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ROSEAU, Minn. 鈥� Polaris broke ground Friday morning, March 25, on the announced expansion to its Roseau, Minnesota manufacturing facility.

The $22-million-dollar, 28,000-square-foot expansion is set to bring a robotic paint application system with it to support the company鈥檚 continued growth and manufacturing of snowmobiles and off-road vehicles. The expansion is also said to improve energy and waste efficiency at the facility.

Minnesota senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar were in attendance, as well as the president of Polaris Off-Road Steve Menneto. He spoke at the groundbreaking about his excitement for the expansion.

"Roseau is the hometown of Polaris, and we are thrilled to be expanding our Roseau facility again, adding 28,000 square feet and a new liquid paint system that will increase our painting capacity and capabilities, as well as improve energy, water and waste efficiencies at the facility," Menneto said. "From snowmobiles to ATVs, what we manufacture in Roseau is enjoyed across Minnesota 鈥� and beyond 鈥� by customers who work, play and create memorable experiences outdoors."

Polaris is headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, but it was founded in Roseau in 1954. The Roseau location still serves as one of its largest manufacturing facilities. Jessica Rogers, strategic communications director for Polaris, said it is just down the street from where Polaris鈥� first snowmobile was conceived.

鈥淥ur founders had a small garage where they built the first snowmobile, and so we're just down the street for that,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淪o we're not too far away in Roseau.鈥�

Rogers said this expansion is by far not the first, and it will undoubtedly not be the last.

鈥淭he original facility was built in the 60s and then has just grown,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淥ver the years, I think we've done more than 35 expansions on it, and so with this latest one, we're adding about 28,000 square feet, which will bring the facility up to 828,000 square feet, give or take.鈥�

Polaris also has an engineering facility in Roseau.

鈥淲e have snowmobile, ATV, powertrain defense engineers, test drivers, basically if you need to build it, it's up there, from a role standpoint,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually Polaris鈥� second largest R&D facility after our largest one, which is located in Wyoming, Minnesota, which is about 45 minutes north of the Twin Cities.鈥�

Every vehicle Polaris produces needs to be painted, so Rogers said investing in an expansion will help from a capacity and capability standpoint. Polaris as a company has seen widespread growth since its first snowmobile in 1954.

Rogers cites a large increase in demand over the past couple years as the reason for the expansion.

鈥�(It was) really driven by the pandemic and people's interest in getting back outside,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淭his new paint system will allow us to continue to meet the demand that we're seeing for customers, and then it will also, because it's new, it will help increase efficiencies and reduce waste and water usage. It will just be a more efficient system.鈥�

Also indicative of the company鈥檚 growth are the more than 100 open positions open at the Roseau facility alone. Polaris is trying to hire welders, entry-level assemblers, maintenance technicians and more.

鈥淲e've grown Roseau incredibly, over the last several years and are still growing,鈥� Rogers said.