Lamppa Manufacturing of Tower is a fourth-generation manufacturer of wood-burning sauna stoves and warm-air furnaces. It manufactures the Kuuma Vapor-Fire (VF) 100, the cleanest burning and most efficient gasification wood furnace ever certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA recently purchased a furnace from Lamppa for testing to develop a new future standard. The company utilized a bank participation loan from Iron Range Resource & Rehabilitation to provide working capital to help bring two new products to market.

The first product, the Kuuma BluFlame Gasification Sauna Stove was brought to market in late 2023. With the practice of sauna (especially wood-burning) taking off across the country, it is essential to burn wood cleanly and safely, especially in large urban environments with robust demand.

"The new model is virtually smokeless, uses less wood and produces more heat. Daryl Lamppa developed it utilizing our patented furnace technology," said Garrett Lamppa, CEO and fourth-generation sauna stove maker. "It's like having an EPA wood stove in your sauna that can take the stress of extreme heat and löyly (Finnish word for evaporating hot steam heat rising from the stove). Our company and its employees take great care and pride in developing and manufacturing our products. It's pretty amazing that right here in our small town of Tower, my dad, Daryl has developed the cleanest burning wood furnaces and sauna stoves we are aware of."

Lamppa Manufacturing is also in the process of developing a new electric sauna stove, which it plans to bring to market in 2024.

The company was founded nearly 100 years ago in Tower by Richard Lamppa, Garrett's great-grandfather. In the 1930s, Richard worked as a blacksmith in Embarrass, Minnesota and began making sauna stoves for the Finnish settlers who lived nearby. He based his design on the traditional stoves seen in Finland, crafted the stoves out of 30-gallon oil drums, and modified the blueprints over time. One of his first stoves is currently on display at the factory. His son, Herbert Lamppa helped Richard build the stoves and eventually took over the business with his son, Daryl in the 1970s. They adopted the Kuuma product name in the 80s as it's the Finnish word for "hot." 

Garrett now leads the company, which has about 18 employees and uses American-made steel and locally sourced materials to manufacture saunas and furnaces sold in Minnesota and across North America.

"Innovation and entrepreneurialism have been at the core of Lamppa Manufacturing for nearly a century," said Commissioner Ida Rukavina, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation. "They have a long track record of producing products that are in demand not only in northeastern Minnesota but throughout the Midwest, the United States, and even internationally. The company, its owners and employees are a tremendous asset to our region's economy and local communities."

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported this project with a $150,000 bank participation loan.  Total Project investment was $300,000. (Note: In 2018, the agency provided a $379,614 Development Infrastructure grant to the city of Tower and a $1.85 million business loan to Tower Economic Development Authority that supported the construction of a 9,000-square-foot commercial building. Lamppa Manufacturing relocated into the new commercial building to accommodate its expanding operations.)

Learn more about Lamppa Manufacturing.

Email Ryan Malich for business loan information or call him at 218-735-3041.

The city of Hibbing will soon begin the development of a 41-unit recreation vehicle campground on elevated terrain west of Carey Lake. The campground will include the extension of water and electrical services to each site, group tent campsites, a shower building, restrooms, campsite fire rings and picnic tables.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation awarded the city $1,500 in Grant Writing Assistance to hire a professional grant writer to prepare and apply for a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Grant, which provides matching funds to local units of government for up to 50% of the cost of acquisition, development and/or redevelopment of local parks and recreation areas. The city used the $1,500 to hire Nancy Larson to navigate the complexities of the grant application process. She successfully secured a $350,000 Outdoor Recreation grant for Hibbing’s campground development.

Larson is the CEO of Community Coaching Inc. and has garnered over $20 million in grants for small organizations and communities since 2005.

“The complexity of the grant application involved environmental review standards including site reviews, environmental screenings, ADA requirements and public benefit analysis,” said Nick Arola, Hibbing director of city services. “The application process is quite lengthy and thorough. The city of Hibbing does not currently have the capacity to complete this type of application. Having the Grant Writing Assistance funding to hire Nancy enabled us to submit a quality proposal and ultimately be selected to receive the Outdoor Recreation grant.”

Carey Lake Park was established in the 1960s and is 1,139 acres. The park is mostly pristine and undeveloped and contains forested and wetland areas including 139-acre Carey Lake. There is small boat public access, a swimming beach, fishing pier and trails for biking, hiking and cross-country skiing. An estimated 2,000 plus annual visitors visit the park.

Campground construction is scheduled to begin this spring. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation awarded the city of Hibbing a $250,000 Development Infrastructure grant to upgrade the water and electrical services and a $95,361 Regional Trails grant to improve existing and develop new trails around the park. Learn more about Carey Lake Park.

Email Whitney Ridlon or call her at 218-735-3004 for Grant Writing Assistance information.

The city of Keewatin added a new community welcome sign that is located at its main business entrance and in a highly visible site along Highway 169 serving both north and south bound traffic. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $20,000 Downtown Streetscapes grant. Total project investment was $49,971.

The sign has a monument style, adds curb appeal and recognizes the community’s connection to the region’s mining industry. Keewatin is home to Keetac Mine which is owned by U.S. Steel.

“The sign features local taconite extracted from the Mesabi Iron Range. We wanted to incorporate mining into the sign because it supports a large portion of the livelihood in this area. Our city is very proud of its mining history and having Keetac in our community,” said Susan Thronson, Keewatin City Councilor. “The sign exemplifies the pride we take in our community and represents the welcoming nature we strive to extend to residents, visitors, existing and potential new businesses.”

Enhancements to complete the sign are scheduled for this spring and include landscaping, lighting and installation of a new butterfly garden. U.S. Steel will add iron ore rock around the base.

Keewatin is located in Itasca County and is approximately nine miles west of Hibbing. The timber industry first attracted laborers and settlers to the Keewatin area. The mining industry then began to develop, and Keewatin was officially incorporated in 1906. Today there are an estimated 960 residents.

Other community welcome sign project partners included Blandin Foundation and U.S. Steel.

Beginning last fiscal year, the Downtown Streetscapes grant merged with the Culture & Tourism grant and has a fiscal year budget of $600,000. Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for Culture & Tourism grant information.

Itasca Ski & Outing Club (ISOC) acquired a Prinoth Snow Cat Winch Groomer for the ski jumps located at Mt. Itasca Winter Sports Area in Coleraine. ISOC is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that operates the popular outdoor recreation area. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $30,000 Culture & Tourism grant. Total project investment was $69,500.

Mt. Itasca offers ski jumping, downhill skiing, snowboarding and terrain park, snow tubing, cross country skiing, biathlon and a full-service chalet with a slope-side view. The chalet may be rented for weddings, meetings, reunions and parties.

Mt. Itasca is the only ski jumping facility located within the Taconite Tax Relief Area. The sport was once a traditional participation sport on the Iron Range, originating from the region’s Scandinavian immigrants. The cities of Ely, Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth and Aurora previously had jumping venues. Mt. Itasca is the sole remaining facility and has five jumps ranging in size from eight to 70 meters. It is often recognized as the best jumping site in the Midwest and is known on a national level through its hosting of the Junior National Championships.

Two jumping tournaments are hosted each winter which draw competitors from throughout the Midwest and beyond. The two-day competitions bring in an estimated 100 competitors, their coaches and families. Last winter, Mt. Itasca hosted the Junior National Championships for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined. The five-day event drew nearly 80 competitors from across the United States. ISOC was able to provide a competitive venue that met the grooming standards of the national governing body. This was due in part to having access to a specialized Snow Cat Winch Groomer to properly and safely prepare the ski jumping hill.

“Grooming machine-made snow on a 35-degree slope without the proper equipment is very difficult and can be very dangerous,” said Rick Anderson, ISOC volunteer. “The new requirements prompted us to quickly move ahead and acquire the equipment needed to safely groom the steep slopes of our ski jump landing hills and continue hosting competitions. We were able to raise more than half of the funds through donations from club and community members and local organizations.”

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for Culture & Tourism grant information.

Shawn Herhusky joined the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation team on Nov. 22 as a community development representative. He brings both private and public sector experience to the agency. Herhusky most recently worked as the manager for workforce strategy at Essentia Health. Prior to that, he worked as a workforce strategy consultant with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. 

In his new role, Herhusky implements agency outreach and grant programs and guides businesses and communities in their analysis of needs and strategies for business growth and community planning. He also provides administrative and policy oversight of agency grant making and coordinates innovative strategies to meet long range goals of the region and the agency.