In early 2012, Patrick Duffy and myself founded Made in Duval, a new venture dedicated to spurring a resurgence in domestic manufacturing in Jacksonville, Fla. Made in Duval was founded with the intent to bring Trubador, a hands-free iPad case, into production.
Our goal was to design and fabricate great products in a variety of categories, strategically investing in equipment that would expand our capabilities. For example, prototyping Trubador required an industrial-grade laser cutter in order to achieve the high level of precision necessary to ensure a perfect fit for users’ iPads and to accommodate Trubador’s breakthrough design.
Projects at MID
Expanding beyond Trubador, we initially focused on other items that could be crafted largely through the use of this laser. This included SideShow, launched in October 2012. A dock for iPhone 5 that works equally well in landscape and portrait modes, SideShow is ideal for watching movies or videoconferencing on iPhone, two tasks for which most docks are ill-suited.
Made in Duval also created a variety of fare for its local audience, including popular, laser-etched beer mugs related to Jacksonville’s NFL team, the Jaguars. The company’s culminating project was the Jaguars Shield, now available for purchase at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ home stadium, EverBank Field.
Made in Duval sought to maintain as much of the production process in Jacksonville as possible for each item it created. We sourced our materials locally whenever possible and nearly all of our manufacturing and assembly activities took place locally.
Made in Duval suspended operations in September 2013 following its successful collaboration with the Jaguars on the shield project as Patrick and I pushed forward on other opportunities.
This was an exciting venture for me; I believe strongly in the creative spirit in Jacksonville, and believe with our help, it can join the list of cities that have fostered vibrant creative environments without having the size of a major global capital.