To share more about Brookings county and the community, I’d like to share some information about a large company that employs many people in the area, Larson Manufacturing. The company was founded in 1954 by Oscar Larson, initially called Larson Distribution Company, in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
It’s an interesting story. Oscar was a 62-year-old homeowner trying to put up storm windows on the second story of his house – ah, the joys of owning a home! The experience led him to a one-man operation with the desire to produce a better product. He was now designing his own windows and opened a regional door, window and aluminum awning company that would only continue to grow.
Exactly 10 years later, LARSON opened a plant in Brookings, South Dakota, where they remain today as the largest manufacture of storm doors and storm windows in the United States. The same year, 1964, Dale Larson became President and CEO. He chose Brookings for the company expansion because of the location and educational system. Similar reasons one might choose to move into this great community!
In any home you’ve lived in, you have a pretty good chance of seeing a product produced by LARSON. They make storm doors and windows, porch and sunroom windows, screen products and steel security doors. They can be seen in almost every community across the country as they ship to more than 6,000 retailers.
I know I’ve seen plenty of their products over the years and it’s one of the first things I notice when walking into every home as I look to see if there’s a LARSON storm door installed. Living in the community that produces these products certainly brings it to the top of my mind.
As a company that’s proud to manufacture in the United States, LARSON employs more than 1,000 people in Brookings and leads the industry with America’s #1 selling storm door. While they are headquartered in Brookings, LARSON’s door and window products are also produced in Lake Mills, Iowa; Mocksville, North Carolina; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
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