WILLMAR—Learning how to successfully prepare, operate and manage a small business over the course of 12 weeks, five local entrepreneurs graduated June 16 from the first Elevate class in Minnesota.
In a 2017 survey, the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission found an increasing number of minority-owned businesses opening in and around Willmar.
The EDC report was sponsored with a grant from Southwest Initiative Foundation to design and implement a Business Retention
WILLMAR — Before his death in a plane crash on Feb. 4, 2015, William “Bill” Graves had recently celebrated the opening of his 100th Domino’s franchise. It was an amazing accomplishment from someone who first started as a Domino’s driver before opening his very first franchise in 1985. That first store was located in Apple Tree Square in east Willmar.
On Monday, Bill Graves’ family and friends, along with dozens of community leaders, business owners and fellow Domino’s
Former resident Dr. Ashley Rath has returned to the Spicer area and moved her chiropractic business with her. With a specialty in prenatal and pediatric care, the name Family Roots Chiropractic is fitting.
Dr. Ashley has a passion to help children and families experience life in a healthier state.
She says, “health to me is about function. How well you are functioning is an indication of how healthy you are. In our office, we use technology to measure the function of your nervous system. The
Willmar is a diverse community with a large Latino and Somali/East African population that is increasingly represented in the business world. Members of these communities own and operate approximately 12% of businesses in Willmar, as evidenced by a recent Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Survey of diverse businesses undertaken by the EDC.
Last fall, the Southwest Initiative Foundation awarded a grant to the EDC to design and implement a BRE program for diverse businesses in the Willmar area.
“A dynamic county with much to offer existing and prospective businesses” is the summary used by contributing writer Gina Stephens to describe the Willmar area in a six-page article featured in the September 2017 publication of Business in Focus magazine.
Providing a comprehensive view of North American business, the magazine offers monthly online and print editions that bring together the country’s top businesses and potential clients. Business in Focus is a national publication with
The GrandStay Hotel & Event Center Project at Little Crow Country Club is officially underway!
Plans for the 51-room hotel, 300-seat event center, 75-seat restaurant and new Little Crow Country Club clubhouse finalized in early 2017; however, it took longer than initially envisioned to complete the $2.35 million equity drive for the project. Once the funding came together in July, the project moved ahead quickly.
Architectural plans finalized during the summer, loan closing occurred in early
MHFA Approves $15.8 million in Affordable Housing for Willmar
On October 19, 2017, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency announced it approved funding for two multi-family affordable housing projects in Willmar—15th Street Flats and Hanson Apartments. The former is a $9.3 million project that involves new construction of a building with 47 rental units on the southeast side of Willmar. The latter is a $6.5 million project that includes acquisition and rehabilitation of 56 rental units in two buildings
WILLMAR—West Central Steel of Willmar is expanding for the ninth time in its nearly 40-year history, bringing more services to its customers and more jobs to the region.
“It has been quite a project,” said Jeff Pattison, president of West Central Steel.
The latest project has been in planning for several years, but officially kicked off in fall 2016, when the company obtained over five acres of land next to its current location on U.S. Highway 12 near the Willmar Industrial Park. This
Willmar Industrial Park is 31st site to receive designation in Minnesota
ST. PAUL—An industrial park located on the west side of Willmar has been certified for the Shovel Ready Program by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
The 181-acre site in the Willmar Industrial Park is the 31st site designated in Minnesota and the second site in the nine-county area around Willmar to be certified under the program. Shovel Ready certification means planning, zoning,
