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Elevate program founded to support diverse businesses, entrepreneurs

WILLMAR—The Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar’s Economic Development Commission began training the second Elevate class of entrepreneurs and local business owners Sept. 16. The 12-week Elevate course offers hands-on training in business planning and management while providing business education and coaching specifically tailored to underserved minority entrepreneurs in the county. The EDC partnered with […]

Bethesda opens New London location just in time to celebrate 125 years in operation

NEW LONDON—Set among rolling hills covered in prairie grass and oak trees, Bethesda North Pointe, in rural New London, is the newest senior living community in Kandiyohi County. Construction of the $21 million project began in the fall of 2019 and the facility is set to begin welcoming new residents this fall—just as Bethesda launches its […]

Willmar Poultry to purchase additional land from city for expansion project

WILLMAR—Two public hearings will be held at the Nov. 1 Willmar City Council meeting in regard to an expansion project at the Willmar Poultry Innovations facility near the Willmar Wastewater Treatment Plant on the western outskirts of Willmar. The public hearings are mandated before the council can consider selling and rezoning the property Willmar Poultry is interested […]

A vision of four lanes from one corner of the state to the other

The Highway 23 Coalition has a vision of a four-lane corridor from the far southwest corner of the state near Luverne all the way up to Hinckley, just before drivers reach the popular North Shore. It is a vision that will require a lot of time, effort and money to make a reality, but it […]

Lucky Duck lands in the city on the pond

NEW LONDON—For a town known as “the city on the pond,” it’s only appropriate that a business called Lucky Duck landed in New London. Located in the former Mill Pond Mercantile building in downtown New London, the 7,500-square-foot Lucky Duck is filled floor to ceiling with shelves of games, toys, puzzles, books and opportunities for hands-on play. […]

Nova-Tech’s Shrimp Works equipment poised to revolutionize shrimp processing business

WILLMAR—Giving customers “revolutionary solutions” to help them “feed the world” was the driving force that engineers at Nova-Tech Engineering in Willmar used to develop an all-in-one piece of equipment that performs multiple tasks to prepare fresh shrimp for market. The automated platform, called ShrimpWorks, has the potential to dramatically change how fresh shrimp are processed here in west […]

Shrimp is a jumbo business in west central Minnesota

WILLMAR—A unique working relationship between a former dairy farmer from Blomkest, two former poultry farmers from Danube and a high-tech engineering company in Willmar could produce the first commercial-scale saltwater shrimp to be born, raised and processed in Minnesota. There are some moving pieces to the puzzle to fit together yet, but the picture looks promising. […]

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith visits Willmar to talk broadband

WILLMAR—There has been a local, state and national push to expand broadband access into underserved or unserved areas, especially since the pandemic has shown how instrumental it is to have reliable high-speed internet. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, in a visit to Willmar on Friday, joined a roundtable discussion about broadband to hear and learn about how […]

Logistics project still a go as Willmar City Council makes changes to agreements

WILLMAR—A large logistics facility to be constructed in the Willmar Industrial Park is still a go, though changes have been made to the land purchase agreement between the city and Ruedebusch Development & Construction National, the project developer. The Willmar City Council, at its meeting Monday, made amendments to the purchase agreement and major subdivision plat. […]

Minnesota House bonding committee hears pitches for Willmar area projects

WILLMAR— State representatives serving on the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee stopped briefly in Willmar on Tuesday to learn about three local projects requesting state funding from the upcoming capital budget, or bonding bill. Cliff Carmody, executive director of the cooperative, spoke on the expansion project for the Willmar center, which is located on the MinnWest […]

Extension of Kandiyohi County local option sales tax for roads is on the table

WILLMAR—In 2017, the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners approved a five-year local option sales tax to fund four road improvement projects covering 10 miles of road and one bridge at a cost of $14 million. Revenue collection began in 2018 and is set to expire in 2022. Mel Odens, Kandiyohi County Public Works director, is hoping the County Board […]

“Going green” New London lettuce farm branches into hemp industry

NEW LONDON—Despite being one of the oldest cultivated crops in history, the hemp industry—at least in the U.S.—is only just beginning to re-establish  its roots, dogged for decades by legal issues and social stigma. However, in the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill, which federally recognizes hemp as an agricultural crop, and with research confirming […]

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