Enhance Our Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Four Seasons Carwash Alexandria LLC: Partners in a car wash will be purchasing 1.76 acres of land on 44th Avenue West in Alexandria to become the site of an all-season car wash. GAP financing of $50,000 was utilized from the Greater Alexandria Industrial Network for assistance with the initial equity in the purchase of the land. Total project costs are $4.3 million. Central Lakes Apartment Workforce Housing: In 2018, the Alexandria City Council selected D. W. Jones, Inc. as developer of a workforce housing project in Alexandria. The Workforce Housing Development Program requires at least a $1 match for every $2 provided in Workforce Housing Development Program funds. The City of Alexandria approved a $539,402 TIF note as their local match to the project. This multi-family housing project is on 2.05 acres of land owned by the HRA. The structure will be a three-story building with an elevator and 36 units. 20 % of the units are occupied by individuals whose incomes are no more than 50% of the Area Median Income for Douglas County. Total project costs are $5.6 million.

Reprocessed Plastics, Inc: RPI, located at 8301 County Road 82 NW in Garfield, constructed a 13,000 square foot addition to their facility to increase their ability to recycle HDPE waste into industrial products. Garfield supported a resolution of support of RPI’s application for a Job Creation Fund destination through MN DEED. JCF is a pay-for-performance program that provides financial benefits after job creation and capital investment thresholds have been met. RPI committed to $640,000 of capital expenses and 20 new positions of at

least $13.61 per hour.

Industrial Land: GoodNeighbor Properties, LLC purchased three LAEDA owned industrial lots to construct a 45,000 square foot facility that will include warehouse space for GoodNeighbor Properties, LLC. Construction will begin in 2020 and be completed by 2021. Estimated property value upon completion is $2.8 million.

Community and Workforce Development Academies of Alexandria The Academies of Alexandria continued to play a big role throughout the Alexandria Area in Abby Strom | Community & Workforce Development Coordinator 2019. The Alexandria Area High School (AAHS) and AAEDC were busy connecting students with businesses in the community, to help provide new opportunities in pursuing a career they can be passionate about. These unique experiences are preparing students for their future, whether they continue their education or step directly into the workforce. Throughout the four Academies, approximately 3,904 hours were volunteered in the 2018/2019 school year.

Entrepreneur and Small Business Trainings

The AAEDC and ATCC Customized Training Center teamed up for another year to offer regional small business trainings for entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Alexandria Area, with funding provided by West Central Initiative (WCI). We were very pleased with the number of classes and attendees this year: 10 different classes were held throughout the Spring and Fall, more than 41 different businesses were touched and 256 people attended throughout the year.*

T R A I N I N G S O F F E R E D

How to Start Up an Internet Business Making Great Customer Service Contagious in Your Organization Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Apps

*Please note that the 256 is a duplicated head count, meaning some of the same people attended multiple sessions. • How to Deal with Difficult People Without Becoming One West Central MN Wage & Benefits Survey • How to Be Successful Starting or Growing Your Family Child Care Every other year the AAEDC assists SHRM in their Wage & Benefits Survey, a comprehensive survey of compensation, company benefits, and • Business Google Drives and Google Apps policies for the West Central MN Area. In 2019, 55 companies participated • Applying Emotional Intelligence for in the West Central MN Wage & Benefit Survey (38 companies reported Career Success for both surveys, 13 reported benefits only and four reported wages only). The AAEDC collects and compiles all the data into a final document for participating companies. • • Are You Fit to Run Your Business? Conflict Resolution and Negotiation West Central MN Employment Law Update • Employment Law 101: An Overview of the Most Common Mistakes Small Employers Make The 16th Annual Employment Law Update was held June 5, 2019. Attorneys from throughout the state presented four breakout sessions in the morning: • 10 Tough FMLA Questions and Their Answers - Working Through Leave Law Issues That Are Often Difficult and Confusing • 8 Key Whistle blower Cases Every Employer Should Know and Understand to Prevent Liability • Hot off the Press: Employment Law News You Can Use • Pay Equity - Why It Matters to Employers The sessions were followed by a Q & A panel discussion.

Communications &Marketing October 8, 2019 was declared Geneva Capital Day in honor B u s i n e s s & I n d u s t r i a l Appreciation Day of their being named the 2019 BIAD-awarded recipient by the AAEDC & Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. The event was a celebration of the success, growth and impact Geneva Capital has had on our local and statewide economy. There were 480 attendees for this year’s event held at Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center.

Pitch Your Plan | In 2019, the AAEDC launched a new business competition which was open to current or prospective entrepreneurs. They would have an opportunity to pitch for a for-profit business idea and a chance at a community prize package valued over $38,000. Eligible business concepts were limited to a business start-up, a second or third location of an existing business elsewhere, a significant expansion of a current business with a new concept, product or service line, or a relocation of an existing business currently outside of Douglas County. There were three phases. First, fill out an online application with six simple questions. Up to 10 applicants advanced to phase two, where they worked on building a business plan. Three finalists then advanced to the final phase and delivered a shark-style presentation to the judges. In the end, Copper Trail Brewing Co. was the winner, expanding their business to downtown Alexandria.

19,305 2019

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2,905 2019

facebook likes Engage & Retain | The AAEDC partnered with local agencies to put on an employer summit focusing on engaging and retaining workforce. The event kicked off with keynote presenters Kelly Ashe, from the Center for Rural Policy and Development, and Neil Linscheid from the University of Minnesota Extension. They addressed resident recruitment, the “Brain Gain” and creating a culture that encourages employee retention. Attendees broke out into round-table discussions to hear what other employers are doing to address the workforce shortage. The event finished with regional employers on a panel relating their company’s successful retention practices.

Lenders Luncheon | Community lenders and individuals who provide business financing and consultation services were invited to a luncheon to learn about area and business assistance programs, such as: City of Alexandria Loan Funds, SBA 504 Program through Minnesota Business Finance Corporation (MBFC), SBA Loan Basics & SBDC Updates, and WCI Lending Programs.

Tour of Manufacturing | There were seven companies that participated in the 2019 Douglas/Pope Tour of Manufacturing: Brenton Engineering, Donnelly Custom Manufacturing, Douglas Machine, FAST Global Solutions, LGC BioSearch Technologies, Massman Automation, and ITW Heartland. The tours were held October 8-11 with more than 650 community members participating. Overall, it was a great event for our communities to showcase the diverse manufacturing we have in the area.

AAEDC Publications

Alexandria Area Fact Guide | This demographic guide gives an overview of statistics from the Douglas County area. Financial Assistance Guide | Provides information on the financial incentives and revolving loan options for start-up and expanding businesses from around the area. Livability Guide | AAEDC in partnership with the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce put together a flipbook featuring both visitor and livability information for people looking to learn more about the Alexandria area

Alexandria Area Development

The Alexandria area continues to be a vibrant regional center. These projects represent a sampling of the area’s commercial development. Each of these projects has an estimated valuation/cost of $100,000 minimum.

*Douglas County no longer does cost valuation; the buildings below are believed to be over $100,000 based on square feet.

Area Projects Regency Midwest Ventures Douglas County Innovative Builders Brian P Johnson Construction, Inc. Highpoint Homes Incorporated Justice Construction Company Northern Food & Dairy, Inc. Rodel Construction, Inc. B Way Holdings, LLC Bluedot Construction Services, LLC Highpoint Homes Incorporated Innovative Builders LRP Construction Services, Inc. Innovative Builders Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust Srock Construction, Inc. Northern Food & Dairy, Inc. GoodNeighbors, LLC The Tradesmen Construction, Inc. Innovative Builders Kuepers, Inc. Kuepers, Inc. Innovative Builders Sletto Properties, LLC* Ronald & Rebecca Joyce* Jay Morrell Properties* Type Commercial Alteration New Construction Commercial Alteration Commercial Alteration New Construction New Construction New Construction New Construction Commercial Alteration Commercial Alteration New Construction Commercial Alteration New Construction Commercial Alteration Commercial Alteration Commercial Addition Commercial Addition New Construction New Construction New Construction New Construction New Construction Commercial Addition Commercial Warehouse Commercial Tasting Room Commercial Shed

Cost $100,000 $108,730 $123,000 $139,000 $180,000 $225,000 $225,000 $290,000 $300,000 $320,000 $375,000 $375,000 $380,000 $500,000 $650,000 $730,000 $1,060,000 $1,073,669 $1,800,000 $2,415,000 $3,100,000 $3,300,000 $3,391,000

Lakes area economic development authority

The AAEDC works in partnership with the Lakes Area Economic Development Authority to meet their overall goals. The LAEDA was organized in 2004 through special state legislation with approval of the State of MN and the organization’s founding members to formalize and stabilize the funding process of economic development efforts in Douglas County, MN. Because of the long-term nature of many initiatives and investments needed to continue to grow our community, stable funding is crucial to the success of economic development efforts.

The mission of the LAEDA is to support the mission of the AAEDC by providing fair and equitable resources.

POWERS OF EDA’S

Tax abatement Ability to enter into contracts Sale of bonds Economic Development Districts Levying of taxes Creation of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts Acquisition and sale of real estate and personal property Participation in limited partnerships

BUSINESS STRATEGIC

The LAEDA model is the first of its kind in Minnesota to bring together communities and townships under a formal structure with designated EDA powers.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors for the LAEDA include: Mayor Sara Carlson (City of Alexandria), Joel Dahlheimer (Alexandria Township), Diane Erickson (LaGrand Township) and John Nienaber (City of Garfield).

PARTNERSHIPS

A formal partnership between the City of Alexandria, the City of Garfield, Alexandria Township and LaGrand Township that is considered to be an innovative model in addressing local, long-term economic development issues across geographical boundaries.

Alexandria was named Minnesota Monthly’s Best MN Town in 2019