Economic development Archives - Great River Energy
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Economic development

Unique loan program supports advanced manufacturing

Community, Cooperatives, Economic development, Member-owner cooperatives / February 22, 2023

The Energy Efficient Equipment (E3) Loan Program administered by Great River Energy is seeing an uptick in activity as businesses work to overcome challenges related to workforce shortages, inflationary interest rates, and increased shipping and material costs. One recent example is Midstate Plastics Corporation, a thermoforming and injection molded plastics manufacturer based in the northern …

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Stearns Electric supports manufacturing facility expansion

Cooperatives, Economic development, Member-owner cooperatives / February 22, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $1.5 million loan to Stearns Electric Association, one of Great River Energy’s 27 member-owner cooperatives, to support the expansion of the Berkon Outdoors manufacturing facility. Berkon Industries, LLC was established in 2001 as an all-cedar dock manufacturing company owned and operated by entrepreneur Eric Berscheid. Berkon …

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Event connects entrepreneurs, leaders to support economic growth

Community, Cooperatives, Economic development / November 18, 2022

As part of its commitment to powering economic growth in the communities it serves, Great River Energy sponsored the fourth annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference. Led by University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality, this event brought together entrepreneurs, business leaders, economic development professionals, decision makers, and community champions from around the state to …

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Cooperatives serve members by investing in their communities

Community, Company news, Cooperatives, Economic development, Member-owner cooperatives / July 25, 2022

Electric cooperatives serve their members with the electric power necessary for community businesses and residents to operate and live as they prefer. The economic development services cooperatives provide are also some of the most critical resources that local projects and communities need. But sometimes, the cooperatives are the economic development projects themselves. For example, some …

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Construction underway on Faribault air separation plant

Cooperatives, Economic development, Member-owner cooperatives / April 11, 2022

Construction is underway in Faribault, Minnesota, on an independently owned and operated air separation plant that will be powered by reliable electric service from Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric (SWCE), one of Great River Energy’s 28 member-owner cooperatives. Absolute Air—a consortium of five independent gas and welding supply distributors along with the Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative—will bring …

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