Photo by Jim Tate Rick’s Welding Corporate Administrator Amanda Bennett has seen the business grow over the years.

The name of the business is Rick’s Welding, located in Lake Benton. The predominant product, however, is PowerLift Doors.

“It’s our top product,” said Amanda Bennett, the corporate administrator for Rick’s Welding.

“We also offer farm repair welding, full-service for farmers, and also service to the wind towers.”

The business is owned by Rick and Patti Peterson, who live in Spearfish, S.D.

“Rick was talking to another farmer one day, and the farmer was talking about the difficulty he was having with his (large) doors — how the tracks kept breaking. Rick decided there must be a better way,” Bennett said.

That led to an idea. And thus was born the concept for PowerLift Doors, hydraulic doors that are custom-made at the company’s facility just outside of Lake Benton.

“We build and install the doors,” explained Bennett, who has been with the company for 16 years.

“It’s the only door company that includes installation as part of the purchase price,” she said. “It’s a brand that’s built on customer service.”

The doors are put together on-site and shipped on company-made trailers at a 45-degree angle.

“It can be a 10-by-10 garage door to an opening 150-feet wide by 28-feet high,” she said. “Those big ones can include airport hangars, ag shops and dairy barns.”

The doors are made of steel tubing welded into one piece and include the frame and hydraulic equipment.

“They are all welded together, there’s no bolts,” she explained. “The customer then can choose whatever sheeting they want to cover the frame.”

Its service area includes eastern South Dakota, the western half of Minnesota and down to Highway 20 in Iowa.

“We did do a job in Indiana, at Beck’s Superior Hybrids” said Bennett. “That one was 112-by-28 feet.”

Rick’s Welding started in 1988 in downtown Lake Benton, “and the first PowerLift door was built and is still in operation there,” said Bennett. “We moved here in 2008.”

Advertising is “a lot of word-of-mouth. Plus we do a lot online, with Google and Facebook.” PowerLift Doors also advertises at the Dana J. Deckhouse Stadium on the campus of South Dakota State University.

“The logo is on the field, so if a game is on TV you can see it,” she said.

The entire operation employs roughly 15, she said.

“It fluctuates some depending on the time of the year. Spring and summer especially, through fall, are our busy times,” she said.

As a major business in Lake Benton, Rick’s Welding, and PowerLift Doors, are solicited frequently for support for various events in the region. Lake Benton has a high school sharing agreement with Elkton, S.D., just over the border, “and that’s where a lot of our high school students attend. Some also go to RTR, so we support those two districts quite a bit, especially in athletics.” There’s also local events and celebrations that are supported by the business.

Last year, PowerLift Doors sold 217 units.

“That varies, from 217 last year up to the 250-350 rang. It just depends,” said Bennett.

Bennett is a hometown girl and said the community of Lake Benton has changed considerably over the years. Her family has spent their entire lives in the community, and they’ve seen the community change.

“It’s a good community, like any small town it’s seen businesses come and go. It’s important that we support the community, and the region,” she said.