J & B Manufacturing was formed in 1994 to provide engine rebuilding services in the oil and gas industry. The company quickly expanded to produce quality machined parts for a variety of clients in a range of industries across Colorado’s Front Range. Ryan Friesth joined the team in 2018 as a CNC machinist, then moved into a programming role, and was promoted to General Manager in 2023. He acquired the firm in 2025 with his wife, Hadley, and changed the name to J & B Manufacturing. Ryan and Hadley feel the name J & B Manufacturing encompasses the capabilities of J & B and lacks the stigma of being “just a machine shop”.

Ryan has built on the solid foundation of J & B and applied his strong background in oil and gas machining, as well as his extensive knowledge of the defense sector, to working and managing the machine shop floor to diversify into new processes and capabilities. Ryan strives to create a culture based on quality, teamwork, and communication.

J & B Manufacturing works with mid-size to large customers located all across the US. We are a licensed arms manufacturer with SOT and FFL, enabling us to manufacture every component on a firearm, from the civilian markets to DoD markets as a sub-prime contractor. J & B also is very well established in the oil and gas industry, manufacturing several key items from exploration to production in the field.

J & B Manufacturing has instituted a strict Buy American policy. From employee apparel to machinery and raw materials, the company buys from U.S. vendors and sources, avoiding the quality variability, IP vulnerability, and supply chain disruptions commonly faced by U.S. manufacturers that purchase from international sources. Additionally, as Ryan points out, “We want to do our part to preserve U.S. manufacturing—it’s really the backbone of a strong national economy.”