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Annaleis Thibault dissected a thin white cable, revealing a fray of multicolored wires as fine as a single strand of hair on her head.
In her day-to-day work as a manufacturer for Northern Digital, Inc., Thibault solders these small wires to a tiny coil on a senor within a biopsy needle or ultrasound tool. It can take about three hours or more to create one sensor, depending on the size. The smaller it is, the longer it takes. “And they’re all made by hand,” Thibault said as she gestured to herself with a smile on her face.
Thibault was at Burlington’s lakefront coworking space, Hula, on Oct. 21 for Tech Jam, an annual gathering of dozens of statewide tech companies to share their innovations, build networks and pitch job opportunities to talented prospects.
Northern Digital, Inc., or NDI, has been tabling at the event for years. The company creates sensors for medical tools like ultrasounds and biopsy needles. The biggest sensor is about the size of a fingernail. The smallest? Half the size of a grain of rice and twice as thin.
Unlike X-ray or radiation technologies commonly used for locating points of interest or concern within the body, NDI’s products use electromagnetic fields in which the sensors can transmit 3D images back to technicians — a map of the space that causes no harm to the patient.
“It’s like a GPS inside the body,” said Andres Segura, who focuses on the technological and engineering side of the operation.
The products help with procedures like arrhythmias — irregular heartbeats — by mapping heart tissue and electrical signals produced by the heart, allowing doctors to know where the arrhythmia is happening before they go into surgery. Other common uses of the sensors can be seen in cases of blocked arteries and in ultrasound tools to create a hyper realistic 3D image of an unborn baby.
Joe Durfee, NDI’s senior software engineer at its Shelburne location, has been with the company for 28 years, “before it even became NDI,” he said. As the 12th employee to be hired and one of the few initial hires still working with the company, he has seen it all.
NDI’s other locations are in Waterloo, Ontario; Radolfzell, Germany; and Hong Kong, China. The Shelburne location, which is just across the street from Fiddlehead Brewing Company, has expanded rapidly in recent years. NDI plans to move into a third section of its building this December, said Thibault. .
Thibault and Durfee hope the extra space can be used as a showroom for clients, provide a centralized space for all the resources and manufacturing workers and, excitedly so for the reps at Tech Jam, extend the employee kitchen.
The company offers employees funding for education, Thibault said, and management organizes social events for workers. “Everyone there is really passionate about having a positive environment,” she continued. “It seems so basic, but unfortunately it’s very uncommon.”
Thibault worked in investment banking before coming to NDI. She felt unhappy back then, she said, but now at NDI, she gets to delve into the type of work that excites her — working with her hands.
As a manufacturer of objects so small they must be built under the view of a microscope with needle-tipped tweezers, Thibault appreciates doing something she can focus on with precision. “It’s pretty relaxing, I love it,” she said.
Even more important to her has been the chance to pursue something altruistic. “No matter how indirect it is, I wanted to feel like I was helping somebody,” she said.
The Shelburne company hired a set of new employees last February, including Thibault. The company has 250 employees around the world — electrical and mechanical engineers, mathematicians and people like Thibault who thrive in tactile work. Durfee, who also hires interns for the company, said he is starting to recruit people straight from college — as long as they’re game to learn quickly.
Many of the visitors to the company’s booth on Saturday have jobs in tech. One woman who does research in the medical field wanted to know how NDI’s technologies compare to other products hospitals use. Another described interest in the dexterity of the manufacturing process, saying he’s “been wanting to get into something like this.”
The Shelburne location is not currently hiring, but the company’s projected growth and planned expansion will likely induce another small hiring spree in the year to come, said Thibault.
“We’re the place that doesn’t have many job openings because people don’t want to leave,” Thibault added. Even though NDI isn’t hiring, the company drew a constant stream of curious onlookers. Many wanted to understand how the sensors functioned. Others, like one attendee, said they were simply “fascinated by the technology.”
At Tech Jam that Saturday, Elaine O’Toole stopped by the table and had a long conversation with Thibault. The University of Vermont junior, a biomedical engineering major, shared how she’s been trying to find a company that can give her more hands-on experience when it comes to building technologies — her past internships have been more computer-related.
“I’ve always wanted to get to actually do it,” she said. “I look for companies that make sure clients are comfortable and treated not just as a system, but as a person.”
NDI’s focus on minimally invasive technologies, she said, encompasses that mindset.