Minnesota is home to several prominent exploration and production companies that play a vital role in meeting America's energy needs. These businesses range from small, niche players dedicated to specific areas of extraction to industry powerhouses with vast sectoral footprints. At the forefront, oil, gas, and mineral exploration and production companies develop strategies to find deposits of valuable resources and facilitate their extraction. They employ state-of-the-art technology and sustainable practices to ensure minimal environmental impact while maintaining continual progress. As renewable resources gain more traction, many of these companies are also embarking on sustainability initiatives and renewables exploration.


Top 21 exploration and production companies in Minnesota

1. Great Plains Sand

Great Plains Sand is a company that offers high-quality frac sand to companies in the oil and gas industry.


2. Black Bear Resources

Black Bear Resources is an oil and gas company that acquires mineral acres and working interests in the Bakken and Three Forks shale oil formations in North Dakota and Montana or in similar geological formations in the US. Their mission is to become a premier oil and gas company through strategic acquisition and leasing activity and selective exploration and production projects.


3. Northern Oil and Gas Inc. (NYSE: NOG)

Natural resource production and management.


4. MiningMinnesota

MiningMinnesota is committed to responsible mining, processing, and domestic supply chain utilization of mineral resources to bring growth and job creation to Minnesota while advancing a sustainable future.


5. PD Instore

  • Website: pdinstore.com
  • Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
  • Founded: 1938
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • LinkedIn

Limited only by how big brands can dream, PD is uniquely equipped to handle design, production and installation of fixtures as well as creative and mechanical design, printing (Litho, Screen, Die-Sub & Digital) with just about any material imaginable. These synergistic, diverse capabilities allow for agile solutions scalable to any logistical scenario. As a front-end partner, PD finds the most cost-effective, executable solutions to connect the world’s leading brands with shoppers. And they’ve been doing it for over 75 years. Founded in 1938 as Process Displays, the company grew with a deep commitment to relationships and in response to its clients expanding needs. In 2010, the company rebranded as simply PD with 2 core service divisions: PD Tempo – Big Impact Dimensional Signage & Displays PD Solid – High Performance Fixtures & Environments From concept stores, shop-in-shops & large scale rollouts to short-run, fast-turn POP & seasonal POS kits, PD offers brands a way to do more instore-all at the true speed of retail.


6. USPerform

  • Website: usperform.com
  • Headquarters: Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

COAT.02™ is a scientifically designed engine oil and metal treatment that will help your engine in 14 different ways. COAT.02™ will provide excellent results in CARS, TRUCKS, BUSES, MOTORCYCLES, BOATS, INDUSTRIAL ENGINES or any gas/diesel engine that uses motor oil.


7. Taconite Drilling

Taconite Drilling is a veteran-owned drilling company offering exploration, geotechnical, and environmental drilling services to clients in Minnesota and Michigan with over 50 years of experience.


8. Interstate Molding & Mfg Inc

Interstate Molding & Mfg., Inc. is a full-service custom plastic injection molding company located in Albert Lea, MN. They offer high quality custom molded parts and many secondary operations such as insert installation, drilling, tapping, gluing and hot stamping.


9. The Paramount Center for the Arts

Paramount Center for the Arts provides opportunities for artistic production, creative exploration, arts education and the enjoyment of arts and entertainment.


10. Superior Minerals Llc

Superior Mineral Resources is a mineral management enterprise with over a century of experience managing and owning mineral assets. They specialize in maximizing revenue for their clients' mineral properties.


11. The Ringinator

  • Website: ringinator.com
  • Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
  • Headcount: 51-200

Ringinator is a precision jewelers saw that cuts long coils to create individual jump rings with perfectly flush cut ends. The machine is capable of cutting any metal, including stainless steel and titanium.


12. Branch Manufacturing Company

  • Website: branchmfg.com
  • Headquarters: North Branch, Minnesota, United States
  • Founded: 1952
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • LinkedIn

Branch Manufacturing Company is a sheet metal fabrication company that provides tooling design and building, precise testing and operation, and short and long run production of running dies and fabricating parts.


13. R & D Engineering

  • Website: randde.com
  • Headquarters: Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States
  • Founded: 2004
  • Headcount: 1-10
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

MMT is a medical device manufacturing company specializing in catheter cutting, laminating/reflow, and other solutions for premier medical applications.


14. Desco Inc

Desco offers complete drilling solutions using patented rotary and percussion drill technology. From water well and geothermal drill rigs to exploration and horizontal directional drilling equipment, Desco offers premium equipment and services to achieve any drilling goal.


15. Kilo Company Limited

  • Website: kilogold.net
  • Headquarters: Cottage Grove, Minnesota, United States
  • Founded: 2006
  • Headcount: 1-10
  • Latest funding type: Ipo
  • LinkedIn

Kilo Goldmines Ltd. is a mining company that focuses on gold and iron ore exploration and development in the northeast region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.


16. Global Minerals Engineering LLC

Global Minerals Engineering provides comprehensive engineering and consulting services to mining clients worldwide. Their services range from permitting and operations to closure and reclamation, with a focus on mineral management, environmental science, and geological services.


17. VipTekLink LLC

We Work With Clients, People & Communities Globally. There Technology Change. We Deliver On The Promise Of Technology Innovation To Accelerate Work For You.


18. iDEAL Energies

iDEAL Energies is a Minnesota-based company that specializes in commercial solar solutions. With a focus on education, business, local government, and non-profit sectors, they offer highly refined services including development, financing, engineering, construction, and operations & maintenance of solar arrays. They help customers navigate incentive programs to minimize out-of-pocket expenses and maximize solar production, ultimately reducing operation costs and promoting sustainability.


19. River Country Cooperative

River Country Cooperative is a business that offers a variety of products and services related to agriculture, energy, feed, grain, and agronomy. They provide solutions to improve livestock health and milk production, lower feed costs, and offer safety resources. With a focus on cooperative values, they cater to the needs of farmers and dairy operations.


20. Ever Cat Fuels, LLC

Ever Cat Fuels LLC is a company that specializes in the production of biodiesel fuel using a one-step continuous process. They offer a green and sustainable solution for converting various feedstocks into high-quality blended fuel, with sales of up to B99. For more information, contact Alex McNeff.


21. Highwater Ethanol LLC

Highwater Ethanol is a company that operates in the agriculture industry, specifically in the production and distribution of ethanol. They provide a sustainable and renewable energy source by converting corn into ethanol, which is used as a biofuel additive to gasoline. Their operations include corn sourcing, distillation, and marketing of ethanol products. They may outsource certain aspects of their supply chain, such as transportation. Highwater Ethanol serves various customers in the transportation and energy sectors.


Want to find more exploration and production companies?


If you want to find more companies that provide vital services like mineral discovery, oil extraction, and resource management you can do so with Inven. This list was built with Inven and there are hundreds of companies like these globally.


With Inven you'll also get to know the company's:


  • Ownership: Which of these are private equity backed? Which are family-owned?
  • Contact data: Who are the owners and CEO's? What are their emails and phone numbers?
  • Financials: How do these companies perform financially? What are their revenues and profit margins?

...and a lot more!