How a Mines graduate built a 40-year American manufacturing company

Since 1981, Newstripe has manufactured equipment used to stripe parking lots, mark athletic fields and manage industrial waste. Along the way, the company has built a reputation for something increasingly rare in American manufacturing: nearly everything the company sells is still designed, engineered and built in the United States, at the same facility in Aurora, Colorado, that it’s called home for more than four decades.

That’s no accident. Founder Ralph Newman ’70 started Newstripe in his garage with a single line striper after growing up on a farm in Erie, Colorado. He didn’t set out to build a striping equipment company—in fact, his original goal was to manufacture mining equipment. But after encountering a neglected paint striper at the company where he worked early in his career, Newman saw an opportunity. That piece of equipment became the unlikely starting point for what Newstripe is today.

More than 40 years later, Newstripe has grown significantly, with customers all over the world, while maintaining its commitment to local manufacturing, a U.S.-based supply chain and its Colorado roots.

We sat down with Newman to talk about what it took to build an American manufacturing company from the ground up and what four decades of leadership have taught him.

Mines Magazine: How did you know you wanted to start your own company, even from a young age?

Ralph Newman: Growing up on a farm, I saw my dad exhibit the independent, entrepreneurial spirit that it takes to run a small business. Working in the corporate world after college, with its layers of bureaucracy and red tape, made me realize I wanted to use the kind of skills my dad demonstrated running the farm. I have always liked building and fixing things. Running my own manufacturing company was directly related to these passions.

MM: Why have you always focused on keeping production local, and what benefits has that brought to your business model?

Newman: All of our equipment is made in the U.S. I often get asked how we can compete with large companies. First, we focus on niche markets and develop highly specialized products for these markets. These markets are often too small for big companies to focus on. Second, we keep as much of our process in-house to control quality and maintain flexibility. We buy all the materials and components we can from U.S. suppliers and manufacture them locally. 

This helped us during the COVID-19 pandemic when our competition had products manufactured overseas sitting in the ocean. We were running around picking up every piece of steel, every motor and everything else we could buy, and we got ahead of the supply chain bottleneck. We actually doubled our sales when we came out of COVID because of our focus on domestic manufacturing, and our loyal customers stuck with us.

MM: How did your Mines education and engineering background contribute to your approach to starting this business?

Newman: It was totally imperative. The excellent, demanding academic experience of Mines forced me to be more diligent in getting work done. When I was at Mines, I was working, so I had to be really good at balancing my time. But my classmates were also a pretty fun group of people, and I think that helped me in my business—I recognized that I could be productive and, at the same time, have a good time with the people I work with.

MM: Many of your employees have been with Newstripe for decades. How do you cultivate the kind of workplace culture that makes people want to stay with a company for most of their careers?

Newman: We all respect each other and enjoy working together to help our customers be successful. Occasionally, you’ll see guys in a heated discussion and the next thing you know, they’re sitting down having a cup of coffee. We treat everybody honestly and ask the same in return. Even during tough times, we’ve never had a layoff. I think Newstripe employees respect this loyalty.

MM: What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as an entrepreneur and business leader?

Newman: I’ve learned to view problems as opportunities. Many times, this has resulted in a design change or a better product model. I’ve also had opportunities to bring in investors or borrow money to fund rapid expansion, but I instead focused on organic growth driven by product and customer innovation. I feel we are a very successful company, and I look forward to handing over the reins to my son, Casey, as I move to the sidelines and consult as needed.