Kyle Ewing, TerraSlate

Kyle Ewing, TerraSlate

From Manufacturing Tomorrow by Ohio Manufacturing Institute

January 26, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

Kyle Ewing discusses his journey in building TerraSlate, a leader in advanced manufacturing, emphasizing growth, innovation, and culture.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kyle Ewing , Founder and CEO of TerraSlate —a Colorado-based manufacturing company and global leader in waterproof, tear-proof paper and ultra-durable printed materials. Kyle has grown TerraSlate from a basement startup into a $40 million vertically integrated manufacturing enterprise , serving customers ranging from the U.S. military and NFL teams to Michelin-starred restaurants and Fortune 500 manufacturers . Remarkably, he built the company with zero outside funding and still owns it outright. TerraSlate is a compelling example of modern American manufacturing in action: lean operations, same-day fulfillment for 95% of orders, in-house innovation of nano-coated and military-grade materials, and a culture-first leadership approach. The company competes head-to-head with low-cost imports—while keeping production in the U.S. and pushing the boundaries of advanced materials. Kyle also brings deep insight into scaling without outside capital , building resilient manufacturing systems , and leading teams with kindness, clarity, and discipline . He is the author of Ideas to Empires , where he shares lessons on building factories that can scale…

People in this episode

Guest: Kyle Ewing

Topics covered

  • manufacturing
  • leadership
  • innovation
  • operations
  • culture
  • advanced materials

Keywords

  • manufacturing leadership
  • advanced materials
  • vertically integrated manufacturing
  • scaling without capital
  • resilient manufacturing systems
  • culture-first leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TerraSlate, U.S. military, NFL, Michelin-starred restaurants, Fortune 500 manufacturers

Books & works: Ideas to Empires

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