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Agralite Electric Cooperative is dedicated to helping its members understand the significance of electricity generation. So don’t miss a unique opportunity to explore how your electricity is generated and sign up for its June 11–13, 2025 Energy Tour. Excitement generating about Agralite’s Energy TourThe tour will cover key energy sites, including...
Volunteer for a greener tomorrow with Lake Country Power’s GreenTouch™ event on Thursday, May 8 at McCarthy Beach State Park. Persons of all ages can assist with trail clearing, litter pickup, campsite cleanup or shoreline maintenance from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. No state park vehicle pass is needed for...
Dakota Electric Association is making a big move to keep up with the Twin Cities' growing energy demands, purchasing land for a new headquarters that will be nearly double the size of its current facility.Dakota Electric Association plans new 176,000-square-foot headquarters in Lakeville. Construction of new facility to begin July,...
Agralite Electric’s new headquarters will open soon in Benson on the cooperative's existing footprint. The 63,000-square-foot building will accommodate the cooperative's growing fleet and operations, feature modern infrastructure to support advanced technologies and provide members a secure and communal space.Headquarters underscores Agralite’s commitment to communityConstruction on the estimated $16 million...
Bluefin Bay co-owner launches $40M+ resort project on Mille Lacs Lake with coastal-style cottages
Apr 24 2025New $40M+ resort on Mille Lacs Lake offers coastal-style cottages with shared amenities and a unique ownership model. The resort will have shared amenities, like an outdoor pool and hot tub, an adjacent marina, which Swanson owns that has over a quarter-mile of ...Click here to view the original article from...
Amazon deliveries in the Mankato area might get a little faster. A new 60,000 square-foot delivery hub is being built in North Mankato’s North Port Industrial Center. The project is expected to open in December. It’s anticipated to bring about 75 new jobs into the area.Mike Fischer, North Mankato’s director...
A high-tech mystery tenant has emerged for part of the former Thomson Reuters site, leading Ryan Cos. to preserve a building previously slated for demolition.Ryan Cos. plans to retain data center building for unidentified user. Project Vanderbilt includes 155,400-square-foot building on Thomson Reuters campus redevelopment in Eagan.Click here to view...
Powering Progress: Stearns Electric’s New Headquarters Takes Shape—See the Transformation!
Apr 21 2025Stearns Electric Association is constructing a new operations center and headquarters in Melrose to replace its existing facility, originally constructed in 1970. Construction is over halfway complete and remains on budget, with completion and move-in expected by late summer 2025.New headquarters to enhance serviceThe new facility will feature expanded service...
A prominent south metro energy cooperative bought land in Lakeville for $11.9 million, according to a certificate of real estate value released last week.Dakota Electric Association purchased the property, which will serve as the group’s future headquarters, as previously reported on by Finance & Commerce.An entity called Hat Trick Investments...
In recent years, mining has grabbed most of the headlines related to industrial manufacturing around Lake Superior. But other heavy industries remain solid contributors to the region’s economy. Among the largest is forest products, which invested here because the area offers quick access to the renewable tree species needed to...
North Branch residents will soon have access to fiber internet from East Central Energy so state-of-the-art (according to ECE) it outclasses networks in the metro area.ECE’s broadband manager, Dennis Rice, presented an update on the project to the city council, saying construction of the first stage of the network will...
Why Cold Storage May Defy the Tariff Crunch
Apr 7 2025As the U.S. economy grapples with rising costs driven by a new wave of tariffs, much of the commercial real estate landscape is shifting — and in some cases, stalling. But one sector could defy the trend: cold storage and food-linked distribution centers.While tariffs have cast uncertainty across sectors such...
Driven by data centers and transportation electrification, U.S. electricity demand will increase 2% annually and 50% by 2050, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association said in a study published Monday.Improvements to energy efficiency will mute some potential demand gains, leaving the electrical manufacturing group’s projections “somewhere in the middle” compared with...
Electricity demand in the United States will increase 2% annually and 50% by 2050, predicts a new study conducted by PA Consulting and released by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). Driven by record growth in data centers and e-mobility, the study highlights innovative technology and policy solutions to maintain...
Aitkin struck ‘black gold’
Mar 31 2025The signs greeting those entering the town of Aitkin used to read, “The Home of the Gobblers,” an identity earned decades ago in reference to one of the most prominent industries in this Mississippi Riverboat town — the turkey-processing plant located just off Main Street.Gone today is that once lucrative...
USDA to release $537 million in HBIIP funds
Mar 31 2025Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on March 31 visited Elite Octane LLC, a 155 MMgy ethanol plant in Atlantic, Iowa, to announce the USDA will release $537 million in obligated funding under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.The $537 million will support 543 projects in 29 states. According to the USDA,...
Beyond the Website: The Overlooked Marketing Tactics That Help Rural Communities Compete
Mar 31 2025Why a Website Alone Isn’t EnoughA modern, data-driven economic development website is a crucial first step, but it’s not the only piece of the marketing puzzle. Many rural communities invest in building a website, launch it with great anticipation, and then... wait. They assume that because they now have a...
The Department of Agriculture on March 25 announced next steps to release previously obligated funding under key programs that will help electric cooperatives modernize their systems.The announcement advances the Trump administration’s review of funds awarded through the USDA’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA), Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) and Rural...
A key tool that has given businesses a competitive edge is the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). FTZs are specialized areas within the U.S. that allow companies to import, store, or process goods without paying customs duties or taxes until those goods enter the domestic market. This feature makes FTZs particularly...
MLEC Finalizes Sale of Headquarters Building
Mar 20 2025Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) is excited to announce the transition of our former headquarters to Stevo’s Dock & Lift, a valued local business! In 2020, MLEC embarked on the journey to relocate our operations, with the primary goal of finding a buyer who would contribute positively to the economic...
Reaffirming the value of rural economic development loan & grant programs and their impact
Mar 18 2025Rural communities often depend on strategic investments from innovative economic development programs to support local businesses, infrastructure and community development projects. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant (REDLG) Program has played an instrumental role in many such initiatives, providing low- or zero-interest loans in...
Busy year for East Central Energy’s RLF program
Mar 18 2025The board of directors for Great River Energy member-owner cooperative East Central Energy (ECE) approved four new Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) loans in 2024, providing $730,000 in financing to support a variety of economic development and business expansion projects in east central Minnesota. From food processing to fire trucks, this RLF...
Strengthening the roots of rural health care
Mar 15 2025Family ties and connections to the area brought physician Melissa Herbranson to Aitkin County several years ago. She grew up in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin and her parents and in-laws are retired in the McGregor area. Melissa has been married to her husband, Jon, for 12 years and the couple...
Minnesota’s ethanol industry contributed $2.1 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2024, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota Extension.The study said 1.4 billion gallons of ethanol was produced in Minnesota last year, which in turn, generated $5.2 billion in economic activity and supported 18,434...
