News

In 2003, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce formed a partnership with over two dozen local chambers and economic development organizations to conduct ongoing outreach to Minnesota companies. The focus of this outreach was to thank businesses for their investment in Minnesota’s economy, ask them about their current challenges and future...Continue Reading

The USDA Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant (REDLG) Program offers grants in Minnesota for electric cooperatives seeking to promote rural economic development and create jobs. Each USDA grant application needs to be for a project that will qualify for a 0% interest loan and meet specific selection factors to...Continue Reading

The world has changed in so many ways since 2018. In this era of post-pandemic uncertainty, the challenges faced by small businesses and entrepreneurs are well documented in daily headlines, from staffing shortages and supply chain issues, to rising interest rates and increased material costs. Access to capital is...Continue Reading

Great River Energy invited several of its community partners to submit features to its newsletter that highlight the work they do to bolster Minnesota’s economic vitality. This edition’s guest feature comes from USDA Rural Development. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, we have been fortunate these...Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $1.5 million loan to Stearns Electric Association through the Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Program (REDLG) to support the owners of Redhead Creamery in their efforts to establish an innovative on-farm distillery that uses the leftover whey from their cheesemaking...Continue Reading

The application process for the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan program through Great River Energy member-owner cooperatives is straightforward. After meeting with your local cooperative and completing a pre-application form, a formal USDA application is prepared and submitted to the co-op board for approval. Approved applications are sent to the...Continue Reading

In some ultra-modern warehouses, workers don futuristic exoskeletons to lift loads exceeding their own bodyweight, while autonomous drones whiz overhead inspecting inventory. These automation technologies can deliver outsized benefits, from enhancing safety to boosting operational efficiency and accuracy. Click here to view the original article from the Jones...Continue Reading

Entrepreneurs often begin their business endeavors with a great idea to resolve gaps observed in their local economy. Despite their successful efforts, many do not plan — or want — to contemplate how their businesses end, whether to retire or move on to other business ideas. As the baby boom...Continue Reading

Plastics manufacturers, wood products companies, and large-scale dairy operations are just a few examples of businesses that took advantage of Great River Energy’s E3 Loans for Minnesota businesses. In each example, Great River Energy and its consultants identified enough kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year in potential energy savings associated with the...Continue Reading

Member-owner cooperatives of Great River Energy can access 0% interest loans for Minnesota businesses that facilitate commercial and industrial investment in the areas they serve. Great River Energy is a leader in site-selection services for new and expanding businesses, and especially for commercial and industrial operations with large energy demands...Continue Reading

While startup cash is becoming harder and harder to come by and VC deals continue to plummet, entrepreneurs do have several options for grant funding and other equity-free forms of startup capital to help grow their businesses. Here's a list of annual grant programs founders can apply for today,...Continue Reading

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Rural Finance Authority (RFA) has opened applications for a new revolving loan program to support Minnesota’s small and medium-sized meat and poultry processors. The Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP) offers $15 million in low-interest loans for the start-up, expansion, or operation...Continue Reading

A small but growing number of Minnesota electricians are finding steady work installing residential electric vehicle chargers. Minnesota has around 35,000 electric vehicles on the road today, but that number is expected to rapidly grow in the coming years as more models become available. The state is using federal...Continue Reading

When a hydrogen fuel cell company was pursuing ways to expand its green hydrogen production and get closer to emerging markets for its products, John Middleton saw an opportunity to add a major commercial/industrial customer to his co-op’s load. As CEO of Nahunta, Georgia-based Okefenoke Rural Electric Membership Corp.,...Continue Reading

Medical providers today are firmly in expansion mode, looking for new outposts to set up freestanding medical clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and specialty practices far from their main hospital campuses. At the same time, they are struggling to rebuild their cash flows after the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic...Continue Reading

The USDA Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Program has specialized financing available in Minnesota for past and present rural utility service borrowers, specifically electric cooperatives, to promote rural economic development and create jobs through grants in Minnesota. USDA provides grants to Minnesota cooperatives which use the funding to provide...Continue Reading

It’s Friday night and, judging from the dejected slump of a quartet of would-be diners outside of the legendary Una Pizza Napoletana on the Lower East Side, there are no tables to be had. Around the corner, a similar scene plays out at Nom Wah, the century-old dim sum restaurant...Continue Reading

Knute Nelson announced their plans to embark on an expansion of Crystal Brook Senior Living with the addition of 20 units to the community’s memory care household. “We have recognized an increasing need for memory care services and anticipate the demand for these services to only increase with the...Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced approximately $45 million available to organizations that help underserved and veteran farmers, ranchers, and foresters own and operate successful farms. Funding is made through USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, also known...Continue Reading

Unfortunately, the climate doesn’t stop changing when the global economy takes a turn. But Minnesota has continued to outpace the national push for a carbon-neutral economy, according to a recent report. Minnesota is outranking the national average when it comes to many clean energy milestones. Zero-carbon has provided the...Continue Reading

Minnesota is poised for a decade of unprecedented investment and development with the state committed to 100 percent clean energy by 2040 and billions of dollars in federal funding available to build a more environmentally friendly economy.  The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Joe Biden in August 2022,...Continue Reading

Seeds of future growth were scattered across Minnesota’s economy in the mid-1950s.  In 1955, a new startup named Polaris Industries built a first-of-its-kind snowmobile in Roseau, Minnesota, positioning the young company to capitalize on a growing market for recreational products in post-war America. Meanwhile, 240 miles east of Roseau,...Continue Reading

As an economic developer, you know that your website is often the first impression potential investors and site selectors will have of your community. You must optimize your website for search engines to make a strong first impression and compete with other communities. That's where search engine optimization (SEO) comes...Continue Reading

Chisholm Public Schools is pleased to share it will be building a state-of-the-art SmartLab Studio to support its journalism curriculum with broadcast media capabilities. With a $40K grant from Lake Country Power, and an additional $20K in funding from the district, installation and staff training will begin in August, with...Continue Reading