MIDDLEBURY — It was a decade ago that Dave Cole, his wife and their children followed their dream of returning to Middlebury from California to reunite three generations of their family. Dave, who’d been working as a medical device engineer for a series of corporate startups, thought he’d pay the bills doing some engineering consulting and prototyping.
He saw a lot more demand for his prototyping services than for engineering consults, which gave him the confidence to launch Mechanical Advantage LLC. He set up shop in one room at a building at 2106 Route 7 South, once home to Rheaume Kitchen & Flooring Center.
“We did our best to heat the space around a couple of computer numerical control (CNC) machines,” Cole chuckled.
“And here we are.”
Much to his surprise and pleasure, Mechanical Advantage has evolved from a solo operation to a mini manufacturing juggernaut,…
