(Jackson, Mn.)– It’s official. An additional 150 jobs are coming to Jackson, Minnesota’s largest employer.
Officials with AgCo, parent company of Ag-Chem, announced today (Thursday) Jackson has been selected as the site for its Challenger Track tractor manufacturing facility. Those operations are currently being conducted at an AgCo plant in DeKalb, Illinois. That plant will close in late May, and the jobs transferred to Jackson, where the Agco/AgChem plant currently employs about 900 people.
Dale Jones, Vice President of Manufacturing at the Jackson plant, says he feels the decision is a vote of confidence by AgCo of its local operations and reflects positively on the staff and employees in Jackson.
Jones says they plan to have the tractor production up and running in Jackson in June, with the first Challenger tractor to roll off the local assembly line sometime in July.
Jackson Economic Development Director Tom Willett says U-S Senator Norm Coleman has pledged a commitment to work on the project and has directed his staff to identify potential sources of funding to expand a runway at the airport. City officials are also working on plans to build a new motel. Those were two factors the company said was critical in making its decision.
Hesston, Kansas had also been in the running for the additional jobs.
