Invention-factory guru expands to Florida

VENICE — A global product development and invention services firm, Davison, plans to open an office in Venice.

The 250-employee firm, based in Pittsburgh, designs products for individuals and corporate clients, and its products have been sold in more than 1,000 stores and online retailers. Its services include market/patent research, prototype development, and packaging design. The office is expected to open Feb. 11, according to a statement released today.

“Opening a sales office in Florida expands our visibility and our geographical reach,” Davison founder and CEO George Davison says in the release. “Our business objective is to help inventor clients the way I wish I had been helped when I was just starting out inventing in 1989.”

Adds Davison: “Establishing a presence in Florida will allow us to be closer to one of our core constituencies — individual inventors in the south Atlantic region.”

Jeff Sawyer, vice president of new products at the firm, will run the Florida office, according to the release. The company also hopes to expand its client base to Brazil through the Florida office.

Davison is the company behind Inventionland, a creative workspace that's been featured on the History Channel and multiple news programs. Inventionland, in Pittsburgh, has 16 themed sets, from a shipwrecked pirate ship to a castle complete with turrets and drawbridge, where employees work on products and ideas. At 61,000 square feet, it's considered one of the largest “invention factories” in the U.S.