(Photo above: (L-R) Co-founders of E::SPACE Labs, David Robson and Rick Silver utilize the community conference room in their office building, which They delightfully refer to as an innovation incubator | Photo by Krystal Marie Collins)
Our region is a desirable place to live and work for many reasons. In recent years, Economic Development for Central Oregon has put significant resources toward incubating cluster groups and attracting companies to the area. Their efforts have been fruitful. Many new businesses are demonstrating innovations that have the potential to set industry standards. This column aims to spotlight Central Oregon startups as a proxy for assessing local economic and market trends.
E::SPACE Labs, LLC
Electronic design, technology incubator and technical training
Founders: David Robson & Rick Silver
Contact: 541-241-880, www.espacelabs.com, 48 SE Bridgeford Blvd., Ste. 180, Bend, OR 97702
Where did the company name come from?
The need for Central Oregon to have an electronic co-working space for engineers, inventors, product developers, makers and creative minds.
When did you open your doors?
July 1, 2015.
What is your product/market niche?
Aiding startups in designing and prototyping electronic and electromechanical hardware devices.
What has been your greatest success to date?
Building out our technology training center.
What is your companies number one goal in the this year?
Fostering more high tech startup businesses.
What other ways is your company involved in the community?
Hosting and sponsoring Central Oregon Inventors Network (COIN) along with the Bend Arduino Group (BAG).
FOUNDERS
David Robson is a an engineer who transitioned to product development and then marketing and sales management. After 25 years, many of which in the diagnostic ultrasound medical field, he retired as Vice President of Sales and Marketing of a software company producing cardiovascular medical reports.
Rick Silver has over 30 years experience in managing technology based businesses. He was President and CEO of I-O Solutions in Beaverton, Oregon before providing sales and business consulting services to both for-profit and nonprofit companies in Bend.
Co-founder David Robson, says E::SPACE’s “Mission statement dictates everything they do.” He proudly recites, “We aim to assist Central Oregon startups in economic development in the electronics hardware industry, particularly the bio-electronics sector.”
In a nut shell, E::SPACE Labs is a membership-based electrical engineering and electro-mechanical engineering lab that provides the test equipment and engineering software tools necessary for hardware development and associated electromechanical design.
Co-founder Rick Silver, explains E::SPACE’s mission as rooted in the cumulative 90 years experience he, Robson and Les Mace (their key advisor), have in the electronics industry. Robson adds, “We have a strength in the hardware industry, there are many software companies in town, but only a handful of electronics hardware based companies, E::SPACE wants to change that.”
To accomplish this task, Robson and Silver offer classes and a step by step approach to helping inventors vet out their ideas and build prototypes. They are an immediate solution for aspiring electronic hardware designers to take their idea into a professional engineering environment. Put plainly, Silver says, “The bulk of what we do is getting people out of the their garage and into our lab building a prototype.”
Classes offered include Autodesk Fusion 360, Raspberry PI 2 Project Course, Basic Electronics 101, Introduction to Linux, Solder School and Introduction to Arduino. Their newest offerings are Introduction to Robotics, Introduction to 3-D Printing and How to Prepare and Begin Developing a Product, which aims to support general industrial, electronic and electromechanical design.
“We get feedback that the classes are fun and full of the entrepreneurial spirit,” Robson says. Some of their participants include the makers of QuakeWarn, an earthquake warning system, and Ideal Equine Gear, tools to treat and evaluate injury on lame horses as well as Mitch Rost who has developed Staballizer and other physical therapy devices.
Originally focused on the electronics and electromechanical side, Robson and Silver have expanded the scope of classes and prototype development to include design of mechanical devices. This has included the addition of Peter Jones to their team. With 19 years experience in product design engineering, he is able to seamlessly guide students through the complicated design and prototyping process.
In spite of tremendous technological breakthroughs world-wide, Robson and Silver acknowledge that Central Oregon has seen challenges in the hardware industry, though software has flourished.
For this reason, E::Space Labs and DIYCave recently founded Central Oregon Inventors Network (COIN). Amidst the global technology boom, they want to foster an already budding local inventors community. It is a social event for inventors, makers, product developers, entrepreneurs and creative minds to collaborate.
When asked if regional shipping challenges (i.e. transport distance, cost and incumbent weather), could have contributed to the growth differences in the local software/hardware sectors, Robson says, “Perhaps in the early days.” He explains, whatever the cause, companies without a physical product (software, SEO, cloud based, etc.) got the initial foothold in the region.
Silver sees the hardware industry continuing to grow in Central Oregon. As this happens, he sees potential for an expanded market in complementary service companies. “Although there are a few contract manufactures in Central Oregon, we believe over time there will be room for growth in the contract manufacturing arena as a result of local electronic innovations.”
In addition, Silver notes low cost of electronic components and sensors as an over-all current industry advantage to building out prototypes. This includes rapid prototyping in the 3D printing arena.
Whatever the origin, the lag between software and hardware growth in Central Oregon is being narrowed by E::Space.
Looking toward future economic development in Central Oregon, Silver says, “My vision is that we create a high tech cluster here in Central Oregon for electronic and electromechanical prototyping. That way Central Oregon will have a pool of human talent and thus be an attractive locale should a tech/hardware company want to move here. As an incubator, supporting entrepreneurs is like planting seeds. We want to grow companies that will employ people. This methodology lends itself to increasing the already building economic growth of Central Oregon.”
If you have an innovative idea that requires prototyping for electronics and you aren’t certain where to start, Robson and Silver are willing to assist you through the process. To get a flavor for what innovations are happening in Central Oregon, attend the next COIN meeting February 26, 6-9pm at E::SPACE or go to http://www.meetup.com/Central-Oregon-Inventors-Group-COIN/
