United States Senator Joni Ernst paid a visit to Redfield Thursday afternoon, as her yearly 99 County Tour brought her to Dallas County and the Glen-Gery Brick plant.

Ernst was given a tour of the operations, led by Plant Manager Jim DeSilvey and a few of the 30 employees at the site. She got a firsthand look at the brick-making process and had conversations with the workers about their daily routines. The tour ended at the main offices, where DeSilvey took the Senator through the company’s history and products, and outlined some of their concerns. Ernst was happy she was able to visit the plant, and explained how she chose it as the location of her Dallas County visit.

“We try and visit different types of businesses to understand some of the challenges. And especially if they have federal issues, we need to know what those issues are. It’s good for me to see them firsthand, so I get what’s going on in the plant, in the facility. And then how do we start working through some of the regulations or laws so that we’re protecting employees, but moving ahead in a common sense manner so that everybody comes out ahead.”

Some of the issues Glen-Gery faces that DeSilvey outlined for Ernst include safety concerns and the silica rule. He also wondered if there was the possibility of state or federal funding that could help them cover those issues. Ernst believes she learned a lot from her visit to the brick plant, and says that’s precisely the reason she goes on the 99 County Tour every year.