Every year on the first Friday of October, manufacturers across North America celebrate MFG Day, or Manufacturing Day. Started by The Manufacturing Institute, MFG Day is an initiative to grow and support the industry’s skilled workers for the advancement of modern manufacturing. Encouraging companies and educational institutions to open their doors shows students, parents, teachers and community leaders the reality of modern manufacturing careers as the industry seeks to fill four million high-skill, high-tech and high-paying jobs over the next decade.
MFG Day is being celebrated by the Innovate78 team by highlighting a few of the manufacturing businesses in North County. This article features Escondido-based Left Coast Engineering, a small business focused on new product design and custom R&D, and Stone Brewing that has a brewing facilities and bistro in Escondido, a tasting room in Oceanside and national distribution center in San Marcos. To read all of our articles, visit innovate78.com/blog.
Over the last quarter-century, Escondido’s Left Coast Engineering and Stone Brewing have been able to grow their operations without sacrificing their dedication to their crafts – custom product development and brewing, respectively. Both are advancing their industries uniquely by remaining true to their founding spirits of ingenuity, a trait that continues to earn the respect of their customers.
“Stone helped build the craft beer scene in San Diego, and we are proud that after 25 years, we are still innovating.”
Lizzie Younkin, director of public relations and communications for Stone Brewing
“We are evolving, but we still have the same commitment to quality and brewing standards.” Stone Brewing recently celebrated its 26th year of brewing, and it also recently announced that it will begin manufacturing the nation’s top selling Asian beer as part of its acquisition by Sapporo U.S.A. “Our partnership with Sapporo U.S.A allows us to continue our existing brewing and operations for Stone exactly as before. The only difference is that now we are brewing Sapporo’s beer as well. We are still small batch minded, and we want to keep our craft feel.”
Similarly, Left Coast Engineering is mindful to remain nimble and innovative when solving clients’ engineering challenges, an approach that has been integrated into the company since its founding. “We are a classic startup,” said Anita Baranowski, CEO for Left Coast Engineering. “Our team invented the first app in 1999, had support of the Tech Coast Angels, then did custom electrical product design to bootstrap and help pay the bills, ultimately growing into a full-service product design firm, now in our 24th year. Today, we are still designing things that have not been done before. Customers come to us when they can’t get their designs to market elsewhere, and we don’t take shortcuts or default to off-the-shelf components. We make sure our clients’ products get across the finish line, and to do that, we stay true to the core ideas and lessons learned in engineering design.”
Baranowski noted that the team purchased its Escondido office space in February of 2020, and that it is the perfect geographic nexus between its Department of Defense clients near downtown San Diego and Riverside County.
“We love being located in Escondido and feel supported by the City for our focus on innovation. While we have clients throughout the United States, this location gives such great access to the So Cal area ecosystem of technology-driven businesses. From MISO Robotics, a Pasadena company aimed at automating commercial food preparation to the R&D projects for the Department of Navy, LCE is literally on the corner of Innovate78.”
anita baranowski
Stone echoes this sentiment of community with the variety of facilities it has along the 78 corridor. In October, it will launch a new line of ready to drink margaritas that will be manufactured out of Vista, marking the fourth city along the 78 corridor where Stone has a presence. From tap rooms to full-scale manufacturing facilities, Stone has doubled down on its San Diego operations, and local fans seem to appreciate it. “At our anniversary party, we had 1,700 fans join us at our Escondido venue,” said Younkin. “There were a few gargoyle tattoos in the crowd, and we used to say that our Bastard Ale was hated by many, loved by few. But after 26 years, we’ve earned the chance to work with Sapporo who pioneered its style of rice lager and Anchor Brewing that also paved the way for craft beer. Our partnership with Sapporo really is a salute to Stone’s craftmanship and innovative spirit.”
To learn more about doing business in the City of Escondido, please visit innovate78.com or contact Jennifer Schoeneck, deputy director of economic development, at jschoeneck@escondido.org (760) 839-4587.
