Global Workforce Opportunities | International Students & Graduates

/in ,

On October 6th, 30 attendees from across the region gathered to learn how to navigate the legal process, how to attract, hire, and support international students and graduates.
 
Kim Phillips, Senior HR Manager at AGCO Corp in Jackson (GreenSeam Investor) shared information about her experience, recommendations to others, and the overwhelming return on investment they have found by hiring international student and graduate professionals. 

Video Recap

Summer Sales of Unleaded 88 are Strong

/in ,

Reported monthly sales of Unleaded 88 in Minnesota reached new heights this summer and early fall, state data show.

According to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, reported sales of Unleaded 88 were over 9.2 million gallons in July. Reported sales were over 9.5 million gallons in August and over 9.3 million gallons in September.

Before July, reported Unleaded 88 sales in Minnesota had never reached 9 million gallons. In May, reported sales were over 8.7 million gallons, and in June, they were over 8.9 million gallons. Those were the first months in which Minnesota passed the 8 million gallon threshold.

In total, reported Unleaded 88 sales in Minnesota for the first nine months of 2022 were 76.3 million gallons. For comparison, Minnesota’s total reported Unleaded 88 sales in 2021 were 87.1 million gallons. That was a state record for annual Unleaded 88 sales.

About Unleaded 88

Unleaded 88, also known as E15, is a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the fuel for use in all model year 2001 and newer vehicles.

Compared to regular unleaded gasoline, Unleaded 88 reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It also costs less than regular unleaded; it’s typically 5 cents to 40 cents per gallon less, on average.

Through farmers’ investment in the Minnesota corn check-off, Minnesota Corn has helped dozens of fueling stations upgrade to equipment compatible with Unleaded 88 and higher biofuel blends. In 2021, for example, Minnesota Corn pledged $1 million to a state biofuel infrastructure grant program. The state legislature allocated $6 million to the program during the 2021 legislative session.

On Oct. 1, 2022, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced that 44 fueling stations are receiving funding through the program.

In addition, Minnesota Corn has continued promoting Unleaded 88 to consumers across the state through the Better Fuel Initiative. For the past two years, the campaign has featured KFAN “Power Trip” morning show co-host and producer Chris Hawkey.

Hawkey has appeared on Better Fuel billboards and in TV and radio ads that have played statewide.

Unleaded 88 is available at over 400 Minnesota fueling stations. To find a station with Unleaded 88 near you, visit betterfuel.org.

Full Article

Minnesota Industry Profiles

/in

The MDA provides market information and economic data to Minnesota’s agricultural producers, processors, and exporters, as well as policy-makers and the general public. Key areas include: domestic and international market research, economic and statistical analysis, and economic impact studies at the state, regional, and county levels. Learn More

Region Sees Year of Growth, but Inflation, Interested Concerns

/in

As inflation and rising interest rates kicked in early in the year, the Mankato region’s economy continued to hum.

“The underlying economy remains strong,” said David Krause, CEO of Pioneer Bank.

“The government did a lot of things to make sure we made it through the pandemic. There was a lot of liquidity put into the economy. Deposits into the banking industry increased substantially, and there’s still a good amount of cash out there and some of that is from actions taken during the pandemic.”

He said the banking industry has seen historically low consumer, ag and mortgage delinquencies.

“People are making payments and spending money. The economy is working,” Krause said.

Sam Ziegler, director of GreenSeam, said the dominance of agriculture and a variety of agribusinesses kept the region strong this year and will in 2023, even though inflation and rising interest rates are a concern for everyone.

“If you look at basic economic sectors, ag has ripple effects much more than the other sectors. Food and ag is in high demand. We’re not recession-proof by any means, but our region will do very well next year because of that food and ag economy.”

Krause agrees that ag drives the local economy. “Our farmers are awfully strong financially and as much as they contribute in our region, that’s good for everything. I’m very optimistic.”

Ziegler said one of the biggest concerns going ahead is whether the worsening drought is relieved next spring.

“We struggled with moisture this year, but we got timely rain. Talking to farmers, they are very happy with their yields and crop prices are very high, thanks in part to some unfortunate world events.

“But looking at the Drought Monitor map, it’s startling on how the severe drought has spread. It’s worrisome.”

Banking robust

Krause said it’s been an interesting few years for the banking industry.

“The rapid drop in interest rates in reaction to the pandemic in 2020 created some challenges, and now the rapid increase in interest rates by the Fed to battle inflation has caused issues. But banks have robust risk-management programs so that can be dealt with.”

He said the Federal Reserve has indicated inflation “is public enemy No. 1” and is battling it aggressively, even at the risk of a recession.

“We’re planning for the possibility of recession and will be ready. The great thing is the Mankato area has weathered recessions fairly well. I’ve been a banker for 38 years, and it certainly seems the businesses and industries in our region are better prepared than ever for a recession. Particularly agriculture and agribusiness,” Krause said.

Still, he knows increased interest rates and inflation are going to have an impact on farmers and businesses across the region.

“So it’s a good time to be diligent on how you move forward and what you spend money on. We’re going to be diligent in what we do as well.”

Housing strong, uncertain

An Oct. 30 Free Press story noted Mankato remains in a housing boom.

In the past 10 months, more than 20 housing projects have come before the city, ranging from massive apartment complexes to smaller projects adding apartments above bars and restaurants.

Add them all up and it totals 1,383 apartments, townhouses and residential lots for detached single-family homes.

Krause said some of those planned projects won’t end up being built.

“That always happens normally. But obviously, higher interest rates will probably change some minds on some projects. Interest rates have more than doubled.

“But housing has done great in this region. Mankato is a great place to live and there seems to still be housing needs.”

But Krause said he expects inflation and higher interest rates will inevitably cause some slowdown, at least temporarily.

“But that’s what the Fed wants — to slow growth and spending to cool off inflation.”

Ag epicenter

When GreenSeam was started through Greater Mankato Growth in 2016, it was intended to become a brand that covered southern Minnesota and attract food and ag businesses from across the nation and world.

“If you want to locate an ag business, they want to be in the GreenSeam. It’s like tech wanting to locate in Silicon Valley,” Ziegler said.

“It’s getting people in the ag businesses saying, ‘We want to be in the best place in the world for agribusiness.’”

He said the different agribusiness sectors are broad, including food processing, ag technology, machinery, automation and more.

Some major ag-related businesses have opened or done expansions in the region.

Nu-Tek BioSciences just opened a $40 million factory in Austin that will use ag products to make animal-free peptone proteins that are used in the pharmaceutical industry.

In Mankato, CHS is in the midst of a $60 million upgrade to its facility near Sibley Park.

The Mankato Archer-Daniels-Midland plant on Third Avenue is also undergoing a major upgrade as it constructs a new natural-gas boiler to replace a coal-fueled boiler.

Ziegler said the two soybean-crushing behemoths have long been a major economic driver.

“In the soybean realm, there is tremendous investment in Mankato. CHS is really updating. They process soy for human consumption and further refine soybean oil for what you see on grocery shelves.”

CHS also makes soy flour, proteins and isolates. The Mankato plant’s upgrade will help it also refine oil that comes from the CHS crushing plant in Fairmont, which recently got a $100 million upgrade to expand their processing capacity.

“There’s just been a lot of investment in food and ag in our region,” Ziegler said.

“The growth of agribusiness looks very strong moving forward.”

Retail headwinds

Many retailers across the state and nation were battered by the COVID pandemic and now consumer stress from inflation has been added.

According to a new KARE 11/Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota poll in September, 33% of respondents said inflation is causing them major financial stress, 51% said it’s causing some minor stress, while 16% said they’re feeling no stress.

According to the poll, respondents living in southern Minnesota reported experiencing the highest levels of major stress of any region at 40%. Another 44% in southern Minnesota have minor financial stress because of inflation and consumer prices.

River Hills Mall Manager Robin Hanson said that while retail has been a tough world, they are finding things that have been working to draw in more customers.

“And things are starting to bounce back from COVID. Hopefully it will get back to full normal.”

The mall brought back Halloween festivities and trick-or-treating this year, serving 3,000 trick-or-treaters.

She said the mall has signed up several tenants who will fill spots during the Christmas season.

And some new eating options are arriving.

La Michoacana Mexican Ice Cream is opening in the former Dairy Queen spot. River City Eatery BBQ is coming to the food court as is Enchiladas El Gordo.

“So we’ll have eight of our 10 food spots filled,” Hanson said.

Mankato Free Press Article

Breaking New Ground in Water Management

/in

If you’ve ever driven across a parking lot, attended an indoor sporting event or planted a crop, chances are good you’ve reaped the benefits of a good drainage system, whether you realized it or not. Chances are also good that Advanced Drainage Systems in Fairmont had a hand in constructing the durable, high-performance pipe used in that system.

As a leading manufacturer of stormwater and on-site septic wastewater solutions, ADS helps manage one of the world’s most precious resources: water.

“We provide superior drainage solutions for a wide variety of makes and applications, including commercial, residential, infrastructure and agriculture,” ADS plant manager Josh Stangler said.

From safely pretreating and managing stormwater runoff to helping developers and property owners harvest rainwater, ADS focuses on developing water solutions that make land more arable and cities more livable. The installation of ADS drainage systems allows water to move without pooling and reduces flooding, especially in areas susceptible to heavy water damage. The drainage system lies beneath the targeted area, funneling excess water away to someplace where it won’t do any harm.

“These types of drainage products are everywhere,” Stangler said. “They’re under stadiums, parking lots, agriculture fields, municipalities. What we’re doing is helping mitigate flooding and creating better experiences through the management of water.”

Founded in 1966, ADS now operates a global network of 70 manufacturing plants and 38 distribution centers. The 5,000-person company has grown mainly through acquisitions and ships its products across the United States, Canada and occasionally, abroad.

“Each of our 70 plants is unique in what part of the process they work in, but they all have production lines and share tooling,” Stangler said.

The ADS Fairmont location has 75 employees. It is currently a 39,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, but it will soon double its footprint. A quick look at the expansion project plans provides a perfect example of how a drainage system works, and why it’s needed.

“We’re adding 40,000 square feet and two more production lines at our Fairmont facility,” Stangler explained. “We have it on a grid system where we have water basins in place because without them, you would have standing water when it rains. If you drive into any parking lot, you’re going to find a storm basin. If you don’t, that parking lot is going to flood. What we do here at ADS is mitigate that flooding with our drainage systems.”

Each ADS plant concentrates on different products and applications. For example, most work at the ADS Fairmont location is designed for agricultural applications. The plant supports seven states in the upper Midwest.

“Within that region, there are six plants, and most are in the ag industry, but they also help support the commercial side, too,” Stangler said. “We produce different systems that don’t just move water, but they might be managing the water source instead. We are working with an incredibly talented team at the Fairmont plant, and we couldn’t do it without them.”

ADS began working with farmers 56 years ago to solve their drainage needs. It is the leader in agricultural water management, selling 440 million feet of drainage pipe in the United States and Canada each year.

ADS manufacturing plants produce products with multiple applications, including water treatment systems, infiltrator systems, drainage systems and everything in between.

“The options are endless for what we can produce,” Stangler said. “You can kind of think of the drainage systems as adult LEGO sets.”

Stangler said ADS has a diverse client base, selling its services to both individuals and large corporations. Its products are used in a wide range of industries, including agriculture, aviation and military, commercial and mixed-use, landfills, mining, parking and structure, residential, sports turf and golf, transportation, health care, education and timber.

“We have a commitment to all of our customers as far as support goes,” Stangler said. “We serve a wide variety of markets, and we actually have one of the largest company-owned fleets in the country. So, when something is sent out to an Advanced Drainage Systems customer, it’s delivered by an ADS truck. We have a full-service commitment to providing our product and delivering great customer service and support.”

ADS is also the largest plastic recycling company in North America, converting thousands of tons of discarded plastic into new products.

“From a sustainability standpoint, we recycle and produce over (half a billion) pounds of plastic per year,” Stangler said. “It’s part of our commitment to sustainability as a company. We want to be good stewards of the environment and land. Doing what we can to keep plastic out of landfills, oceans and water streams is our goal.”

The company purchases anything that has been recycled post-industrial or post-consumer. So when you put out your household recycling, it’s likely some of your discarded plastic items will eventually make their way to ADS and someday become part of a new ADS part or product.

“Basically, we’re buying what’s in your recycling bins at the end of your driveway,” he said. “We’re reusing your Tide bottles and water bottles … anything that is made with HDPE #2 plastic. We turn all of that into pipe products. We own recycling centers that can break it down into flake material, and turn around and use that material to create optimized blends to make our products.”

ADS has been promoting sustainability through recycling and utilizing recycled products for a number of years now. It plans to continue the operation as it looks to expand for future growth.

“Our business continues to grow,” Stangler said. “One of our goals as a company is to produce 1 billion pounds of pipe this year. Part of that is supporting growth with passion and automation.”

By bringing in additional engineering and automation services, the company has found better ways to produce pipes and diversify its customer offerings in a competitive market.

“Our market does slow down, so this is a way we can protect the business, so we don’t have significant shortfalls,” Stangler said. “Our company’s vision statement is ‘Our reason is water.’ That’s why we continue and expand. Right now, our markets are expanding with us, so we’re just trying to support the level of demand.”

Like most companies, ADS has been working hard to fill employment gaps. To fill the void, it has incorporated automation into its processes to help fill positions until new employees are hired and trained. Adding automation serves several purposes for the company.

“It’s partly due to the lack of people, to not being able to expand with people in these economic conditions,” Stangler said. “But more than anything, it’s been about improving as a company and finding better and safer ways to process our pipe.”

Looking to the future, the ADS Fairmont facility is slated to finish its expansion by summer 2023. The 40,000-square-foot expansion will include 13 acres of additional yard space for pipe storage. In addition, the company has set its sights on bringing in 15 to 20 employees to meet demand.

“Our business is growing fast, so we’re going to continue to grow with our markets,” Stangler said. “We’ll keep working to support our demand.”

Breaking New Ground in Water Management