DEED Roundup-Feb. 1, 2016

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Feb. 1, 2016

In the News

Firm Creates Customized Funeral Urns
Minneapolis Star Tribune-1/30/16
Foreverence, a customized funeral urn business that attracted $55,000 in investments after participating in the Angel Tax Credit Program in 2015, was featured in the Star Tribune over the weekend. Pete Saari and his partner founded the firm on the belief that there was a market for a higher-end, customized urn that memorialized the deceased in an industry dominated by standardized products that typically sell for a few hundred bucks or less.

Moorhead Project Lands DEED Funding
Forum Communications-1/28/16
A $900,000 cleanup grant from DEED is a giant step toward a major development project planned for First Avenue North in Moorhead. A developer is looking to build two 42-unit apartment buildings and eventually a third apartment complex or commercial/residential building.

Minnesota Tests 'Way to Work' Initiative
Minneapolis Star Tribune-1/30/16
Minnesota is launching a Way to Work pilot project to help people with disabilities find jobs in the general workforce. The project is based on a similar effort in Ohio that has experienced positive outcomes. "We came back [from Ohio] very, very excited and said, 'We can do this here,'" said Abbie Wells-Herzog, a vocational rehabilitation specialist at DEED.

Did You Know?

First National Bank roof sign

Minnesota ranked No. 1 in the nation in Gallup's 2015 Job Creation Index, based on worker reports of hiring activity at their places of employment. Minnesota added more than 42,000 jobs last year. George and Utah were tied for second.

 

 

Serving Our Clients

Kathleen Motzenbecker and Randy Pelletier

Minnesota Trade Office Executive Director Kathleen Motzenbecker joined Randy Pelletier, president of Pellco Machine Inc., at a Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association meeting in Avon last week. Motzenbecker was at the meeting to promote STEP grants, which provide funding for companies that want to begin exporting or expand export sales in other markets. Pelletier used STEP funding to participate in Gov. Dayton's trade mission to Europe and Scandinavia in 2013.

Recent Press Releases

DEED Awards Job-Placement Funding
DEED awarded grants totaling $475,000 for services that will help people with mental illnesses return to work. The agency’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services unit awarded the funding to Guild Incorporated, St. Paul, $160,979; Goodwill Easter Seals, St. Paul, $153,585; and Rise Inc., Minneapolis, $160,436.

Cottage Grove Site is Shovel Ready
An industrial park in Cottage Grove has been certified for the Shovel Ready Program by DEED. The 38.72-acre Southeast Industrial Park is the 29th site in Minnesota to be certified under the program.

Sappi Employees to Receive Training
DEED awarded a $350,000 grant from the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program to Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College to develop an in-house training system for employees of Sappi Fine Paper in Cloquet.

Recent Blog Post

Mentor blackboard logo

If you're looking for a new job, it’s in your best interest to consider how much a prospective employer is willing to invest in mentoring. It could make a difference in your career. Read more details at MinnesotaWorks.net.