Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Scull.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The idea for a company started back in 2006 when my partner Ali and I were studying undergrad architecture at FIU together. We designed and built projects together and even went into some small business ventures while we were still in college. Our first company together was called E3D, architectural design, and 3D rendering company. But the name Delta Design came as a joke from one of our teachers. We created our own online forum.
This was before Facebook became as big as it is. We invited other students, both local and international, to contribute, post articles and create a dialogue on what design meant to them. With our merry band of architecture-enthusiasts, we were a sort of “Delta Force” so we called it Delta Designers. Fast forward a few years after graduation. Ali finishes his M.Arch at MIT.
I had been working locally with an architecture firm as a project manager. He comes back home, gets a 3D printer and, through a family contact, gets access to a wood shop in Jupiter. He calls me up out of the blue one day and asks me if I wanted to get back together and make Delta Design a real thing. At that time I was at a very low-point emotionally. I was going through a divorce and needed a change of pace. So I agreed to meet up.
The workshop had a CNC mill, laser cutter, and 3D printers. It was just like in FIU when we did projects together. So, with all this free time on my hands and in desperate need of positive outlet I decided to give it a shot. I would drive up on the weekends, work on projects, then drive back Sunday evening, sometimes even early Monday morning to make it in time to work. I did this for six months. I knew this is what I wanted to do. But it was extremely difficult to build the kind of company I wanted it to be while working full-time in an office and managing so many projects.
So I quit my job in January 2015. Ali had already quit his job a few months earlier. We had no idea what the future had in store for us. It was extremely challenging, and there are still challenges today. It has been a nerve-wracking experience. But I would not trade it for anything in the world. Some milestones include being accepted into the StartupFIU Cohort 1 where we received guidance and mentorship to grow our business.
I networked exhaustively with many different groups and organizations throughout South Florida, such as Creative GLUE and the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. We exhibited at various events and conferences, such as Unbound and Miami VR Expo, to showcase our skills and expertise as designers and 3D printing enthusiasts. We’ve hosted workshops, Career Days and field trips where we exposed many young ones to 3D printing technology and encouraged them to be builders for a better community.
Also, my wife Kristine and I got married in 2017. She has been my #1 supporter since we met. With her help, I’ve navigated the inroads of building a business from scratch and have had the motivation to build Delta Design into the company I’ve always believed it could be.
Has it been a smooth road?
Short answer, no. I don’t know if I can list all the struggles but here’s an anecdote.
One day, I heard about an event the Miami Beach chamber was hosting in the Botanical Gardens. I wanted to network at the event but had a problem: I had no money. None. I was so broke some weeks I only had to purchase a weekly bus pass. I didn’t have enough money to Uber over there, but I knew I had to invest in mobility.
I put on my best business attire, walked to the bus stop, took three transfers from Little Havana and an hour and a half later I’m walking into the Botanical Gardens. I knew it paid off because I was showed that I could commit and a year later was invited to speak in front of the entire chamber network at the Real Estate Luncheon in 2017 and create custom, 3D printed centerpieces for the event. I learned something that day: that if I challenged myself, I could do whatever it took to make this venture real.
I’ve had clients short-change me. I’ve dropped the ball and lost contracts. I’ve struggled between separating myself as the designer who wants to build the ideal projects and the businessman who wants to make this company thrive. It’s hard to be both people at the same time. But I’ve learned to balance both those roles. With my past experience in project management, I can also manage my team into completing whatever needs to get done to make our clients glad to work with us.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We provide services in architectural design, industrial design, and 3D printing. We also host workshops on design and 3D printing locally. We’ve taught eight-year-olds how to design in 3D and make their designs with a 3D printer.
Delta Design may be known to some as “that 3D printing company” which is great, but I’d rather be known for helping others build their dreams. One example is a brand we are helping to launch as we speak. We have been building the charging stations for a new mobility service in Miami.
Working alongside the electrical engineer and software development team, we designed and completely 3D printed the charging station. With my partner as a lead designer he’s digitally sculpted a beautiful project. After seven months we’ve developed three mock-ups to show to investors and will be raising money to launch the service and jump-start mass-production.
This was an idea thought up by our client a few years ago, and we are proud to help his dream become a reality. We also want to be known as designers for the greater good. We are currently in the works in designing and 3D printing a prosthetic leg for a little girl in the UK. Our goal is to help her, and potentially many other kids like her, with tech that’s already available, skills we readily have, and the desire to give back to others.
What sets us apart is we are designers with a purpose. We care about people. That’s why our tagline is “let’s create something.” It doesn’t matter what that something is, as long as we get to do it together, we can make amazing things.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami has been a tough ecosystem to navigate in the tech sector. It’s been relatively easier to push an app or service than have people relate to what can be built with a 3D printer. This tech is still so relatively new and rapidly advancing that it’s hard for people to wrap their heads around. But education breeds understanding.
So we promote, host and demo as often as we can. Miami’s tech scene may be smaller than other metropolitan, but those within the tech scene recognize and appreciate the efforts of other creatives.
Organizations like the Knight Foundation have also been paying attention and funding maker spaces, maker events and maker projects throughout the city. Multiple startup incubators have been popping up over the past few years, and VC companies have taken a keen interest in South Florida. So the outlook is very promising.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deltacreate.com
- Phone: 786-802-7545
- Email: chris@deltacreate.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deltacreate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deltacreate/
Image Credit:
Jossua Parini, Creative GLUE, Moe Marks, Christopher Scull
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