CAMA brought Colorado’s manufacturing community together at Eldon James Corporation in Fort Collins for Inside Colorado Manufacturing: Economy, Leadership & Workforce - an afternoon focused on economic insight, industry leadership, workforce development, and a firsthand look inside one of Colorado’s advanced manufacturing facilities.

The program opened with remarks from Nicholas Sly, Vice President, Economist, and Denver Branch Executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, who shared perspective on the economy and the forces currently shaping manufacturers and businesses across Colorado.

That presentation was followed by a Colorado Manufacturing Leadership Panel, featuring Marcia Coulson, President of Eldon James Corporation; Jason Page, President of Manes Machine and Engineering; and John Sage, President of Vergent Products and Board Chair of NOCOM. The panel brought together three different perspectives on operating and growing manufacturing businesses in Colorado, including the opportunities, challenges, and decisions facing industry leaders today.

Workforce development took center stage during the afternoon’s SACA panel, highlighting the importance of stronger connections between manufacturers, educators, workforce organizations, and industry partners as Colorado works to develop the skilled talent manufacturers need.

One of the highlights of the event was the opportunity to tour Eldon James’ state-of-the-art, 107,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility. Attendees were able to see the company’s operations firsthand and get an inside look at advanced manufacturing happening right here in Colorado.

We were also proud to welcome NOCOM as our featured Community Partner for the event. Northern Colorado has a strong and growing manufacturing community, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside NOCOM to connect manufacturers, strengthen the regional ecosystem, and support manufacturing throughout Northern Colorado.

A special thank you as well to our event sponsors, Flood & Peterson, Chase Business Bank, and Plante Moran, whose support helped make the afternoon possible.

Thank you to Eldon James for opening its doors, to our speakers and panelists for sharing their expertise, and to everyone who joined us.

Inside Colorado Manufacturing is about connecting Colorado manufacturers with one another, with ideas, and with the resources helping move our industry forward - and this event was a great example of that mission in action.