Great River Energy News

Sparks receives designation of Certified Economic Developer

Monday, December 10, 2018

Erin Sparks, economic developer at Great River Energy, recently earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a national recognition that denotes a mastery of skills in economic development, professional attainment and a commitment to personal and professional growth. This designation recognizes qualified and dedicated practitioners in the economic development field and sets the standard of excellence within the profession. Candidates must pass a comprehensive examination, which has three parts and spans two days. The exam tests a practitioner’s knowledge, proficiency and judgement in the following key areas of economic development: Business retention and expansion Finance and credit analysis Marketing and attraction Strategic planning Entrepreneurial and small...

Faribault is a global businesses hotspot. Can other Minnesota cities learn from its success?

Friday, November 30, 2018

When some people think of Faribault, they may think of Shattuck St. Mary’s boarding school (and its elite hockey program), or the processing plant for Jennie-O meat, or the fancy-blanket purveyors at Faribault Woolen Mill Co. Others may think of the cultural and racial tensions in the town as its Somali population has grown in the last decade. But when some state officials think of Faribault, they think of it as a success story. That’s because despite a population of fewer than 25,000 people, Faribault has four major employers owned by companies outside of the U.S., an abundance of foreign investment that experts...

Co-ops help strengthen the manufacturing sector

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

Manufacturing is critical to a vibrant economy. It helps fuel innovation — for every $1 spent in manufacturing another $1.89 is added to the economy, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. East Central Energy (ECE) understands the value of supporting manufacturing. That’s why the cooperative recently approved two loans to support expansion projects at manufacturing facilities in Sauk Rapids and Cambridge. ECE is one of Great River Energy’s member-owner cooperatives. The co-op provides electric service to more than 60,000 homes, farms and businesses across 14 counties in east central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. ECE maintains an economic development revolving loan fund (RLF)...

Illume to move its headquarters to Maple Grove Business Park

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

Maple Grove's new 50-acre business park has found an anchor tenant. Illume Holding Co., which produces candles and other personal fragrance products, recently announced plans to consolidate its operations into a 288,000-square-foot facility in the Arbor Lakes Business Park being developed by Duke Realty. Bob Sandberg, vice president of power supply and business development for Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH), said “the addition of Illume will help diversify the economy in the Arbor Lakes area, adding a new segment of development from the retail and apartments complexes which have driven development to date.” In addition, Sandberg noted, “the addition of Illume candles and...

Women collaborating, making strides in their industries together

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

Women are playing an increasingly important role in the worlds of commercial real estate and economic development – and they are bringing with them a wealth of knowledge from previous jobs on their career path, as well as the strength of relationships built among each other along the way. Erin Sparks, economic developer with Great River Energy – a not-for-profit wholesale power cooperative based out of Maple Grove, Minn. – and Kylle Jordan, regional business development manager at Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), are examples of women making strides in their fields while working collaboratively to achieve both...

Economic development services launches new website

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Great River Energy has launched a revamped website that highlights its economic development efforts in Minnesota that includes a comprehensive suite of user-friendly tools and information for site selectors, entrepreneurs and business owners. The new economic development portal is a comprehensive repository featuring data from Great River Energy’s 28 member cooperatives and their service territories, in-depth information on industry sectors, resources for businesses looking to relocate and more. The site was rebranded with an updated look and feel, featuring an interactive map of the cooperative service territories. Users can click on areas of the map to bring up individual co-op profiles with...

Faribault Foods expansion earns EDAM’s Project of the Year Award

Thursday, March 29, 2018

The City of Faribault recently received the 2018 Project of the Year Award by the Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM) for working diligently with Faribault Foods and La Costena Group to accommodate a large-scale expansion project involving complex public infrastructure needs and an aggressive timeline. EDAM hosted an awards ceremony as part of its annual winter conference to recognize projects and professionals in the economic development industry who have gone above and beyond or faced significant challenges in the last year. The Project of the Year Award recognizes an individual or a group who worked to complete a project that...

Lambrecht helps market region for data center growth

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Many organizations and people play a role when it comes to promoting Minnesota as a place to do business, including Tom Lambrecht, economic development services manager at Great River Energy, who recently participated on a panel at the Utilities and Data Center Conference in Austin, Texas. There, Lambrecht touted the Midwest region’s capabilities for data centers and that, as a utility, bringing this type of business to Minnesota is a top priority for Great River Energy. As large-scale power users, data centers stabilize the demand for power and bring economic growth. They represent large capital investment projects, bring good jobs and...

Spurring business growth in Anoka County

Thursday, March 29, 2018

“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” - James Cash Penney This apt quote by the founder of the department store chain JCPenney can be applied to economic development. Sustainable growth requires investment and engagement from a broad range of stakeholders. But gathering disparate parties to work in concert with one another toward a given goal requires leadership. A couple of years ago while attending GREATER MSP meetings, Bruce Sayler, principal of community and economic development at Connexus Energy, noticed the vast majority of big development projects in the region were taking place within the...

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