US Senator Joni Ernst started her Friday morning with a trip up north to Bauer Built Manufacturing in Paton.

The 170,000-square-foot facility has been in existence since the beginning of 2015, after owner Vaughn Bauer sold his former business with his former facility, right across the road on County Road E-18, to Deere and Company in December of 2013. Ernst talked about what she was most impressed with following her tour of the facility.

“So I was excited to see a lot of the technologies that they are using. The fact that they are developing career-ready type programs with the schools, getting students involved and understanding what they do here at Bauer Built. And then hopefully being able to bring those students in as employees when they’re done with high school.”

The Bauer Built stop in Greene County was part of Ernst’s 99-County Tour that she does annually.