Leland "TJ" Jourdan II

Solutions Architect

Houston, TX•713-927-1408•leland@candlstrategy.com•candlstrategy.com

The Advisory Expert

Results-driven Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and former Business Development Consultant with 5+ years of client-facing experience. Specializes in mapping complex operational pain points to scalable SaaS and AI solutions. Excels at delivering compelling, high-stakes technical presentations to executive and engineering audiences. Proven ability to design, scope, and architect profitable solutions across HR tech, Energy, and Supply Chain domains, turning ambiguous client challenges into clear, measurable deployment plans.

Professional Experience

2025 - Present

JourdanLabs

Founder & Lead Engineer

Architected Product Lab, a headless CMS portfolio platform using Next.js 16 and GitHub API to automate technical case studies.
Developed Fulfillment Forecast & Routing Optimizer (FFRO), a logistics simulation engine integrating predictive forecasting and cost-optimal routing.
Designed premium, systems-driven UI libraries using Tailwind CSS v4 to standardize rapid prototyping.

Jan 2021 – Present

Sequel Solutions → C&L Strategy

Houston, TX

Founder & Solutions Lead

Designed and deployed six vertical SaaS tools, serving as the Technical Solution Lead to define architecture, integration flows, and acceptance criteria for deployment.
Ran technical discovery and requirement gathering across Energy and Hospitality sectors, synthesizing client operational needs into definitive solution blueprints.
Consulted with clients to convert manual, inefficient workflows into reusable software assets, positioning technology as the primary driver for process optimization and margin increase.
Created high-impact pitch decks and solution prototypes (Next.js, LLM Agents) to visualize complex data solutions, accelerating the sales cycle.

Jan 2020 – Jan 2024

Black Marlin Marine

New Orleans, LA

Consultant / Director of Vendor & Investment Relations

Led vendor evaluations and contract negotiations for multi-million dollar deals, ensuring technical requirements and operational risk were fully mitigated before implementation.
Bridged communication between business strategy and technical vendors, ensuring solution design aligned with both strategic goals and execution feasibility.
Managed contract teams, enhancing vendor relationships, and leading execution to ensure compliance and technical fidelity.

Aug 2019 – Jan 2020

Chevron

Logistics Consultant / Production Field Coordinator

Resolved complex field logistics and operational issues, saving an estimated $500,000 monthly through systematic process re-engineering and data reporting design.
Coordinated multiple parallel technical and supply-chain projects, ensuring resources and technical requirements were delivered on time and within compliance.

Education & Certifications

Lean Six Sigma, Master Black Belt

Process Optimization & Solution Design

Nov 2023 – Jan 2024

Duke University

Graduate Certificate, Supply Chain Management

Jan 2021

Core Skills

Solution ArchitectureTechnical SalesClient ConsultingOperational Process Mapping (LSS)AI/LLM IntegrationRequirements AnalysisProject ScopingStakeholder ManagementContract NegotiationReactTypeScriptNode.jsPostgreSQLOpenAI API