Minnesota Business Developments

by Rhonda Mix
March 2011

Northern

Riverwood Healthcare Center plans to break ground by mid-May on a $21 million expansion and renovation of its facility in Aitkin. The 49,770-square-foot expansion includes more space for the departments of chemotherapy, surgery, rehabilitation, and administration, increasing the facility’s overall size by 36 percent. A big part of the project involves the conversion of semiprivate hospital patient rooms with 24 beds to 25 private rooms with beds. The project is slated for completion by the end of 2012.

North Valley Health Care in Warren plans to build a 43,600-square-foot replacement hospital. The cost of the project is estimated to be between $11 million and $16 million. Construction is expected to begin soon.

Central

A promotional products and logo merchandise distributor, ePromos Promotional Products, is opening an office in St. Cloud in May and creating 18 new jobs for the area. Founded in 1998, ePromos is headquartered in New York City and has satellite offices in seven other states. The St. Cloud location will be the company’s second largest satellite office. After a nationwide search, the web-based company chose St. Cloud to expand to because of its large educated workforce, support of the business community, and experience hosting other sales centers.

Twin Cities Metro

Metro Mold & Design is expanding into a 100,000-square-foot facility in Brooklyn Park. The Rogers-based plastics molding and precision manufacturer plans to occupy the Brooklyn Park building by late summer 2011. The expansion will bring the company closer to its medical technology customers and to the metropolitan area workforce. The company plans to add 40 new jobs at the Brooklyn Park facility in the near future.

Germany-based Heraeus Medical Components is building a 28,400-square-foot addition to its U.S. headquarters in White Bear Township. The $1.6 million project includes a warehouse and manufacturing space. The company manufactures complex components for a variety of medical devices.

Nine new retailers and a bowling alley will be added to the Mall of America in Bloomington. Most of the new retailers are in the luxury category and will be located in the newly renovated south wing of the shopping center. The new tenants are Michael Kors (accessories and shoes), Stuart Weitzman (handbags and shoes), Superdry (United Kingdom-based casual clothing), Armani Exchange (Giorgio Armani’s moderately priced clothing), Naartjie Kids (children clothing brand from Cape Town, South Africa), Bettie Page (1950s-style clothing), See’s Candies (chocolate and candy), Merrell Shoes (sports, hiking, and casual shoes), Desigual (Spanish casual clothing) and Sky Deck Sports Grille and Lanes.

Hamline University has broken ground in St. Paul for a new $36 million University Center. The 75,000-square-foot, three-level project, designed for use by students, staff, and faculty, will have meeting spaces, dining facilities, a coffee shop, a meditation room, underground parking, and an outdoor terrace. Striving to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED silver standards, the completed building will include solar panels and a green roof. The project is slated for completion in August 2012.

Southern

The Mayo Clinic plans to add four floors to the current four-story Mayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center in Rochester. The expansion, funded by a donation from Dan Abraham, will house a wellness facility for patients. At this new expansion, patients with illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, or heart disease will work with specialists in the areas of nutrition, fitness, sleep, and stress reduction. The facility will also serve healthy people at risk for disease, and will also be used for research and development. The project is slated for completion in two to three years.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to build an 115,000-square-foot facility in Rochester. The $17 million project will be a single-story building with offices, conference rooms, vehicle maintenance space, locker rooms, vehicle fueling, and material storage space. Once complete in the spring of 2012, the facility will be a hub for maintenance of state patrol vehicles, snowplows, dump trucks, and other roadway maintenance equipment. It will also have storage space for salt and other snow and ice agents.

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