expand here — it’s building its future here. Plymouth Industries, a family of companies headquartered near Minneapolis, opened its Eden Valley site in 2023 and quickly found a second home. “Our oldest company goes back to 1959,” says Lance Hartmannn, CEO of Plymouth Industries.“A few years ago, we needed to expand. We set our sights on a location within about an hour of our headquarters, allowing us to share management resources. Eden Valley matched that need.” The decision quickly became about more than logistics. “From our first meeting with the City Council, we could tell the community is special,” Hartmann says. “People asked how they could help us succeed. You can see the pride in the town just by driving through. It feels like a good place with good people.” For employees, the move has been transformative. “We had staff who were driving more than an hour to our headquarters,” Hartmann explains. “Eden Valley gave them a chance to work closer to home. We launched the site with six people from headquarters, and now we’re at about twenty-two. Many are local. They want to stop commuting and build something right here.” The company maintains an open, ongoing dialogue with the city.“Brent and I keep a regular conversation,” Hartmann says.“I ask how we’re showing up, and we get honest feedback. That helps us be the kind of neighbor we want to be.And in turn, the community helps us find great people. It’s mostly word of mouth — and it works.” AUTOMATION AND AMBITION Plymouth Industries’ success in Eden Valley exceeded even its own expectations.“We didn’t anticipate how quickly we would fill the space,” Hartmann says. “We’re now looking for the next opportunity — and we’d like that to be right here in Eden Valley.” As the company integrates more automation into 83 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 11 EDEN VALLEY, MN
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