Design It in Michigan, Make It in Michigan: Local Product Design Drives Reshoring Success

The Firm’s 91-Year Legacy Looks Forward with a Focus on Delivering Strategic Vision, Design Velocity, and Breakthrough Results to Drive Growth for its Clients.

SundbergFerar, the Detroit-born design and innovation consultancy with a 91-year heritage, is proud to announce the appointment of David Byron as Principal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and David Thimm as Principal, Chief Design Officer (CDO).

Both Byron and Thimm have long served as Principals on the firm’s leadership team, with Thimm marking his 30th year at SundbergFerar in 2025, and Byron his 12th year with the firm and over 25 years of experience in the design industry. Their new roles mark a purposeful commitment to the firm’s foundational belief that design will lead the way forward by applying curiosity, creativity, and collaboration to shape meaningful solutions for a rapidly changing world.

During Thimms’ tenure at SF, he was mentored by the previous leadership team of Bailey, DeBoer, and Bonner, spending 10 years with them as their partner collecting their insights into the long success of this unique business. Byron learned the Gensis innovation process under DeBoer before becoming Director of Innovation Strategy in 2019. Together, they plan to continue the diverse services and client care that creates the inspirational atmosphere for exploring new innovation pathways.

“We believe that in this era of accelerating change, designers hold the skills to bridge market uncertainty with confidence,” said Byron. “By merging human-centered insight with intelligence, technology and innovation, we help our clients not just imagine the future, but build it.”

Designing at Altitude, Delivering at Ground Level

“Design has always been the driver of progress,” added Thimm. “Our job is to de-risk decision-making and amplify confidence by turning bold ideas into meaningful products – physical or digital – that people want and need.”

Future-Forward Capabilities, Rooted in Detroit Excellence

From its 1934 roots to global impact today, SundbergFerar remains committed to designing harmony between art and engineering, strategy and execution, imagination and action. The firm will continue building its integrated expertise across five pillars:

• Strategy and Research – to answer unknowns, illuminate opportunity and focus investment
• Product Design – across industries with new consumer, commercial, and digital experiences
• Customer Experience Design – to connect people, systems, and services with ideal experiences
• Creative Engineering – to bring real functionality and feasibility to new ideas
• Prototyping – to realize concepts from low to high-end physical and digital prototypes

The firm’s multi-disciplinary teams bring together visionaries, researchers, engineers, designers, and prototype builders under one roof to answer the most important innovation question of our time:

“What should we design next — and how do we make it real?”

Byron has over 25 years of experience driving innovation across industries, from leading the design of Hyundai’s ELEVATE and TIGER walking vehicles to shaping automotive HMI systems, high-speed trains, and virtual education platforms. Early in his career, he contributed to concept and production vehicles at GM and ASC, and as Lead Designer at Saleen, he directed the design of the 2008 S5S Raptor and 2010–2013 Saleen Mustang. He later expanded into sports equipment and product strategy at New Balance’s Warrior division, leading design there, while deepening his expertise in consumer research and human-centered design before joining SF in 2013.

Thimm is a life-long creator with 35 years of professional experience in a diverse range of categories including industrial equipment, advanced automotive interiors, and so many products in and around the home.  Some highlights include many great products for Bora Tools, suites of appliances for Whirlpool, Kenmore and Electrolux, and the Club Car Precedent that sold for over 2 decades.  David is a Detroiter, a graduate of College for Creative Studies, and passionate about the outdoors.