Juan turns obstacles into opportunities for learning, mentorship, and real impact. He doesn’t just solve problems; he elevates everyone and everything around him.
Meet Juan!
Juan, originally from Ecuador, studied industrial design and sculpture at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After eight years running a production design business for film and TV, he moved to Massachusetts to prototype products in aerospace, medical testing, and beyond. Always curious about how things are made, Juan continues to explore new technologies and processes. At SharkNinja, he brings ideas to life as a model maker, supporting the ID and engineering teams through pre-visualization and prototyping.
Outrageously Extraordinary in Action
When supply chain challenges put critical testing for over-molded parts at risk, Juan tackled the problem head-on, developing a single-container evacuation plunge mold and casting process that combined silicone, 3D-printed resin, and hand-machined brass components. By strategically adjusting the original geometry, he produced the parts on time while maintaining functionality, demonstrating creativity, technical skill, and fearless experimentation.
Juan also transformed a complex challenge into an opportunity for community impact. When building the Innovation for Impact Philanthropy Program, the goal was to move beyond surface-level engagement with The Possible Zone, a Boston-based educational program where high school students and young entrepreneurs build 21st-century skills through innovation and entrepreneurship, and create something truly transformative. Juan proposed a bold, experience-driven program that connected students directly to Industrial Design and product development, bridging SharkNinja’s innovation pipeline with TPZ’s talent. His program teaches students to think like explorers, dive deep into problem solving, and approach challenges with curiosity and confidence, just like SharkNinja teams do every day.
Through technical innovation and creative problem solving, he doesn’t just solve problems, he elevates everyone and everything around him.
Hear from Juan
What does it mean to be Outrageously Extraordinary (OE)?
Being Outrageously Extraordinary means having the audacity to strive for historic global impact while having the humility to know that we are stronger together. It means pushing yourself and your team to dream bigger every day, while having the discipline and consistency to take tangible steps towards ideals. It means constant reevaluation of goals and processes to make sure you continue to grow. It means having gratitude, not taking advantages for granted, endeavoring to understanding your privilege, and using your position to create more opportunities for your community contribute and to thrive.
True Edge is described as “a key principle of the OE mindset, combining vigilance, innovative insight, and strategic solutions to create a competitive advantage that is exceptionally hard to replicate.”
What’s your True Edge, or what are you working to build?
My true edge is my insatiable curiosity and love for collaboration. Prototyping technology continues to advance faster every year. It is smaller and more accessible than manufacturing technology, and it can be integrated into workflows at lower cost at greater frequency. By continually studying processes, and equipment for small and large scale fabrication, I am able to find faster ways of making our prototypes, allowing us to increase the number of iterations we have time for, and the data we can collect from testing.
Can you share examples of how you live OE?
Leveraging over ten years of experience in tooling design, I have helped SharkNinja achieve significant cost and time savings by fabricating critical parts in-house rather than relying on outsourcing. For the first time, we can produce complex, high-quality castings directly in the model shop, allowing teams to test designs faster and explore a wider range of materials and geometries.
By collaborating closely with engineers, I am able to fully understand the goals and acceptance criteria for each part, which enables us to design processes that accelerate testing and iteration. This approach has allowed teams to prototype and refine products much more quickly than traditional methods would allow, reducing both cost and lead time while validating key functionality before moving into production.
My focus is always on understanding the purpose of each part and the priorities of the team requesting it, so we can develop solutions that drive efficiency, innovation, and better outcomes for SharkNinja products.
What makes working at SharkNinja special?
Working at SharkNinja is special because of the people. I have never met such a talented, driven, and kind community at this scale in my entire life. Being involved in the ERG “Mi Gente” is one of my favorite parts of coming to work. While the environment is the fastest-paced and most demanding I have ever worked in, my teammates are cool-headed under pressure and always supportive. Working in a place where queer people are respected, and a serious effort is put into fostering a culture where creativity can flourish, makes me proud to be part of this team. The investment in community partnerships is unlike anywhere I have worked before. Programming with organizations such as The Possible Zone, The Chica Project, and several others is incredibly rewarding. I am confident our efforts are well thought out and designed for maximum impact, and I cannot wait to see how our organization continues to evolve its community partnerships and investment in the local and global community.
Please join us in congratulating Juan for being this week's True Edge Tuesday!
About True Edge Tuesday
At SharkNinja, we strive for the outrageously extraordinary in everything we do, driven by our True Edge – the super skills that set us apart. This cornerstone of the outrageously extraordinary (OE) mindset harnesses innovative insight and strategic solutions to create a competitive advantage, empowering us to positively impact people’s lives every day.
True Edge Tuesday celebrates team members who go above and beyond, showcasing what it means to reject the status quo and embrace the extraordinary.