Furnishing Homes and Jobs in Northern Minnesota

by Amy C. Rea

When Ron Anderson lost his job, it was one of the best things that ever happened to Blackduck, Minn.

Anderson had worked for a home furnishings fabric maker near Minneapolis for 14 years when the company downsized in 1980. He and his wife had tired of city and suburban life, so they moved to Anderson’s hometown of Blackduck (pop. 750), where Anderson could use his years of experience to start his own fabric company. Four months later, Anderson Fabrics opened its doors in the basement of an old bowling alley.

“We had to clean it up, but it was easy to heat, and the rent was free for the first year,” Anderson recalls. “And, there was a lot of unemployment in Blackduck, so employees were easy to find.”

Twenty years later, Anderson Fabrics is out of the basement and in its own industrial park in the middle of town. The company employs 417 workers who produce fabric for draperies and furniture coverings and is in the process of expanding. Anderson also operates an Americinn Motel franchise, offers subsidized daycare for children of plant workers, and owns a fabric outlet store.

“Without Anderson Fabrics, Blackduck wouldn’t be here, or it would be very small,” says Patrick Spencer, plant manager. “It was a dying town, but now businesses are popping up everywhere.”

Spencer began working for Anderson when he graduated from high school 18 years ago and has nothing but praise for his employer. “In the dictionary by the word entrepreneur, they have Ron’s picture,” he says, laughing. “He’s very driven, blunt; there’s never a gray area.”

But there’s another side to Ron Anderson. “He’s extremely generous,” says Spencer. “I’ve seen him help employees in ways other people won’t. If there’s a death or illness in the family, Ron’s been there, helping them out however he could.”

Anderson also reaches out to the community at large. “He’s done wonderful things,” says Jody Johnson, a 20-year Blackduck resident, city planner, and executive secretary of the Blackduck Civic and Commerce Association. “He not only provided jobs, but he supports numerous projects within the community.”

Over the years, Anderson has donated computers to the local school and funds to open a teen recreation center complete with a large screen television, DVD player, Nintendo, air hockey game, and basketball court. He also provides tuition grants for local college-bound students.

One of his most recent projects is assisting employees who want to buy homes in the Blackduck area. He helps by providing up to $4,000 for a down payment to workers who agree to stay with the company for a number of years.

Anderson is modest about his contributions. “I know it’s played a big part in the community,” he says, “but most of the time you don’t think about that stuff. It becomes a burden, because then you’re responsible for a lot. If you make bad decisions, the business goes away, and it affects all these people.”

Fortunately for Blackduck, Anderson’s business decisions have been good ones, and his factory is profitable and booming. He wants to retire in five years and is developing a plan to turn company ownership over to employees—just one more way he’s giving back to the community.

Amy Rea is a freelance writer in Eden Prairie, Minn., who attended the public school in Blackduck.

first appeared: 12/3/2000