by Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash
July 2015
Arctic Cat revealed a $26 million plan to open a new paint line and other facility improvements at its Thief River Falls facility. The new paint line will enable continued growth in the company's recreational off-highway vehicle (ROV) business and will add 39 new jobs to its current workforce. The planned projects are eligible to receive grants and loans from the Minnesota Job Creation Fund in addition to local and state tax incentives.
Cirrus Aircraft plans to build a new $10 million, 60,000-sq.-ft, production facility near the Duluth airport to house the final stages of the aircraft manufacturing process. The company has created more than 300 new jobs in the past three years and is expected to add another 300 jobs over the next three years.
The iron foundry Grede, that designs and manufactures cast, machined, and assembled components for transportation and industrial markets, announced a $17.5 million, 32,000-square-foot expansion to its existing 320,000-square-foot Saint Cloud facility to house a third mold line. The expansion project will add 30 jobs to the company's current 330 workforce. Grede will partner with St. Cloud State University to train employees as part of its expansion. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development contributed a $335,000 grant to develop the training program.
FedEx is building a new 54,000-square-foot sorting and distribution facility in Brainerd bringing new jobs to the area. The new FedEx site is also expected to increase property values in the park and spur growth in other area businesses.
The growing Minneapolis tech company JAMF Software is doubling the size of its headquarters with a move from its current 27,000 square feet at the Grain Exchange building to 52,000 square foot new site at 100 Washington Ave. S. This expansion will add 50 more jobs by the end of the year increasing the company's workforce to 500.
Prime Therapeutics , the pharmacy benefits manager based in Eagan, will expand its Minnesota workforce by 375 jobs at its Eagan headquarter, Bloomington location, and a new site in Mendota Heights over the next three years. The newly created jobs include pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, clinical and lab assistants, and administrative roles. The expansion plan is driven by the growth in health insurance exchanges, where Prime Therapeutics has 2 million new members.
The fast-growing health information technology company Ability Network Inc. continues to expand its headquarters in Butler Square in downtown Minneapolis adding 167 new jobs to its current workforce of more than 400 employees. The average salary for current employees exceeds $65,000. Ability Network Inc. will receive up to $1 million from the Job Creation Fund administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to help with the expansion plan and creation of the new jobs.
Daikin, the world's largest air conditioning manufacturer, has completed the $9 million expansion of its facility in Owatonna, adding 190,000 square-feet and creating 40 new jobs, with a possibility of hiring more as their operations progress. The company received an $880,000 award from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) as part of the Minnesota Job Creation Fund.
Chicago-based Beneficial Reuse Management (BRM) plans to open a Gypsoil Pelletized Products plant that creates fertilizer pellets out of landfill waste this fall in Winona, bringing 20 new jobs to the city. To help with the building of the new facility, Beneficial Reuse Management will receive funds in grants and loans from SMIF, Minnesota Investment Fund/Port Authority of Winona, Minnesota Initiative Voucher Program, and DEED. In partnership with University of Minnesota Duluth, BRM's will divert millions of tons of industrial byproducts from landfills to products such as fertilizer.
Halcon Furniture announced a 15,000 square foot, $3.3 million expansion at its Stewartville headquarters. The expansion is expected to create up to 40 new jobs that pay at least $14 per hour over the next two years. To assist with the expansion plan and creation of the new jobs, Halcon Furniture will receive $175,000 Minnesota Job Creation Fund grant and a $400,000 tax increment finance (TIF) from the city of Stewartville.
