Company That Makes Asphalt Making Equipment Based in Waite Park

WAITE PARK (WJON News) -- Next week is Minnesota Manufacturing Week. The Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association says 20 businesses will offer in-person and virtual tours to students, parents and the public.

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Travis Mick is the Vice President of Business Development of CWMF Corporation in Waite Park. He says his company makes hot mix asphalt plants and components.

We manufacture the equipment that produces the material of the asphalt world and blacktop roads that we all drive on.

CWMF was established in 1968 and they started making asphalt equipment in 1988. They are a second-generation company that is now owned by Mick and his sister.

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They have 80 employees with their workforce doubling since 2016.

It's not that we have a revolving door it's just the growth and the demand of the industry. Our industry is directly tied to government funding.

Mick says manufacturers play a big role in Minnesota's economy.

Manufacturing is a huge part of the economy, it's roughly 10-12 percent of the contribution to Minnesota's economy. In 2023, the average pay in manufacturing was right around $79,000.

Manufacturing is the second largest industry in central Minnesota. It accounts for more than 15 percent of all employment in the region.