State official praises Beacon Promotions expansion

By KEVIN SWEENEY

Journal Editor

NEW ULM -- Companies like Beacon Promotions are the best customers of the state's economic development efforts, said Matt Kramer, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, during a visit to the New Ulm company Thursday.

Programs like the Job Opportunity Business Zones (JOBZ) may bring in a company from out of state, but its biggest benefit is to companies already here, who are growing and expanding and could used some help doing so.

"A lot of people or cities worry about the business that are struggling or failing. But we need to worry about the businesses that are succeeding, that are growing out of their space, or out of their labor pools," said Kramer. "They are here, they are growing and we want them to stay."

Beacon Promotions and Watonwan Automotive in St. James, another company Kramer visited Thursday, are examples of this. Beacon started last year and is leasing space from the New Ulm Economic Development Corporation. With about 50 employees it is already growing out of its space, and is applying through the JOBZ program to get an additional 15,000 square feet of space.

Two other existing New Ulm firms, Windings, Inc., and Precision Tool, are seeking JOBZ approval for expansion projects. Through JOBZ, the firms qualify for a variety of tax breaks and credits for growth that results in more jobs.

Since its start last year, the JOBZ program in the state has resulted in 56 approved projects through local governments.