6.0. EDSR 01-14-2002 Item 6 .
•
City of
Elk
River
MEMORANDUM
TO: Economic Development Authority
FROM: Heidi Hall, Economic Development Assistant
DATE: January 14, 2002
SUBJECT: Strategic Industrial Marketing Plan Update
Attachments
• 2002 Publicity Timeline
• Raising Power at Home: A Minnesota Company Designs a Furnace to Burn Corn or
• Agricultural Byproducts
Key Accounts
Members of the key accounts received a holiday letter in late December of 2001, which
provided them with an update on development initiatives and opportunities within the
City of Elk River. Marketing folders, including updated insert pages, were also
included in this mailing. The key accounts that staff will continue to build
relationships with include United Properties, Kraus-Anderson Construction
Company, Northco, Ryan Companies, Duke-Weeks Realty Corp., Welsh Companies,
Colliers Towle Real Estate, Cresa Partners, Cushman & Wakefield, and Opus
Northwest.
2002 Advertising Campaign
Staff is working to establish a list of six sponsors for 2002 Strategic Industrial
Advertising Campaign. Currently, Genesis Business Centers, First National Bank of
Elk River, The Bank of Elk River, and Reliant Energy Minnegasco have committed to
a total of$8,000.00 towards this year's project.
Advertisements will be of similar design as last year to allow for continued consistency
in the City of Elk River's image and message as the "light industrial hub of the
Northwest Metro." Advertisements for 2002 will be published in Twin Cities Business
• Monthly, Minnesota Real Estate Journal, MREG Leasing Guide, and Midwest Real
Estate News.
• The 2002 Public Relations underway,und
g a
camP Yi n , with the first news release scheduled
for this spring (see attached 2002 Publicity Timeline). In addition to the major
quarterly news releases, timely events such as groundbreakings, expansions, and new
business loans will be featured. These new releases will be submitted for consideration
by the advertising publications and trade journals (see attached January 2002 article
that appeared in AURI AG Innovation News).
•
•
GRETA WEDELL
1305 Nursery Hill Lane
Arden Hills,MN 55112
°` 651 628 4944 Phone
st
651 628 4945 Fax
greta@skypoint.com
2002 PUBLICITY TIMELINE
Essential Positioning Points
Elk River will continue to promote the advantages established in 2001:
Light Industrial Hub of the Northwest Metro
• Competitive location between St. Cloud and Twin Cities metro.
• Centralized access to vendors and suppliers.
• Successful industrial base.
• Competitive workforce, drawing from St. Cloud and Twin Cities metro.
City's commitment and track record in attracting quality light manufacturing companies
• Recent buildout of the city's two older industrial parks.
• Opening of 200 acres of business park for office, r&d and light manufacturing.
• Competitive land prices of$1.25 to 1.50/sf vs. metro area land prices.
• Advantages of building versus the disadvantages of subleasing.
• Competitive Financial Assistance
• City's expertise with a variety of financing tools, including TIF, tax abatement and low-interest micro loans.
• Partnering with state and regional finance programs and local venture capital resources to meet
unique financing needs.
Customer-driven professional city staff to streamline the development process
• City's proven expertise in site selection.
• Case histories involving city staff participation.
• City staff participation at industry events.
4 Major News Releases
Identification of one to two companies which provide case histories to develop major stories. One release per quarter to start.
Additional releases as events warrant.
Spring Land Availability
Summer Financing
Fall Staff Expertise
Year-End Trends, Predictions and Recap
•
• ••
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t Elk River illinn.—Robert Walker has smelled Power as well as heat
_ 4 the opportunity in biomass energy,and it has
l';'''''''' '''-'
him wide awake after a comfortable sleep. Furnaces maybe the first products avallables,
but Bixby Energy's goal is to develop biomass
_ � As founder of Select Comfort Corporation and systems capable of heating a home and its
designer of the"Sleep Number Bed"air sleep Fater and generating electricity.Walker hopes
j� to have these distributedpower
_ , system,"the products I'm interested in are systems
ones that I think are beneficial to mankind," available within three years.
'1''''''4''''''''''''
N Walker says."I'm intrigued by a similar "(America is)too dependent on foreign
;fr scenario—providing an effect on our energy sources for our energy—too dependent on
system." others'whims,"Walker says."By utilizing
�:' ,> , Last March,Walker founded Bixby Energy these'super pellets'made from ag products,
:' Systems with a vision of developing and we can make a real impact.There's a double
marketing high-tech biomass energy.Bixby benefit,because the money for our energy
1• .''
beganproducing a space heater in November. isrit leaving the country,plus we're using up a
P
• But its sights aze set much higher. low-value product that is really a valuable,
renewable resource.
s�� Alternative energy sources have
High burn rate gained attention as fuels such as
fa natural gas,liquid propane and fuel
High fuel costs last heating
.° - oil have undergone wild price
season gave rise to renewed fluctuations.Walker says that when
t interest in alternative energy, y
"" including burning dry shelled biomass fuels reach their most cost
�� competitive level,they'll be cheaper
corn.Several corn-burning than fossil fuels,which adds to their
furnaces have alread been
y attractiveness.
���� -,":5+'-i. developed,but Walker says'
a _ Bixby's proprietary .. "The evolution is occurring,"he says.
fi f - 4 technology makes its "With knowledge and
� , systems operate more training we can become used
t efficiently.Developed to biomass as an energy source.
F
*; f 55 by Bixby's chief This is agold mine we just haven't
� _ technical officer, tapped."
,i,-0,i Marion Mast,the
g r` z, Y ,' ' '+e '- .,,.:-,,,::,.,,,,,-.,.,-,,_,..z.,,,,,,,,_,,,_t y - BI I,E'77-ei-gr ;ste/nssto,�eS are available at
"MaxYield"system incorporates high levels of selected ireplaceandavooclstovereta lens.For
�'" + - oxygen for a good burn rate and constantly
�� more i�zforrnation visit lithe it1�site:
''''P';' ''''V monitors and adjusts fuel flow to maximize
; ,, uunu.Gixb1'e�zerg}�com ■
- 44°a f heat output.
* a Bixby •Energy is working to certify fuels for
'_ their systems.Accordingut o the U.S.
� R Department of Ener ,shelled corn
a p rcc'Vis one of the lowest cost fuels per AU RI t Fork
"° fl , - ,,. , j Btu.Bixby isn't limiting its efforts to
-.',,,i-,,. ,l-1,X71%4'Alf.'---, '-'14'''''., -,„ -I: 'It ` corn,however;AURI is helping erviceS � i provided
ti w - r identify and test a wide range of ag
. ' Bixby E,-iergy Systems.
a x -, products that could be pelleted as
fuel.
Fuel development
"They're not just selling burners, + Fuel estinn and :,,,-,:,,,,,,-,.::- -:,:..1:,...,,:l.,z;-!,..,k,-
;, 1'Fs:� � . -,,,,,,,,i,,,::S , �h they're integrating the fuels into their analysis
a system,"says Jack Johnson,who `
heads up AURI's coproducts 1 j11
�` t,3 utilization program."It's a technology a h
that burns efficiently and combines
:; renewable fuels.That's what makes it
f ;� y x t attractive to us.,,
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AURI AG INNOVATION NEWS•JANUARY 2002 PAGE 5