MEET OUR LEADER
Envision Automation is led by founder and president David Strickland, whose shop-floor roots, technical drive and faith shape the way the company serves manufacturers.
FAITH-LED. RESULTS-DRIVEN.
When David Strickland launched Envision Automation in February 2018, he built the company to be a trusted problem-solver for manufacturers, someone who could walk onto a plant floor, understand the mechanical and electrical sides of a system, talk to the operators and deliver automation that actually works in the real world. That blend of shop-floor experience, electrical training and years of controls programming is what still drives Envision today.
David grew up in Edwardsburg, Michigan, around family-run machine shops. His father and uncle both owned shops, and he followed that path early, taking machine trades in high school, attending the career center and completing a tool-and-die apprenticeship. He eventually returned to his dad’s shop as plant manager, running the floor, scheduling work and programming CNCs for high-volume production jobs serving RV, consumer and industrial customers. Those years gave him a deep respect for production realities and for the people who keep lines running.
After realizing he didn’t want to stay inside a single building forever, David entered the electrical union and completed an electrical apprenticeship that sent him to job sites up and down the Lake Michigan shoreline. That experience opened the door to Eagle Technologies, where he began wiring control panels and machines, and eventually to Service 1, where his mechanical background and new electrical skillset made him an in-demand troubleshooter.
Over the next 13 years, David worked inside an estimated 75% of the manufacturing facilities in Elkhart County, diagnosing issues, tuning drives, cleaning up PLC code and getting production back online.
That constant exposure to different plants, different OEMs and different integration styles led David deeper into drives, PLCs and controls projects. He became one of Service 1’s top programmers and eventually led major controls initiatives, including a multi-year batch compounding project at KIK Custom Products. Those projects confirmed for him that manufacturers wanted more than “someone to come fix this.” They wanted a partner who understood how to make legacy equipment, robotics, packaging machinery and new automation talk to each other.
The push to start Envision Automation came from the industry itself. After reconnecting with engineers he had worked with at Eagle, David was offered contract work, on the condition that he launch his own company. He did, and in the first wave he reached out to five past customers; all five said yes, and one even created work to keep him busy because they wanted him to succeed. That early affirmation told David he had done the right thing: Envision would be built on relationships, repeat work and doing what you said you’d do.
Very quickly, opportunity scaled. A trip to PACK EXPO with a robotics partner produced meetings with more than 30 major brands, including Coca-Cola, 3M, Community Coffee and others. Within days, more than half of them called back wanting to start projects. That turned into a year-plus stretch where David was traveling nationwide every other week, supporting robotics and automation installs while continuing to serve northern Indiana customers on the weeks he was home. That period led to Envision’s first hires and set the tone for how the company still operates: go where the work is, say yes to challenging applications and make it run.
When COVID hit and travel slowed, Envision didn’t. David and his team shifted to what manufacturers needed most at that moment: XP modifications, sanitizer and packaging lines, and later, custom machines for the surging RV industry. That ability to pivot, to stand up new builds and integrate robotics when labor was tight is directly tied to David’s background: he has lived every layer of manufacturing — machining, electrical, controls, commissioning — so he knows what’s realistic and what isn’t.
A significant part of David’s story is what happened outside of work. In recent years, his life and leadership have been reshaped by his Christian faith and his involvement at Gospel City Church in Granger, Indiana. What started as “going to church on Sundays” solidified during a membership process and a men’s small group that led to a mission trip to Puerto Rico. That experience, and many moments since, convinced David his business is God’s provision.
Envision’s culture emphasizes integrity, service and doing right by people, even when it costs more in the short term. For David, the business is a platform, not the finish line.
“I still have to do my part, but I don’t have to force it anymore. When things get tough, I don’t panic like I used to. I trust that God is moving.”
Today, Envision operates from its renovated facility (moved in March 2025) and continues to take on robotics, packaging and specialty-equipment projects across the region. David remains hands-on, quoting robotics work, helping define scope when customers don’t yet know what they need and making sure Envision stays the kind of integrator manufacturers want to call back.
The Strickland Family
Dave Strickland and his wife, Jen, were married in September 2022 and share a close-knit family of five adult children: Megan, Brandon, Logan, Madison and Ashlyn. Their kids are pursuing careers in education, engineering, the skilled trades and meteorology. Outside of work, Dave’s happiest when the family’s together, spending time on the lake or traveling whenever they can.