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4 0 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 8 S T U F F M a d e I n C T . c o m Many Millennials dream of opening their own businesses, but few take the plunge. Young and successful manufacturing entrepreneurs do exist, though – even right here in the Nutmeg State. Take John Kraszewski, 31, who launched craft brewery Armada Brewing in 2017. Establishing a solid foundation with customers has been key to his success, Kraszewski said. "Craft beer is a hand-sold product. You can't just put a flier in a store and say, 'Here are our beers. Go buy them.' You have to meet with the account, develop a relationship with them, give out samples and talk about the beer," he said. The legwork appears to have paid off. In its first year of business, Armada Brewing, based in East Haven, signed close to 100 accounts, number that's now grown to 179. "We can't even keep up" with demand, Kraszewski said. Establishing a new business can be tough, and Kraszewski said a manufacturing environment brings its own challenges. "Things break, equipment fails," he said. "You have to be able to problem-solve quickly, be on your toes and know how to redirect your staff to fix the problem." With Armada Brewing already producing about 20 different varieties of craft beer, the company is poised for growth in the industry, Kraszewski said. Going for durability Outfitting restaurant and other commercial workers is no easy task, given the abuse their clothing must withstand each day. Ditto for restaurant odds and ends such as menu holders that regularly pass through many sets of hands. But Luke Davis and the other two co-founders of Hartford Denim Co. are up to the challenge. All three men have personally experienced frustration and disappointment with work clothing that does not hold up to advertised promises, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. Despite limited backgrounds in tailoring, the three started to make clothing for themselves and then friends and family, and eventually, commercial accounts. They established Hartford Denim Co., aka HARDENCO, in 2010. Today, Hartford Denim Co. makes heavy-duty clothing and aprons for commercial use, and has expanded its product lines to also include menu holders, check presenters, coasters and other small leather goods. "We work with denim, leather, canvas – pretty much any of the heavier stuff," said Davis, 32. Young manu facturing entrepreneurs find success in Connecticut Armada Brewing offers about 20 varieties of beer out of its East Haven facility. John Kraszewski, founder, Armada Brewing