A Small Town with a Big Factory Goes South in Search of Workers

> WARROAD, Minn. — Locals like to say this 2,000-person town just miles from the Canadian border is known for three things: walleye, hockey and windows.

> Marvin, which is run by the great-grandchildren of its founder George Marvin [...] faces a [...] existential problem: not enough workers at that factory, which employs more than 700 people to assemble its windows. Baby boomers are retiring from the company at a rate of about one a week and the town’s population has hardly budged for decades. That math leaves Marvin with dozens of job openings and few takers.

> At Marvin, $Relocated_Worker_Name, 23, earns $16 an hour as an entry-level assembler.

Cost of living had better be darn low in Warroad, for people to relocate to such a trendy spot at that kinda money. And the locals (what few there are) aren't much interested, either:

> Ninety percent of this year’s 81 Warroad High School seniors plan to go to four-year colleges. At a job fair last month at Warroad’s American Legion hall, recruiters outnumbered job seekers for much of the event. Marvin representatives spoke to five potential applicants over three hours.

(Meanwhile, down in definitely-trendy Ann Arbor, MI, a friend of mine just had his home water heater replaced. $400/hour for the plumber, and finding one who wasn't "sorry, already booked up" was not easy.)