With four decades of manufacturing expertise and relationships that reach across the planet, Pat Conarro brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to our company. Born into an entrepreneurial family that grew several laundromats, carwashes, and gas stations into a global private label novelty manufacturing business, Pat’s journey in manufacturing began in the tool and die room, working with manual machines to build high-precision molds and dies. As the family business expanded, Pat played a crucial role in introducing pneumatic and hydraulic automation to the factory floor. 

In 1986, he graduated from Penn State University, becoming one of the first CAD/CAM mold-makers, using cardboard ticker tape programs to operate CNC machines. His skills were quickly recognized, leading to a position at Complex Tooling in Boulder, Colorado, where he built production lines for companies like IBM and HP. Pat's career then took him to the Northwest, where he worked on tooling and automation contracts for Nike, Kenworth, and Boeing, and spent several years developing heart defibrillators for Boston Scientific. In the early 1990s, he returned to Colorado to co-found MicroTool, a high-precision systems calibration business. His expertise expanded to include IoT embedded systems, PCB design, PLC systems, robotic programming, and servo motor and vibration tuning.

Pat became a leading figure in the semiconductor industry, working with companies across Europe, Asia, and North America. In the late 1990s, Intel adopted MicroTool’s robotic calibration systems for their 200mm and 300mm fabs, covering processes such as wafer fabrication, etch, implant, thin film deposition, and lithography. Pat also developed instruments to monitor backend semiconductor processes, which are now used in fabs worldwide.

In 2001, with 12 semiconductor-related patents, Pat sold MicroTool to Brooks Automation (BRKS : NASDAQ). Shortly after, the events of 9/11 led to significant industry changes, prompting Pat to shift his focus to renewable energy. He spent the next decade researching on-demand hydrogen production, developing a technology called Spintrolysis, which generated HHO fuel from a small glass reactor. Though innovative, the project was shelved due to market readiness concerns.

In the 2010s, Pat pivoted to developing The Copy Factory, a highly automated, lights-out manufacturing operation for small-scale wind, water, solar, and storage products. This effort led to the founding of ANEW Energy in 2017, aimed at addressing the climate crisis through scalable micro-grid solutions. Recognizing the need for capital access, Pat and his team created a blockchain solution to trade carbon credits, power purchase agreements, and more, leveraging the crypto market to finance product sales.

Pat has lived and worked globally, building IoT software in India, electronics in China, and hydrogen technologies in Thailand. Since the early 1980's he has known Colorado as home.  Pat came to Colorado to climb the big walls of Eldorado Cannon.  Pat's greatest rock stunt was to lead the Naked Edge in Eldorado Cannon.  His extensive network of innovators supports his grand vision of solving the climate crisis and child hunger. In 2021, Pat began his next phase, sharing his knowledge through the "Learn 2 Earn" advanced manufacturing curriculum at Navajo Technical University. He is committed to community service, providing support to the local blind community and at-risk youth. Pat's mission is to create a positive global impact and make himself accessible to those in need, with a particular focus on helping children living on the streets of India and America.