Spidertrax

Spidertrax Off-Road Thom Kingston, owner and co-founder of Loveland-based Spidertrax Off-Road, poses in the manufacturing area of his 8,000-foot space facility, where he and his staff of 16 manufacture parts for the off-road industry.

Story written by: Shelley Widhalm

Photos: Courtesy of Spidertrax

Thom Kingston helped start Loveland-based Spidertrax Off-Road not in a garage like some startups but in a fully equipped shop at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. In 1999, Kingston and his former partner and co-founder, Eddie Casanueva, initially snuck into the school after-hours to develop and manufacture parts for the off-road industry until they got official approval and could work during the daytime. “We were manufacturing all of our parts, using the tools of the university to pull it off,” said Kingston, who has a degree in mechanical engineering. Kingston and Casanueva moved their fledging operation to Longmont in 2001, bringing a few parts on pallets. They relocated the shop again in 2014 into an 8,000-square-foot building at 174 12th St., SE.

Spidertrax makes products for rock crawling, a motor sport involving driving over tough, rocky terrain. The company, which produces everything in-house, develops and manufactures drive trains, axles, hub units and knuckles, all for the front and rear of the off-road vehicle. “When we competed in racing and rock crawling, you couldn’t get through a day of rock crawling without something breaking,” Kingston said. “It was what happened, because it was so extreme.” Kingston, who has a staff of 16, takes the approach of looking for causes of failure to improve his product lines, regularly meeting with top off-road drivers at competitions. He doesn’t simply design on paper or use Computer-Aided Design but employs materials, workmanship, and engineering and design principles to transform what the machines can do.

His product lines impressed the producer of “Monster Trucks,” who called Kingston last year to request design specs for drive trains, axles and other parts to use in movie stunts, along with a large inventory of spares. Kingston didn’t hear from the producer after putting in his order, so when the movie came out, he decided to email him. With an apology, the producer said what Kingston had made at Spidertrax was of such high quality nothing broke. “It’s nice to be able to serve and over deliver, and I try to stay on my toes for that,” Kingston said.

To continue expanding his business, Kingston began working with a Loveland Business Development Center/Larimer Small Business Development Center financial specialist, in February 2016. Kingston, who had reached a point where he needed to generate more sales to grow his business, wanted to get ideas for improving his budgeting and financing. “The key thing Thom wanted to focus on was a financial budget because there seemed to be a lot of wasted resources, and forming a budget helps you develop discipline in operations,” SBDC Consultant said. “How does that financial data give you perspective on how your company is performing?” SBDC consultant helped give Kingston direction to improve his interpretation of the balance sheet and P&L statement financial data in making sound business decisions, he said. “It played a very key role at the exact right time,” Kingston said.
“They (Larimer SBDC) have been absolutely phenomenal in taking the business to the next step.”

VeriClean Springs

When you meet Dee Anna Thompson, not only does she greet you with warm smile and welcoming hug, you would never know she was the President of a fast growing, award winning business based on her humble personality. Dee Anna Thompson, President of VeriClean Springs opened in 2000. At the time, Dee Anna needed to make ends meet. Given cleaning was the only experience she had coming out of high school, finding a job was

Read More »
Power to Play Sports

With completion expected in the spring/summer of 2016, Power To Play Sports brings the first-ever Events Center of its kind for youth basketball in northern Colorado. As the premier youth organization in the Rocky Mountain region with an established clientele reaching national participation, the venture brings northern Colorado to the forefront of family-destination. Established as a full-time corporation in 2008, PTPS has quickly raised the quality of youth basketball leagues, tournaments and developmental instruction throughout

Read More »
Broken Arrow

Bob O’Borne was taught by his father at the age of 5 to shoot a long bow. When he was old enough, he harvested the mighty “Wapati” and joined the United States Air Force. He traveled around seeking out different animals with his bow until he settled in Colorado. Bob has always had a desire to own his own shop but did not have the time or opportunity. He believed, “You will never rise to

Read More »
Montrose Manor B&B

Freddie and Tom Hancock took one look at their new home in Montrose and saw something beyond a magnificent house. Their dream was to transform it into a bed and breakfast, plus a base for their not for profit animal rescue operation. Familiar with SBDC consulting services in Arizona where they had moved from, the Hancock’s contacted the SBDC for assistance in achieving their dream. Reviewing their 5-year financial forecast, the SBDC consultant provided instruction

Read More »
Dry Dock Brewing Company

Dry Dock Brewing Company is an award-winning microbrewery and Aurora’s first. Established in Octo-ber 2005, Dry Dock is co-owned and operated by Kevin DeLange and Michelle Reding. Dry Dock has enjoyed tremendous success and growth in a very short time. To-date, the brewery is producing al-most 20,000 barrels of beer each year. It’s the largest brewery in Colorado that’s only distributing in-state. At the brewery on Hampden and Chambers, there’s a cozy bar with casual

Read More »
Midwest-Masters/ Spoiler Dude

United States Army veteran Paul Hasty had already been successfully installing window tints, car bras, and spoilers in the Pikes Peak Region for almost fourteen years before reaching out to the Pikes Peak SBDC. Just call him the Spoiler Dude of Spoilerdude.com. With a strong love for cars, Paul decided to open up his business with the challenges of educating customers. Paul differentiates Spoilerdude.com by anticipating customers’ wishes and questions with answers prior to work.

Read More »
Scroll to Top
Skip to content