TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Two Tucson businesses are teaming up to turn local workforce training into a thriving manufacturing partnership—and the results are already showing.
Sonoran Stitch Factory is producing portable horse mattresses for PasturePuff, a Tucson-based company founded by Katie Ferencik after she said her own ponies developed a painful hoof condition. As orders grew, Ferencik turned to Sonoran Stitch Factory to increase production.
Many of the workers now sewing those mattresses are graduates of a workforce development program that Sonoran Stitch Factory owner and founder Erica Yngve helped run.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Local non-profit teaches industrial sewing to students across Arizona
The program trained more than 200 people in industrial sewing over four years, Yngve shared, before funding ran out and the program moved to Phoenix in 2025.
Yngve said those skills have allowed her factory to take on larger and more complex projects—including the work for PasturePuff.
"It's full circle. It's a small part of the ecosystem, the economic system of Tucson that is actually coming full circle again," Yngve said.
Ferencik said the local connection makes the partnership especially meaningful.
"I love being able to see the people who are actually making the mattresses and getting to know them and having them be part of our story," Ferencik said.
PasturePuff recently received a $10,000 Amber Grant and is now in the running for another $50,000 at the end of the year—money Ferencik said could help both businesses continue to grow.
For Yngve, the partnership is an example of what can happen when Tucson businesses invest in local skills and in each other.
"All these pieces in Tucson are working together to actually make a difference and we're starting to see the fruits of that labor right now," Yngve said.
Yngve said she hopes the momentum continues to build.
"I'm very excited to see where this is going to go, how many more businesses I can help, how many more people I can employ with these skilled trades, and then how we can actually contribute significantly to the Tucson economy," Yngve said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
——
Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
