Toro celebrates 100 years, opens $25-million addition July 17

The Toro Co. is celebrating 100 years in business with a bang this year. It officially opened a $25-million addition to its Bloomington, Minn., headquarters recently at an event to celebrate its achievements. The addition spans three stories and adds 75,000 square feet to the company’s existing 400,000 square feet of space. Another reason to celebrate? The state of Minnesota’s Investment Fund provided Toro with a $750,000 loan that will be forgiven if the company keeps 900 employees in Minnesota and adds 50 more corporate jobs to its headquarters. Founded in 1914, Toro built steam steering engines for ships to support the World War I effort. It got into the turf business in 1919 after employees bolted five reel mowers onto the front of a tractor to mow fairways at Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.