Robert Howard was born in Vancouver, Canada and moved to Victoria four years after. At the age of 14 he began working as a bicycle mechanic at one of the top stores in Victoria. After several years he became the store's service manager.  1998 found him as the team mechanic for a mountain bike race team on the World Cup circuit. Working with the race team introduced him to the research and development process and the principles of modern manufacturing.  Having completed the race team contract Robert entered the CNC machining pre-apprenticeship Co-op program at BCIT. For the duration of the program he was employed by Creo Kodak and developed his skills with the help of several talented machinists and engineers. After finishing formal training Robert began an apprenticeship with a Vancouver based CNC machining company specializing in high end components. Robert became head programmer and remained there for several years.  Robert is now the owner of Cutting Edge Industries and lives in Cranbrook, B.C. with his beautiful wife Sally and dog Skeena.