Some of today’s greatest manufacturing stories feature companies with long, proud legacies that are still introducing breakthrough products, and creating manufacturing jobs today. A perfect example is Andersen, the largest window and door manufacturer in North America.

In 2009, in the midst of the recession, the company introduced its Andersen 100 Series of windows and patio doors. The product line has been well received, and with the recovery in the housing market, demand for the products has grown.

As a result, in early 2015, Andersen announced a $45 million expansion of two plants in its home state of Minnesota. The project, which will receive $2 million in performance-based incentives from the state, will create more than 300 new jobs. Concurrently, Andersen opened a new, modern factory in Bayport, to complement its other plants.

The company has been making products in Minnesota for more than 100 years. Hans Andersen, a Danish immigrant, opened a lumber yard, and provided standardized sizes of wood window frames, which became affectionately known in the construction industry as “the 10-minute window.”

Over the decades, Andersen has been on the front end of incorporating new materials, improving manufacturing techniques, and producing energy-efficient products. But one thing that has not changed is Andersen’s commitment to being a responsible employer and a sound community steward.

Andersen now employs more than 9,000 people in North America. That includes 450 employees (projected to grow to 650) at the Renewal by Andersen factory in Cottage Grove, which was first constructed in 1995, and will be enlarged as part of the expansion plan announced in 2015. The factory serves the window replacement market, with employees interacting directly with end-user consumers. Another plant in North Branch will also be enhanced in the new round of company investment.

When a business has operated in the same region for more than 100 years, it may not be surprising that it makes corporate citizenship a top priority.  The company sees being a responsible corporate citizen as including “everything from developing innovative, comprehensive sustainability initiatives to supporting community programs to creating a safe environment for our employees and customers.” Andersen has also committed to reduce solid waste, energy and water use by 20 percent by 2020.