Page 9 - 2018 Someplace Special

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olidly rooted in agriculture and agribusiness, Austin is a community
pipe jacking and tunneling equipment that accurately installs a variety of
with an international reach. We are home to companies that produce • Akkerman, established in 1973, develops, manufactures and supports quality
goods that are shipped around the world. We are home to cutting-edge cancer underground infrastructure. They employ around 70 people.
research and technology that has uniquely positioned us to develop and expand
bio-business opportunities. And we are surrounded by some of the most • IBI Data, a foodservice database marketing, warehouse and fulfillment
productive farmland in the world. company, employs approximately 60 people, providing information and support
services for food manufacturers throughout the country.
Mower County is among the state’s leaders in corn, soybean and hog production, • Cooperative Response Center, Inc. is a leading 24-hour call center, providing
providing a strong foundation for agribusiness and bio-science.
dispatching and alarm monitoring services to electric utilities and other
industries across the nation. CRC employs more than 120 professional staff at
Austin is home to Hormel Foods Corporation, a multinational manufacturer and its Austin location.
marketer of consumer-branded food products. Over 30 of their brands are No. 1 or
No. 2 in their category. Founded in 1891, the company has more than $9 billion • Smyth Companies, LLC creates labels and related full-color print material,
in annual sales and is the only Fortune 500 company located in Greater Minnesota. primarily for food companies. Smyth is a leader in new printing technology,
Hormel Foods employs nearly 3,000 people in its corporate offices, research and and employs over 60 people in two Austin locations.
development facility, and its 1.3 million sq. ft. flagship plant in Austin.
• McFarland Truck Lines, a regional over-the-road trucking firm employing
The success of the company further enriches the community through the approximately 150 staff and drivers, serves major industries across the
philanthropy of The Hormel Foundation. One of the largest in the State of Midwest.
Minnesota, the foundation controls over 48 percent of the Hormel Foods
Corporation and has contributed more than $200 million to community programs Making Austin’s business sector strong is the commitment of local government,
and projects since established in 1941. To qualify for Foundation awards, charitable post-secondary education and training, the financial community, and nonprofit
organizations must be located within or directly affect the Austin area. organizations such as the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce and the Development
Corporation of Austin (DCA).
The community’s second largest employer is Quality Pork Processor, Inc., a privately
held, fresh meat processor. QPP employs over 1,300 men and women in Austin. Since the founding of the Hormel Foods Corporation to the present, Austin has been
a place that welcomes early stage business enterprises and nurtures their growth.
Other leading industries located in the Austin area include: While much of our economy remains firmly rooted in the soil, Austin embraces a

• The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, is a world-renowned growing list of industries that feel our community is someplace special and a
biomedical cancer research center, whose work is consistently published in great place to grow their business.
leading scientific journals. The state-of-the-art facility employs more than
200 people, including leading scientists from around the world.

• International Paper is a producer of corrugated packaging primarily for the food
industry. Austin’s facility opened in 1954 and employs about 150 people.