Welcome

I'm glad you're here. Let's make something happen that's mutually beneficial.

If you want to know more about me, see my biography, goals, a portfolio of photos, art, sustainability projects, links to websites I have built and ways to connect via social media.

Biography

Hi! I'm Ryan Kaplan. I'm a graduate of the Strategic Sustainability MBA program at Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State University). I also hold a degree in Environmental Resources Engineering at Cal Poly Humboldt, and a certificate as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT). I graduated from Cabrillo College in June 2011 with an AS in Web Media, AA in Liberal Arts and Sciences, and a certificate for the CSU GE Breadth. During my time at Cabrillo, I kept very busy:
  • Founder of Sustainability Club; Organized Earth Week for two years
  • Co-founder, Treasurer, VP, Web Admin and Co-operator of the Cabrillo College Bicycle Cooperative
  • 3 years as Legislative Representative and Sustainability Chair, Cabrillo Student Senate
  • Recipient of the Student Senate Leadership Award, 2007-2008
  • 1 semester as Region IV Representative, Student Senate for California Community Colleges
  • Active in the California Student Sustainability Coalition as a Cabrillo delegate
  • 2009 YP4 Fellow
  • Recipient of the Rosmarie Greiner Peace Activism Endowed Prize, 2010-11

I continued to work hard at Humboldt State University and in the region:
  • Community Advocate, academic year 2011-12
  • Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF) employee, academic year 2012-13
  • Earned Engineer-in-Training Certificate (#152695) from the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists - Awarded April 2014.
  • Candidate for Arcata City Council, Fall 2014
  • Entrepreneurial Lead for CSUPERB Innovation Corps, Bioremediation Cartridge - early stage research project on colloidal metals biological sequestration and recycling, Fall 2015.
  • Worked with Redwood Energy in the Thermal Storage team, hacking CBECC-Res and CSE to use heat pump water heaters as thermal batteries at scale in single family homes & multifamily residences.​ I designed the website and helped to organize the biannual Zero Net Energy Retreat, and redevelop the website for Redwood Energy.
  • 2017-2019 Worked for Transcon Environmental, fulfilling due diligence work for PG&E contract to mitigate risk and prevent employee exposure to underground chemical and petroleum hazards during ground penetration projects.
  • 2018-2019 Worked with SMW Engineering Group in Birmingham, AL supporting rural civil site development.
  • ​2020 Worked with Rieser Building Group as an associate engineer supporting expert witness cases.
  • 2020 Achieved licensure as an independent broker for life and health insurance in 10 US States with various companies
  • 2020-2021 Returned to academia as an instructor at Cabrillo College, teaching Environmental Science 15, Energy for a Sustainable Future, making cutting edge research accessible to students without science backgrounds.
  • 2021-2022 Joined Whitchurch Engineering as a project engineer in Humboldt, CA supporting civil site development
  • 2022-2023 Joined Carroll Engineering in San Jose as an assistant engineer supporting civil site development
  • 2023-present Providing contract gross floor area analysis to support energy benchmarking work in the DC metro area and Maryland, and support marketing for service expansion into other states.
  • 2024 Founded Finaldrafter, a contract drafting service service for architects and engineers.
  • 2024 Joined Simplicity and Imagine Financial Group to expand the scope of financial services and products to include small business benefits, Solo 401(k) rollovers, self-directed retirement products, comprehensive estate planning services, premium finance products, contractually secured asset-backed investment products with fixed double-digit returns, and so much more.
  • 2025 Moved to Hawai'i to start Stellar Outcomes, a remote-first business with a friend. This business has three parts: a contracting agency for placing Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) remotely with school districts; an independent network of attorneys and CPAs to help SLPs form and tax-optimize their businesses; a certified professional employer organization (CPEO) to be the employer of record and provide comprehensive business administration and compliance tools so that the SLPs can focus exclusively on their work (and save a ton on taxes and provide themselves great benefits too!).  
  • Don't hesitate to contact me for design services, engineering, financial services, or business consultancy. Or just schedule an appointment.