Why Manufacturing Works Well in Casper, WY

Courtesy of Titus Wastewater Solutions

For Kevin Kershisnik, any discussion of Wyoming manufacturing isn’t just about today – it’s about the future. “We are working to make sure it continues to grow in Wyoming,” Kershisnik says.

Manufacturing contributed about 6% of Wyoming’s $51.5 billion Gross Domestic Product in 2024. Kershisnik notes that it has increased by around a half-percent in the last year or two, but is still relatively small compared to other sectors, such as oil and gas extraction.

Kershisnik, a Riverton, Wyoming-based consultant, is a project manager for Manufacturing Works, whose charter is “to help Wyoming manufacturers succeed.” Since 2019, Manufacturing Works has created or maintained more than 1,100 manufacturing jobs in the Cowboy State and inspired clients to invest more than $70 million in its economy.

Kershisnik says that as American jobs that went overseas in years past start to come back, Wyoming is getting its share of that.

“The energy sector – nuclear power – is starting to expand,” he says. “Firearms manufacturing and rare-earth mining and processing are starting to increase, and I think Wyoming’s extraction industry will continue to thrive. 3D printing farms are popping up. Tech and AI are expanding.”

Titus Wastewater Solutions, based in Casper, WY, is but one of several Manufacturing Works success stories.

Lewis Titus, CEO of the company that bears his name, says in a statement published by Manufacturing Works that he called Kershisnik for help with a “fairly complicated” plastic part for an aerator system.

Casper Is Key

Manufacturing Works used its 3D printer at MakerSpace 307 to produce several prototypes, optimizing the material’s mechanical and electrical properties to meet Titus’ operational requirements. Two weeks later, Titus says, Manufacturing Works was delivering orders including that part and doing it at what he calls a “reasonable” price point.

“I cannot thank Manufacturing Works enough, and we are looking forward to growing our business with their help,” Titus says.

As Wyoming manufacturing gains momentum, Kershisnik says, Casper and Central Wyoming will be key. “Wyoming has embraced companies pivoting from their original core businesses to others,” he says. “Fabrication, machining and welding companies are looking to diversify into aerospace, defense and industrial products. There’s a lot of fabrication in Casper – originally to support the oil and gas industry but expanding now into new extraction and alternative energy industries.

“A couple of companies, Mesa and Moser – which make power-generating units for use at well heads – have pivoted and become remote energy suppliers, working on electric-vehicle charging and some military applications,” he says.

For Kershisnik and the team at Manufacturing Works, these success stories aren’t just isolated wins, but the blueprint for a more resilient and diversified Wyoming economy.