The City of Chaska sits in the Minnesota River valley, in the rapidly-growing southwest Twin Cities metro area. Chaska was for many years a prolific producer of bricks made from local clay. More recently, major industry in Chaska has shifted to technology and biomedical companies. Whereas the major employers in the 1960s included Crystal Sugar, Klein Brickyard and Gedney Pickle, top employers today include technology firms Entegris and FSI, along with biomedical firms Lake Region, Lifecore Biomedical and Beckman Coulter. In 1992, Chaska and seven other cities joined together to form MMPA. Chaska is home to the Minnesota River Station.