Hawk Ridge acquisition of Quest changes 3D landscape in North Idaho
Brynley Hillyard, a third-grader at North Idaho STEM in Rathdrum, used a 3D printer to create a pair of glasses for her American Girl doll, with help from Quest Integration. The 3D printing company in Post Falls has spent two decades providing educational outreach to schools across North Idaho.
Photo courtesy of QUEST INTEGRATION
Chase Dinning, application engineer at Quest, demonstrates the process of task development to create a whistle. Quest, which is merging with Hawk Systems, can help customers build products through 3D printing technology from small whistles to airplane parts.
North Idaho has quietly stood for the past decade at the forefront of an emerging manufacturing trend: the game-changing 3D printing industry. With higher-tech infrastructure readily available in the area, companies like Continuous Composites and RapidMade have found their footing in Coeur d’Alene, while the commercial ubiquity of industrial 3D printers has begun a spring of new printing companies into the area. When adjusted to per capita population figures, Kootenai County offers twice as many 3D printing options per 100,000 residents as Boise.
It’s a trend that brought Hawk Ridge Systems to the area. The California 3D giant announced this month it came to terms with Quest Integration to acquire the Post Falls company founded 22 years ago. It’s a match Hawk Ridge CEO Dale Ford said is made in heaven.
“The combination of Quest Integration and Hawk Ridge Systems makes so much sense,” Ford said. “Not only do we share the same passionate vision for our clients’ success, but we also share very similar cultures. This partnership means we can offer more solutions to more people, based on what they need to excel in their business.”
Quest’s culture was demonstrated throughout the community as the 3D printing industry and the company advanced over the past two decades. Quest often graced the pages of both the Business Journal of North Idaho and the Coeur d’Alene Press as it introduced students from Sandpoint High School to Rathdrum’s North Idaho STEM Charter Academy to Lake City High to the newest innovations in 3D printing, often volunteering machinery and expertise for hands-on experience.
David Minerath, president of Quest Integration, championed the merger, saying that Hawk Ridge’s acquisition will give Quest customers even more resources to succeed.
“Our customers have high expectations for the engineering expertise we bring to bear,” he said. “Now we have so much more to offer. The merger provides added resources and access to the deep bench of technical and engineering talent that Hawk Ridge Systems is known for. To be a part of the Hawk Ridge Systems family is a win for our customers, our team and our partners.”
That bench won’t be as deep as the sum of the two companies’ staffs. Quest employed as many as 25 locals in the months leading up to the pandemic. Overlap between Quest and Hawk Ridge, however, has already started the downsizing process in Post Falls.
