Q. What are you and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation (GSDC) looking for when bringing business to town?
A. We’re focused on maintaining a diverse economic base, growing the number of jobs and increasing average wages in our community. A great place to grow a business must also be a great place to live and grow a family in order to attract the talent needed to keep businesses vibrant and growing.
Q. Besides manufacturing, what other areas of industry are you looking to bring to the area?
A. Our first priority is directed at retaining and growing our existing primary sector businesses. Our business attraction efforts are targeted in health and life sciences; financial, insurance and business services; innovation and technology; valued added ag products; logistics and fulfillment; and any other that contributes to the quality of life and prosperity in our region.
By the numbers
27 YEARS Gartland has worked in community development, specifically in the cities of St. Cloud and Sartell
200+ INVESTORS, increased from 64 founding investors in only 5 years
5 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: Transportation, talent attraction, work place well-being, downtown revitalization and innovation
April 2011 the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation was founded
70 BLOCKS make up greater downtown. The GSDC has assisted St. Cloud in its efforts to develop a new vision and plan for downtown
Q. Is there future growth in rail industry around St. Cloud?
A. Yes. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway are primary freight carriers in the region providing the opportunity for connections to markets across the Midwest as well as deep sea ports on Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. Our recent experience with the surge of oil transport via rail from the Bakken Oil fields in western North Dakota certainly demonstrated the importance of the rail industry and its potential for growth. And, extension of Northstar passenger rail is an area our region continues to advocate.
Q. What are the plans for adding regional transportation?
A. We are leading efforts to secure funding to complete a comprehensive, market based air transport optimization planning study and strategy plan for growing utilization of the St. Cloud Regional Airport; we’ve joined and are partnering with the I-94 West Coalition in advocating for continued expansion of I-94 to St. Cloud; we’re supporting efforts to extend Northstar rail service to St. Cloud; and we’re supporting efforts to continue growing and expanding public and private transit and trails network in our region.
Q. How does strengthening our regional economic development bode well for the future for St. Cloud?
A. Business and economic development knows no boundaries. The work of the GSDC is done from a business centric approach that transcends political boundaries of any individual city or county. GSDC serves as a centralized point of contact and conduit for companies to navigate processes and vet their site location options amongst the various cities and counties. Regardless of which city a business chooses to locate in, the economic benefits are regional in scope. As the largest and core city in the region, St. Cloud is also the cultural heart of the region and hosts the major regional amenities and attractions patronized by the entire region.
