For outdoor enthusiasts, the twice-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City is a feast for the soul. Last week’s Outdoor Retail Winter Market, the smaller of the two seasonal gatherings (small being a misnomer), again seemed a wild success, with nearly 1,000 brands and suppliers showcasing the latest in outdoor apparel, gear, materials […]
Utah’s powerful economy is no longer a national secret. Workforce advantages and an embarrassment of R&D riches driven by world-class universities is translating into, among other things, high-tech success. See the Silicon Slopes. But Utah’s manufacturing ecosystem is emerging into a national model for growth and innovation. Magnificent legacy operators provide a foundation for modern […]
If there’s a better job in business media than reviewing the stories and photography filed every week by our network of contributors, I’ll have to be reminded what it is. Business is about people and companies, and every week, I’m left shaking my head by the work, the passion, the outcomes, of those we write […]
Celebrating the best of 2016 manufacturing, as we did last month, was easy. So many companies and success stories, so little space. CU’s Leeds School of Business Colorado Business Economic Outlook 2017 provides great context for a forecast for the year ahead. The highpoints of the Leeds report: Manufacturing employment will grow 1.6 percent, adding […]
Rural America’s decisive role November 8 gives way today to the tough reality that economic prosperity is as elusive after the election as before. Small towns and communities face an uncertain future. Colorado’s rural outposts must also stand by and watch urban counterparts make national headlines for job growth, rising property values, and increasingly diversified […]
Ross Reels had been in Montrose, Colorado, since 1983, a leader in precision machining in the fly fishing industry. But David Dragoo, president of Mayfly Outdoors, had already made a fateful decision after acquiring Ross and taking over operations in early 2014. “Essentially, we’d decided then that we were going to move the company,” he […]
The wine sector is the crazy old uncle of Colorado’s prolific beverage industry. A wealthy uncle to be sure, with fertile bottomland, magnificent crops and impressive factories. Eccentric to the point of being a bit standoffish, miffed by the sudden success of brewing and distilling nephews, his mood’s improved lately. A burst of creativity — […]
“We should expect more from an ice-cream sandwich.” — Pete Bredemann, founder, PeteyBird Ice Cream Sandwiches America’s food revolution rolls on in Boulder, Colorado, where natural products enthusiasts convened last to week to parse, among other things, the metaphysical state of ice cream snacks. Of course, there were more tangible outcomes for the 25 natural […]
Speculation about the impact of a Trump presidency on U.S. manufacturing has developed along familiar lines, much in keeping with America’s split-personality on the sector. Last week, media surmised that robots will thwart Trumps effort to reshore jobs at the same time his election may discourage the migration of businesses offshore. Midwest manufacturers are “wary […]
Even as manufacturing’s percent of U.S. employment lingers around 10 to 12 percent of total employment (and about 9 percent in Utah and Colorado), U.S. manufacturing is alive and well. American industrial output is at an all time high. We’re simply making more, with less. From Vox.com: Since 1987, US manufacturers have increased their output […]