Minnesota company a Lemoore jobs pipeline

By Seth Nidever snidever@HanfordSentinel.com

Hanford Sentinel | Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011

Loading… ...There's a workplace in Lemoore where you walk in the door and feel like you've just been transplanted to Minnesota. You hear twinges of that upper Midwestern accent made famous in the movie "Fargo." You hear other sounds, too: metal cutting, welding, hammering and other work in the shop, located next to one of Leprino Food's giant mozzarella plants.

Minnesota-based Northland Process Piping has made a home for itself in Lemoore, generating some 35 jobs and acting as if there was no economic downturn.

Northland can thank Leprino Foods for that. Sixty to 70 percent of the company's welding, fabrication and piping work is for Leprino, which hasn't slowed during the downturn. In fact, just the opposite. Leprino is building a new plant in Greeley, Colo. Leprino's mozzarella goes literally all over the world, not only for pizzas, but also for a wide variety of frozen foods.

And behind many of Leprino's stainless-steel tanks, piping and conveyor belts is Northland. They have locations at virtually every Leprino plant in the U.S.

"We do the cheese side," said Randy Hanson, quality-control director.

The company has also done work on a smaller scale.

Hanson and some others in the office are Minnesota transplants, but the company has built up plenty of local connections. Working with Hanford West High School, the company hires high school seniors as interns. Many end up being hired.

"It's the only place where kids are going to learn how the industry really works," said Bill Chambers, a Hanford West welding teacher. "It's great for the kids that aren't necessarily college-bound. And they're going to come out with a pretty good job."

Chambers said Northland has been one of the few training programs that has stayed strong through the recession and continued slow growth. Other stainless-steel fabricators have seen their business decline along with the construction industry, he said.

"They've been the most consistent," he said. "They go through that [Leprino] plant all the time. These food processing plants are just a consistent source of business for stainless steel."

Chambers said he hopes Northland will be in Lemoore for a long time to come.

"They've been really supportive," he said. "It's important for the area."

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

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