Itasca Economic Development Corporation
12 Northwest 3rd St.
Grand Rapids,
Minnesota 55744
(218) 326 - 9411
(888) 890 - JOBS

 
 

Action Team Highlights

Guiding Principals

  • The private sector must provide leadership and investment
  • Public sector participation is essential
  • Local people need to address local problems
  • Community alignment is essential and can make a difference
  • Organization and leadership matter


Economic Development

  • Small Business Development Center (SBDC): provided 1004 hours of business counseling at no charge to 302 clients; assisted in $7.3M loan approvals for clients.
  • Itasca Technology Exchange (ITE): ITE is at 63% occupancy with 7 tenants and 27 employees; 6,825 square feet has been leased.
  • Minnesota Community Capital Fund (MCCF): IDC and SBDC clients have access to $2.5 million in fixed-rate interest loans.
  • North Star Fund, LLC established: a regional area investment network (RAIN) fund was organized.
  • Business Retention and Expansion: focused economic development efforts on existing local businesses

Community Development

  • Itasca Area Economic Response Team: leveraged all available resources to help the Itasca area recover from the workforce reduction at Blandin Paper Company via job creation.
  • JOBZone Designation: coordinated the successful JOBZ application for Itasca County.
  • Highway 169 Cross Range Expressway: formed alliance of Eastern Itasca County Mayors to advance completion of, and funding for, the Highway 169 cross range expressway.
  • Recreation/Tourism: Sugar/Quadna ATV Trail planned.
  • Cohasset Manufacturing Facility: advanced getting building into productive use and filled with jobs

Alignment, Organization and Communication

  • Hosted seven JOBS 2020 industry forums, a town meeting and two visits by Governor Pawlenty.
  • Partnerships: initiated collaboration efforts with various community institutions to align service to community.
  • Communications: via articles in Herald Review, appearances on ICTV and KOZY and printed quarterly indexes tracking economic activity in Itasca County.
  • Formation of new Itasca Economic Development Council: the 40-60 members from throughout the Itasca region will broaden leadership and represent the communities’ best interests.