Winners announced in the 2018 Colorado Manufacturing Awards

DENVER - April 11, 2018 - PRLog -- The Colorado Manufacturing Awards (CMA), presented by CompanyWeek and Manufacturer's Edge, last week announced winners of its 2018 program from across the state at a gala at University of Denver's Cable Center. In a statewide celebration of manufacturing, winners were announced in 10 industry categories with the theme "excellence in manufacturing."

Companies were nominated and 30 finalists selected by industry hosts and others, including eight of Colorado's creative trade and industry organizations. Finalists were deemed worthy because of business success, manufacturing acumen and a commitment and contributions to the manufacturing industry in Colorado, which supports a total of 441,000 jobs in the state, and contributes approximately $47 billion to state GDP.

The winners in each category were:

Outstanding Distiller: Montanya Distillers, Crested Butte

Outstanding Brewer: Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont

Outstanding Aerospace Manufacturer.: Air Comm, Westminster

Outstanding Industrial/Equipment Mfr.: DMS, Colorado Springs

Outstanding Energy/Environment Mfr.: Lightning Systems, Loveland

Small food brand of the year: Blue Moon Goodness, Woodland Park

Outstanding Consumer/Lifestyle brand: Sarabella Fishing, Denver

Outstanding Contract Mfr.: Manes Machine, Ft. Collins

Outstanding Outdoor Industry Brand: Phunkshun, Denver

Outstanding Bioscience Mfr.: Allison Medical, Littleton

Manes Machine and Engineering Company, which won the Outstanding Contract Manufacturer award, specializes in creating complex aerospace components. Its CEO, Bruce Page, was excited to earn the distinction. 'We are honored to be recognized by fellow manufacturers in our field. Due to the increasingly demanding requirements in our field, we started on a new journey two years ago focusing on our employees and technology that make our company run efficiently. This award validates our vision and goals to strive to become a leading manufacturer in the aerospace industry," said Page.

"Our team is extremely pleased to be recognized as a leading manufacturer," said Bill Kelley, chief technology officer of Lightning Systems. "Over the past nine years our manufacturing capacity has grown significantly for our hydraulic hybrid vehicle product for buses and trucks. This past winter we expanded our product line and started producing our new, all-electric and fuel cell powertrains for the Ford Transit. Demand is strong for the product, and we're steadily ramping up production. This award recognizes the hard work and agility of our team in launching new products."

The awards were established by Company Week, a digital publication that since 2014, has reported on manufacturing in the western U.S. through business and executive profiles.

Bart Taylor, Company Week founder and publisher, says the awards are an opportunity to publicize Colorado's resurgent manufacturing sector. "Recognizing companies and people who are shaping the manufacturing economy is great for everyone" Taylor said. "We're also convinced that bringing together companies from across industries fuels collaboration. We're excited to help these industry leaders expand the manufacturing conversation."

About Company Week

Company Week chronicles the manufacturing economy through independent business and leadership profiles. Since 2014, over 900 in-depth company features have been published at www.companyweek.com.  Subscribe to weekly Company Week e-publications or view Company Week at https://companyweek.com/, Facebook, and Twitter.