Team Industries isn’t a household name, but for the past 50 years, the company has been integral to keeping brands such as Polaris and Kawasaki successful. The Bagley-based company specializes in developing and manufacturing drivetrain products for power sports, agriculture and industrial machinery.

Team Industries began when Don Ricke and his wife, Beatrice, founded Motek Engineering & Manufacturing in Cambridge. What started in a 5,000-square-foot facility in 1967 has grown to around 1,100 employees working in more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and office space across eight facilities in North America, including in North Carolina and Mexico.

Today, Don Ricke’s grandson, Micah Ricke is the company’s CEO. He said his grandfather’s dream was to bring big-city jobs to rural areas.

“With remote work, it’s easier now to have a big-city job from anywhere,” Ricke said. “A lot of what we do is still very hands-on. So we try to stay true to those rural roots.”

Team’s culture is centered around creative problem-solving and is driven by the catchphrase “driving innovation from the ground up,” Ricke said. Many employees in leadership roles started on the shop floor. Ricke said that’s proof the company is focused on developing people and making sure they’re well cared for.

Team is still a family-owned business, but an employee stock ownership plan gives team members approximately a 43% stake in the company.

The company also gives back through the Team Foundation. The nonprofit serves the community through donations to schools, daycares, retirement centers and food drives. For example, the company’s donation to Sanford Health supported the construction of a clinic in Bagley.

Ricke is hopeful market forces will settle down as he enters his third year as CEO. After sales peaked in 2023, growth has slowed for the past 18 to 24 months.

“We just need stability — especially with tariffs and trade agreements like United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” he said. “Once those are ironed out, we can plan better.”

Despite the uncertainty, Ricke credits his team for shifting the company from being reactionary to forward-looking by improving forecasting, leveraging data and setting long-term goals.

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CEO: Micah Ricke

Headquarters: Bagley

Minnesota employees: 800

Year founded: 1967

Business: Designer and producer of driveline products in the power sports and agricultural industry