Two Fergus Falls, Minnesota, businesses are making a name for themselves, thanks in part to assistance from AURI. On Friday, January 4, AURI staff, local officials and media toured Vector Windows (formerly Vinylite) and the Nots! production kitchen and future facility.
Since 1995, Vector Windows has aimed to create advanced, cost-effective windows. Today, the business is thriving, with 74 employees and more growth on the horizon. That anticipated development is due in part to a new feature called BioCore Foam Filling, which insulates windows to an R5 rating with a soy-based polyoil insulation.
AURI staff helped introduce Vector staff to the concept of the soy-based insulation, which would provide an improved insulating material in their window frames, and then connected them to the manufacturer and equipment provider. AURI also provided cost-share assistance for testing to ensure LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) compliance for windows using PLA (polylactic acid) in their structure.
With consumer demand for “green” products on the rise, staff at Vector Windows see this renewable product, which also supports farmers in the Midwest, as an “investment for the future,” says Vector Windows CFO and Co-Owner Andrew Miller.
While Nots! is in earlier stages of development, entrepreneur Rob Fuglie sees a strong market for his non-nut snacks, as well as the allergen-free production kitchen that is in the development stages. Fuglie says AURI is part of the reason Nots! is ready to expand, moving from rented space in PioneerCare’s commercial kitchen to a new space at the Business Development Center on the west side of town.
“I don’t have a food production background, and AURI provided expert technical help,” Fuglie told the Fergus Falls Daily Journal. “They also provided cost-share assistance to help produce a UPC label.”