While many Minnesota manufacturers are household names, others fly under the radar — 84% of them employ fewer than 50 people, and 60% have fewer than 10 employees. Our state also enjoys a stunning variety of manufacturers operating across nearly every industry. Common to each of these successful companies is a relentless pursuit of improvement.
There’s no better showcase of that diverse base of industry and the drive to improve than this issue of Enterprise Minnesota magazine. Flip through the pages and you’ll find profiles of companies ranging from Mug Experience, a small family operation in Holdingford, to Lexington Manufacturing based in Brainerd and Coon Rapids, which is rapidly approaching its goal of $200 million in sales by 2028.
Mug Experience was started by husband-and-wife team Ben and Holly Torrens to produce customized gift shop items. After running their small manufacturing firm for years, the owners decided to focus exclusively on the color-changing mugs they design and imprint in the manufacturing building behind their house. With their small team of employees, they serve customers around the country, including Aramark, which supplies National Park gift shops, Disney, NASA, Caesars Casino, and Celestial Seasonings. As their company has grown, they have focused on improving process flow and empowering employees.
Lexington Manufacturing, a rapidly growing producer of window and door components, has OEM customers across the nation. The company’s leadership carefully cultivates a strategy that allows Lexington to grow with its customers while avoiding too much single-customer concentration. Leaders have also revamped the company’s “people development architecture” to ensure its hiring, on-boarding, and training processes provide a pipeline of qualified employees to support their goals. Lexington has also embraced continuous improvement in its production processes, boosting employee engagement on a daily basis.
This issue also includes features about the people behind the success of Minnesota manufacturing, such as Laura Rusich, the general manager of Cast7, a Hibbing-based foundry, and Fred Zimmerman, who, after decades of work in manufacturing and academia, continues to offer his insights and support for the industry. Also highlighted are how four education programs, Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing, the SkillsUSA competition, SciTech, and the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Youth Skills Training program, help prepare the next generation of skilled workers and connect them with manufacturers seeking qualified employees.
In short, this issue illustrates why Minnesota manufacturing hums along: Companies of every size are dedicated to improving their operations with support from talented professionals and educational institutions committed to preparing future workers.
Return to the Fall 2025 issue of Enterprise Minnesota® magazine.
