![James Miceli, Principal Sales and Marketing of Epoch Lacrosse. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ cgonzalez@startribune.com - September 16, 2015, Roseville, MN, James Miceli at Epoch's new space in Roseville prior to moving in its R&D and design equipment. ORG XMIT: MIN1509161136191815](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/CYC3OKCMPB26Z3E6ACZF7UPR4E.jpg?&w=1080)
Epoch Lacrosse moved into a new 10,000-square-foot facility in Roseville this week that increases the lacrosse equipment company's research and development and design capability.
Epoch's move, completed Monday, caps a year of steady growth for the start-up company. It released a new generation lacrosse shaft and made customer-friendly price and warranty adjustments to its mesh and head.
Epoch's carbon-fiber lacrosse shaft is considered an industry leader. Now, its new facility gives the company the ability to shave weeks off the time it takes to move from product concept to working prototypes.
Epoch principal James Miceli says the team will be able to "design, build, break and rebuild" concepts and prototypes in hours, giving the company a competitive advantage.
Brian Hochman, lead designer at Epoch Lacrosse, said in a news release that designers will be able to "take a concept to a prototype in just under an hour and make changes that in the past would have taken us weeks."
Miceli said the long wait for prototypes to return from overseas stifled creativity. "When you have a young creative group like we do … it can kind of put the brakes on the creative process," he said.
The new space will help Epoch move toward its goal of becoming a complete equipment supplier to the sport. "It's certainly not limited to just shafts," Miceli said. "Anything and everything related to lacrosse we will be able to design it and test."
Epoch engineers will be using the latest in computer-aided design software and new product testing space. The staff can experiment with the latest composite materials, make rapid prototypes and analyze their design changes in real-time.
