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

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

29 Mar 2018


economic development, awards

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 has had a positive impact in Minnesota in the past year and also demonstrates collaboration, creativity and complexity.

The $140 million Faribault Foods expansion project required $2.3 million in public infrastructure that was not anticipated, planned or budgeted. The city designed the infrastructure and delivered the infrastructure improvements in a timely fashion. These improvements (street, water, sanitary, and storm) serve Faribault Foods directly, but were also designed to accommodate future development in the Northern Industrial Park.

Steele-Waseca Electric Cooperative, one of Great River Energy’s 28 member-owner cooperatives, is the electric provider for the expansion.

“We worked alongside Steele-Waseca to ensure Faribault Foods’ energy needs were met in a cost-effective manner,” Tom Lambrecht, manager of economic development services at Great River Energy said. “We also coordinated efforts with DEED, the city and other partners involved in this project to help make it a reality.”

The nearly 600,000-square-foot building expansion is representative of Faribault Foods’ longstanding commitment to its community and commitment to manufacturing great-tasting, healthy and affordable food, said Albert Hoflack, president and CEO of Faribault Foods, in a press release.

“Keeping manufacturing facilities and jobs, along with the supporting infrastructure, in Minnesota is vital to the success of our state’s economy,” says Megan Barnett-Livgard, EDAM President and GREATER MSP Business Retention and Expansion Manager. “It’s clear the City of Faribault values not only the manufacturing industry, but also a long-standing company who has called their community home for years. In doing so, Faribault has created a valuable opportunity for expansion, growth and investment for years to come.”

As part of a revamped recognition program in 2018, EDAM added new categories and worked to refresh the organization’s recognition process. The full EDAM awards program included awards for the Economic Developer of the Year, Emerging Professional of the Year, Project of the Year, Program of the Year, Redevelopment Project of the Year, Partnership Award, Marketing Award and Elected Public Official of the Year.