Signs tell the story as Minimzer becomes High Bar Brands
The green room is the professional studio owned by High Bar Brands of Owatonna. Steve Hansen, director of marketing, says the studio allows the company to do its own promotions. Staff photo by Howard Lestrud
New signage is in place proclaiming High Bar Brands as a leader in the heavy duty trucking industry, with Minimizer and Premier Manufacturing as two of its major brands.
High Bar Brands was formerly Minimizer of Blooming Prairie. The company moved to the Owatonna Industrial Park on March 1, 2021.
"It's a real pleasant experience to be here in our new 85,000-square-foot building," said Steve Hansen, director of marketing. "We have grown since our occupancy of the new building, and we plan to continue growing.”
The trucking giant opens its doors only to employees and to people doing business with High Bar Brands, said Hansen. Visitors enter from the north side of the building. A colorful lobby contains background of the High Bar Brands plant.
Visitors then go to the right and enter the sales and administrative part of the building, which is exceptionally quiet.
"Everyone works with ear phones and ear buds," Hansen said.
A video production green room is a new addition to High Bar Brands’ facility. Caleb Ostrander leads that operation.
The brightly lit manufacturing plant outside the quiet administrative area is filled with the whirring sound of machines in action.
Robots added
Lots of new equipment has been obtained as part of the move to Owatonna, Hansen explained. Two robots have been added to the High Bar Brands operation, along with a new and sophisticated 3D printer, he said.
Shipping and receiving, major components of the company, are funneled through eight loading docks.
High Bar Brands still utilizes the Minimizer name on its fenders, floor mats, and tool boxes.
“The entire team effort involved with making this move from Blooming Prairie to Owatonna a success is impressive and could not have happened without the commitment from everyone in all departments,” said High Bar Brands vice president of operations Jim Richards.
Premier acquisition
When High Bar Brands was still Minimizer, the company purchased Oregon-based Premier Manufacturing. High Bar Brands owns the Minimizer and Premier Manufacturing brands.
The acquisition of Premier Manufacturing represented one of the largest expansions of Minimizer's product, diversifying into tractor trailer connection components. Products will still be sold under the well-known Premier brand, and Premier remains based in Tualatin, Oregon.
High Bar Brands provides solutions to the commercial vehicle industry with its family of iconic brands. The company is driven by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit.
"We strive for total customer satisfaction through our passionate team and superior products," Hansen said.
High Bar Brands is renowned for go-to-market strategies that are catapulted by an incredibly strong distribution network, he added. "We pride ourselves on being able to deliver our message of quality and service throughout our distribution network all the way to the end user.”