Matt Pomranke, left, general manager at Winnebago Manufacturing, explains to U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar some of the operations that are performed, and products created, at the plant in Blue Earth.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar made a somewhat surprise visit to Blue Earth on Monday morning, Oct. 7.

It was not a campaign stop, there was no rally, and probably very few people in the city even knew she was here.

Sen. Klobuchar made just one stop in the city, and that was to tour Winnebago Manufacturing in the West Industrial Park.

It was all part of one of her quick visits around the state. On Monday, she was going to visit selected sites in south central Minnesota.

After her stop in Blue Earth, she was heading west on I-90 and planned to visit a farm, a soybean processing plant, the new fire hall in Jackson, the city of Worthington and a nearby farm, as well as a few more places. All in one day.

The management at Winnebago Manufacturing had just gotten a heads up on Friday before the weekend that she wanted to come to the plant around 8:45 a.m. on Monday. They were happy to oblige and give the senator a full tour.

During the tour Klobuchar was shown the entire facility and was told what types of items are produced there.

Most of the items have to do with the power generation industry, but Winnebago Manufacturing has a variety of customers who use the items to create other equipment.

Klobuchar’s staff said they chose Winnebago Manufacturing because they had contacted the Minnesota Manufacturing Council and they had suggested Blue Earth and Winnebago Manufacturing.

Before and during the tour, Klobuchar related information about several government programs which could help a business like Winnebago Manufacturing. She also asked the management about any issues they might be having that she could try to help with solving.

One area was finding employees. Matt Pomranke, the plant manager, explained they work with schools and other entities to try and find good employees. He said they are hiring right now and have had quite a few applicants. Klobuchar said she is aware of some programs that could help with promoting students attending technical colleges.

She also said she enjoyed getting a tour of a manufacturing plant such as Winnebago Manufacturing that is doing well in out-state Minnesota.

Klobuchar visited the facility for nearly one hour before leaving for the Fairmont area. Her staff said Klobuchar tries to visit all of Minnesota’s 87 counties each year, when the Senate is not in session.