Building Roller Coasters and Building a Brand with Rocky Mountain Construction COO Jake Kilcup

What’s it like to be in the business of “selling smiles”?

Jake Kilcup, Chief Operating Officer at Rocky Mountain Construction, fills us in. Rocky Mountain Construction or RMC is a roller coaster manufacturer based in Hayden, Idaho. If you’ve ever taken a ride on Goliath at Six Flags Great America, the Lightning Rod at Dollywood, or Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain, you’ve seen their handiwork in action.

In this episode, Jake takes us behind the scenes at RMC to share a bit about the manufacturing process, what it’s like working as a close-knit team, and how RMC has grown so quickly. You’ll hear about the secrets of RMC’s success, why planning is essential with any type of manufacturing, and how to keep a positive mindset when things get tough.

We round off the talk by swapping roller coaster stories, and Jake explains why seeing the finished project and how it makes people feel makes it all worthwhile.

In this episode, find out:

• What it’s like to be in the business of “selling smiles”
• The typical RMC manufacturing process
• How RMC grew quickly and learned important lessons along the way
• Why you need solid plans no matter what area of manufacturing you’re in
• What the typical timeframe to complete a project looks like
• Why anything is possible, it’s all just down to mindset
• What it’s like working as a close-knit team
• Why grit and determination are the most important tools of the trade

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “You can work on something forever to try to make it more efficient, or just make it better. But there has to be a point where you say, okay, this is acceptable, and it's on time.”
• “Anything is possible. You just have to change your frame of mind.”
• “We're a fun, family-owned, hard-working company that focuses on fun. And thankfully, we're in an industry that's solely based on selling smiles.”

Links & mentions:

• Rocky Mountain Construction, roller coaster designer and manufacturer based in Hayden, Idaho
• This Is How We Roll, a documentary about RMC created by Coaster Studios
• Mad Bomber Brewing Company, brewery located in Hayden, ID

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.