Minnesota Business Developments

by Carol Walsh
June 2011

Northern

P&H Mining Equipment, Milwaukee manufacturer of truck-loading shovels used in the mining industry, will consolidate Iron Range operations in a new $16 million, 82,000-square-foot building in Virginia. The building will include office space, service floor, and crane for equipment repair and service. The center will repair and service company mining equipment that’s used across the Iron Range but will also be the service center for equipment from all over the world, according to the firm’s regional manager. P&H will move 56 current Range jobs to the new building and add about 16 new jobs. Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. will manage construction.

After two years of planning and millions in investment, Vaultas celebrated their grand opening in May of their state-of-the-art, 10,000-square-foot data center facility in Alexandria. The new multi-carrier fiber connected BCDR (Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery) complex is the first of its kind in northern Minnesota and the newest public data center operation in the state. Vaultas President John Unger cites two reasons for selecting Alexandria as the site: Alexandria is strategically located, and it is well suited to meet primary and backup data center applications for Greater Minnesota businesses. From a network and bandwidth perspective, Alexandria also has the ability to serve a larger rural Minnesota geographical area.

Central

MinnWest Technology Center – formerly Willmar Regional Treatment Center – will soon become home to a Cargill satellite office and a new University of Minnesota r&d center. Five years after the center’s opening, about 40 percent of the technology center’s 100-acre campus has been occupied. Twenty-three tenants provide nearly 300 jobs, about a third of them new. Life-Science Innovations, Nova-Tech Engineering, Epitopix, Prinsco and Feedlogic are major tenants.

In a move that could bring 100 jobs back to the city of Sauk Rapids from China, DEED approved a $322,000 MIF (Minnesota Investment Funds) grant to support the Coleman Co. Inc.’s (formerly Stearns Inc.) expansion plans. The funds would be used for facility upgrades and equipment needed to produce personal flotation devices. Coleman is also seeking funding from Benton County to buy equipment that can grind foam left over from the life preservers into a resin for use in recycled plastic products.

The St. Cloud City Council has approved a 20-year, $800,000-plus tax abatement for Marco, an employee-owned technology services company that plans to build a $6 million, 65,000-square-foot headquarters near I-94. Groundbreaking is planned by the end of summer 2011, with Marco moving in by the spring 2012. Marco has 450 employees at 21 upper Midwest locations, including 150 at their current St. Cloud headquarters.

Twin Cities Metro

Airgas, Inc., major gas cylinder distributor based in Radnor, PA, recently broke ground on an 18,000-square-foot facility in Roseville that will employ 35 people. The new facility, set to open in October, will help meet a growing demand for gas cylinders and related products in the Twin Cities area. Airgas has facilities in Savage, Ramsey, and Hudson, WI.

Chaska’s Hazeltine National Golf Club has completed a $15 million, 20-month renovation project, updating its clubhouse, golf shop, learning center, practice facility, and course. Members of the private golf club wanted to update the facility in preparation for the Ryder Cup, biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, which Hazeltine will host in 2016. Yunker Associates, Minneapolis, was the architect on the project.

This fall Minneapolis’ Warehouse District is about to get another hot spot for beer aficionados. Fulton Brewery is set to open mid-September, and when it does, the brewery will feature their four initial brews, American Blonde, Balanced India Pale Ale, Russian Imperial Stout and Imperial Red Ale, growler sales, and tours.

Southern

Halcon, maker of high-end office furniture in Stewartville, Olmsted County, is preparing to break ground on a new 12,000-square-foot expansion expected for October completion. The company’s new head-turning Motus collection of transformable tables, cabinets, and accessories recently won the Best of Competition Award at NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2011, the largest trade fair of its kind in the country.

Faribault Woolen Mills, Minnesota’s longest continuously operating manufacturer (they made blankets since the Civil War), is coming back to life. CEO Chuck Mooty, former International Dairy Queen CEO, is looking at a tentative date in late August for the machines to start up again. “This is a story about the revival of American excellence,” said Mooty in Textile World. “The art of manufacturing textiles should be retained by our country, particularly during a time when our economy is so challenged with unemployment.” The sale of the mill name, company, and machinery was completed in July. Sale of the land is expected by the end of 2011. Forty to 50 employees are expected to be hired by opening date. Faribault Woolen Mills employed about 36 employees when it closed two years ago.

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