Adiverse group of companies helps keep the Hutchinson-area economy strong at a time when there are signs of economic weakness elsewhere in the state and nationally.

Having two large employers such as Hutchinson Technology Inc. (2,500) and 3M (1,500) forms a good base. But other companies in metal fabricating and plating, department store display fixtures, concrete, food additives, specialty packaging, printed materials, agricultural equipment and a new customer service call center widen the employment base.

The following is a sketch of local industries:

Ag Systems
1180 State Highway 7 E.; (320) 587-4030
www.agsystemsonline.com

This company, founded in 1965, manufactures hitches, trailers, bulk fertilizer truck bodies and chemical sprayer applicators. Craig Lenz, the son of founder Dick Lenz, now deceased, is president.

American Energy Systems
150 Michigan St. S.E.; (320) 587-6565
www.hearthdirect.com

This company, founded in 1973 in a small South Dakota town by president Mike Haefner, builds corn-burning appliances to provide safe alternative heating for customers who want a warm home using natural fuels. It moved to Hutchinson in 1984. American Energy Systems has a 30,000-square-foot factory in the industrial park. It acquired Country Flame Technologies of Marshfield, Mo., in early 2008.

Knife River Corp.
1250 Fifth Ave. S.E.; (320) 587-4343
www.kniferiver.com

Formerly known as Bauerly Concrete, this company supplies ready-mix concrete and other products for the construction industry.

Crow River Press
170 Shady Ridge Road; (320) 587-2062
E-mail: chris@crowriverpress.com

More than 40 area weekly newspapers, shopper publications and ag-related newsletters are printed by this company. Crow River Press also has a full-service commercial printing department, including typesetting and design, and quick-print, high-quality sheet fed and web printing.

Customer Elation
1100 Fifth Avenue Southeast;
(952) 653-0801
Web site: www.customerelation.com

Bloomington-based Customer Elation, founded in 1993, expects to open in April 2008, a customer service call center for 50 well-known consumer products companies. It plans to employ about 100 people within a year and perhaps as many as 200 within two years.

Goebel Fixture Co.
528 Dale St.; (320) 587-2112
Web site: www.gf.com

Fred Goebel founded this company 73 years ago as a furniture fix-it shop that grew into kitchen cabinetry. It has evolved into a nationally recognized leader in the store fixture and retail interiors industry, providing high-quality architectural millwork, store fixtures, displays and cosmetic islands for many nationally recognized retailers.

Haugen Furniture
25 Michigan St.; (320) 587-2541
Web Site: www.haugenfurniture.com
E-mail: info@haugenfurniture.com

Darrell Haugen founded this company in June 1991. It crafts solid oak desks and home office furniture for a national market. It also does some contract woodwork.

Hutchinson Concrete
21563 State Highway 7 W.;
(320) 587-3334
hutchcon@hutchtel.net

Hutchinson Concrete opened eight years ago. It supplies ready-mix concrete products to residential and commercial customers in McLeod, Meeker, Renville, western Carver and Wright counties. Reiner Contracting, a commercial grading contractor and aggregate sand and gravel provider, is next door at 21541 State Highway 7 W.

Hutchinson Cooperative
1110 Highway 7 W.; (320) 587-3079
www.hutchcoop.com

Hutchinson Co-op was established in 1955. It offers members a full-service cooperative with grain and feed, agronomy, energy and service station departments. Annual sales top $20 million.

In addition to marketing grain and producing feed at its elevator/feed mill complex at 1060 Fifth Ave., Hutchinson Co-op also operates a full car-care center and home energy division at 1110 Highway 7 W. Mike Connor is general manager.

Hutchinson Technology Inc.
40 W. Highland Park Drive;
(320) 587-3797
Web site: www.htch.com

Hutchinson Technology Inc. is an internationally known company employing about 2,500 people in Hutchinson. Two men started 42 years ago in a converted chicken coop. Jeff Green is the company’s co-founder and chairman of the board. Wayne Fortun is president and CEO.

HTI produces a majority of the world’s supply of suspension assemblies, a part that holds the recording heads of rigid disk drives in position above the spinning magnetic disk surface. The company’s Hutchinson headquarters and manufacturing facility covers more than 750,000 square feet. It also has facilities in Sioux Falls, S.D., Eau Claire, Wis., and Plymouth, Minn.

Hutchinson Leader
36 Washington Ave. W.;
(320) 587-5000
www.hutchinsonleader.com
E-mail: news@hutchinsonleader.com

The Leader’s roots go back 128 years to when Civil War veteran Calvin P. Smith founded it in July 1880 as a weekly paper. Now published Tuesday and Thursday, the Leader has an audited circulation of 5,549 and is recognized as a top newspaper in both Minnesota and the U.S.

The Weekend Leader Shopper is a companion paper with an audited circulation of 22,362.

The Leader’s Web site, hutchinsonleader.com, carries news as well as a significant amount of community information, history, classified, real estate, automotive and employment advertising.

The neighboring Litchfield Independent Review and Meeker County Advertiser are sister papers of the Leader. The Independent Review was founded four years before the Leader in 1876.

Hutchinson Manufacturing
720 Highway 7 W.; (320) 587-4653
Web site: www.hutchmfg.com

Tom Daggett is president of this company founded by his father, Eugene, who is now deceased. Hutchinson Manufacturing is a job shop metal fabricator specializing in custom fabrication of products in two buildings totaling 92,000 square feet. Its customers are primarily in the agricultural and energy producing industries.

Impressions Inc.
235 Eastgate Drive; (320) 587-0235
Web site: www.i-i.com

This Twin Cities company founded in 1967 came to Hutchinson 12 years ago. Its employees specialize in four-color custom commercial printing, folding cartons and carded packaging.

Lynn Card Co.
335 Michigan St.; (320) 587-6120
Web site: www.lynncard.com
E-mail: info@lynncard.com

Lynn Card Co. is a mail-order company that manufactures and markets specialized greeting cards throughout the United States and Canada. Eric Knutson is president.

Marshall Concrete Products Inc.
311 State Highway 7 E.; (320) 587-5019
www.marshallconcreteproducts.com

This company, headquartered in northeast Minneapolis, was founded in 1936. The Hutchinson plant, which was purchased in 2000, began more than 100 years ago as Madson Brick and Tile, manufacturing clay brick and field tile.

Today, the company specializes in making foundation and retaining wall block in many styles and sizes.

Pride Solutions
120 Eastgate Drive S.E.;
(320) 587-0760
www.plasticspecialties.com
www.may-wes-mfg.com

This company started as a family business in 1972. Through its two divisions, Plastic Specialties and May-Wes, it has become a significant supplier of plastic components for manufacturers of agricultural machinery. Its 24,000-square-foot Hutchinson plant was built in 1997.

Ohly Americas
35 Adams St. N.;
(320) 587-2481 and (800) 321-2689
www.ohly.com
info@ohly.us

This plant owned by a Germany-based company has been manufacturing yeast using a unique continuous fermentation process since 1975. The factory specializes in the continuous fermentation of torula yeast for the manufacture of torula yeast-based flavor ingredients. Ohly Americas products may be found in many foods, including processed meats, soups, sauces and gravies. The plant sits on the site of the original Hutchinson Creamery.

Rath Racing
1459 Adams St. S.E.
(320) 234-7223
www.rathracing.com

Daryl Rath began manufacturing accessory parts for the sport of motorcross about 12 years ago. He opened his 10,000-square-foot factory and showroom in 2006.

RHC Plating
540 Third Ave. N.W.; (320) 587-3389
www.newdimensionplating.com
ndpgold@hutchtel.net

This company is a job-finishing shop specializing in the finishing and plating of parts for many nationally recognized companies. RHC Plating also goldplates stained-glass windows. Ty Carlson founded the company in 1956 as a polishing shop now covering 21,000 square feet. Dick Desen, who owned the company since 1986, sold it Dec. 1, 2007, to Mike Rozeske.

Stearnswood
320 Third Ave. N.W.;
(320) 587-2137
www.stearnswood.com
corey@stearnswood.com

This company was founded 116 years ago as a lumberyard. It is now managed by president Corey Stearns, the fourth generation of the Stearns family in the business. Stearnswood designs, distributes and manufactures containers made not only of wood, but heavy-duty, corrugated fiber board, exotic cushioning foam and specialized hardware. Its custom-transport packaging goes to about 150 customers in diverse industries.

Structural Specialties
20498 State Highway 15 N.;
(320) 587-6719

This 31-year-old company owned by Russell Barrick builds metal and concrete bridges. It also uses backhoes to clean ditches and lake shores, and provides hauling services.

3-D CNC
1055 Fifth Ave. SE.; (320) 587-5923
www.3dcnc.com

Co-owners Robert Malone and Randy Dague started this precision tool company in 1989. It has grown to 30 people who manufacture precision tooling, prototypes and the design and building of automation equipment. 3-D CNC expanded to 14,500 square feet in January 2005.

3M
905-915 Adams St. S.E.;
(320) 234-2000
www.3M.com

3M, an internationally known diverse manufacturer, has been in Hutchinson for 60 years. The site is its largest U.S. one-site manufacturing plant, employing 1,500 people. Among the more than 5,000 products made are Scotch brand Magic tape, Post-it brand tape flags and electrical tape. Michael Retterath is the plant manager.

Warrior Manufacturing
Fifth Avenue Southeast;
(507) 644-5795
www.warriormfgllc.com

This 29-year-old Redwood Falls-based company broke ground on a 92,000-square-foot factory in Hutchinson’s industrial park in September 2006. Production began in mid-2007. By early 2008, 24 employees were building catwalks, bridges, walkways and support towers for agricultural facilities such as ethanol plants, grain elevators and other processing plants. Paul Soukup is president.