News

A Minnesota-based magnet maker is set to receive a $150 million federal loan through the Department of Defense.The loan will help Niron Magnetics accelerate opening a facility north of St. Cloud in Sartell, where it will make magnets for use in cell phones, electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense weapons...Continue Reading

A shipyard in the Duluth-Superior harbor is about to become the proving ground for an ambitious bet: that the know-how behind the world’s largest shipbuilder can be transplanted, piece by piece, into the aging yards of the American Great Lakes.Fraser Industries LLC has signed a memorandum of understanding with HD...Continue Reading

The commercial production of helium in northeastern Minnesota is closer to becoming reality.Pulsar Helium Inc.’s, subsidiary Keewaydin Resources Inc., has signed a binding letter of agreement and limited notice to proceed for the reservation of a helium liquefaction plant and related $78.7 million equipment package that would produce and process...Continue Reading

The infrastructure is now in place. The market can begin.For the past three years, Minnesota has been building something that doesn't exist anywhere else in the United States: a regional ecosystem capable of producing, delivering and using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at commercial scale.Today, that vision reached an important milestone.With...Continue Reading

West Central Initiative, serving nine counties and tribal lands within the region, has reached a major lending milestone, distributing over $3 million through 43 loans within the last year — the highest dollar amount in its 40-year history.“The loans supported entrepreneurs, small businesses, non-profits, childcare providers and community organizations across...Continue Reading

The North Central Small Business Development Center at Central Lakes College is inviting aspiring entrepreneurs and new small business owners to participate in “Start Up North Accelerated,” an eight-week virtual cohort designed to help participants take their business ideas seriously and build a stronger path forward.The cohort will run Sept...Continue Reading

Economic development is not just about factories, roads or tax incentives. It is about creating places where people want to gather, linger, invest and ultimately live.Now entering its sixth summer, Silver Bay’s free concert series “Music in the Park” has quietly transformed Friday nights into a community gathering place, drawing...Continue Reading

Minnesota companies have a long history of innovation, creating some of the “coolest” products to fuel our economy. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is again searching for the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota!Manufacturing represents the second largest private-sector component of Minnesota’s GDP.315,000 Minnesotans work in manufacturing.Half of Minnesota’s Fortune 500...Continue Reading

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce announced that nominations are now open for its annual “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” contest.The chamber hosts the competition each year to highlight innovative and impactful products made in the state. Eligible products range from household items to medical equipment to food products.Key datesNominations are...Continue Reading

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation is currently accepting applications for its Economic Development Grant program. Requests of up to $10,000 will be considered.The Economic Development Grant supports projects that strengthen local business activity, promote steady economic growth across SMIF’s 20-county region and Native nation, and encourage innovation, job creation and broader...Continue Reading

A northern Minnesota utility broke ground this week on a $900 million electric transmission project that’s expected to play a critical role in the state’s clean energy transition.Duluth-based Minnesota Power is upgrading and expanding a 50-year old high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line that runs 465 miles from Center,...Continue Reading

LP Building Solutions (LP), a leading manufacturer of high-performance building products, broke ground on a new LP® SmartSide® ExpertFinish® Trim & Siding manufacturing facility today in North Branch, Minnesota. The approximately 350,000-square-foot facility will be built on a recently acquired 120-acre site. It is expected to create 125 jobs at...Continue Reading

The food and beverage industry continues to be a major driver of economic activity across the United States. As consumer preferences evolve, supply chains shift, and companies face rising cost pressures, economic developers must stay closely attuned to both structural and cyclical changes affecting the sector.This article explores key trends...Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Mission Area announced a modernization and restructuring effort to strengthen customer service, improve program accessibility, and enhance support for rural communities across the country. This effort aligns with USDA’s broader initiative to modernize operations, increase accountability, and ensure federal resources are positioned...Continue Reading

Rural Minnesota electric cooperatives are uniquely positioned to support growing U.S. defense industry infrastructure needs. As federal defense spending increases, Minnesota is gaining new opportunities to expand its role in national defense supply chains, especially in rural regions with reliable power, available land, and scalable infrastructure.For Great River Energy and...Continue Reading

Over a year on from “Liberation Day,” trading partners and trade routes have changed, propelled by a shift by firms toward importing from countries with more favorable tariff terms. While the effects have not been immediate on industrial commercial real estate, they are starting to cycle through, proving to be...Continue Reading

This story about Cache Energy’s new kind of thermal battery that could warm campus buildings using stored wind energy was originally published by Canary Media.Twenty-one years ago, the University of Minnesota, Morris, became the first U.S. public university to draw power from an on-site, industrial-scale wind turbine. It added a...Continue Reading

This story about Cache Energy’s new kind of thermal battery that could warm campus buildings using stored wind energy was originally published by Canary Media.Twenty-one years ago, the University of Minnesota, Morris, became the first U.S. public university to draw power from an on-site, industrial-scale wind turbine. It added a...Continue Reading

Lake Country Power (LCP), one of Great River Energy’s member-owner cooperatives, celebrated the groundbreaking of its Cohasset Industrial Park Distribution System Upgrade, a project that promises to greatly enhance the shovel-ready development opportunities in Cohasset. LCP gathered with representatives from the city of Cohasset, Itasca County, Lake States Construction and the...Continue Reading

Rural areas in Minnesota continue to find innovative ways to attract private investment, skilled workers and stable employers. Foreign direct investment is a steady source of growth. Despite changes in trade policy and global markets, international companies are still expanding in the U.S. Many are now looking beyond big, expensive...Continue Reading

Minnesota has become one of the most competitive destinations for life sciences and medical technology (medtech) investment in the country. According to the Hickey Institute’s 2025 Life Sciences and MedTech Site Selection Strategy Report, the Minneapolis-St. Paul region is now one of the most critical national hubs for biomanufacturing and...Continue Reading

Minnesota's electric cooperatives continue to seek practical ways to diversify local economies, attract new capital and foreign direct investment, and connect rural regions with new international partners.A recent trade mission to Ireland – supported by Great River Energy, Greater Mankato Growth and LITTUS – provided new insight into how Irish...Continue Reading