Minnesota Business Developments

by Carol Walsh
October 2011

Northern

A new solar energy plant in Mountain Iron has opened recently. Seattle-based Silicon Energy, which makes photovoltaic panels for homes and businesses, began training workers to produce photovoltaic systems in September. Minnesota was chosen for Silicon Energy’s second plant because of a state incentive program encouraging purchase of solar panels made in-state and the workforce, according to the company president. Fifteen employees have been hired, with plans for up to 10 additional positions. The new $3 million plant was built with state financial assistance. Silicon Energy also received a $1.5 million state loan to purchase equipment.

The Miller-Dwan Foundation in Duluth has broken ground on Amberwing, a $6 million facility that will provide mental health and chemical dependency treatment for children, adolescents, and young adults. The 22,000-square-foot facility will offer counseling for up to 60 young people and their families.

Central

St. Cloud now has a branch of the Transportation Center for Excellence, an organization that has been training truck drivers in 10-speeds for more than a decade. TCE works with several dozen carriers to place drivers. Six weeks of the nine-week training course are an internship with the hiring carrier. According to TCE, the average age of its graduate drivers is 43, and the median salary is $38,000 a year.

DEED has awarded a $178,406 Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant to train 279 workers at CentraCare Health System-Long Prairie. The Long Prairie facility includes a hospital, clinic, and long-term care facility that serves Todd County and surrounding areas. Nurses, emergency technicians, medical technicians, and medical transcriptionists will learn techniques to improve the quality and safety of patient care. The training is offered by Central Lakes College.

Twin Cities Metro

PrairieCare, a psychiatric and behavioral health provider based in Maple Grove, is growing to meet the increased demand for services.  The expansion includes a lease on a 23,500-square-foot office space on the Fairview Southdale Hospital campus in Edina.  The new location will provide mental outpatient medical care for children and adolescents.  PrairieCare expects to add 12 jobs to the new offices, more than doubling their current number of employees in Edina.

Comcast recently announced plans to add 150 call center positions to its regional headquarters in Saint Paul.  Hiring will begin immediately and continue into mid-year 2012.  Positions will include customer account executives, and applicants must have a minimum of one year of experience in customer service.  The company, which employs more than 1,800 in the region, has already hired 250 employees this year at its Minnetonka facility.

A Whole Foods grocery store has opened up in Minnetonka in a former Circuit City location at 1001 Plymouth Road, not far from the Ridgedale Center shopping mall. The company also plans to open a store at the Centennial Lakes Plaza shopping center in Edina in 2012. Whole Foods said the new stores are expected to add an estimated 250 jobs locally.

Southern

Foundations have been poured, and construction has begun on two new wind turbines near Lewiston in Winona County, part of an estimated $10 million project led by GL Wind LLC, a partnership between Gundersen Lutheran Hospital and a local investor. The turbines will create enough electricity to power between 1,200 and 1,500 homes. The project is part of Gundersen Lutheran’s “Envision” program, which aims to make the hospital more energy efficient.

As part of the city of Winona’s Capital Improvement Plan, the Winona Airport is slated to see major renovations to runways and lighting systems by 2015. The project is expected to cost at least $10 million and could provide economic opportunities to local companies. The runway will be expanded by about 400 feet, and both the runway and taxiway will be completely repaved. Under a grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to partner on costs for the design phase, the federal administration will pay for 95 percent of the $353,117 design phase. The city will cover about $17,656.

Top