Aug. 12 - DEED Awards Shovel Ready Certification to Four Cities

ST. PAUL – Business park developments in four Minnesota cities have been certified for the Shovel Ready Program by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The certifications were awarded to Cambridge, Monticello, Alexandria and Big Lake.

Shovel Ready certification means planning, zoning, environmental studies, title work, public infrastructure and other pre-construction activities have been completed on a site. Shovel Ready sites are attractive to companies that want to move quickly with plans to start up, relocate or expand their operations.

“Shovel Ready certification is a popular tool for city officials who want to bring new business development to their communities,” said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. “Sites that have been certified as Shovel Ready have a competitive edge over other sites that don’t have the designation.”

John Rhodes, a leading national site-location consultant with Moran, Stahl & Boyer of Lakewood Ranch, Fla. works with DEED on the Shovel Ready Program.

“Shovel ready certification is becoming popular nationally as well,” said Rhodes. “The tool is popular because it increases the speed in which companies can start up operations after the site decision has been made.”

DEED launched the program last year, with development sites in Brainerd, Dayton and Rosemount gaining certification as Shovel Ready.

More details on the program are available here. 

Following are brief descriptions of the four new Shovel Ready sites:

Cambridge – The 107-acre Cambridge Opportunity Industrial Park is about 45 miles north of the Twin Cities in Isanti County, near Highways 65 and 95. Officials are hoping to attract high-tech manufacturing and related businesses to the park, which has been approved for tax incentives offered under the Job Opportunity Building Zone (JOBZ) program.

Stan Gustafson, economic development director in Cambridge, said the Shovel Ready designation is an important marketing tool that will help the city of 5,500 people attract business opportunities. “Manufacturers nowadays move quickly,” he said. “They want to make site decisions and to be up and operating as soon as possible.”

Local contact: Stan Gustafson, Cambridge economic development director, 763-552-3209, sgustafson@ci.cambridge.mn.us

Monticello – The Monticello Business Center, about 30 miles northwest of the Twin Cities in Wright County, has 43 acres of developable land. Officials hope to attract precision manufacturing, distribution centers and related businesses to the site. Three businesses are already operating in the park: Dahlheimer Beverage Inc., Karlsburger Foods Inc. and Walker In-Store.

Megan Barnett, economic development director in Monticello, said tax increment financing is available for businesses interested in locating in the park. She also touted the site’s location – halfway between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities, near Interstate 94 and Highway 25 – and the existence of two fiber-optic systems in the community of 11,000 people. “The site is ready for development,” Barnett said. “We just want to attract different businesses to our city, and the Shovel Ready designation will help us do that.”

Local contact: Megan Barnett, Monticello economic development director, 763-271-3208, megan.barnett@ci.monticello.mn.us

Alexandria – The 106-acre Heritage Business Park is a mixed-use site for commercial and manufacturing entities, about 130 miles northwest of the Twin Cities in Douglas County. The JOBZ site is adjacent to Interstate 94. The Indigo Plaza office/warehouse complex and the Heritage Transport Inc. trucking firm are already located in the park. The park was developed through a public-private partnership with owners Tim and Karen Wagner.

“It’s important to do everything you can to strengthen your location, and the Shovel Ready designation helps us accomplish that,” said Jason Murray, executive director of the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission. “We wanted to show our support for Tim and Karen’s investment in the business park.”

Local contact: Jason Murray, executive director, Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission, 320-763-4545, jmurray@rea-alp.com

Big Lake – Big Lake Industrial Park East is located on Highway 10 in Sherburne County, about 40 miles northeast of the Twin Cities. The site is zoned for light industrial businesses and includes tax abatements, loan programs and other incentives to encourage businesses to locate in the park.

“Big Lake is a great site for a light industrial manufacturing firm,” said Jim Thares, Big Lake community development director. “The labor force is fantastic and very mobile. We draw from as far away as St. Cloud and down into Brooklyn Park, as well as other surrounding communities.” 

Local contact: Jim Thares, Big Lake community development director, 763-263-2107, jimt@ci.big-lake.mn.us

DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and our services, visit us at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com.

Upon request, the information in this news release is available in an alternative format such as Braille, large print, audiotape or computer disk.

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Communications Office
Phone 651/259-7161 or 1-800-657-3858 ∙ TTY 1-800-657-3973
www.PositivelyMinnesota.com