|
I
<br /> P 1 life
<br /> �'"n'"° _ -4--rt.
<br /> r :von
<br /> �{qsS�' �-`�"a 'S ict (�IilC a'�ultt_______
<br /> gii
<br /> We've been fortunate to have people — ----:. companies such as Elk River Machine
<br /> — 0 \ _1_r-- Company and Metal Craft Machine &our community who are aggressive in 3 i ,�� l \_
<br /> En-
<br /> those areas,and we got together with our ' gineering are strong representations of
<br /> friendly competitor,the Bank of Elk River, P7,,,.
<br /> 7 what the city is trying to bring to its Indus
<br /> z x' nr ,z r �_.�for some of the financing. We wanted totrial base.
<br /> make Elk River a shopping area, a desti- Workforce issues are a concern for all
<br /> nation area as opposed to a drive-through businesses in today's economy. However,
<br /> \ Iry I
<br /> the Elk River area appears to have a high
<br /> town."Mission accomplished. Gongoll and er ` ,,. concentration of skilled labor. "We seem
<br /> -' to have a large pool ofpeople in the area
<br /> others got their growth, and then some. � p p
<br /> "I believe the growth happened a little with trade skills," Nevinski said. He also
<br /> faster than we projected,"Gongoll said."Our �� _ 'mall >�t 4'44 r4 noted that Elk River firms pull people from
<br /> residential growth has precipitated our retailR the Twin Cites, St. Cloud, and even from
<br /> sector,and now we're working on stimulat- more rural areas of the state.
<br /> ing our industrial base.But overall, I'm very The breakdown of the city's industrial
<br /> pleased with our strong and vibrant econ- base bears this out.The number of Industrial
<br /> omy." machinery-related companies has reached
<br /> Besides his bank duties,Gongoll is one of 18 while the mineral and rubber-plastic in-
<br /> five governors of the Elk River Investment '' dustries take a distant second with four com-
<br /> Club,an LLC of 22 members.One of the chief _ 1 panies each.The industrial-machinery cat-
<br /> goals of the club is to work with the City of Elk ,,,\t yi ! f egory also leads in the employee category
<br /> '`'4" with28 ercent of the industrial workforce,
<br /> River in getting new companies into the city's1111 '
<br /> i � � -�� p��(j��,��� p
<br /> incubator program. = `,, followed by the fabricated metal and elec
<br /> $ { III " tropic equipment sectors with 22 percent
<br /> "We try to coordinate,"Gongoll said,"our
<br /> efforts with the city to help emerging busi -' each.Mineral employment accounts for 15
<br /> Wsses get out of the garage, so to speak, 1 ` percent of the workforce while rubber-plastic
<br /> d into the incubator program.Currently the employs nine percent.
<br /> club is working with four or five businesses °'" °G x. .. ._,,,,„!:,,,,,:::,-::: -,;:',,,,,,-;:,.,:lit
<br /> ` � � "A But those numbers will soon turn old.T.o
<br /> at this time. Our club gets a commitment balance residential and retail growth,the city.
<br /> from the proprietor that his or her business created two new industrial parks,appropri-
<br /> will remain in the incubator or at some loca- k}<
<br /> t --; ately dubbed the East and West Business
<br /> tion in Elk River.It's venture capital that's for „ " < Parks. Phase I of the East Park, a 40-acre
<br /> businesses looking to grow in Elk River." r v,
<br /> tract that will include a 5.0 0-square-foot
<br /> When the city did take over the business !t multi-tenant building,will have access to a I,
<br /> park,there were approximately half a dozen � _ - a" four-lane industrial grade road.The park is
<br /> 1_ - '' 14 ' also bordered by U.S.169 and the Burlington
<br /> lots still available.That park was fully built- � �, � �� �
<br /> out in 1999 and is home to companies such7:7 Northern Railway.Adjacent to the 40 acres
<br /> as the Tescom Corporation(high purity and ,`°" �. lies another 90 acres which will be Phase
<br /> industrial controls),Alltool Manufacturing II of the East Business Park. Just to the
<br /> (metal fabrication),E&OTool&Plastics(pias � south of Phase II, across 173rd Street, is '
<br /> tics)and the Custom Conveyor Corporation the site of the proposed North Star Corri-
<br /> (conveyor equipment).And there's the Cretex
<br /> LI
<br /> dor Station,a depotthat will run from Rice
<br /> Companies Incorporated,makers of concrete (north of St.Cloud)all the way into the Twin
<br /> girders for bridges and culverts, a com- { Cities.
<br /> pang that has stayed in Elk River and hase.i "The commuter line will connect with the
<br /> thrived, and a variety of other industries. light rail system in the Twin Cities,"
<br /> East on U.S.10is the Horizon Thermoform „1/4 . --._...__ Nevinski said, "and run down to the air
<br /> Plastics Company that moved to Elk River "eJ port,eventually going into St.Paul and the
<br /> in August of 1998: In two years it has ex- 1 ',;%'' \' outlying suburbs. Right now we have a
<br /> panded its workforce to 30 and projected ,,\ ` via
<br /> , double track that runs through town that
<br /> ales are at two million dollars. Horizon is / —� averages 50 to 60 trains a day.We do have
<br /> tional in scope,serving customers from r Ir• a rail spur downtown, and some busi-
<br /> � " � nesses have taken advantage of that.”
<br /> oast to coast. Horizon Thermoform and ���-- �'lay4:4, g
<br /> lk11'16;,,,,,,,
<br /> , 6;, , :,
<br /> East,Bus� ss;Pjai Elk River
<br /> b
<br />
|