Marble Arms earns recognition as top 50 company in Michigan

Marble Arms has long been a leader in the industry of making gun sights, but now they're being recognized as a leader in Michigan. 

The company, based in Gladstone, was recently recognized as one of the 2010 "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch," an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Businesses. 

The innovative company, which recently released its Catch .22 ammunition holder and gun loader, was honored during an awards ceremony April 29 in Lansing during the sixth annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event. 

"We are always looking for something new and innovative, trying to apply new technology to enhance our products," says Marble Arms President Craig Lauerman. "But then one day, I thought given Marble's rich history, that maybe I should start looking back in time instead of forward." 

Lauerman and Marble Arms turned vintage into innovative, announcing the Third Generation Game Getter Gun, which will be released later this year. The Game Getter Gun is the original trapper's gun, first designed by Webster Marble in 1908.

Companies making it to the "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch" list are a remarkable group of second-stage companies. Defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants, these companies form the back-bone of Michigan's economy. Representing all regions of the state and a diverse range of industries, companies like Marble Arms are known for their exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, creation of innovation or use of innovation in creative ways, and their sustainable competitive advantage.

Winners were selected by Michigan-based judges from the banking, economic development, entrepreneurship development and venture capital communities.