MBFC’s nomination wins SBA Award!

The U.S. Small Business Administration, Minnesota Small Business Development Centers and the SCORE Association presented the 2015 52nd Annual Small Business Awards on Thursday May 7th as part of the National Small Business Week.

Michelle Mueller, Vice President of Minnesota Business Finance Corporation (MBFC) nominated Aggressive Hydraulics, Inc.of East Bethel, MN and they were selected as a Small Business Excellence Award recipient. Criteria for this award is response to adversity, service to their community, growth, longevity and innovation of products and services.

Aggressive Hydraulic was founded 13 years ago by seven skilled industry individuals who believed they could deliver a product that could compete with overseas factories. They engineer, manufacture and repair mobile hydraulic cylinders for heavy equipment in the construction, forestry/logging, mining and energy industries.

The business started with a 14,000 square foot building in Blaine, MN and had expanded into 2 additional buildings. However, efficiency was becoming an issue. The owners took time to design a new state of the art 60,000 square foot facility.

MBFC collaborated with Roger Hamilton from BankCherokee and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD), and the City of East Bethel to assist Paul Johnson and his partners on the financing for the new 60,000 square foot facility. Construction started in 2012 and the company took occupancy in 2013.

They have 54 employees at their facility in East Bethel and have added employees every year since 2009.

Aggressive Hydraulic’s creative approach to growth and doing right by their employees and customers has resulted in their sales doubling over the past five years.

(Pictured: Michelle Mueller, Vice President, MBFC, Dave Johnson, Asst. Repair Service Manager, Aggressive Hydraulics, Wes Maack, Controller, Aggressive Hydraulics, Roger Hamilton, Senior Vice President, BankCherokee, and Paul Johnson, President of Aggressive Hydraulics)