Lakeville Tutors

About Lakeville

Although it’s named after a made-up word (“air” representing a proposed airport within the park and “lake” for nearby Lake Marion), Airlake Industrial Park is no spoof. The business park, established by Hitchcock Industries in the mid-1960s, serves the needs of more than 150 companies and about 4,500 employees. Less than 250 acres of the original 1,500-acre site remain undeveloped.

The industrial park, which has provided economic stability to Lakeville through the years, was first envisioned by Carleton Hitchcock, who ran a foundry that manufactured products from non-ferrous metals. Hitchcock shared his vision for an industrial park with employee Maynard Johnson, who eagerly took the project under his wing.

Johnson grew up on a family farm in Dawson, Minnesota, but wanted to be a businessman, not a farmer. Although he had to put his career dreams on hold to help his family and to serve during World War II, everything eventually came together for him, especially when he learned about the park. Johnson liked the idea of building it in Lakeville. The land was flat, there was rail to service the park, and adults from the community—or even students, groomed by talented Lakeville tutors and teachers—could provide the workforce. The site was also perfect for the park’s most-unique feature: an airstrip. Hitchcock, a private pilot, knew that the Metropolitan Airports Commission needed a place for training, and the benefits to the park of having the airstrip were obvious. In 1966, Hitchcock Industries purchased 1,500 acres from twenty-one land owners with plans to create a first for the U.S.: an industrial park with an airstrip.

Johnson served as the driving force behind the venture, first building just an office and the airstrip. He developed the land slowly, less than ten acres per year during the first ten years, adding roads and sewer as needed and a water tower that still stands today. As the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area spread out, development of the park picked up considerably.

Lakeville residents were excited about this project as well as the merger of the township and the village. To celebrate, Hitchcock and Johnson planned a celebration called Panorama of Progress, or “Pan-O-Prog.” The two-day event, held in March 1967, attracted 7,000 visitors and included a parade, the crowning of the first Miss Lakeville, and an air show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Over the years, the annual Pan-O-Prog has grown into a week-long festival that includes two parades (one for boats), fireworks, tournaments, and dances.

Three other industrial parks have been added near Airlake Industrial Park to keep up with demand. All have contributed greatly to Lakeville’s economic health. The industrial park’s benefits reach all the way into the city’s education system, where Lakeville tutors and teachers help students reach their educational goals and perhaps even strive for a career in Lakeville’s thriving business parks.