This episode of Just Gonna Send It features host and SendCutSend co-founder Jim Belosic in conversation with Devin Espin, Engineering Technician Specialist on SendCutSend’s R&D team. Devin’s story is one of grit, curiosity, and transformation, from growing up around hot rods in Reno to a winding path through painting, tattooing, rodeo arenas, and fabrication floors before finding his place in modern manufacturing.
Devin grew up in Reno, Nevada, in a family that valued hard work and hands-on skill. His earliest and most lasting influence came from his grandfather, a lifelong hot-rod builder and mechanic. Watching his grandfather restore cars, fix tools, and craft parts from scratch gave Devin his first taste of fabrication, and an understanding that doing good work was its own reward. One of his grandfather’s lessons, “Nobody thinks that stupid is cool,” stuck with him, shaping the humility and accountability he carries today.
Even as a kid, Devin was driven to understand how things worked. He’d take apart bikes, motors, and household gadgets just to see what was inside, often learning the hard way how to put them back together. That natural curiosity became the thread running through every stage of his life.
As a teenager and young adult, Devin dove headfirst into the trades. He started working in custom paint and body shops around Reno, where he learned the patience, precision, and eye for detail that come with finishing cars to perfection. The automotive scene became his playground, painting cars, building parts, and experimenting with his own projects.
But Devin’s path didn’t end there. He went on to pursue a variety of side hustles and passions: playing competitive paintball, tattooing out of his garage, even riding bulls for a time. Each experience, while wildly different, taught him something valuable, discipline, creativity, and comfort with risk. Whether it was the adrenaline of the arena or the fine line of a tattoo needle, he found common ground in focus, craftsmanship, and resilience.
Devin didn’t have formal training in engineering or machining, he learned by doing. When something broke, he fixed it. When he wanted to build something new, he figured it out. He used YouTube, mentors, and trial-and-error as his education. Over time, this self-taught, no-ego approach became his greatest strength.
That mindset culminated in one of his most defining projects: converting a 4×4 Sprinter van from scratch. The build showcased not only his mechanical ability but also his design thinking and perseverance. The project became more than just a personal goal, it became his résumé.
When Devin joined SendCutSend, he found a place that matched his energy and values. He started on the shop floor, applying his hands-on knowledge to production work. His ability to bridge practical skill with creative problem-solving quickly stood out. Over time, he moved into the R&D department, where he now works as an Engineering Technician Specialist, testing new materials, refining processes, and helping engineers translate ideas into manufacturable solutions.
At SendCutSend, Devin has become the go-between for multiple worlds: engineering, production, and customers. His credibility comes from firsthand experience. He’s been behind the tools, in the dust, and under the hood. That perspective makes him an invaluable voice for the shop floor in product development conversations.
Devin’s story is a reflection of SendCutSend’s core philosophy: that creativity and precision aren’t opposites, they feed each other. He emphasizes that the best ideas come from people who aren’t afraid to fail fast, iterate, and try again. He’s learned that experience, not titles, builds trust, and that documenting your work, photos, builds, processes, is just as powerful as any formal résumé.
For Devin, curiosity is the ultimate driver. Every project, no matter how small or strange, adds to the toolkit. His journey proves that you don’t need a straight path or a formal degree to build something meaningful, you just need the courage to start, the patience to learn, and the persistence to see things through.
Key Takeaways
In this episode of Just Gonna Send It, Jim Belosic sits down with Devin Espin, Engineering Specialist at SendCutSend. Devin shares how lessons from his grandfather, years of hands-on work in paint and fabrication, and a lifetime of creative side hustles shaped his “learn by doing” mindset. From custom cars and tattooing to testing new materials and processes at SendCutSend, Devin’s story is all about curiosity, craftsmanship, and finding purpose in the chaos of making things.
