Bret Richmond

Bret is a mechanical engineer with a wide range of product development experience. While earning his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Olin College, he joined the engineering team at Seahorse Power Company (now BigBelly Solar) to design prototypes of the first solar-powered garbage compactors, which are now seen on street corners in cities around the country. He later moved to Slipstream Design in Seattle, where he worked on a diverse set of projects, from ski pole adjustment mechanisms to lab equipment for cleaning rodent cages in research institutions. After a hiatus as a Crew Leader at Washington Trails Association for volunteer trail maintenance crews, he joined the Synapse family in 2010. During his time at Synapse, Bret has worked as a mechanical engineer, a project manager, and a mechanical engineering lead on projects like the Philips AirFloss, the Viableware RAIL, and a number of small, highly integrated consumer electronics. In his current role as Director of Mechanical Engineering, Bret is responsible for ensuring that Synapse’s Mechanical Engineers are delivering high-quality product development consulting to meet their clients’ needs.