Winnebago Industries builds motor homes, travel trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, and boats. Winnebago has facilities in Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, and Florida. WInnebago started in Forest City, Iowa, 63 years ago, but with the popularity of RVs in South Dakota driven by our desperately low taxes, you’d think Winnebago would want to move at least some of its operations here.
But Winnebago moved some executives to a new office in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in 2016, and the honchos apparently like the Twin Cities so much that, effective December 1, they are officially moving Winnebago corporate headquarters to Minnesota:
After its board signed off on the proposal Wednesday, Winnebago Industrieswill shift its corporate headquarters from Forest City to Minneapolis suburb Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in December. The manufacturer of boats, motorhomes and travel trailers had been headquartered in Forest City since its founding in 1958.
The company said in a news release that the corporate move will not lead to much noticeable change. The company’s top executives — including CEO Michael Happe, former head of the Minneapolis-based Toro Co., a lawnmower manufacturer — have been based in Eden Prairie since 2016 [Tyler Jett, “Iconic Iowa Company Winnebago Moves Corporate Headquarters to Minnesota, but Says No Other Changes Are in Store,” Des Moines Register, updated 2021.08.10].
Winnebago CEO Eric Happe explained in 2017 why having company honchos in the Twin Cities is good for business:
“The Twin Cities is a tremendous place to conduct business in,” Happe said. “There are lots of very successful companies are here. It’s a great talent pool to pull from. That was our first objective.”
…Most of Winnebago’s service providers are in the Twin Cities, Happe said, which include the company’s audit firms, legal firms and marketing and communications firms. The Twin Cities also serves as a better location to hold meetings with other businesses, he said [Nick Williams, “Winnebago Has Parked Its Leadership in the Twin Cities. Here’s Why,” Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 2017.09.13].
Lots of talent, lots of partners, good location for meetings—that’s the real freedom business leaders are looking for.
Seems like this company is saying
Indeed.
If Iowa sucks, it is because it seems to vote republican, like SD.
iowa still has Winnebago plants here. Minnesota gets corporate headquarters and sucks the most South Dakota has Grudzilla and his round mouth he got from not eating square meals. Who sucks the most?
Grudznike has a very low emotional intelligence.
Only emotionally intelligent people understand why.
It’s only about 2 hours from Forest City to Eden Prairie. Almost a typical LA commute.
South Dakota loses out to Minnesota yet again. We can’t even get the My Pillow guy to move his headquarters here!
But, but, they could move to Sioux Falls or maybe Rapid, Kristi could set up a Winnebago week in Sturgis, why not?
Goats!