Creative Catalysts.
Completed Products.

Our cross functional team of experts takes your concepts and ideas on a journey to full commercialization.

bb7 believes in a comprehensive, holistic approach to product development. Our approach encompasses masterful research, design, engineering, prototyping, product and material testing.

A Legacy of Innovation

bb7 is a comprehensive design and product development firm with a rich history in innovation and testing. The "b"s in bb7 come from Bjorksten Labs (founded in 1944) and BIT 7 (founded in 1992), which merged in 2000 to form bb7.

Since then we've united pioneering research with excellence in engineering and design, testing and product commercialization.

Meet some of our brainpower

(click name to reveal bio)

Bob Schofield

President

Bob Schofield

President

Bob Schofield has been running with scissors since 1975.

Bob’s experience in engineering management spans over two decades. For years he worked in the consumer products category, including a tenure at Fiskars as the Director of 3D Services. From there he moved to product development consultancies where he has overseen engineering and prototyping departments. His projects have resulted in numerous awards, including an IDSA Gold Award for Fiskars’ Softouch scissors and a Medical Device Excellence Award for Orascoptic’s Freedom dental loupes.

Bob is an expert at resource management, project strategy, mechanical engineering and talent retention. He makes sure our mechanical engineering team integrates with other departments to ensure highly functional and visually appealing products. He is a natural people person and loves to interact with our clients and our diverse team.

Ask Him About: Pre-computer engineering and/or his karaoke skills.

Leah Turner

Vice President of Finance & Operations

Leah Turner

Vice President of Finance & Operations

Leah is not often in the spotlight, but she is always working at a high level to keep bb7 at its best from a finance and operations perspective.

In 2019, Leah stepped up and into the role of VP of Finance after 10 years at bb7. She truly knows bb7 inside and out, not just from a financial and people perspective, but also from a day in and day out, writing proposals and winning the work perspective.

After starting at bb7 in 2010, Leah was promoted to Director of Staffing and Human Resources in 2016. This promotion came after nearly 6 years of running multiple areas of the business including Human Resources, Technical Talent, and fully understanding the operations and talent needed for bb7 to be successful in design consulting and technical staffing. Her sense of humor and ease of connecting with people helps the bb7 team and clients feel welcome, appreciated, and like family. The board appreciates her strategic eye for finance and keeping a sharp eye on the bottom line.

Leah is tenacious and challenges herself and others to push themselves to be better. bb7 strongly believes in the integrated approach of finance and operations and that innovative approach to business is what drives the strategic direction of bb7.

On a personal note, she is a dog-lover, and has a special place in her heart for her pup, Coco. Leah is originally from Verona, WI, and is a proud alum of UW-Madison and DePaul University.

Ask Her About: Her new house!

Steve Dieter

Dir of Mechanical Engineering

Steve Dieter

Dir of Mechanical Engineering

Steve Dieter is a builder. He builds successful teams, engineering schemes and product dreams.

Steve Dieter is an accomplished mechanical engineer, technical consultant and project manager. He is a veteran of consumer electronic development; his experience includes Electrolux, Motorola and Bosch, among others. He has honed his capabilities within consumer and commercial electronics enclosures design, reverse engineering, accelerated life testing, and component design. Plus, he is a master of CAD software and is a Certified SolidWorks Expert (CSWE).

As bb7’s Director of Mechanical Engineering, Steve champions the development of feasible and manufacturable solutions for our clients. He helps to foster our multi-disciplinary approach, a key to bb7’s project success. His favorite types of products are “Multi-discipline, turn-key projects where we are involved in early conceptual work through to manufacturing support.” One such project was the Leer Ice Merchandiser in which Steve played a pivotal role.

Ask Him About: Building his own house – The framing, electrical, flooring, carpentry and more.

Deb Ethington

Dir of Human Resources

Deb Ethington

Dir of Human Resources

Andy Levi

Dir of Embedded Systems Engineering

Andy Levi

Dir of Embedded Systems Engineering

Pat Reid

SR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Pat Reid

SR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Pat Reid can’t stop, won’t stop.

Curiosity is in Pat Reid’s nature.  His college years at Eastern Michigan University opened the doors for him to explore different majors, such as biology, radio and TV, and business.  After his dad finally told him to “just get a degree and get out”, he raked together the classes he took and graduated with a degree in marketing and communications.  Being the quintessential people person, sales seemed a natural place for Pat’s career to start.  His first job in sales at Kohler later led to marketing, product development, and eventually research and development.  Pat was also involved with the Wisconsin PDMA organization, serving as a past president and having the opportunity to help them on a national level.

Over the span of Pat’s career, he has enjoyed uncovering latent needs for clients and crafting solutions to meet those needs – sometimes achieving major hits!  He has been rolling with that momentum at bb7 since 2015, bringing positivity and energy to our Business Development team.  Pat’s role is essentially a mix of ambassador, cheerleader, nerd herder, entrepreneur, councilor (he actually has a couch in his office, and only charges $150 an hour – what a bargain!), and occasional pit bull.

Ask him about: Competitive sailing on Lake Michigan, exploring new foods, rivers, and trails, and his cat who thinks he’s a dog.

Greg Mattlin

Sr Business Development Manager

Greg Mattlin

Sr Business Development Manager

Mandy Thompson

Office Manager

Mandy Thompson

Office Manager