Politics & Government

Klobuchar to Visit Boring Machine Corp. in Fridley

U.S. Senator makes Fridley a stop on 'Made in America' tour.

in Fridley will be the first stop on a tour of Minnesota manufacturing companies that U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL-MN) is making on Thursday.

The Fridley firm is the kind of success story Klobuchar is seeking to highlight with the tour, according to her spokesman Ross Corson.

"Despite the economic difficulties, there are Minnesota companies that are adding new workers," Corson said. 

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Theresa Bloedow, controller at Boring Machine, confirmed claims about the company contained in a Klobuchar news release Wednesday morning:

  • 41 employees currently
  • 15 workers hired this year
  • Six more new job openings now

The company, incorporated in 1970, expanded earlier this year, adding a second Fridley location off of Main Street NE.

Find out what's happening in Fridleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Boring Machine makes precision parts for customers in the medical, aerospace, general aviation and defense industries. Bloedow said aerospace and defense have been the company's areas of emphasis recently.

One customer is , a defense-industry manufacturer with a major facility in Fridley. But Bloedow said Boring Machine supplies BAE facilities in several other states as well.

The company was the subject of an article in the latest issue of Precision Manufacturing, a state trade-association journal, that highlighted Boring Machine's willingness to "fire its customers."

Bloedow explained that meant giving up smaller jobs and focusing on six or seven major customers.

SBA Head In Fridley Too
Also visiting Boring Machine with Klobuchar will be Karen Mills, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

The company has benefited from SBA programs, including those targeted at minority-owned firms, Bloedow said. (The president of Boring Machine, Tom Chacon, is Hispanic.)

Klobuchar's tour also includes stops in Plymouth, Rochester, Winona, Wabasha and Red Wing. after a tornado damaged the City of Minneapolis' water plant on East River Road NE. 


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