ABOUT STEELHEAD COMPOSITES
HISTORY
THE TEAM
POLICIES & PRINCIPLES
CERTIFICATIONS
SAFETY
OUR MISSION
Our vision is to strive to be a leading global manufacturer of high pressure vessels and componentry in order to create outstanding value for our customers.
Steelhead Composites is a world class advanced manufacturing company, based in the heart of Golden, Colorado (USA). Steelhead is dedicated to the manufacturing of lightweight, high-strength cylinders to be used for weight-sensitive energy and fuel storage applications. Our specialties include lightweight bladder accumulators, mobile CNG fuel storage and transport, gas bottles, aluminum liners and accessories.
We also offer a full array of technical services in vessel design, metal spinforming, filament winding, prototyping and testing of high pressure vessels.
HISTORY
Steelhead Composites was founded in 2012 in response to an immediate need for a lightweight hydraulic accumulator solution for the hydraulic hybrid vehicle market. With no companies truly focusing on lightweighting hydraulics Steelhead Composites entered the marketplace.
Steelhead Composites was founded and began investing in equipment, people and processes. In 2014, using advanced composite materials and computerized metal spinning, Steelhead developed patented designs for high pressure, lightweight accumulators. Our bladder accumulators are a seamless aluminum liner that is overwrapped with a high-strength composite material designed to handle high pressure and long cycle life all at a fraction of the weight.
In 2015 we shipped our first international product and manufactured our 1,000th vessel. While the hydraulic hybrid market did not materialize in great numbers, Steelhead took the composite bladder accumulators to solve problem in other industries where the light weight and corrosion resistance were important, such as oil platforms.
In 2016 we were approached independently by F1 race teams and robotics manufacturers requesting smaller components, in particular 0.5L and 2.0L diaphragm accumulators. We quickly produced and validated units and shipped them by the end of the year. Simultaneously, the mobile machinery market demanded that we brought light-weighting to piston accumulators and hydraulic cylinders; our piston patent was granted in Q3 2016 and we had a working prototype by the end of the year.
In 2017 we took our fully digital shop floor, advanced manufacturing process and design capabilities and extended our product offerings to manufacturing other pressure vessels where weight is critical, such as compressed natural gas (CNG) vessels, gaseous hydrogen storage vessels for fuel cell cars and industrial gas transportation cylinders. 2017 marked an increase in our ability to better serve the automotive market with products perfectly suited for active hydraulic suspensions.
In 2018 we continued to grow as Steelhead ended the year with 75 customers and products everywhere from outer space to the ocean floor. We shipped our first 700 bar hydrogen cylinders, demonstrated linerless vessel manufacturing capabilities and validated/began production of plastic lined composite wrapped pressure vessels. As a testament to our commitment to the environment, we completed our ISO 14001 environmental management system.
THE TEAM
Andrew Coors
CEO
Mr. Coors is the founder and CEO of Steelhead Composites LLC. Previously, he was Principal at 9th Street Capital, a venture capital and private equity fund.
Mr. Coors spent 6 years as Corporate Economist and Investment Strategist at Qualcomm Incorporated, a Fortune 500 company. Prior to joining Qualcomm, for 5 years he served as the Director of Research at Laffer Associates, a money management and institutional economic research and consulting firm. He serves on various corporate Boards and has received numerous awards in industry including being named one of Treasury and Risk magazine‘s ’40 under 40’ Upwardly Mobile Finance Execs in 2007.
Mr. Coors is a CFA Charterholder. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of California, San Diego and a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University.
John Cronin
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Cronin has dedicated 18 plus years to the design, manufacturing and process engineering of composite structures. His extensive background across the composite pressure vessel, lighting and wind energy industries has led to at least two patent or two patents pending for technologies relating to composite pressure vessels. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Office at Steelhead Composites, where he oversees and manages the day-to-day operations of sales, product development, and manufacturing.
Marisa Veni Sundy
Director of Business Development
Mrs. Sundy has extensive experience (17+ years) in opening new markets in Europe, Middle East, Asia and South America across multiple product lines and industries. Her industry experience includes Oil & Gas, Fluid Power / Gas Storage, Pharmaceuticals, Legal Marketing & PR and Higher Education.
As the Director of Business Development, she develops intricate market analyses to formulate and institute strategic business and growth plans in accordance to corporate goals. She also provides support to strategic accounts to ensure all programs meets customer expectations.
Mrs. Sundy is a Drexel University Co-Op Graduate and carries the honor as the youngest elected member to the Drexel University Board of Governors.
Mike Colby
Director of Strategic Programs
For more than 20 years, Mike has implemented the structure and discipline necessary to scale next-generation products and companies. His technical background, skills as a leader, and focus on transforming ideas into products have been widely applied to consumer electronics, telematics, telecom, pharmaceuticals, aviation, solar energy, energy conservation, IoT, and medical devices.
As the COO of Prima-Temp, Mike brought the discipline necessary to engineer the product design, wireless performance, and AI functionality of the first commercially available Bluetooth IoT sensor that continuously measures a core body temperature signal and processes it into predictive diagnostics. Prior to Prima-Temp, Mike held executive positions at Terralux, delivering energy-conserving LED lighting and IoT building control solutions to commercial customers, and at Ampulse, a solar energy collaboration with NREL and ORNL to produce an industry-first heteroepitaxial c-Si solar photovoltaic using CVD and PVD methods. Mike also brings post-acquisition experience leading company integration and tech transfer activities, product design collaboration with Fortune 100 companies in the telecom, computer, and automotive sectors, and leadership to technology licensing, supply chain, engineering, and contract manufacturing with strategic partners in the US, Europe and Asia.
Lea Miller
Accounting and HR Manager
Ms. Miller has been an accounting professional for many years. She served as Division Controller and Assistant VP Finance for a publicly-traded billion dollar energy and logistics firm, where her role involved worldwide accounting operations and financial reporting. She has also worked for several independently owned companies in the resort scuba diving industry where she served in roles incorporating accounting, human resources, payroll, and scuba diving instructor.
As Accounting and HR Manager at Steelhead Composites, she actively manages all accounting, human resources, and payroll functions to ensure efficient operations for all customers, employees, and suppliers.
Josh Varn
Production Manager
Joshua Varn has over 20 years of leadership experience with teams ranging in size from five to over 100. His experience started with the US Navy, where his five-man team successfully planned and executed two world tours, including worldwide route planning, foreign port coordination, navigational material sourcing for seven ships, and dissemination of planned routing throughout the entire battle group.
His civilian career started in advanced manufacturing and composite structures supporting the emerging green energy field through the manufacture and construction of wind turbine components. He successfully planned and opened two world-class production facilities, and established and trained 12 highly effective, self-sufficient manufacturing teams.
In 2014, he joined the Steelhead team where he’s been involved with product design, process design, production implementation and execution, and all other facets of logistics and production. He has built a highly skilled, knowledgeable, and agile operations team to tackle the needs of our customers within the rapidly growing hydrogen and high-pressure application markets.
Troy Motley
Operational Excellence Manager
Troy Motley is a Colorado native. Troy is currently serving as the Operational Excellence Manager bringing abroad range of manufacturing experience and management skills. Troy’s professional career of 34 years has focused on manufacturing process excellence, mechanical engineering, and developing high-performance work teams, including 9 of those years in the Aerospace Division within Lockheed Martin.
QUALITY POLICY
Quality is the basic requirement for the satisfaction and safety of our customers and employees.
Quality is vital to Steelhead’s market competitiveness and the economic successes of Steelhead Composites.
Therefore, management dedicates itself to investing in, monitoring and maintaining a best-in-class quality system.
ALWAYS STRIVE TO CUT COSTS, BUT NEVER CUT CORNERS.
PRINCIPLES
Reliability
Quality
safety
service
value
We take a five star approach to everything we do. Whether it is a small sensor or severe conditions testing, we take our jobs and products seriously. Every day we strive to provide our customers with the highest quality products that are tested to be safe for our employees and for yours. We understand that reliability and value go hand-in-hand when it comes to product selection and we admire efficient, well-designed products that sell for a competitive price. Ultimately, service is what builds relationships over the long haul so we treat every customer like a partner and strive to find solutions for your pain points. We hope you will afford us the opportunity to serve you and to provide you with outstanding solutions.
Steelhead Composites operates on the following principals:
CERTIFICATIONS
“What certification do I need?”
This is one of the most common inquiries Steelhead Composites receives from customers…and it’s not a simple question to answer. The regulatory framework surrounding pressure vessels is multifaceted and overwhelming. Add on the additional complexities of industry standards, local jurisdictions and insurance companies, and one can quickly get lost in a web of red tape. Luckily, Steelhead Composites has dedicated compliance specialists on staff whose job it is to navigate the red tape and arrive at a certification solution that meets the customer’s requirements. These specialists foster and maintain relationships with certification authorities worldwide and can manage the entire certification program for the customer.
Click below for the top 7 questions the compliance specialists commonly field:
SAFETY
Safety is important in every aspect of life for Steelhead Composites employees – personal or business. Steelhead Composites values safety and encourages safe work practices daily. All of our employees are trained on pressure vessel safety and are conditioned to understand the potential danger of pressurized vessels. Our employees 360 degree view on safe practices in the workplace helping us keep our fellow employees healthy and safe.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
The environment, along with its resources, provides the foundation on which businesses and communities are brought together to innovate, grow and co-exist. In turn, all partners in this relationship have a responsibility to support and sustain the environment while continually reducing their impact. As a community partner, Steelhead Composites pledges to limit adverse effects to the environment through its products, processes and operations by:
Every Steelhead Composites employee strives to provide robust, safe and reliable products for a premium value.
Our culture is diverse and from all over the world but we all have one thing in common…we live, work and play in Colorado and love it here! If you are looking for a great place to work with an amazing team who produces only the highest quality products and provides truly outstanding service you have found it.