DornerWorks News

DornerWorks, a leader in Embedded Systems Engineering announced today that the company has received their AS9100 certification. This certification is the quality management standard in the aerospace industry and allows companies such as DornerWorks to actively pursue business as a qualified and certified organization to the aerospace manufacturing and aircraft supplier industry.

AS9100 was first published by SAE – Society for Automotive Engineers in 1999. AS9100 resulted from cooperation between major aerospace corporations – American Aerospace Quality Group (AAQG) – with input from ANAB (fka: ANSI-RAB) and the Independent Association of Accredited Registrars (IAAR) to provide a single, unified quality management system for the aerospace industry. Many major aerospace manufacturers require suppliers to be AS9100 as a condition of doing business.

Lance Hilbelink, Director of Quality Assurance at DornerWorks, commented “Our quality management system simply documents the things we have been doing all along. We appreciate this recognition of the high-quality work that has always been a part of our day-to-day activity.”

DornerWorks is a premier provider of electronic engineering services for the aerospace, automotive, industrial, and medical markets. Founded by David K. Dorner with one aerospace client in 2000, DornerWorks has grown to a staff of over 50 and clients nationwide. Celebrating their 10th year in business, DornerWorks has been awarded one of the 2010 Michigan 50 Companies to Watch Award and the Bloomberg Business Weeks’ ICIC 2010 Inner City 100 Award, where they were ranked 26th nationally. DornerWorks is actively pursuing ISO13485 medical certification and expects to be certified Q3 of 2010.

BOSTON, MA – Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and Bloomberg BusinessWeek released the 2010 Inner City 100 list of the fastest-growing inner city companies in the U.S. DornerWorks from Grand Rapid, Michigan ranked 26th on this year’s list. The Inner City 100 program recognizes successful inner city companies and their CEO’s as role models for entrepreneurship, innovative business practices and job creation in America’s urban communities.

The rankings for each company were announced at the Inner City 100 Awards Dinner on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 in Boston, MA. Winners attended a two-day event featuring seminars for Inner City 100 owners and managers at Harvard Business School, a reception at the Boston Public Library and an Awards Gala that drew more than 800 guests.

We are delighted to celebrate businesses like DornerWorks that are playing a critical role in revitalizing America’s urban communities. Through their achievements, the Inner City 100 winning companies exemplify America’s remarkable potential and the road to future economic recovery, Mary Kay Leonard, ICIC president and CEO. These extraordinary companies demonstrate the market possibilities that exist within our inner cities. If we can leverage these possibilities, we can create jobs, income and wealth for local residents and produce the next chapter of American innovation and opportunity.

DornerWorks has been an anomaly among many companies in Michigan and the country. The firm has managed to achieve strong results despite the difficult economic conditions, and continues to acquire clients and new growth opportunities.

DornerWorks is not immune to economic challenges, but our staff’s dedication and passion to servicing our clients with high quality engineering solutions has set us apart, said David Dorner, President of DornerWorks.

The list is proof of concept that doing business in an inner city area holds a distinct competitive advantage. ICIC has been studying the economic condition of the largest 100 American cities for more than a decade and is working to revitalize inner cities across the country.

DornerWorks will be honored at an awards ceremony during the sixth annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, April 29 in Lansing, Mich.

DornerWorks is a premier electronic and software engineering firm specializing in the design of safety-critical systems for the aerospace, medical, automotive, and industrial markets. Founded in 2000 by David K. Dorner, DornerWorks has grown into one of the most sought after embedded engineering firms in the country. With a talented staff that includes PhD’s, patent holders, multi-degreed engineers, and a Six Sigma Black Belt, DornerWorks has the talent and experience to tackle the most demanding projects.

David had this to say when the awardees were announced, “We are honored to be awarded this recognition! And yet we are also humbled to share the spotlight with other competent companies. Our inclusion in this award is possible only from the contributions and hard work of everyone on our staff. I give all of them my thanks and congratulations as well.

As you look back at DornerWorks, we have been an anomaly in these trying economic times – we have been surprised with tremendous success. And as you watch DornerWorks into the future, it would be too bold of me to say that we will always be immune to economic challenges: I am sure we will have our share of trying times. But what sets us apart is our dedication and our passion to servicing the world with what we do best: engineering!”

“Now 300 strong, the second-stage businesses that comprise the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch have not only persevered through challenging times, but also found opportunities to grow,” says Penny Lewandowski, director of entrepreneurship development at the Edward Lowe Foundation. “They continue to hire and develop new markets for their products and services. Some have attracted significant amounts of venture capital, while others have been awarded prestigious federal grants. They are making a substantial difference in their communities ” and their industries. Our 2010 inductees are proof that entrepreneurs are, and always have been, the future of Michigan’s economy.”

Companies making it to the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” list are a remarkable group of second-stage companies. Defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants, these companies form the back-bone of Michigan’s economy. Representing all regions of the state and a diverse range of industries, companies like DornerWorks are known for their exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, creation of innovation or use of innovation in creative ways, and their sustainable competitive advantage.

Winners were selected by Michigan-based judges from the banking, economic development, entrepreneurship development and venture capital communities.

In an article aptly named "Go-go Gadgets", MiBiz focused on West Michigan’s experienced manufacturers in the medical device market and the challenges of competing on a national level. MiBiz interviewed Tim Walker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at DornerWorks. Tim talks about the challenges associated with bringing new business to West Michigan, dispelling the myth that Michigan is only capable of automotive manufacturing, and points to DornerWorks strong OEM relationships with other medical device manufacturers.

"When people think of Michigan, they think automotive… But we have the skills and the people to do it.. it’s just getting them to come in. Getting things kicked off is the challenge, (but) we can do it all from concept to delivery." Read the full article: http://www.mibiz.com.

Josh Holtrop was named the (Fall) 2009 recipient of the Graduate Dean’s citation for Outstanding Graduate Student in the MS-CIS program. Josh started his graduate studies at GVSU in 2008, and currently holds a 4.0 GPA. He is currently employed as an Embedded Software Engineer at DornerWorks Ltd. in Grand Rapids. The faculty say that “he is naturally curious and extremely talented…it is no stretch to say that Josh is the model graduate student.” Moreover, “Josh is not only an excellent software developer, but also an effective communicator in the technical areas…he noticeably stands out as one of the top students” in the program.

David Dorner, President of DornerWorks noted: “At DornerWorks we strive to employ the top talent and so I am very proud of Josh’s academic accomplishments! His efforts on the job are equally impressive: he has been technical lead on a very important and challenging project, and has demonstrated engineering wisdom beyond his years.”

Vinay Alofs, who recently left DornerWorks to continue his work abroad, was also named as (Winter) 2009 Outstanding Graduate Student in the MS-CIS program. Congratulations to Josh and Vinay on their amazing accomplishments!

As part of Texas Instruments DSP Third Party Network, DornerWorks recently announced a second partnership agreement with TI
as members of the MSP430 Developer Network. The TI MSP430 Third Party Network is a worldwide community of respected, well-established
companies offering products and services that support TI MCU’s. Products and services include a broad range of end-equipment solutions,
embedded software, engineering services and development tools that help customers accelerate development efforts and cut time-to-market.
To learn more about DornerWorks growing list of design partnerships and professional alliances visit our partners page.

David Dorner, President of DornerWorks, Ltd., will be the guest speaker at the IEEE Coastal Los Angeles Section meeting following a reception and dinner at the Northrop Grumman S-Café on December 14, 2009. David’s lecture entitled “Life Stories of an Ordinary Guy – How to Grow Your Basement Business into a Multi-Million Dollar Company” is a topic which is near and dear to his heart.

After working for seven years at Smiths Aerospace, David founded DornerWorks in 2000. Under his leadership, DornerWorks has grown rapidly, doubling in size several times. David’s entrepreneurial spirit and skills have been recognized by the Grand Rapids Business Journal with the “40 Under Forty Business Leaders” Award in 2007 and he was the inaugural recipient of the Calvin College MBA Horizon Award, which recognizes outstanding alumni business professionals. David is also the founder and chair of the IEEE West Michigan Consultants Network.

David attributes part of his success to the resources of the IEEE West Michigan Consultants Network.

For more information on this lecture, contact the IEEE Coastal Los Angeles Section

“Escape the Waterfall: Agile for Aerospace” co-written and presented by Dr. Steven H. Vanderleest and Andrew Buter won Best of Track/Session at the 28th Annual DASC Conference. The paper was chosen from all the papers submitted in the Avionics Design + ATM Security track.

The Digital Avionics Systems Conference held in Orlando Florida, provides a forum for the exchange of new knowledge in digital avionics among professionals and students in the fields of commercial, military, and general aviation and space applications. It serves the needs and professional interests of AIAA and IEEE members and promotes in a public environment their contributions and achievements in the arts, sciences, and technology of aeronautics and astronautics. For more information go to dasconline.org

Dr. Vanderleest is Vice President of Research & Development at DornerWorks and Professor and Chair of Engineering at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. Buter began his career at DornerWorks in 2006 after graduating the same year with a BSC degree from Calvin College. “We wrote our paper on applying Agile software principles to the aerospace domain because it is an area a number of DornerWorks engineers have experience, and it has a proven record of providing a higher quality product within a smaller budget and schedule than a traditional approach,” said Mr. Buter.

Now in its sixth year, the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” award is given in recognition of a company’s performance in the marketplace, innovation, philanthropy and empowering of employees in the state of Michigan.

David Dorner, President of DornerWorks, had this to say, “I’m very excited and honored to have DornerWorks nominated for the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch Award. We are doing everything we can to bring high tech jobs to Michigan and are thrilled to be recognized by this nomination. But the real gratification for me comes from seeing my passion for engineering blossom into a company with far more capabilities than I ever dreamed possible back when it was just me in my basement!”

Nominees will be notified mid-February and an awards ceremony will be held in the Lansing Center, Lansing Michigan on April 29, 2010. For more information go to www.MichiganCelebrates.biz

The Certification Board of ASQ (American Society for Quality) is pleased to announce that Gary L. Kersting has completed the requirements to be named an ASQ-Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (ASQ CSSBB). As such, Gary L. Kersting has reached a significant level of professional recognition, indicating a proficiency in and a comprehension of Six Sigma principles and practices.

A Certified Six Sigma Black Belt is a professional who applies Six Sigma philosophies and principles, including supporting systems and tools in a variety of business situations. A Black Belt demonstrates team leadership and manages team dynamics in all aspects of the DMAIC model (define, measure, analyze, improve, control), understands lean enterprise concepts and uses tools to identify non-value-added activities.

Gary is a Manufacturing and Quality Engineer with DornerWorks, holds a BSEET from DeVry University, and has been working towards this accomplishment for the past three years.