Colorado businesses are preparing for potential tariffs on imported goods as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office next week. Estes Rockets, a company based in Penrose, is taking action to stock up on critical parts from China, including nose cones, fins, and parachutes.
The company plans to package the rockets domestically to avoid potential tariffs, which could lead to higher costs for consumers. Estes Rockets has secured two shipping containers worth of parts that will supply them for the next 12 months.
“We’re in a good spot,” said Heidi Muckenthaler, vice president and general manager at Estes. “We’re working with local companies to reduce our freight costs.”
However, the company faces challenges in producing these parts domestically, as the expertise and equipment are largely located in China. The industry of making plastic molds moved to China in the 80s, and much of the skilled workforce that knew how to do it has disappeared from the US.
As a result, Estes Rockets is facing increased costs, which could lead to higher prices for model rockets this year. “I would love to say that our costs could be the same, but it’s not,” said Muckenthaler.
Source: https://www.cpr.org/2025/01/16/estes-rockets-company-prepares-possible-trump-tariffs