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Andersen Windows to relocate in North BranchBy Barbara Brown Andersen Windows will open a new plant in the North Branch Industrial Park by next spring. Mayor Gloria Karsky and several legislators joined Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Andersen chief executive officer Jim Humphrey at a late-day announcement Monday in the governorís office at the state Capitol Building in St. Paul. Andersen is relocating its White Bear Lake extrusion plant, which currently has 40 employees. Extrusion is shaping a product by forcing it through a die. The plant will make individual parts for all sorts of Andersen Window products, including the Renewal and Woodwright products. Groundbreaking is expected within the next couple weeks with the plant completed and running by mid-April, Humphrey said. About 100 new jobs would be added at the plant, Humphrey said. Currently, there are about 5,000 Minnesota employees in the Andersen Corporation, Humphrey said. Andersen showed its hand last week at a North Branch City Council meeting where the corporate realtor spoke openly to the council and residents about the possibility of Andersen opening in North Branch. Maus said the company had been looking at sites within a 150 mile radius distance, in Minnesota and out-of-state, from its Bayport plant, the companyís largest in Minnesota. Humphrey said several things attracted the company to the North Branch area. He said the ability to find quality workers and the townís proximity to I-35 to make for easy shipping to customers and other plants were some of the convincing factors. Another reason for Andersenís decision to move to North Branch was the possibility that it could receive benefits of new legislation called Job Opportunity Building Zone, Maus told the council last week. JOBZ was made into law during the 2003 legislative session and is supported by Pawlenty. The taxes that Andersen or other companies that would be placed in a JOBZ could be exempt from include corporate franchise, income tax for operators or investors, sales on goods and services used in the zone, property on commercial and industrial improvements but not on the land and employment taxes on high-paying jobs. Only 10 JOBZ areas can be designated for industry within one state. Eligibility requirements would have to be met by Andersen, according to information on the Department of Employment and Economic Development. While the Andersen site has not been confirmed for JOBZ status, the areaís application was received through the city and county. ìMinnesota has suffered great job loss over the last few years,î the governor said. ìOur administration is committed to starting to regrow jobs in the state of Minnesota.î Calling them ìquality of life opportunity for everyone,î Pawlenty said the jobs will offer a bolster to the more rural economy. ìThese are jobs where people from all different walks of life and education and skill levels can have that opportunity,î Pawlenty said. ìI think this is the beginning of a string of job-related announcements; not necessarily JOBZ,î Pawlenty said. When asked how he or the company can justify taking jobs away from one Minnesota town ñ White Bear Lake ñ and giving them to another town ñ North Branch ñ Pawlenty said he didnít think it was a matter of taking jobs or giving jobs to certain areas. ìThe company had made the decision to relocate,î Pawlenty said. ìThis is about retaining jobs and making more jobs in Minnesota.î Mayor Karsky commented during Mondayís announcement, touching on the fact that North Branch has been looking for a while to bring high paying industrial jobs into the city. ìWhat this does for us is to promote economic development within our city,î she said. ìThis is a company that will hire people who can invest in the community in which they live,î Karsky said. Karsky said the city had not made any final decisions on any type of tax relief benefit that might be offered to Andersen. Humphrey said he could not confirm what kinds of benefit or wage packages would be offered at the North Branch plant, but that they would be comparable to other Andersen plants. ìI think the people will be very, very pleased,î Humphrey said. ìThese are experience jobs.î Maus had told the council at last weekís meeting that Andersen would build a multi-million dollar plant in the city, but Humphreys did not confirm that at Mondayís announcement. ìMake no mistake about it, this is a real win for Minnesota ... a real win for rural Minnesota,î said House Speaker Steve Swiggum. ìWeíre about growing jobs in the state. This is a true testament that the governorís legislation is working. These are jobs you can raise a family on.î ©ECM Post Review |