Charleston, SC · AI Automation Consulting · Custom Ops Dashboards

AI automation and ops dashboards for businesses stuck in manual work.

I help owner-led teams automate quoting, follow-up, fulfillment, reporting, and other workflows that leak time or revenue.

Book a Workflow Audit See Work

If the workflow is measurable, I can lower the upfront build cost and share in the upside after it works.

Blaine Heffron
About

Background

I run Blaine Heffron Consulting. I help teams fix clunky workflows, connect the right systems, and build software that matches the job.

I have a PhD in physics from the University of Tennessee, where I worked on the PROSPECT neutrino experiment at Oak Ridge. That background helps when a workflow has edge cases, bad data, or model output that has to be checked before anyone trusts it.

Recent work includes StockForge, Songcraft, Stellar tooling, and custom software for teams buried in process.

I'm most useful when the work is messy and someone needs to sort out what should be fixed, automated, or rebuilt.

Workflow Automation Internal Tools AI Systems Integrations Reporting Pipelines Machine Learning Scientific Computing Signal Processing Detector Analysis TypeScript Python Rust Node.js React / Preact Automation Design Technical Product Development Research Software

Why people hire me

Systems-Level Thinking
I can simplify a messy system without pretending the constraints are simpler than they are.
Direct Implementation
You work directly with the person figuring it out and building it.
Technical Range
I can move between ops software, AI tooling, research code, and data-heavy systems without much ramp-up.

Education

PhD in Physics
University of Tennessee
2023
MS in Physics
University of Tennessee
2017
BS in Physics
University of North Carolina
2012
Consulting

Workflow automation consulting

I take on AI automation, internal tools, custom operations dashboards, and technical software for teams dealing with messy handoffs, approvals, reporting, inventory, or data spread across too many tools.

I like starting where the numbers are visible: slow quoting, missed follow-up, rework, inventory drag, or hours spent moving data around.

Pilot availability

A build that has to prove itself

I am testing a performance-based structure for the right businesses. We pick one bottleneck, agree on the current baseline, build the smallest useful version, and only use upside terms for improvements we can actually measure.

  • Good fits: slow quoting, missed follow-up, inventory mistakes, repetitive docs, or admin work that blocks paid work.
  • Bad fit if the numbers are vague or nobody owns the workflow.
  • Before any build starts, we agree on attribution, support, payment triggers, and what happens if the system does not move the metric.

Lead and follow-up systems

Capture inquiries, draft replies, create tasks, and surface overdue follow-up before revenue leaks out of the inbox.

Quote and proposal workflows

Turn messy inputs into reviewed quotes, proposal drafts, approval queues, and status visibility.

Inventory and order cleanup

Reconcile product data, SKU mappings, order status, shipping exceptions, and operational handoffs across tools.

Owner-ready ops dashboards

Build private dashboards that show what needs action: follow-ups, approvals, invoices, exceptions, content, and connector health.

Lane 1

Automation and Ops Cleanup

For founder-led companies and lean teams that need one operational problem taken off the pile.

Workflow bottleneck audit

I look at how the work actually moves, where it gets stuck, and what is worth fixing first.

Workflow Review Automation Plan Fast Turnaround

Fixed diagnostic, often credited into an approved build

Best when the work is clunky and nobody is fully sure where to start.

Audit details

Measurable automation pilot

A short build engagement for one painful workflow: intake, reporting, onboarding, internal tools, CRM cleanup, or document handling.

Baseline First Measured Upside Done-for-You Build

Lower upfront build cost, with upside only when the agreed metric moves

For teams that already know the bottleneck and can measure what better performance is worth.

Pilot details

Custom ops cockpit

A private dashboard for the work that needs attention: leads, follow-ups, approvals, exceptions, invoices, and reporting.

Operations Dashboard Exception Queues Human Review

Scoped dashboard build with connectors and handoff

Best when the work spans several tools and the owner needs one operating view.

Dashboard details
Lane 2

Scientific ML and Technical Analysis

For research and engineering groups that need machine learning, analysis tooling, or custom software that cannot be faked with off-the-shelf tools.

Technical advisory

Focused consulting for analysis strategy, system design, technical review, or debugging before a bigger build starts.

Technical Review System Design Analysis Strategy

Scoped advisory, milestone, or retainer structure

Best when the work needs a senior technical pass before anybody starts building.

Technical details

Custom technical buildout

For ML pipelines, detector or signal analysis tooling, research software, technical dashboards, and other custom systems.

Machine Learning Scientific Computing Research Software

Scoped after discovery with milestones and handoff defined up front

A fit when the work needs real software and someone who can make the technical calls.

Technical details

Not sure which lane fits?

If the problem is reporting, approvals, inventory, quoting, or internal admin work, start with an automation pilot. If it is closer to ML, simulation, analysis tooling, or research software, start with the technical lane.

Workflow automation Business automation
Proof

Selected Work

A few recent projects across ops software, developer tooling, and technical work.

Current Platform Build

StockForge

Inventory and operations software for a chemical-industry use case, with BOMs, barcode scanning, reorder logic, and supply chain workflows tied together.

TypeScript Astro Inventory Systems Operations
Live Site

Songcraft

A music reading game where kids play along with sheet music in real time, with classroom tools, parent tracking, and live note matching over WebSockets.

TypeScript EdTech WebSockets Node.js
Live Site
Client Platform

Breeze Homes

A cloud-backed platform for customer onboarding, project tracking, floor plans, photo storage, and contractor workflows.

React TypeScript AWS PostgreSQL
Live Site
Stellar Tooling

Scaffold Stellar

Developer tooling for building and shipping Stellar smart contracts with a better setup and deployment flow.

Rust TypeScript Stellar Developer Tooling
Live Site
DeFi Infrastructure

EquitX

Contract and backend support systems for CDP indexing, price feeds, liquidity tracking, and liquidation logic on Stellar.

Rust TypeScript DeFi Stellar
Live Site
Open-Source Tooling

soroban-sdk-tools

Rust proc macros and test utilities for Soroban contracts, funded through an SCF #39 Developer Tooling grant.

Rust Developer Tooling Smart Contracts
GitHub SCF Award Demo

paper-search-mcp

MCP server for searching and indexing scientific papers across multiple sources with local hybrid search.

Rust AI Tooling MCP
GitHub

symbolic-math-mcp

MCP server for symbolic mathematics and tensor algebra for more specialized technical work.

C++ SymPy Physics
GitHub

ML for PROSPECT

CNN and GCN-based event reconstruction for the PROSPECT neutrino detector, improving usable signal statistics by 3.3%.

Python Deep Learning Physics
GitHub Slides
Contact

Get in Touch

If a workflow is wasting time, leaking margin, or keeping someone stuck in admin work, send me a note.

The best first message is simple: what is broken, what tools are involved, how you measure the problem now, and your rough timeline.

blaine@blaineheffron.com GitHub LinkedIn Google Scholar
Research

Selected Publications

Academic work in neutrino physics, detector analysis, and machine learning.