TOWER— A prominent local business has been named the Minnesota Family-Owned Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA. The SBA made the announcement this week, highlighting Garrett Lamppa, who assumed management of Lamppa Manufacturing three years ago, for the remarkable expansion of the sauna stove and wood furnace manufacturer.
“The family-owned small business award honors legacies that last for generations,” said Brian McDonald, SBA’s Minnesota district director. “Garrett is continuing to build upon Lamppa Manufacturing’s reputation for quality products, competitive jobs, and strong support of their rural community in Tower.”
Four generations of Lamppas built the manufacturing operation on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Garrett Lamppa’s great-grandfather, Richard Lamppa worked as a blacksmith in Embarrass, in the 1930’s, and began making sauna stoves for the Finnish settlers who lived nearby. Garrett’s grandfather, Herbert Lamppa, helped Richard build the stoves and eventually took over the business with Garrett’s father, Daryl, in the 1970s. Herbert and Daryl worked together for decades, and ultimately created one of the cleanest and most efficient wood-burning furnaces on the market. During this time, it was Daryl’s passion to burn wood better and all of his endless testing led to the product evolution of today.  This includes the efficient and clean burning Kuuma BluFlame, a gasification sauna stove designed from their patented furnace technology released at the end of 2023.   
In 2008, Garrett took over Herbert’s management responsibilities to help the family business as a side job. Garrett said, “Working with my dad was the best thing that ever happened to our relationship.”  Garrett transitioned into CEO and full-time employment in 2021.       
Today, Lamppa Manufacturing sells wood-burning furnaces and wood sauna stoves out of their facility in Tower and the Kuuma sauna stove remains their flagship product. The original team of 3-4 skilled employees, who made an average of 100 sauna stoves and 40-50 furnaces annually, has since expanded to 18 full-time employees. During the peak of the pandemic, Lamppa Manufacturing sold 650 sauna stoves, and over 100 wood-burning furnaces, which are EPA certified as meeting strict air emissions standards.
In early 2022, Garrett participated as an SBA resource partner, and the Entrepreneur Fund’s Quality Jobs program, which helped him invest in his employees by improving safety, offering competitive wages, and adding benefits packages. In 2023, the Entrepreneur Fund collaborated with Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation on two working capital loans for Lamppa Manufacturing’s production, testing, marketing, staff training, and inventory of new products. In October 2023, Lamppa Manufacturing was recognized as a regional business of excellence by the Entrepreneur Fund.
Lamppa Manufacturing is incredibly involved in the community, providing quality jobs and support to the surrounding rural area. Recently, the business has partnered with Bluejacket Career Academies and Industrial Technology at the Hibbing High School to build a sauna with students. With ninety years and four generations of experience and hard work, Lamppa Manufacturing is striving to make Tower the “Sauna Capital of the World”.
National Small Business Week 2024 is taking place the first week of May and will include a multiday virtual event open to all. The conference will feature numerous educational panels, and recognize national award winners, including naming this year’s National Small Business Person of the Year. For registration and additional information on National Small business Week, visithttps://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week.