"A Minnesota pontoon company is moving its headquarters to an 85-acre campus in Big Lake later this year.
Premier Marine Senior Director of Culture Doug Gillquist said the move is an opportunity for the company to increase production.
"We just can't build enough boats where we're currently situated," Gillquist said.
Premier Marine was purchased by Elk River business Envision Company in spring 2021. Gillquist said the new ownership wanted to construct a facility built expressly for manufacturing pontoons.
The new location, east of Big Lake's downtown on Minnesota Avenue, also has easy access to U.S. Highway 10, U.S. Highway 169 and the Interstate 29 corridor, which Gillquist said has a larger population and reach into surrounding communities than the current location.
Premier Marine is a 30-year-old company originally headquartered in Wyoming, Minnesota. The facility there can produce about 1,500 boats a year, while the new plant will allow production of up to 5,000 a year, Gillquist said.
Of the 85 acres, approximately 20 are being developed into manufacturing facilities, Gillquist said, including a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a 30,0000-square-foot fiberglass and tooling operation, according to a press release. Gillquist said the additional acres keeps options open for Premier Marine.
"By having this additional land, we've set ourselves up well to make decisions based on what would be best for the company," he said.
He said Premier Marine sells directly to dealers and already has presales for its next model year outpacing the production capability of the Wyoming facility.
The company plans to hire about 60 new employees in manufacturing roles, which will replace some employees who, for various reasons, will not be relocating with the company. Two departments will temporarily stay in Wyoming, but eventually all of Premier Marine will operate out of the Big Lake facility, Gillquist said.
Construction began in late 2021. The new facility is expected to be fully operational by Sept. 1."
