Hats off to Minnesota manufacturers

It's Minnesota Manufacturers' Week, Oct. 20-24.

Here in west central Minnesota, we're awfully appreciative of the overall impact manufacturing has had on the region's economy. Back in the 1980s, when the farming and mining industries were in sharp decline, it was manufacturing that helped provide jobs for the region. West Central Initiative, with generous support from The McKnight Foundation, worked--and continues to work--to help manufacturers start up and expand their businesses, and train workers to do their jobs better and more efficiently.

In the last decade, west central Minnesota's manufacturing wages have steadily improved, and, in the last few years, although economic growth has been relatively flat in the state, west central Minnesota's economy has grown, thanks in part to our active manufacturing sector.

So, hats off to you, area manufacturers!