In 2006, after more than two decades in the contracting industry, Lori Bauer purchased Climate Makers, a mechanical and temperature control contractor with locations in Brooklyn Center and Jenkins, Minnesota. Since then, the company has grown by 500 percent, and it now employs 45 people and serves more than 500 customers.

Bauer is also involved in the development of the HVAC industry through her service on the Local 455 Joint Apprenticeship Board. She also recently began a four-year term on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Construction Codes Advisory Council.