SPARK Product Development is proud and excited to announce that October 31st marks our 27th anniversary as a company! For nearly three decades, we’ve been committed to bringing engineering excellence and industrial design to our clients in service of incredible products that meet high standards for manufacturers, consumers, and businesses. This milestone marks more than just years in business—it reflects our ongoing dedication to both excellence in product development and community involvement.
As part of our anniversary celebration this year, we renewed our focus on giving back to the community—an important pillar of SPARK's values. While many of our employees have been individually volunteering over the years, we wanted to come together as a team and contribute in a meaningful way. So, on September 18th, we closed the office and brought our entire team to the Richmond ToolBank for a day of volunteer work, using our skills to give back to the local community.
Bringing our talents to the Richmond ToolBank
The Richmond ToolBank is an incredible nonprofit organization that lends tools and equipment to community-based organizations at a fraction of the retail cost. This empowers groups to complete impactful projects without the financial burden of purchasing or storing tools.
In addition to providing tools, the ToolBank runs programs like "Building Change" where larger groups (often businesses like SPARK) volunteer to build outdoor furniture that is donated to community spaces in need.
As an industrial design and engineering firm, we knew we could make a real impact by bringing our expertise to the table (literally). Our team split into three groups, building:
One picnic table, which went to Shine Farms
Two Adirondack chairs, which were donated to Bermuda Estates Mobile Home Park
Two planter benches for The Cottage School
Design & engineering for the community
We didn’t stop at just building furniture. Part of our involvement included a unique opportunity to redesign one of the ToolBank’s pieces on the fly. While building the first planter bench, we realized the design could be improved. We asked if we could test our idea and, with approval from Rachel McKenna, Program and Outreach Coordinator at the ToolBank, we quickly scrambled to start cutting lengths of wood to build a second one. Our new design was modular, making it easier to transport, and easier to split the work among large groups. It allows future volunteers to assemble and donate the benches more efficiently, removing barriers that had previously existed.
Rachel said, “SPARK's involvement was invaluable. They not only helped build the furniture but improved our designs, making them more practical for the communities we serve. Their contribution went beyond just manpower—they used their skills to solve real problems, and we’re incredibly grateful.”
Reflecting on 27 years of business
As a small business, taking billable resources offline for a day of volunteering is no small feat, but it was important to us. Giving our time and talent to the community speaks to the culture we’ve built at SPARK. It’s a testament to our team’s commitment to making a difference, not just in our industry but in the world around us. Volunteering at the ToolBank gave us the perfect chance to use our talents to solve real-world challenges and strengthen the bond within our team.
We are proud to celebrate this anniversary with a renewed sense of purpose. Moving forward, community involvement will remain a central focus of SPARK’s culture. We’re excited to continue finding opportunities to lend our expertise where it’s needed most, and we encourage other businesses to join us in giving back.
Partner with us - in the office or the community
To celebrate our anniversary with us, we invite you to learn more about the Richmond ToolBank and how they support our community. Whether you’re an individual, a business, or part of a community organization, there are many ways to get involved.
And, if you’re in need of partnership in the product space, we hope you’ll reach out to talk about the ways we can help you design and build functional, user-centric products that solve problems for real people.