With President Trump back in the White House, there’s been a lot of talk about making sure that more products are Made in America. Manufacturing has been struggling nationwide for quite some time now. You might not know this, but South Dakota is actually one of the only states in the nation where manufacturing is growing! Our manufacturing jobs are up over the last decade. We’re making sure that products are not only Made in America – but Made in South Dakota! 

Without giving away too many details – I recently visited a business that is moving towards taking over production of key components for two large companies in their industry. These companies had been having these components manufactured in China, but now they’re reshoring that business. These products will be Made in South Dakota – that’s fantastic news! 

My Open for Opportunity tour across the state has been a great opportunity to visit all kinds of businesses. I’ve especially enjoyed the wide variety of manufacturers in communities in every corner of South Dakota. A lot of them feature a heavy dose of welding, which is my favorite hobby! My staff often jokes that they better move me along before I pick up a cutting torch and decide it’s time to go to work for a South Dakota manufacturer. 

I’ve been to so many great manufacturers. Here are some businesses that I’ve visited, all of whom manufacture things that you maybe didn’t know are Made in South Dakota: 

• 20 years ago, Masaba moved to South Dakota. Since then, their growth has been off the charts, and they’re adding on another 145,000 square food expansion, which will further strengthen the Vermillion community. They make incredible heavy-duty equipment to keep materials moving.
• Manitou in Yankton designed the first rough-terrain masted forklift and make other similar implements. I was quite impressed by their strong and growing operation!
• Solventum in Brookings is a key manufacturer of healthcare products. They help keep our economy, our workforce, and our public health strong.
• Scherer, Inc. in Sioux Falls makes high-performance roller mills to deliver precision grinding, crushing, and flattening for a variety of products, primarily in agriculture. They tailor every roll, mill, and service to their customer’s specific needs.
• VRC Metal Systems in Box Elder does some incredible high-tech welding, and much of their work supports Ellsworth Airforce Base. Their innovative technologies are a great economic engine for our state.
• Glacial Lakes Rubber and Plastic in Watertown goes through about 45,000 pounds of rubber a week to make soles for the majority of combat boots for our U.S. military – and many other shoes besides.
• RPM & Associates, Inc. uses laser scanning technology and automatic welding systems to make impressive 3D printed metal components. Who knew that rocket parts were being made in Rapid City!

I could name off a whole lot more businesses that are doing incredible work – but if I did, I’d run out of column inches! 

We make some pretty incredible things here in South Dakota. More businesses are choosing to move here all the time, and our existing companies are making hefty expansions at seemingly every turn. I’m proud of everything that our state is making. 

As President Trump continues focusing on reshoring more manufacturing, South Dakota is very well situated to continue our strong growth. And to each and every South Dakota manufacturer: thank you for what you do to keep South Dakota Open for Opportunity.