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Governor’s Office of Economic Development
711 E. Wells Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 773-3301
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 25, 2005
CONTACT: Mary Lehecka Nelson, 773-3301
Baldwin Filters Hosts Open Hours to Showcase New Production Line
Pierre, SD – State, community and company officials today gathered at Baldwin Filters to showcase a new production line at the Yankton company. The addition of a second line will create 26 jobs.
Gov. Mike Rounds commended Baldwin Filters for the role it has played in enhancing economic development in South Dakota. “Baldwin Filters has been a recognized leader in its industry for nearly 75 years. It’s that kind of leadership that drives the economy of this state forward,” he said.
Baldwin Filters manufactures a wide array of filtration products. The new assembly line will produce air filters used on heavy duty diesel engines. “We opened our first urethane Radial Seal line in 2003 and we are pleased to be able to open our second line so quickly,” said Monte Gulick, operations manager for Baldwin Filters. “This particular line can produce more than 150 different products,” he said.
The new line is a multi-million dollar project for the company. “This is a huge capital investment for the City of Yankton and for all of South Dakota,” said Jim Hagen, secretary, Department of Tourism and State Development. “In-state expansions like this one go a long way toward helping achieve the 2010 goal of increasing the Gross State Product by $10 billion by the year 2010,” he added.
Gulick praised both Yankton and state officials for their role in making this project a reality. “We have a wonderful working relationship with both of these organizations,” he said. “Frankly, it was the solid relationships that prompted us to put our second line in our Yankton facility,” he said.
The two organizations also helped fund the training of the new employees. “We received money from both the Workforce Development Program and the Yankton Area Progressive Growth Grant,” Gulick said. “This support helped relieve some of the economic strain that comes when you bring on that many new employees at one time,” he concluded.
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