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Most of the equipment produced in Duluth is sold in North America, but Faynik said the company has <br />found customers for its specialized aerial lift machines in more than 100 countries around the globe. <br />Faynik said he has been pleased with the quality of workers Altec has been able to recruit in Duluth. <br />"We've partnered with local colleges to provide customized training. And a lot of the programs they've <br />developed for us have also proven valuable to other manufacturers in the area," he said. "Duluth has a <br />strong manufacturing heritage, and we've been able to hire a lot of great people here." <br />Ness said area schools have stepped up to supply Altec with the skilled workforce it needs. <br />"We have UMD with the strong reputation of its engineering program, and Lake Superior College <br />turning out students with strong machining and manufacturing skills. It's a marriage made in heaven," <br />he said. <br />Besides receiving help from schools, Altec also has benefited from state aid. Last year, the company <br />received a $250,000 forgivable loan through the Minnesota Investment Fund to help expand operations <br />in Duluth. <br />Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon, who was at Altec's open house on Wednesday, said it was money well <br />spent. <br />"When we look at the Minnesota Investment Fund and the impact it has had, we see it has provided a <br />24 -to -1 return on investment from 2005 -14," she said. <br />Those kinds of results are why the state decided to pump an additional $30 million into the MIF <br />program last year. <br />Faynik said Altec recently brought to Duluth some part fabrication that had been performed at other <br />facilities. To handle some of that work, the company has invested in new high - precision metal- cutting <br />plasma and laser machines at its Duluth plant. <br />Demand for aerial lift trucks for the electrical transmission industry has remained solid, Spangenberg <br />said. He pointed to efforts to make the power grid more robust and reliable in the wake of mass outages <br />in recent years. Spangenberg noted that the proliferation of green energy operations, such as wind farms <br />111 <br />