RUGBY – It’s a small town with a lot going for it, including location. Rugby is located on a major highway, U.S. 2, and is known as the “Geographical Center of North America.”
“We are in a great location. We've got great businesses here,” said Laurie Odden, executive director of the Rugby Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
Included in Odden’s list of great businesses is a line-up of eating places, catering to a wide variety of tastes, that would be the envy of any community in the state.
“We may be a small town, but we’ve got a lot to offer." Laurie Odden, executive director Rugby Chamber of Commerce & CVB
“They all do such a great job,” stated Odden. “We may be a small town, but we’ve got a lot to offer. Our high school sports teams have a great following. We have a hockey arena here and an outdoor skating rink. We have so many things people don’t realize.”
Travelers on U.S. Highway 2 skirt the southern edge of Rugby, population 2,500, and see several businesses. But there’s much more just a few blocks away in the downtown section of the city.
“We have boutiques, coffee shops, hair salons, second-hand stores, and everybody is so friendly,” said Odden. “You just feel welcome when you come here. There’s a lot of small town smiles.”
Among other positives for Rugby is that it boasts several major businesses, an excellent school system, and health care facilities that are in the midst of a major expansion.
“We are kind of a hub for the region. There’s excitement for a new medical center, Heart of America Center, here in town. Our grade school is getting a renovation and expansion too,” said Odden. “There’s also Rugby Manufacturing and the uniqueness and opportunities you have with a company like that.”
Rugby Manufacturing completed a 45,000 square foot expansion last year. They have become an industry leader in truck dump bodies and hoists. Other notable companies that have a big presence in Rugby includes Gooseneck Implement and High Plains Equipment.
“We’ve got some really great companies right here in our small town,” concluded Odden.
