Starting a product company has always intrigued me, and what better way to learn about starting a product company than working at a startup? I joined Great Stuff to help commercialize a highly complex electro-mechanical system.

Consistently winding 50 ft of 12 gauge extension cord into a small sphere required a lot of creativity and engineering to get the cable to lay down perfectly each time. Continuous 360 degree rotation in horizontal and vertical planes required custom brush and contact designs. Custom plugs, outlets, a 3 ft drop onto concrete… the list goes on.

I was Design Lead and Product Manager for RoboReel during my time at Great Stuff, responsible for everything from concept to part approvals and validation.

How did we test 4,000 winds with almost zero hang-ups in a real world environment? Well, it required someone walking about 75 miles.