Forty Years Later, Wilkens Industries Continues to Build on an Early West Central Initiative Investment 

When West Central Initiative began making business loans 40 years ago, the goal wasn’t simply to finance equipment or fill funding gaps. It was to invest in people, strengthen communities, and help businesses create good jobs that would last for generations. 

One of those early investments was Wilkens Industries in Morris.

Nearly four decades later, the company stands as an example of how an early investment can help a business grow, adapt, and continue contributing to its community. As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, Wilkens Industries reflects on the lasting impact local lending can have across our region.

Mike Snyder, General Manager of Wilkens Industries, has witnessed that impact almost from the beginning. He joined the company in July 1988, just as production was being transferred into the Morris facility from Brothers Fleet Service.

Employees were busy setting up equipment, jigs, and fixtures that would launch a new manufacturing operation.

“I went to school for accounting,” he laughed.

Instead of working in finance, Snyder started on the shop floor as a welder before moving into purchasing, payroll, and accounting. In 1998, he became General Manager—a career path that reflects the opportunities locally owned manufacturers can create when they invest in their employees.

Growing Beyond West Central Minnesota

Today, Wilkens Industries manufactures solid waste transfer trailers and ejector trailers. While its product line has evolved over the years, the company’s reputation for quality has allowed it to serve customers far beyond western Minnesota.

“We have trailers mostly throughout the Central United States and the West Coast,” said Snyder. “We also have customers in Puerto Rico and Hawaii.”

For a manufacturer based in a community the size of Morris, that’s an impressive reach—and exactly the kind of long-term economic impact we hoped to encourage through our lending program.

Snyder remembers that one of our early business loans helped launch the company’s manufacturing operation. That investment also began a relationship that has continued for decades.

Over the years, Wilkens Industries has returned to our lending team for additional support.

“We reach out for a little help now and then,” Snyder noted, listing matching grants that helped purchase equipment or support employee training.

Those investments may seem smaller than a startup loan, but they play an important role in helping businesses improve technology, develop their workforce, and remain competitive.

“Helping existing companies improve technology, expand, and remain competitive often has just as much long-term value as helping launch a new business,” said Greg Wagner, West Central Initiative’s Director of Business and Economic Development.

Investing in People

Perhaps the strongest measure of Wilkens Industries’ success isn’t found in its trailers or customer list. It’s found in the people who work there.

Snyder has been with the company for 38 years, as has his shop supervisor. Their salesperson has been there for 30 years, and many other employees have built careers spanning decades.

Like manufacturers across Minnesota, Wilkens Industries continues to face workforce challenges. The company draws employees from throughout the region—from Clinton to Wheaton to Appleton—and recruiting skilled workers has become increasingly difficult.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword,” he said. “Could we do more? Right now, we’re kind of feast or famine.”

Forty Years of Investing in Good Ideas

“For a small community like Morris, if you’ve got new businesses moving in that need resources, organizations like West Central Initiative are very helpful,” Snyder said. “It doesn’t hurt to know that you have resources available to buy equipment or expand.”

As we celebrate 40 years of lending, Wilkens Industries stands as one example of how an early investment can create a lasting impact. Our work has never been about making a single loan. It’s about building lasting relationships, supporting businesses through every stage of growth, and investing in the people whose ideas continue to strengthen the region.