Design firm seeks growth into new markets

SARASOTA — Product design and development studio Robrady is expanding to target more business in the medical, consumer and alternative energy markets.

The Sarasota-based firm, with clients that include General Electric, Mercedes'Benz, Office Depot and Segway, hired two new managers to help facilitate the expansion, according to a release. One new hire, senior mechanical engineer Jonathan Jones, will oversee product development on multiple projects. Jones has been in mechanical engineering for nearly a decade, and at one position he managed ambulance production for the New York Fire Department, the company says.

“It's every engineer's dream to produce innovative designs and creative solutions to various situations,” Jones says in the release. “Robrady's portfolio speaks for itself and its variety of products will allow me to expand my engineering skills by leaps and bounds.”

The second new hire, meanwhile, Eric Chartier, is familiar with Robrady because his father, Joel Chartier, has worked there since it was founded in 1990.

Robrady, founded by product design entrepreneur Rob Brady, works on product design and assembly for clients, on everything from electric bikes to Lasik surgical tools. The firm also runs a venture capital side, where it invests in startup and other business ventures.