Vernon Estes

In 1957, G. Harry Stine and Orville Carlisle founded the first model rocket company, Model Missiles Incorporated, in Denver, Colorado. By 1959, the demand for rocket engines was too great for their production capabilities, so they sought out an external supplier. The Estes family business was the first fireworks company listed in the Denver phone book.

Their son, Vern, took it upon himself to find a way to mechanize the production of model rocket engines. He assembled a machine which he named "Mabel," capable of producing a rocket engine every 5.5 seconds. The machine was powered by compressed air and hydraulics, which reduced the chances of accidental fire or explosion common in machines using electrical controls which could produce sparks.

Subsequently Model Missiles, Inc. closed due to a series of unsuccessful business decisions. Although a model rocketry supplier had disappeared, the market still existed, due to public interest in the burgeoning Space Race.

As a result, Estes formed his own company, Estes Industries, to address this market.