Passion and dreams come together in Colorado's premier glassblowing studio.
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Back in 2004 the dream happened and what would become Elev8 Premier started as a need.
Glassblowing back in 2004 was much different than it is today. There was no YouTube and most all glass techniques were secret so learning the glassblowing craft was not something one could easily do.
Starting in Colorado Springs with the goal to build the Silver Surfer, Steve set out to find blowers to help, but it did not turn out, so he got the glassblowing bible from Bandhu Dunham.
Ordering supplies and some tools, Steve started his journey into glass. With the popularity of the Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer, the team of glass blower grew to 13. Times changed, it all grew and it all shrunk.
While life changes it is what you make of it. Today Elev8 Premier has become the finest studio in Colorado offering custom glass, glassblowing classes and even internships.
The Studio
Elev8 Premier consists of 16 bench stations and 5 working lathes (1 coming on line in 2023). There is a wet room for cold working glass as well as a sand blasting machine. With this studio the team is able to creat some of the finest borosilcate glass on earth.
A Studio, School and a way to give back!
With Elev8 Premier reaching 13 blowers, there was a need to create a glass education. Teaching over 50+ people from scratch, the Elev8 Premier glass blowing team learned a lot of what not to do, and what to do better. In time we found a really neat glassblowing 101 class called Liquid Arts.
With the success of the beginner class and in time working with an amazing veteran (Theresa), Elev8 Veterans was born. Elev8 Premier now is able to give a little back to those that gave to us.
Throughout the SSV journey, a customer/fan Robert M. was to call him up and tell him a story about meeting Willie Nelson. Let Steve tell the story here, it’s pretty cool.
“So Robert calls me up, we have this refer 6 people and get a free SSV. Robert is at 4 he says and wants to buy 2 more and get his free one. The two he wants to buy are going to Willie Nelson and Woody Haralson. Ok, I say how did this happen? Driving up the mountain on Maui he sees this washed-out guy struggling to get up the road. He pulls over to give him a ride and low and behold it is Woody Haralson. As they go up the mountain they end up talking about cannabis and the SSV comes up. They stop at Robert's house for a vape session and Woody says hay, grab that machine and let's go for a ride. The ride takes them to a house and inside this house is Willie Nelson, haha wow! Robert sets up the SSV and Willie is happy with it as was Woody.”The story sounds pretty cool and Steve says hay, why not make them extra cool.
We had just found out what powder coating was and when we found out Woody liked Green and Willie liked black and gold, it made it easy to get the powder coat colors now available on the SSV as it was perfect timing.
Steve made some cool glass to match and out the door the kits went along with Roberts free one. Time slipped on by like Steve Millers’ song. Then he gets a call from Robert saying how great they loved the units. WOW, was it real????
Then about 3-6 months later Rusty calls up to place an order for a 6 pack of SSV’s, never asking for anything free, just hook it up brother with 6 of your best. Then reality hit when it was paid for on a CC using the name Willie Nelson.
This was the first of a total of 36 that Rusty would pick up for Willie. Willie maybe unknowingly the #1 retail customer of the SSV. Soon Steve was on track to meet Willie at a Red Rocks show. Steve got to go to the show, back stage and all, but the meet was canceled as he got pushed aside by some big time Democrats from the DNC convection at the time. Oh well, it was nuts!!!!
In the late 2000’s we made a connection with Cypress Hill! They fell in love with the SSV and we got to make an SSV just for them with their art!
On top of that we got invited to the Smokeout Festival in 2010 and broke history with them.
NO smoking was allowed, we were the answer! Our crew made it out there and crushed it! We have about 15 vapes set up, and the lines to use them never ended!
Yes, people got their joints in, pipes in, but remember it was new, it was still scary. So, many many people were enjoying for the first time riding the wave with the Silver Surfer Vaporizer. We came back in 2011 and things had already changed a lot with the laws. We crushed it again!
Later he got a call from Dereck Trucks and was confirmed that Willie had a SSV, and Derek wanted one too. Much of the Trucks family placed an order and WOW, a legendary experience cherished to this day by Steve.
On the tour bus Steve learned about how Willie was using a broken wand, so that led to an improvement on the SSV that all tubing goes inside the glass rather than over, so obvious but hard to see.
Another great story is working with Blues Traveler.
Growing up Steve was given a harmonica by his grandfather (never learned it will). But he loved Jon Popper on the instrument and when an order came in, WOW.
So it went further and then we got to talk and meet them in person, yes at Red Rocks! Yes, and we even made it into the sacred green room of Red Rocks.
THANK you Blues Traveler! Many many years later we got a call, hey I need this thing fixed, its is the daily driver and the house got struck by lightning. Not cool, but it feels good to know it is still being used!
It is nuts what was to happen over the course of time that the SSV was to become a part of over 300+ bands of all genres. To this day, metal has been the strongest supporter of the SSV, but again embraced by all musicians.
Steve has been able to tour the tunnels of Red Rocks, meet members of some of the biggest bands all from how they fell in love with the idea of the SSV. A healthier way to consume a plant they loved.
Built by a team of people that put their all into the products they make, as well as help define the industry since 2004.
The Elev8 team has adopted its code of ethics from being real and wanting the best for themselves and America.
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