Polaris Buys S.D. Plant, Plans To Create 80 Jobs

SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP) — A Minnesota-based manufacturer has bought a facility in western South Dakota that once made motorcycle trikes and plans to create up to 80 jobs in Spearfish.

Polaris Industries Inc., a Medina, Minnesota-based maker of off-road vehicles, has bought the 51,000-square-foot facility and paint equipment formerly used by Lehman Trikes. Polaris employees in Spearfish will paint Indian and Victory motorcycles made in Spirit Lake, Iowa, the company said in a statement. Operations are to begin late this year.

"It's really the painting part of that facility that we need," Polaris spokeswoman Marlys Knutson told the Black Hills Pioneer. "We're short of painting capacity in our Spirit Lake facility, and that (Spearfish plant) works perfectly for us."

Lehman Trikes moved from Canada to Spearfish in 2004, converting motorcycles into trikes for several manufacturers. Harley-Davidson in 2010 ended its agreement with Lehman to make the Harley Tri-Glide Trike. Champion Investments bought Lehman two years later and moved operations to California, putting about a dozen Spearfish employees out of jobs.

"It is so important to the economic growth of the community to have the large former Lehman building being utilized to its capacity by a nationally known company," Spearfish Economic Development Corp. President Jeremy Hoven told the Pioneer.

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