DASI Solutions' David Darbyshire Featured in Leaders & Innovators by Lawrence Technological University

Reprint from Leaders & Innovators by Lawrence Technological University, http://www.ltu.edu/leaders/. 

WHERE BORN: “Ferndale.”

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: “Mike Fitzpatrick, president of Fitzpatrick Manufacturing, has been a 30–year mentor through our active involvement in the Phi Kappa Upsilon Fraternity Alumni Association at Lawrence Technological University. Mike has taught me how the value of true friendship balanced with purposeful business activities can create a lifetime of enjoyment.”

LAST BOOK READ: “The Success Code by Dawn Drozd, who presented the fundamental principles of running a small business in any economy.”

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: “Passionate, friendly, dedicated, visionary, fun–loving.”

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: “The designing engineer has returned to being an in–demand professional after years of change and turmoil related to the economic downturn. This valuable career pathway is now recognized as needing to be nurtured over time, starting at a young age with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs in school. The established workforce must focus on continuing their advanced technical training and certification all through their careers to remain relevant and of value to the industries they serve.”

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: “Being gadget adverse, I like being with people as they share their passion for their next technology discovery, such as with FIRST Robotics or 3D printers.”

FAVORITE PLACE: “Mackinac Island is where I return annually to celebrate my marriage with family and friends, and ‘Darbyville’ where friends and family get together each summer.”

FAVORITE HOBBIES: “Boating, skiing, vacations, and being in the outdoors.”

FAVORITE FOOD: “Pizza, gyros, and a Detroit Athletic Club tenderloin dinner.”

MY HIDDEN TALENT: “I sing myself through any situation by making everything a song.”

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: “To have always tried to bring out the best in those around me while providing a pathway to their own success and happiness.”

DASI Solutions adds 8 jobs, moves into new downtown Pontiac HQ

Reprint from Metromode on Thursday, March 13, 2014.

DASI Solutions underwent some big changes in the last year, expanding its staff with a number of hires, moving into a new home in downtown Pontiac, and preparing to offer some new cutting-edge services.

The engineering/tech firm executed its move to a newly renovated building in downtown Pontiac last summer. The company also hired eight people over the last year, expanding its headcount to 45. The new employees are primarily engineering and business development professionals. It also has two openings for application engineers and is planning on adding a couple of summer interns this year.

DASI Solutions is also getting ready to launch a 3-D printing-on-demand service later this month. The company plans to make 3-D printing much more affordable and accessible.

"We will be accepting models from our customers online," says David Darbyshire, co-owner of DASI Solutions. "We will give them an instant quote."

The 18-year-old company has also been expanding its market share geographically. It recently entered into the Cleveland market. The new Cleveland office joins a handful of the firm’s offices across the Midwest.

DASI Solutions has also been doing a lot of work with the state of Michigan's MAT2 (Michigan Advanced Technician Training) program, which helps steer high school students or recent graduates toward tech careers. Think of it as helping guide kids in high school robotics programs who might not be cut out for engineering degrees toward careers in robotics through an apprenticeship program.

"The best way to describe it is an internship on steroids," Darbyshire says.

DASI Solutions will be participating in a MAT2 company fair for careers in mechatronics and design visualization on March 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fair will take place at Oakland Community College’s Auburn Hills campus in Building F, 2900 Featherstone Road.

Source: David Darbyshire, co-owner of DASI Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

The Significance of It All: Starting with a Commodore PC

PONTIAC, Mich., Feb. 21, 2014 – DASI Solutions employee, Royce L. Cole, has a long list of SolidWorks awards that trail behind his name on his email signature:  CSWST - CPDM – CPDME – DriveWorksCAE. 

Musical Composer needs to be added to the list. 

Monday, February 17th, the Wayne State University Wind Symphony premiered one of his pieces, The Significance of It All at the Max M. Fischer Music Center. The 11 minute 30 second piece took Cole 6 months to complete.

Citing his family as his influence for his love of music, Cole started composing in middle school on a Commodore PC. The Significance of It All was commissioned by Cole’s former band director at Lake Orion High School, Jeffrey Jones, who is now a Masters student at Wayne State. A personal letter, a few musical pieces and a poem from Jones were the inspiration for this composition. 

When asked if there was a relationship between his love of composition and work at DASI Solutions, Cole said, “Both writing a program and a composition one small bite at a time produces the end work.”

More information about Cole’s upcoming work can be viewed on his website, 
www.roycelcole.com.  

About DASI Solutions
Founded in 1995, DASI Solutions assists emerging sector companies in the implementation of CAD, CAE, and PDM collaborative technologies used in the product development process by the designing engineer. DASI Solutions is a value-added reseller for SolidWorks 3D software solutions and dealer for Stratasys 3D printers. The company has authorized sales, training, and technical support facilities located throughout the Great Lakes Region.