ABOVE: Students in a CTE class at Granada-Huntley-East Chain School look at a piece of drain tile last Thursday while on a tour of ADS in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– On Oct. 5, students in a CTE (Careers and Technical Education) class at Granada-Huntley-East Chain (GHEC) School toured ADS (Advanced Drainage Systems) in Fairmont. On that day ADS participated in a Tour of Manufacturing of South Central Minnesota.

Josh Stangler, plant manager of ADS in Fairmont, said that they wanted to open it up to the community and potential job seekers to show them the expansion and the new automation that has been added to the facility.

In the beginning of 2021, ADS embarked on a $15 million expansion. In that it acquired an additional 14 acres with the intention of expanding the yard so that there would be more storage for pipe. An additional 40,000 sq. ft was added, along with another production line with the goal of adding another down the road.

The expansion resulted in 15 additional jobs, which Stangler said they’re in the process of hiring for.

He said ADS wanted to be included in the tour to show people, especially students, what they do and what potential for employment they provide.

“For those that maybe college isn’t a first option, we’re trying to get more exposure to the younger generation and the broader community,” he said.

Granada-Huntley-East Chain’s principal, Andy Walden, said that eight students went with Dan Anderson, a CTE teacher at GHEC, on a tour of several manufacturing plants last Thursday.

“Not all students have four year college in mind so this gives them the opportunity to see a career field they might be inserted in,” he said.

Walden said that ADS reached out to the school through Tammie Hested with Minnesota Valley Action Council to see if the school was interested in sending students out for a tour.

“We were more than happy to do that,” Walden said.

At ADS, students went on a half hour manufacturing tour led by Stangler which showed the production area. Students had the opportunity to ask questions about jobs available and educational requirements.

“Anything that we can do to help support our students and their future beyond high school is something we’re going to encourage and try to give opportunities for,” Walden said.

While not on the Tour of Manufacturing committee, Hested said that many manufacturing companies throughout southern Minnesota opened up their doors for the purpose of a tour. She herself went on a tour of ADS earlier in the day along with some other local leaders.

“ADS was the only one in southern Minnesota that did it,” Hested said.

She said they really wanted to get students to come and she was asked to reach out the local schools on behalf of ADS.

“Andy Walden was one that got back to me. A group of students was doing a tour so they finished it there,” Hested said.

She pointed out that a lot of people likely don’t know what kind of work is done at ADS so it provided an opportunity to expose students to the work that’s done there and the employment opportunities that come with it.

“If they don’t know, they don’t know,” Hested said.“It’s giving students the opportunity to se what’s out there and learn about manufacturing in our area.”