Seeking tech companies to fill Minnesota Technology Corridor

Seeking tech companies to fill Minnesota Technology Corridor Main Photo

2 Dec 2019


Connexus, economic development

Partners across several industries and political jurisdictions have come together to identify a region along Interstate 35 in Minnesota that holds opportunity for tech companies looking for a location to start, relocate or grow their business.

The Minnesota Technology Corridor consists of five cities within two counties in northeast suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, that boast project sites ranging in size from 10 to 250 acres with access to abundant fiber, water and power. The cities and counties involved, along with electric utilities—including Connexus Energy, one of Great River Energy’s 28 member-owner cooperatives—and several high-speed internet service providers, are working to promote the corridor to target industries.

Part of that promotion includes the launch of a website, mntechcorridor.com, that hosts information describing why the area is a prime location for new technology industry business development.

According to its website, the corridor already hosts more than 20 data processing and computer design companies. Project partners are seeking to attract tech facilities—such as data centers—in need of affordable and reliable electric service, internet bandwidth, an educated workforce and a convenient location within the greater Minneapolis-Saint Paul region.

“We aggregated important details and information on the website to make it easy for site selectors to seamlessly view and to better inform their clients on whether they should pursue locating within the corridor,” said Bruce Sayler, principal of community and economic development at Connexus Energy.

The website includes statistical information about the region’s workforce and incentives available to companies looking to locate within the corridor, such as the Data Center Tax Incentive, Research and Development Tax Credit, and tax increment financing opportunities.