Rosebud Expands, Arctic Cat Closes

Posted on Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Rosebud Manufacturing could absorb as many as 15 employees to their company from laid off Arctic Cat employees. The information comes today after Arctic Cat decided to close its doors in Madison, and Rosebud Manufacturing has announced that they will move their cabinet making operation into the old Arctic Cat building.

Arctic Cats consolidation with its Thief River Falls location will come in 3-phases, and put 95 employees out of jobs. On November 25th Arctic Cat will begin the first of the 3-phases, though no solid number has been released as to how many will be laid off at that time. December 14th will bring the 2nd phase of lay-offs, with a complete shut down date of February 7th scheduled. Arctic Cat sites a lack of snow as their basis for shutting down the plant, which recently rolled its 500-thousandth snowmobile off the line.

Lake Area Improvement Corporation Executive Director Dwaine Chapel says the LAIC is working as hard as they can to make the expansion and closing as smooth of a transition as possible.

The LAIC has identified as many as 150 potential jobs that are available at businesses throughout Madison and Howard, among them are Integra Plastics, Gehl, Dakota Vinyl, Persona Signs, Knight and Carver and Dakota Beef. Chapel says the expansion of Rosebud could also open up opportunities to get some former South Dakota residents back to their roots through the use of Dakota Roots, a website established by Governor Mike Rounds to do just that.

http://www.madisonworks.com/jobs/|Madisonworks.com/jobs also has information about possible employment opportunities for the 95-Arctic Cat employees who will soon be out of work.

More information will be available at 7:15 during your First Edition of the News on Dakotas Best AM 1390.