Product diversity abounds.

• Position: REGIONAL REPORT - SoundTraxx

SoundTraxx, based in Durango, designs and produces digital sound systems for model railroads and is building a new 20,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for a June move. Hiring engineers is one challenge for the 25-year-old company, according to owner Nancy Workman, so sales shows double as recruitment opportunities.

This spring, Freenotes Harmony Park in Durango--a producer of outdoor musical instruments--will double its manufacturing space. First established in a musician's garage, Freenotes now sells its song-making machines from Australia to Peru.

Originally motivated by a break-in to his Jeep on the Front Range, the founder of Tuffy Security Products now employs 26 staffers who engineer, test and manufacture steel security containers for recreational and professional vehicles. The pick-proof products are used by agencies from the Border Patrol to the Secret Service and are shipped around the world.

Tech companies on the rise include AMPT, a rocket engine test company in Durango, and Airborne Media Group, whose Audioair application. allows remote listening of muted TV screens on personal devices.

Economic experts point...