State development grants go to Cannon Falls, Lakefield

Article by: DEE DePASS , Star Tribune
Updated: January 6, 2009 - 9:17 PM

0
comments
resize text
print
buy reprints

Tweet
share

email
Email share

your name

your email

recipients email

+ add a comment add a comment

Cannon Falls and Lakefield were awarded a total of $448,000 in Minnesota development grants Monday to spur employment and aid business expansions.

The grants, issued by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), included $250,000 for Cannon Falls to improve infrastructure in the industrial park where Benchmark AG plans to erect a processing plant that makes soybean-based animal feed. The facility is eventually to employ 16 workers.

Lakefield got $198,000 to fix a water-pressure problem inside the existing Hussong Manufacturing building and to buy a fire sprinkler system for the building's $1 million expansion. The company, which builds Kozy Heat gas, electric and corn-burning fireplaces, plans to hire 10 new workers.

The money came from a DEED program that pays up to 50 percent of the capital costs of various infrastructure projects that create jobs. The state awarded $4.6 million in such grants last year.

Dee DePass • 612-673-7725