5.0. EDSR 06-14-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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As a resident,Mr. Jones was also pre-sold on the quality of life in Elk River. "It's a great environment to be in,"he says. "It's a nice place to go to work." In addition, SoftPac officials are pleased by the close proximity of a skilled workforce. "(Elk River)gives us access to hard-working people"who can earn major metro wages in a rural setting, Mr. Jones says. "We've never advertised for a job and not had more interest than opportunity." SoftPac also has room to grow. "We built the plant with the intention of expansion,"both internal and external,Mr. Jones says. So far, the existing facility has accommodated the increased volume and staffing. But,the building could be roughly tripled in size at the current site. "We never want to box anyone in,"Ms. Mehelich notes. In addition,all the needed infrastructure wa ' glace at the site,including Business Center Drive and all utilities. /-":? For a firm that blends beverages, one utility wasp. 4 s��I i . ater.Water quality and costs were both key considerations for SoftPac. Fortunately,Elk River exceeded SoftPac's expectations in both areas. Mr.Jones,who makes it his business to know about such things, says Elk River's water comes from the high-quality Mt. Simon- • Hinckley Aquifer. "This is great water,"he says. The city also agreed give SoftPac a discount on its water bills. "The city was excellent to work with,"Mr. Jones says. "Cathy(Mehelich)was just fabulous to work with,"Mr. Kummel adds. He says Elk River officials made it"easy to get a deal done." "They did a nice job,"agrees Mr. Patterson of Opus Northwest. Project also benefits the city While SoftPac has clearly thrived in Elk River,city officials say the relationship has been just as fruitful for the community. They welcomed the SoftPac project because it was a step toward meeting their economic development goals. The project also enhanced and diversified the city's industrial base. While some other businesses struggled during the most recent recession, SoftPac didn't miss a beat. "They have been flourishing through the tough times,"Ms. Mehelich says. Additionally,city officials saw the project as an opportunity to increase Elk River's employment base. • SoftPac initially anticipated that the plant would provide 60 to 80 jobs with wages of$13 per hour to$18 per hour,plus benefits. Mr.Jones and Ms. Mehelich agree that the firm has met that goal.