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Pine County backs $100,000 application to help Scott Manufacturing expand in Pine City
Summary
The Pine County Board voted to support a $100,000 Minnesota Investment Fund application to help Scott Manufacturing build a 12,000‑square‑foot assembly building in Pine City that company leaders say would create about 15 jobs and increase capacity for federal contracts requiring ready production by Jan. 1, 2027.
The Pine County Board voted to support a $100,000 application to the Minnesota Investment Fund to help Scott Manufacturing pay for a planned 12,000‑square‑foot assembly building in Pine City.
Leslie Solder, the county’s economic development coordinator, presented the public hearing request and said the funds would go into the county’s revolving loan fund and be loaned to the company over a proposed 10‑year term. “When a business is expanding like this, we pull people together that have development resources and funds,” Solder said.
Steve Burch, chief executive officer of Scott Manufacturing and ATS Holdings, told the board the $2.6 million project would clear space for assembly capacity and enable the company to hire roughly 15 additional workers. “We’re already booked almost $20 million in sales for the year,” Burch said, and added that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has a program to build up to 350 towers that would require firms to be ready for full‑rate production by Jan. 1, 2027.
Burch described the planned building as an assembly facility with four bays that would allow simultaneous assembly of multiple towers and staging capacity; much of the company’s existing machining work would remain in its current facility. He said Pine City contractors are being targeted for site work and that the county’s coordination is essential to meet tight state and contract timelines.
Commissioners asked about the county’s capacity to manage state grant paperwork and about timing; Solder said she will administer the application process and coordinate with the county auditor’s office and other partners. The board moved and seconded a resolution (Resolution 2026‑21) supporting the application; the motion carried by voice vote (individual roll‑call tallies were not specified in the transcript).
Next steps noted in the hearing record include finalizing the job creation fund and Minnesota Investment Fund applications and submitting them to the state for review; the county’s HEDA and staff will administer the loan agreement if awarded.
The board’s action does not itself commit county funding beyond supporting the state loan application; details about final loan terms and any county administration responsibilities will be determined if and when the state forwards funding documentation for board approval.
