Posted on 03/08/2017 9:51:03 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN (WDAZ-TV) – One thousand new jobs could come to one local town.
But if they don't get what they need, they could go elsewhere.
Electronics like iPhones and computer electrical components were made using parts distributed by Digi-Key.
The company says they're growing, and that's why they want to build a brand new one million square foot building in Thief River Falls.
Brian Holmer, Thief River Falls mayor: "You take a look at a project his magnitude, you know, $200-300 million. The construction of the building is gonna cover like 23 acres, which is enormous."
In Thief River Falls, Digi-Key already employs more than 3,000 people. They say expanding their facility will allow them to hire about one thousand more employees over the next decade.
"The employees then get a paycheck. They go buy clothes, fuel, food, housing, and all that within the community. Utilizes the schools that we have. So when you take a whole overall look it’s not just the business that provides the economic impact, it's the indirect ones that's really huge," says Holmer.
But without help from the city and the state, the warehouse will have to go elsewhere.
Rick Trontvet, Digi-Key vice president: "There's considerable financial infrastructure and logistics considerations and issues that we have to overcome."
Holmer: "Seeing that type of business possibly leaving the state would be huge toward the state economy."
They don't know how much cash they need, but the company has already navigated some serious growing pains.
Apartments were built to house employees, and workers are bused in from as far as Grand Forks.
Digi-Key says they hope to help Thief River Falls continue to grow, even if it's a challenging process.
"Transportation, infrastructure and financial. Yet given all those challenges, we'd still much rather, if we can do it, continue to be here," says Trontvet.
A decision on whether or not to expand could be made as early as June.
It would be an extra boost for the town, as Arctic Cat, the company right next door, was bought out in January.
Come to NW Florida!
The weather’s nicer and so are the people!.....................
It would be nice if a lot of early jobs growth went to blue places that can be turned red. Hard to fill out a job app for a new plant AND protest at the same time.
I used to order parts from Digi-Key back in the mid 70’s when I was building my own S100 computer stuff.
I used to buy stuff from them all the time.
Then I found out I could create much more commercially worthless functionality per unit effort in C++ than I could with a soldering iron.
Still, I miss the old Digi-Key catalogs, with their wonderful low-price chips, connectors, optos, and other fun doo-dads.
I procure a lot of parts from DK for my projects,,
interested,, but waaay too cold for me there.. .
Thief River Falls, have not thought of that place in 25 years.
It’s what, 50 miles south of Canada? Population is now over 8000.
I think that place is frozen 5 months out of the year. Why would anyone build a factory there?
Freight is going to be a problem.
Corporate extortion of tax dollars. There is only one place to logically built a warehouse to serve their plant. That is right next to the plant in Thief River Falls.
The mayor must be from southern California, he talks like a valley girl.
Before Trump killed the WOTUS act, a lot of real estate deals were signed and in the process of closing.
With EPA out of the way, business expansion is gonna boom.
I've been buying from them since they were an ad in the back of Popular Electronics magazine.
Same here. I probably still have one of the old “skinny” catalogs stashed, uh... somewhere... :-)
Freight costs aren’t a problem when one truck can carry thirty thousand items for sale.
DIGI-KEY ROCKS!!!!!
Let me know if you have any of the yellow Texas Instruments IC databooks to unload. Perhaps you have a white Signetics databook.
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