As a mechanical engineering student at Rochester Institute of Technology, Jordan Darling created a new plastic for use in jet ski hulls that’s stronger and more durable than traditional fiberglass, then launched his business, Free Form Factory, based on that innovative technology. Faced with the challenge of growing his fledgling personal watercraft business in upstate New York, Jordan relocated Free Form Factory to the Sacramento area with the help of Barry Broom and The Greater Sacramento Economic Council. In addition, Jordan’s company took home one of the 2016 Sacramento Region Innovation Awards in the Advanced Manufacturing category at last year’s inaugural awards organized by Stoel Rives. As part of a series of episodes spotlighting past winners of the awards, I met with Jordan at the Stoel Rives offices to here more details about the origins of his innovations.
Newsletter Sign-up
Support StartupSac
Recent Posts
- Build Up Rocklin Applications Open March 4, 2026
- Core Envision: From Architecture to AI March 4, 2026
- Where Startups & Tech Connect in Sac March 3, 2026
- Apply Now: Sacramento Inno Awards March 3, 2026
- Startup Events Week of March 1 March 2, 2026
- Venture Soul Program for Black Business Owners February 25, 2026
- Launch a Startup in One Weekend February 25, 2026
- Startup Events Week of February 23 February 23, 2026











