Who I am
I'm Antonio Rodríguez Martínez. Technical program manager at Stanley Black & Decker, and a former CTO. I still write code.
At work
I'm a founding member of SBD Digital, the team behind Stanley Black & Decker's websites and apps. I joined in 2021. The title has changed a few times; the work goes where the most important problem is.
- Product architecture. Specs, user journeys, and acceptance criteria. I hold the shape of a product across services while many teams build pieces of it.
- Platform. I led the move of the brands' websites from slow PHP to a fast Next.js platform, and shipped services every brand shares: product search, product registration, and user profiles.
- Design systems. Front-end systems, Figma libraries, and the path from design to code.
- AI and prototypes. Prototypes, many of them AI-powered, that test an idea before a team commits to building it.
- People and practice. Code reviews, documentation, and mentoring.
Background
My work started with a bootstrapped web agency in college, with a friend. We learned to write clean code and to manage client projects. A marketing firm acquired us, and I built custom solutions under tight deadlines. Since then I have worked as a full-stack developer, architect, CTO, and engineering manager, and now as a technical program manager at a global hardware company.
Along the way I came to one belief: technical excellence works best with strong team dynamics and psychological safety.
How I work
Systems over shortcuts. Humans over hype. I listen and map your reality first, design the smallest honest plan, then build, ship, and teach so your team can maintain the work. AI and LLM orchestration when it reduces load, not when it adds noise.
Principles
Systems over shortcuts
Robust, maintainable systems over quick fixes. Technical debt compounds.
Thoughtful development
Deliberate over rushed. Quality emerges from clarity, not urgency.
Clear code
Code that does what it says. No hidden side effects, no clever tricks.
Code as communication
Readable by machines and humans. Documentation is part of the work.
Maintainable design
Built for the future. Systems others can understand, maintain, and extend.
AI that reduces load
LLM orchestration and AI workflows that cut cognitive load, not add noise. Deterministic when it matters, augmented when it helps.
Daily
I write almost daily: essays, ideas, documentation. I train: basketball, weights, and martial arts. I cook whole foods and parent two kids. I've rebuilt my life post-divorce and learned that presence and execution matter more than perfection.
The company
Strong Hands, Soft Heart LLC is my company. It is the door for consulting now and soap later, and it publishes the picture books I wrote for my kids. Notes is mine, not the company's.
Reach me at antonio@builds.software, or on LinkedIn and GitHub.