You could say that engineers are dreamers; their paths may not look the same, but all are in the pursuit of innovation.
Sean Dotson grew up in an engineering family, so no one batted an eye when he dismantled small, household electronics to explore their inner workings. His inquisitive mind developed further in high school while working in a hardware store and absorbing the foundations of mechanical restoration. Sean earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida and simultaneously supported himself as a self-taught auto mechanic. But his resourcefulness didn’t stop there.
While many of his friends went straight from academia to large corporations, Sean went to work with a small machinery design company that allowed him to participate in the entire process of conceiving, constructing and testing equipment; an experience that laid the groundwork for his professional trajectory.
Sean is now the president and CEO of RND Automation & Engineering, a Sarasota-based custom automation and machine design company. Recently, RND acquired MDC Packaging Machinery, which has added automated loading, labeling, taping and palletizing to the organization’s capabilities. It is a true one-stop shop.
In The Corridor, the advancements of the past 20 years have brought on surges in automation, but none quite so profound as modern demand. Manufacturing companies have come to the realization that automation equals growth, and servicing this demand is contingent upon hiring skilled laborers trained on the latest technology. “With a large aging population retiring, thus widening the state’s skills gap, many automation and packaging companies are operating at full bandwidth,” Sean explained. “Tapping into the incoming workforce from top engineering programs is essential.” With the right systems in place, to find local talent, companies can easily turn to The Corridor’s three cornerstone universities which rank among the top 10 mechanical engineering schools in the state.
