Earl W. Brinkman was no stranger to innovation and hard work. His many patents speak to that fact. In the eulogy written by son Robert Brinkman after Earl’s death he was remembered as a man who “was always looking for a better way, a faster way, a way never tried before”. It’s therefore, no surprise that Mr. Brinkman’s 55 years of hard work and innovative ideas at Davenport Machine earned him the name “Mr. Davenport”.
In 1996, thanks to Robert Brinkman and the Brinkman Family Foundation, The Brinkman Lab in RIT’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering was founded. This facility was named in honor of his father, a pioneer in the machine tool industry and long time chief engineer and president of the Rochester-based Davenport Machine.
In 2007 Bob donated a new wing to The Brinkman Manufacturing Lab. The Lab primarily supports R&D by the college of engineering and CIMS. It also offers a “hands on” training course that’s available to individuals wishing to gain experience in CNC machining.
Brinkman International Group, Inc. supports RIT by helping out with the senior design project that MMET students are required to complete. Not only does Brinkman donate machines but they also donate operator time for these projects. This year, Brinkman was a component of the 3rd annual “cutting-edge technology and world-class artistry” also known as Imagine RIT that was held on May 1st. Sandro Belpanno, an alumnus from RIT and a Brinkman Engineer helped support the R.O.A.R. (Refrigerator Open Alarm and Reminder) project with a team of eleven students. The project took six months to complete and was a great success.
Ongoing relations continue with the lab for events like Imagine R.I.T. and Brinkman’s active internship program. These opportunities give Brinkman International Group an advantage in the marketplace because of the wealth of knowledge, resources and access to future employees.