Calico Coatings, a coating company based in Denver, North Carolina, celebrates its 20th anniversary of business this year.

Founded “by racers, for racers,” Calico Coatings owner and racer Tracy Trotter started the company in 1997 by working with race teams and engine builders to solve issues of friction, wear, heat and corrosion, all with a little help from his grandmother.

“After working in the industry for several years, I knew I could do this for myself. So, with the little savings I had and a small loan from my grandmother, I opened the doors of Calico Coatings,” Trotter said.  

Starting with only two employees, Calico has now grown to 33 employees running two shifts in order to meet the growing demands of their customers.

One of Calico’s innovations in the coating technology include advances in thin films, leading to a productive last few years.

“We are poised to have the best year in the history of the company,” said Trotter. “It’s really exciting to see this happening on the company’s 20th anniversary year.”

Ten years ago, Calico added a laboratory to research and develop new coatings, including a diamond-like coating. By the end of 2012, Calico combined their operation into what is now their headquarters — a state-of-the-art, 20,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and research facility located in Denver, NC.

They are now exploring expanding its headquarters, as well as opening a second facility in Trotter’s home state of Texas.

Today, Calico’s performance coating knowledge and expertise are in demand across numerous high-performance industries including automotive/motorsports, the U.S. Military, aerospace, molds and dies, diesel engine, firearms and others.

For more information, visit www.calicocoatings.com.