The Cast 7 story
Running a stainless-steel foundry takes more than metallurgical know-how. For Laura Rusich, General Manager of Cast 7, LLC in Hibbing, a typical week might include managing customer relationships with Iron Range mining operations, overseeing a closed-loop parts recycling program, monitoring production chemistry, and tracking opportunities in new industries. When she decided it was time to sharpen Cast 7’s digital presence and marketing strategy, she knew it called for exactly the kind of specialized support she didn’t already have in-house.
Cast 7 was founded to create something new for the Iron Range. Built in 2013 and 2014, the Hibbing facility supplies stainless steel, high-chrome, and Ni-Hard parts to the local mining, ground engagement, and aggregate industries. Its signature offering is a customer-partnered recycling program: used parts are collected from mining customers and folded back into the melt, tightening chemistry control, reducing carbon footprint, and passing real cost savings along to the people who depend on Cast 7 most.
That kind of operational depth is what Cast 7 brings to every customer relationship. Building the same depth online was the next step, and it’s precisely the kind of challenge Hibbing Business Edge was designed for. The program, offered through a partnership between Northland SBDC, the Hibbing Economic Development Authority, the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, provides nearly double the consulting hours of standard SBDC services. Hibbing Business Edge helps companies like Cast 7 that already know what they do well and want expert help doing more of it.
“The SBDC is a really nice resource to help small and mid-sized businesses take specific areas to the next level.”
Consultant Molly Solberg worked with Laura through the program, tackling Cast 7’s Google Business listing, developing a LinkedIn strategy to strengthen the company’s professional visibility, and building a marketing plan calibrated to the company’s size and the realities of industrial sales. According to Molly, Laura’s approach to the work reflects how she runs the business. “Laura was a force,” Molly noted. “As General Manager she fills so many roles and excels at all of them. She is forward thinking, researching new marketing and sales techniques and new industries to pursue.”
Laura describes the experience as practical and well-matched to where Cast 7 is right now. “Working with Molly helped me better understand how to boost our visibility on LinkedIn and create a marketing plan that fits our company and our industry,” she said. “The SBDC is a really nice resource to help small and mid-sized businesses take specific areas to the next level.”
After three years of significant change, including shifts in sales volume, ownership, equipment, and sales strategy, Laura is looking ahead with clarity. Her focus for the coming year: steady volume, a reliable workforce, and a return to consistent profitability. Cast 7 enters that chapter with sharper digital tools and a marketing foundation built for where the business is going.