So I just got back from the Amherst Show, Besides getting some new (used) toys like Lionel's the scrambler accessory (childhood favorite ride), I also ran into Ryan Kunkle at the Lionel Booth! I was wearing my LC Gateway board with a battery all mounted to a lanyard. I took out a LionChief Remote and gave him a quick demo in person. I was pretty nervous but I did allude to a desire to collaborate in some capacity.(as @Landsteiner suggested, not as in depth as that though.) Ryan said he would reach out to David with this. I'm still sure I should probably send a better formatted email but at least he has seen it in person now and he appeared to show some interest from what I can tell. I also gave him a (diy) business card with some contact info including my OGR username.
Fingers crossed for a positive outcome.