Colton's Ed Robertson builds ankle brace company

Ed Robertson stands at the office of Badger Braces, in the former Colton Market.

A physical therapist, his product came from years of treating ankle injuries.

A block off Highway 195, the old Colton Market sits quiet, a square building with brown shaker shingles and a faded red Coca-Cola sign.

Inside is the incubator of a whole other business, one year in: Badger Braces, a new kind of ankle brace for athletics.

“I'm still in the startup phase,” said Colton's Ed Robertson, a longtime physical therapist for Pullman Regional Hospital.

His braces – named for the mascot of his old high school in Bo...