindows 10/11

Promoted internally from retail Keyholder - self-taught IT skills and earned the opportunity

Keyholder

VitaminShoppe

Mar 2018 - May 2021

NYC Metro Area (on-site)

Retail management role while building Serenergy. Stayed because VitaminShoppe believed in me enough to later promote me into IT.

Key Achievements:

Managed store operations and team supervision
Built deep product knowledge in nutrition and supplements
Balanced full-time work with building Serenergy and college

Retail OperationsTeam ManagementCustomer ServiceInventory Management

Founder & CEO

Serenergy (DBA: Zen Infinity)

Jan 2017 - Nov 2018

Brooklyn, NY (on-site)

Quit to pursue this full-time. Built a nootropic energy shot company from zero while in college. Worked survival jobs to fund inventory and pay rent - never gave up until forced to.

Key Achievements:

Created caffeine + L-theanine nootropic formula (2oz shots, $2/bottle)
Built complete brand: 'Serene Energy' concept, packaging, marketing
Appeared on local television twice to promote the product
Sold thousands of units through events, farmers markets, direct sales
Advanced to NATIONAL BUYER meetings with VitaminShoppe - distribution was within reach
Managed complete supply chain from Pilotworks Brooklyn commercial kitchen
Built EVERYTHING solo: formulation, branding, packaging, sales, marketing, supply chain
Did this while in college full-time AND working survival jobs

Business OperationsSalesMarketingSupply ChainProduct DevelopmentBrand Building

Ended when Pilotworks (WeWork-style commercial kitchen) shut down October 2018, affecting hundreds of food startups. Lost production capability overnight - not the dream, but the means to make it.

Sales Associate

GNC

May 2015 - Apr 2017

NYC Metro Area (on-site)

Nutrition and supplement retail. This is where the Serenergy idea was born - saw the market opportunity firsthand.

Key Achievements:

Learned the supplement industry from the inside
Identified market gap that became Serenergy concept
Built foundation in nutrition product knowledge and customer education

Retail SalesCustomer ServiceProduct Knowledge

Overnight Stocker

PetSmart

Jul 2014 - May 2015

NYC Metro Area (on-site)

First job. Retail foundation.

Key Achievements:

First work experience - built foundation of reliability and work ethic

Retail OperationsInventory Management

/ Let's Build Something

Looking for opportunities where I can combine technical depth with customer understanding and builder mentality. Wherever I can work on AI that genuinely helps people - not hype, real impact.

Currently interested in:

AI-focused product rolesDeveloper experience / relationsTechnical support at scaleSolutions architecture

badavis95@hotmail.com Download Resume

Based in NYC (Staten Island). Open to hybrid or remote.