Mayor Mike Brown touted Minnkota Power Cooperative's investment in the community and in its own workforce during a ceremony commemorating the company's new $65 million building on the southwest edge of Grand Forks.
More than 200 people attended the Wednesday morning event, which included speeches from Brown and others, as well as tours of the facility.
"This building is an investment in the community," Brown said during his brief remarks. "It's a place where your company will continue to be successful. It's an investment in the 135,000 customers who rely on you and those whose trust you have earned over the last eight decades. It's an investment in your people."
Other speakers were Mac McLennan, Minnkota president and CEO; Collin Jensen, chairman of the Minnkota Board of Directors; and Keith Lund, president and CEO of Grand Forks Region Economic Development.
It was the public's first glimpse of the building, which occupies 252,000 square feet along the south side of 32nd Avenue South, west of I-29. It includes more than 18,000 cubic yards of concrete, 263,000 pounds of ductwork and 176 doors and windows.
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Approximately half of Minnkota's 400 employees will work there, moving from the company's former headquarters in northeast Grand Forks, where it was located since the 1940s.
Along with speeches from dignitaries, Wednesday's open house included tours of the building, which incorporates an open concept, large windows and a gathering room that easily can accommodate large conferences or all-staff meetings. McLennan said that's quite a step up from the company's previous home.
Minnkota serves an area that encompasses 35,000 square miles in 33 counties in northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal, I hope," McLennan said early in his speech. Later, after introducing speakers and later concluding the ceremony, he invited attendees to tour the building.
"Thank you very much for participating today," he said. "Go enjoy what we've built here."
