Hi, I'm

Steven Pinto

IT Director. Builder. Innovator.

20+ years leading enterprise IT, building real products, and driving digital transformation.

Ask Steve AI View Projects
Steven Pinto

About

Strategic leader who
actually builds things.

I'm an IT Director at Ampersand Brands — the parent company of Hammond's Candies and Lolli & Pops. I lead enterprise IT strategy, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital transformation across a retail and manufacturing organization.

But I'm not the kind of IT leader who just manages budgets and vendor calls. I write code, architect systems, and ship real products. From IoT cocktail bars to AI chatbots to shadow IT detection platforms — I build what I envision.

20+ Years Experience
3 Industries
10+ Projects Shipped

Experience

Where I've been.

Dec 2025 — Present

IT Director

Ampersand Brands Hammond's Candies & Lolli & Pops

Leading enterprise IT across a PE-backed retail and manufacturing org. ERP transformation to NetSuite, M365 tenant consolidation, Zero Trust security, and AI/data platform strategy.

NetSuiteMicrosoft 365Zero TrustAI Strategy
Jan 2025 — Nov 2025

Sabbatical & Independent Projects

Building, learning, recharging

After 15 years at Park Street, I took a deliberate pause to go deep on emerging tech. Built an IoT cocktail bar, architected my smart home, shipped AI-powered applications, and trained models — a gap year where I traded the boardroom for the command line.

AI/MLIoTHome AssistantServerless
Jan 2009 — Dec 2024

Director of IT and Security

Park Street Companies Global Alcoholic Beverage Industry

Led a global IT team across U.S. and E.U. operations. Cloud migrations, serverless architecture, Zero Trust security, and IT integrations during acquisitions. 15 years of building and scaling enterprise technology.

AWSCloud MigrationGlobal TeamsM&A IT Integration
Jan 2002 — Jan 2009

Director of IT and Security

Doctor Diabetic Supply Healthcare / Direct-to-Consumer

Centralized IT infrastructure, cut hardware costs by $50K+ annually, and managed IT security for a healthcare company serving 12,500+ customers per year.

Healthcare ITCost OptimizationInfrastructure
1996 — 2000

BS Management Information Systems

University of Massachusetts

Projects

Things I've built.

MyHaloBar
🍸

MyHaloBar

IoT-powered automated cocktail bar with AI-generated recipes. Hardware pump control, real-time ordering, and Gemini AI integration.

Next.jsAWS LambdaIoT CoreGemini AIMySQL
Visit Site →
DevTel Home Intelligence
🏠

DevTel Home Intelligence

Smart home design, installation, and automation services built on Home Assistant. Lighting, security, entertainment, and whole-home integration.

Home AssistantSvelteKitZ-WaveZigbee
Visit Site →
SaaS-Aware
🕵

SaaS-Aware

Shadow IT detection platform with Chrome extension. Tracks unauthorized SaaS usage, enforces SSO adoption, and flags security risks.

SvelteAWS LambdaMongoDBChrome Extension
🤖

Ask Steve AI

The AI chatbot on this site. Dual-agent RAG architecture with Claude, LangChain, and Pinecone. Try it below!

ClaudeLangChainPineconeNode.js
Try it ↓
⚙

Integrations

Enterprise integration platform connecting Google Workspace, Jira Service Desk, FreePBX, and Snipe-IT for automated employee lifecycle management.

Node.jsGoogle APIsJiraServerless
🔌

Nutrient Dosing System

Custom-built automated nutrient dosing system combining electronics, IoT hardware, and software control.

IoTElectronicsAutomation
View Photos →

Articles

Things I've written.

Mar 2025

Choosing the Right SaaS Products: Why SAML and API Access Should Be Standard

LinkedIn Mar 2025

The Power of Jira Service Desk Automation: Streamlining Employee Onboarding

LinkedIn Feb 2025

Why Home Assistant is the Superior Smart Home Platform

Medium Feb 2025

Why Hosting a SvelteKit Web App on AWS with Serverless is a Smart Move

LinkedIn

Off the Clock

What I'm into.

🌊

Scuba Diving

⛰

Hiking

⛷

Skiing

🏄

White Water Rafting

🔮

Electronics

📖

Sci-Fi

🎧

Podcasts

Acquired is my go-to

🤖

Emerging Tech

AI, IoT, Smart Home

Ask Steve AI

Don't take my word for it.
Ask the bot.

This AI chatbot is powered by Claude, LangChain, and Pinecone — and yes, I built it myself. Ask it anything about my experience, projects, or skills.

Or click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner anytime.

"What's Steve's tech stack?" "Tell me about MyHaloBar" "What's Steve's leadership style?" "What did Steve do during his sabbatical?"