Three years ago, the Tracy Economic Development Authority took a big risk and allowed a hydroblasting plant to come into town.
Tracy EDA director Robert Gervais said the EDA let the company, Premium Plant Services, lease the area for free if it kept up a certain number of employees.
The EDA then bought a building and made renovations.
Gervais said the EDA is glad it took that gamble as it enters the third year of the lease with Premium, as the company continues to grow.
Melisa Schinderle, corporate services manager for Premium, said the company started in Minnesota six years ago under a different name, Aquapower. Its corporate office is in Hibbing and the Tracy plant was started almost two years ago.
"It was (opened) because of its location, and it's right in the middle of all the places we travel to," Schinderle said. "It's centrally located."
In March, the company changed its name, but kept the same values and service, Schinderle said.
"We're doing the same operations as with AquaPower," Schinderle said. "We do industrial services, hydroblasting and vacuum service."
Schinderle said Premium Plant Services travels anywhere from Iowa to North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan.
"We mainly service the ethanol industry, biodiesel," Schinderle said. "We do service the ADM food processing (plant)."
Shelly Daniels, office manager at the Tracy plant, said she's noticed the changes in the last year and a half she's been with the company.
"We've added vacuum truck services," Daniels said. "We've got another vacuum truck coming in. We're really expanding fast."
And Premium is also adding employees to the Tracy plant. Schinderle said they've recently hired three more works and are looking for another hydroblaster.
"We've been hiring individuals, it's been growing," Schinderle said.
Daniels said there are 22 employees at the plant in Tracy.
"When I started here, there were only six or seven," Daniels said.
Premium has also done its own renovations to the building, Gervais said.
"They've stuck money back into the building," Gervais said.
Premium's presence in Tracy has been beneficial to the community, Gervais said.
"For us, it's 20 guys working from this location, they certainly buy a lot of local stuff to maintain their facilities and equipment," Gervais said. "We've been happy with them here."
Schinderle said Premium's success is because of its crew.
"We're good at what we do," Schinderle said. "We do have a good team down there," Schinderle said.
Gervais said the Tracy EDA also wants to further that success.
"As they continue to grow, we hope to help them continue to grow," Gervais said.