MADE IN COLORADO: FROM GUITAR STRINGS TO SATELLITE HARDWARE, MANUFACTURERS MAKE IT BIG--AND SMALL.

• Author: Peterson, Eric

Manufacturing is cool again.

It's not dirty or dangerous--it's clean and cutting-edge.

It's not dull or dead-end, either. The skill set of the workforce boggles the mind. Manufacturers employ everyone from farmers to physicists, and the tradespeople who shape raw materials into all manner of finished products are in notably high demand, especially in Colorado.

There's a good reason for that: Making things here makes good economic sense, and a large and diverse cadre of companies in the state is riding a wave of demand for all things local.

As domestic manufacturing continues its steady comeback in 2018, there are more breweries, more food producers and more makers of outdoor gear in Colorado than ever, and big investments in factories and industrial facilities are much more commonplace than they were a decade ago.

But this renaissance is also about being smarter with resources, and many local makers are leveraging automation and efficient workflows to compete with companies manufacturing in lower-cost countries. Those investments are paying off in a big way.

ColoradoBiz's 2018 edition of "Made in Colorado" takes a look at 10 of the state's manufacturers making products ranging from guitar strings to satellite hardware to hard apple cider Representing 10 different sectors of manufacturing in the state, the companies were chosen for their innovation, their uniqueness and their compelling backstories.

BENNETT FORGEWORKS PRODUCT: HOME & LIFESTYLE MADE IN: RIDGWAY WWW.BENNETTF0RGEW0RKS.COM

When Tom Bennett was introduced to blacksmithing, it was love at first forge. "I was instantly smitten with it," he says. "I went to an auction the next weekend and picked up a coal forge and an anvil."

Bennett's mentor, Smyth Boone of Paonia, taught him the trade in the late 1990s, and he used it to make staircases, railings and other forged ironwork for the high-end residential market in Telluride.

After incorporating in 1999, Bennett was based in the tiny town of Rico until 2008 when he moved north to Ridgway "to be closer to the grocery store," he half-jokes. Soon after the move, local construction crashed during the Great Recession, and he started making fermentation tanks for craft breweries. It turned into a nice side business that he spun off as a separate six-employee company, Forgeworks Inc., in 2015. The tanks are now made in nearby Delta.

Bennett isn't firing up the forge quite as much as he once did with modern design all the rage in Telluride, but he's still making a wide range of staircases, doors, railings and light fixtures for the local construction industry. "There was a lot of traditional-type construction in Telluride," he says. "When it came back, it came back very contemporary."

It follows that the company's crew of five now employs cutting-edge technology alongside centuries-old smithing techniques. "The modern stuff relies on a lot more machines, like waterjets and lasers," Bennett says. "But when we do forge work, it's still those same processes."

ROLLINGREENS PRODUCT: FOOD & BEVERAGE MADE IN: BOULDER WWW.ROLLINGREENS.COM

Married co-founders Lindsey and Ryan "Chef Ko" Cunningham launched the RollinGreens food truck in Boulder in 2011. The name was a nod to Ryan's parents' food truck in the 1970s, and the 21st century iteration likewise focused on natural, local and organic foods.

One of the truck's most popular items, Millet Tots, utilizes its namesake grain to make a healthy and tasty snack or side not unlike a tater tot crossed with a hush puppy. "People just went crazy for it," Lindsey Cunningham says. So they decided to park the truck and go into manufacturing three varieties of Millet Tots in 2015: Original, Italian Herb and Spicy-Sweet.

The key ingredient is local: Colorado is one of the top millet-growing states. The grain, often used for bird seed, is catching on in brewing and foods. "That's why birds are so happy," Lindsey Cunningham says.

All jokes aside, "It's an underutilized grain," she adds. "Millet is a very nutrient-dense grain. It's high in protein and fiber. It's a very alkalizing grain and an easily digestible grain."

Another factor was familiarity: Her husband "was raised on millet," Cunningham says. "His mom and dad were hippies. He grew up with millet on the dinner table."

After starting at Lucky's and Alfalfa's in Boulder, Millet Tots landed at Whole Foods in their first year on the market, followed by King Soopers in 2017. The products are now available in 700 stores nationwide. "We're expanding pretty quickly throughout the nation," Lindsey Cunningham says. "We've seen a tremendous amount of growth in the last year."

And she expects even more growth in 2018. "We're working on new plant-based products," Cunningham says. One is an ancient grain-based Millet Tot, and there's also an entirely new product line in the works.

MOMENTUM RECYCLING PRODUCT: ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL MADE IN: BROOMFIELD WWW.M0MENTUMRECYCLING.COM

After Momentum opened a glass-recycling facility in Salt Lake City in 2012, CEO John Lair set his sights on Colorado.

An anchor buyer was a prerequisite. In Utah, Momentum has an...