While in school, we used to spend as much free time inside the engineering lab as we possibly could. Working together in the classroom setting was how we got to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, completing projects that had a defined scope and dividing tasks based on our respective strengths. These management skills translated directly into the founding of our business, but we didn’t have everything figured out right away (and still don’t)... We had to build our first company HQ!

Like many startup stories you’ve probably heard, we set up shop in the bay of a wary parents’ garage with a custom built computer and a 3D printer. Wanting a more professional work area, we decided to divide our bay of the garage by building a wall, installing air conditioning for the Florida heat, and insulating the garage door. This was a recipe for success, and our founders recognized it. Our earliest clients would come into HQ and be amazed with how many things we managed to fit in there.

We worked inside that 10’x20’ bay for a year and a half, but our time at HQ in Bradenton, FL came to an end when college came around in 2017. Elezar, CJ, and Domenic headed up to the University of Florida, and Jacob left for the University of South Florida. As we all know, this wasn’t the end of RDM - it was simply a transition. We took our first year in college to focus on the transition of living on our own, and also to find an office space that we could call home. 

Our first HQ held many lessons for us. Working in such a close proximity improved communication, a priceless skill when your business is built off of teamwork. By being close together at the beginning, not only did we better understand the team dynamic, but we were also able to refine the vision for what we wanted RDM to be: a premier product development company that has a team united by a common mission of solving tomorrow’s problems, today.