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They call it the “Not So Heavy Metal” tour. It’s a lighthearted effort by Minnesota-based Alexandria Industries to introduce middle and high school students — as well the general public — to manufacturing.

While the name is humorous, it belies an issue that is anything but. The component manufacturing company, with about 550 employees roughly two hours north of the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, faces an acute problem affecting many rural manufacturers: a shortage of workers to fill skilled and unskilled positions.

WCCO TV's (CBS) Pat Kessler and Esme Murphy visited Alexandria Industries during their 'Goin To The Lake' series. The two reporters toured our facility at 401 County Road 22 NW in Alexandria, and learned about what we do. We discussed our job openings, and the work we are doing to grow our future workforce by showing students the great careers they can have working in manufacturing.

Thumbs Up: Here's a "thumbs up" to Alexandria Industries for organizing another "Fishing for the Cure" Ice Fishing Tournament that raises money for the American Cancer Society. The event, which will take place Saturday, Feb. 17 on Smith Lake, has grown by leaps and bounds.

Smith Lake anglers on Saturday, Feb. 17, will not only be trying to pull in walleyes, but raising money to fight cancer. Organizers say the Fishing For the Cure Ice Fishing Challenge will seek to raise $50,000 for cancer this year. In 2017, the group exceeded its $30,000 goal by pulling in $38,000 for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life of Douglas County.

On-site and near-site clinics, along with wellness programs, are producing good results for employees of Minnesota companies. Lynette Kluver didn't realize it at the time, but a joke she made during a business meeting would change people's lives and her employer's bottom line.

It's time to celebrate an industry that's a powerful contributor to the economies of Minnesota and Douglas County — manufacturing. October 1-7 is Minnesota Manufacturing Week for a reason. Manufacturing accounts for one in nine jobs in the state. When you add in jobs in other industries that are dependent on manufacturing, each manufacturing job generates another 2.21 jobs in other segments of the economy.

Alexandria Industries, which designs and makes aluminum industrial products, doesn’t look like an “alternative-energy” company. However, about 10 percent of its 400 employees in Alexandria, Minn., produce aluminum arrays for the fast-growing solar-energy industry.

The North American extrusions market, which has been seeing slow but steady growth for the past eight years, seems as it it will continue on a similar trajectory at least for the next year or so despite all of the political uncertainties that could potentially affect it. Year over year growth for U.S. and Canadian aluminium extruded products demand has been relatively...

Roger Klug started talking about retirement as he neared age 65 a few years ago, but his bosses wouldn't hear of it.

Klug had been the 13th employee at the company, Alexandria Industries, when he joined in 1971. He had unique skills from the start, when he was the only one who "corrected" aluminum extrusion molds by grinding away precise slivers — by hand — until the mold met specifications. Over the years he excelled at picking up the newest technologies.

As a full-service manufacturer of aluminum extruded and precision-machined components, Alexandria Industries never imagined its capital equipment would one day include an exam table and a blood pressure machine. But significant increases in medical premiums and expenses over the last several years prompted the company to take action. In September 2016, Alexandria Industries became one of a handful of manufacturers in Minnesota to open its own independent health clinic.