Software built to solve the problem, not to pad an invoice.
Position5 is a bespoke software and data engineering studio in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We take on a small number of client engagements at a time and build them with the same care we give the products we run ourselves.
One studio, one standard
We don't run a separate playbook for clients. The engineering that ships our own products — the licensing platform, the trading pipelines, the civic data tools — is the same engineering we bring to client work.
That means we take on what we can do well, scope it honestly, and hand it back documented and owned by your team. We build software we'd be willing to run ourselves, and we say no to work that doesn't fit.
What we do
Three things, done well, instead of everything done halfway.
Web Applications
Fast, maintainable web apps and sites — from a marketing site that performs to a full product front end. Built to load quickly, rank well, and stay easy to change.
- Product front ends and dashboards
- High-performance marketing sites
- Rebuilds and performance work
Software Engineering
Custom software, APIs, and backend systems — the kind of work that needs to be reliable in production, not just a demo. Designed to be owned and maintained by your team after we hand it off.
- APIs and backend services
- Internal tools and automation
- Integrations between systems that don't talk
Data Engineering
Pipelines, migrations, and processing systems built to be correct under load. The same discipline that moves millions of trades without losing a record, applied to your data.
- Zero-downtime data migrations
- Data pipelines and processing
- Performance and reliability audits
How an engagement works
No surprises, no scope creep, no work you can't take ownership of.
Scope
A short call to understand the problem. If it's a fit, we write down exactly what we'll build, what it costs, and when it's done. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Build
We build in the open with regular check-ins. You see progress as it happens, not a black box that opens at the end.
Handoff
You get the system, the documentation, and a support window to tune anything that needs tuning. Your team owns it from there.
Who we work with
- Local businesses that need real software and want to work with someone down the street
- Founders and small teams who need senior engineering without a full-time hire
- Teams sitting on a hard data or migration problem they want done right the first time
What we won't do
- Take on more than we can do well at one time
- Hand back a system your team can't read, run, or maintain
- Sell you scope you don't need to pad an invoice
Built for the community, too
Position5 is based in Chattanooga, and part of why we keep client work small is so we have room to put our engineering to work for the community. That's OpenTN, our non-partisan campaign finance transparency platform, and it's our work with Tech Goes Home Chattanooga on AI literacy curriculum. When software can help the people around us, we'd rather it did.
Why Position5
I'm Carlos Rodriguez. I built the billing, revenue reporting, conversion analytics, and ML pipelines at GMTM (sports tech SaaS) from scratch. Before that: Accenture, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, and CodeScience, where I delivered consulting work for Salesforce and Twilio. Ten-plus years of building production systems that real businesses depend on. Position5 is where that experience goes to work — for our own products, for clients, and for Chattanooga.
FAQ
How do you price work?
Per project, with a fixed scope and price agreed up front. We'd rather quote the actual problem than publish a number that doesn't fit it. Book a call and we'll talk specifics.
Do you only work with local clients?
No. We're based in Chattanooga and we love working with local businesses, but we work remotely with clients anywhere in the US.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, standard mutual NDAs are fine.
What if my stack is unusual?
Odds are we've seen it or something close. Book the call and we'll find out in a few minutes whether it's a fit.
What happens after delivery?
Every engagement includes a support window after handoff. Beyond that, ongoing maintenance and iteration are available if you want them — but the system is yours to run either way.
Have a problem worth solving?
No pitch deck, no pressure. If it's a fit we'll scope it. If it isn't, we'll tell you that and point you somewhere better.