Although relatively new to the field, he learned enough to develop his first revolutionary innovation: the Bio Vac In-Shoe Casting System, a process inspired by his work with amputees, which he eventually patented. By casting inside the shoe, the foot stayed in the optimal position without hand manipulation, provided 30 percent more information and an effective result every time.

In 1964 Dennis Brown, retired British soldier, elite athlete and natural-born inventor, bought a fledgling custom orthotics lab in Lynden, Washington. He quickly moved the Lab up the road to Blaine, immersed himself in the field of orthotics and set out to reinvent how they could be made.

1970's

In 1974, Dennis invited renowned expert and biomechanics pioneer Dr. Chris Smith from the California College of Podiatric Medicine to be his partner. Chris’ well-regarded credentials gave Northwest instant credibility, and his knowledge of the foot’s function proved invaluable in new product development.

With their exclusive blend of science, craftsmanship and innovation, the partners shared a passion to eliminate foot pain for as many people as possible.

Northwest’s product is set apart by the unique shape inherent to every device they’ve designed and produced. While Dennis was guided by intuition when he crafted his early devices, Chris later confirmed their shape inherently reflected biomechanical principles. In the 1970’s, Dennis began to focus on the emerging field of sports medicine and recognized that the materials used to make orthotic devices were not strong enough for high performance. Unheard of in the field, he turned to an aerospace material…carbon fiber.

With no budget or equipment, Dennis worked to understand the characteristics of the material and how to tailor it into a device. After extensive trials and many lessons learned, Northwest produced their first carbon fiber orthotic product and, to this day, remains the only lab to produce a carbon fiber orthotic to their level of quality and performance.