Minnesota Business Developments

by Rhonda Mix - rhonda.mix@state.mn.us
May 2009

Northern

The Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) announced a $192,000 grant to support required training in continuous improvement for employees of five Minnesota manufacturing companies, four of which are located in northern Minnesota: Donnelly Custom Manufacturing in Alexandria, Anderson Fabrics in Blackduck, BTD Manufacturing in Detroit Lakes and Dee, Inc. in Crookston. (The other manufacturer is located in the Twin Cities metro area.) The training will enable line leaders, supervisors and managers at the participating manufacturing companies to expand productivity and capacity.

The city of Hibbing has received a $250,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to help pay for site preparation and an access road for a new airport hangar. The funding was awarded under the agency’s Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program, which helps finance up to 50 percent of the capital costs for road construction, sewer and water extensions, and other infrastructure needs. The hangar will house the Life Link III air medical transportation operations and a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources aircraft and maintenance facility. Life Link, which provides ground and air medical transportation for St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, is currently housed in a temporary facility at the airport. The operation has 10 full-time employees and plans to add eight full-time positions once the hangar is completed. The Department of Natural Resources has 15 full-time employees at its current maintenance facility and plans to add 15 to 20 maintenance jobs with completion of the hangar.

Central

The city of Hutchinson received a $250,000 grant from DEED to help pay for extending infrastructure to a new 68-acre industrial park on the eastern edge of Hutchinson. The industrial park is being built to accommodate anticipated business growth and expansion. So far, two businesses, Warrior Manufacturing and Sonoco, have expressed interest in expanding to the site. These two companies together would bring 50 to 60 new jobs to Hutchinson. The funding was awarded under the agency’s Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program.

Twin Cities Metro

McQuay International has opened a $52 million research and testing center in Plymouth. A manufacturer of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, McQuay International, which is owned by Osaka, Japan-based Daikin Industries, has more than 1,000 employees in Minnesota. The new, 49,000-square-foot Plymouth facility will employ 70 people to develop large new commercial air conditioning systems.

DEED’s Minnesota Job Skills Partnership announced a $192,000 grant to support required basic life support and advanced cardiac life support training for employees of Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville. The two-year training collaboration includes MJSP, Fairview Ridges Hospital and Inver Hills Community College. Fairview Ridges Hospital will contribute nearly $249,000 to fund the training project. Inver Hills Community College will collaborate with Fairview Ridges to provide entry-level training and retraining to 400 registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, paramedics and respiratory therapists.

DEED awarded a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant of $192,000 to support required training in continuous improvement for employees of five Minnesota manufacturing companies, one of which is located in the metro area: Consolidated Precisions Products in Bloomington. (See the Northern section for a list of the other four manufacturers.) Employees and trainees will participate in a continuous improvement companion series, customized for each business.

Southern

Home Choice plans to open four more stores in Minnesota this summer. Texas-based Home Choice, which currently operates stores in Columbia Heights, Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Cloud, sells furniture, appliances, computers and electronics. One of the new stores is planned for Rochester. The other three will be in the metro area in Blaine, Maplewood and Burnsville.

The city of Mankato received a low-interest loan of nearly $1.2 million from the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA) to help pay for improvements to its wastewater infrastructure. The PFA awarded the loan from its Clean Water Revolving Fund. Loans from the PFA are crucial for helping Minnesota communities finance upgrades to their sewer and water facilities. City of Mankato taxpayers will save a significant amount of money, thanks to the low interest rate on this loan. The project is expected to be completed in September 2009.