Journal Editorial Board rapidcityjournal.com | Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 6:00 am
Caterpillar's plans to open an engineering design center in Rapid City is welcome news on many levels.
Caterpillar is a solid company, ranked 66th on the Fortune 500 list. It manufactures construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines - which are sold by 178 dealers worldwide
Last year, Caterpillar generated $32.4 billion in sales and revenue.
The design center will create up to 100 jobs , and not just any kind of job that any high school graduate could fill. The center will employ people with associates and bachelors degrees in drafting, design and engineering.
People with 2-year degrees can expect to earn $35,000 to $45,000. Engineers will draw salaries in the $60,000 to $90,000 range.
Not only will the jobs pay well, they will provide opportunities for graduates of Western Dakota Technical Institute and the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, some of whom have been forced to leave the state because they couldn't find jobs here that tapped their skills.
Creating jobs that keep those graduates in South Dakota reaps the benefits of the state's investment in their educations.
SDM&T has had a long association with Caterpillar, which has been a major recruiter of SDM&T graduates.
It was one of those recruits who pitched the idea of bringing Caterpillar to Rapid City.
Someone should send that person a thank you note.
An added benefit from Caterpillar setting up shop in Rapid City is the strong possibility it will encourage other major employers to give the city a look.
Along with all that Rapid City has to offer, South Dakota recently was ranked in a nationwide study as the eighth most business-friendly state.
The study examined 33 items, including taxes, energy costs, workers compensation laws, economic incentive programs and state economic development efforts.
Caterpillar's design center initially will open with about a dozen employees in the Black Hills Business Development Center on the SDM&T campus.
Over the next five years, that number is expected to grow to as many as 100 employees.
The potential for growth beyond that shouldn't be discounted. Caterpillar has 93,000 employees.
Rapid City would be happy to have even more of them here.
Caterpillar's plans to open an engineering design center in Rapid City is welcome news on many levels.
Caterpillar is a solid company, ranked 66th on the Fortune 500 list. It manufactures construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines - which are sold by 178 dealers worldwide
Last year, Caterpillar generated $32.4 billion in sales and revenue.
The design center will create up to 100 jobs , and not just any kind of job that any high school graduate could fill. The center will employ people with associates and bachelors degrees in drafting, design and engineering.
People with 2-year degrees can expect to earn $35,000 to $45,000. Engineers will draw salaries in the $60,000 to $90,000 range.
Not only will the jobs pay well, they will provide opportunities for graduates of Western Dakota Technical Institute and the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, some of whom have been forced to leave the state because they couldn't find jobs here that tapped their skills.
Creating jobs that keep those graduates in South Dakota reaps the benefits of the state's investment in their educations.
SDM&T has had a long association with Caterpillar, which has been a major recruiter of SDM&T graduates.
It was one of those recruits who pitched the idea of bringing Caterpillar to Rapid City.
Someone should send that person a thank you note.
An added benefit from Caterpillar setting up shop in Rapid City is the strong possibility it will encourage other major employers to give the city a look.
Along with all that Rapid City has to offer, South Dakota recently was ranked in a nationwide study as the eighth most business-friendly state.
The study examined 33 items, including taxes, energy costs, workers compensation laws, economic incentive programs and state economic development efforts.
Caterpillar's design center initially will open with about a dozen employees in the Black Hills Business Development Center on the SDM&T campus.
Over the next five years, that number is expected to grow to as many as 100 employees.
The potential for growth beyond that shouldn't be discounted. Caterpillar has 93,000 employees.
Rapid City would be happy to have even more of them here.
