Minnesota Business Developments

by Rhonda Mix - rhonda.mix@state.mn.us
March 2010

Northern

Triumph Boats LLC is moving its manufacturing operations from Durham, N.C., to Little Falls after being purchased by J&D Acquisitions LLC, which recently acquired Larson Boat Co. in Little Falls. Triumph will continue its focus on products for its existing, mostly saltwater, dealer base, and it will continue to offer its transferable lifetime limited warranty on all Triumph boats.

Construction is under way on the expansion of the Walmart store in Fergus Falls. Once complete, the store will be 44 percent larger and offer a full line of grocery, deli, bakery, produce, meat, dairy, and frozen-food products. A Subway restaurant will also be located in the store. The expansion will increase jobs at the store to 240 from its current count of 140. Construction is slated for completion this summer.

The city of Park Rapids received a $188,707 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Redevelopment Grant program for infrastructure costs associated with redeveloping a 0.43-acre site. The site has been used for a variety of community activities since the early 1900s, with the latest use as an armory. The existing building will be redeveloped into a mixed-use structure for commercial, civic, and arts activities. The project is expected to create 21 jobs.

Central

A maker of playground equipment, Xccent Play, has moved from its facility in Osceola, Wis., to a brand-new 100,000-square-foot facility in Wyoming, Minn. Groundbreaking for the $7 million project occurred in the fall of 2009, and Xccent began occupying the new location in March. The move will bring 100 jobs to the Wyoming area with plans for additional future job creation. The new facility, which was built by Minneapolis-based R. J. Ryan Construction, includes approximately 90,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 10,000 square feet of office space. To assist with construction costs, DEED awarded Xccent Play a $150,000 grant under the Job Opportunity Building Zones (JOBZ) program. Additionally, under the JOBZ program, Xccent Play will receive tax breaks for five years by maintaining job levels and wage rates.

Twin Cities Metro Area

DEED’s Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program (MJSP) awarded a $383,181 grant to support training for 575 employees of ConAgra Foods Inc. located in Maple Grove, Lakeville and Hastings. The two-year training collaboration includes MJSP, ConAgra Foods, and Dakota County Technical College (DCTC). ConAgra Foods and DCTC will collaborate to develop a for-credit manufacturing technician curriculum for machine mechanical and electrical technicians, production line workers, and supervisors. Courses will include Mathematics for Mechanic/Electrician, DC and AC Electrical Theory, Mechanical Drives, and Industrial Controls. ConAgra Foods Inc. processes grain, flour, and animal feed in Hastings; packaging in Maple Grove; and cereal, granola bars, and other food items in Lakeville.

Groundbreaking is planned for this summer for a new state-of-the-art data center in Chaska for UnitedHealth Group Inc. The 190,000-square-foot project is slated for completion in mid-2012 at a cost of $100 million to $150 million.

H&M, a Swedish clothing store chain, is expanding in the Twin Cities area. A new store in the Maplewood Mall is slated to open this fall. The new H&M store will take up about 18,000 square feet of space on the mall’s second level, combining what was previously four store spaces. The Maplewood location will be the chain’s fourth store in the Twin Cities area.

South

Verizon Wireless in Mankato is expanding and bringing jobs to the area. The company’s call center in Mankato filled 15 positions in February and 30 in March. Plus the company plans to add 30 more workers in April and another 30 in June. All the jobs are full time with full benefits.

The city of Mankato received an $850,000 grant from DEED’s Redevelopment Grant program for infrastructure costs associated with redeveloping a 1.18-acre site. The site contains a mostly vacant commercial building and a surface parking lot. The building will be renovated for commercial and residential use, and a public parking ramp is planned. The project is expected to create 47 jobs and retain 67 jobs.

GuidePoint Pharmacy is moving to a new and bigger location in Worthington. The company is vacating its current location and moving next door to a space that is being remodeled and is more than double its current space — from 1,700 square feet to 3,500 square feet. The expansion project began in March and is slated for completion in July. GuidePoint started in its current location about six years ago with three full-time employees, including one pharmacist and two part-time employees. Now there are three full-time pharmacists, seven other full-time employees, and six part-time workers.

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