Topic: Clear Lake and Mankato just not Albert Lea
started by: ALAngst
Posted by ALAngst on Feb. 21 2015,10:41 am
Clear Lake announces McKesson Corporation will bring 165 full time jobs."While not the largest financial incentive package offered to the company, it was enough to demonstrate that we wanted the company in our community," Mayor Crabb said (Kaal-tv)
Wal-Mart hiring 400 jobs in Mankato for its new distribution facility.
"The center's general manager, Mark Carlson, tells KTOE wages start at $16.75 an hour with no experience necessary."
And what has our former coupon selling promoted to Economic Development Officer without opening the position for applications done for us lately?
His only promise, in last year's paper was he and Randy Kehr were personally going to visit every Albert Lea business to assess their needs. How did that project turn out?
Posted by Self-Banished on Feb. 21 2015,10:54 am
Yep, sad and dismal, a logistical gold mine lies dormant in AL. All because of piss poor leadership 
Where am I seeing this story elsewhere???
Posted by grassman on Feb. 21 2015,11:12 am
Maybe they need to hire some outside help? 
Posted by Botto 82 on Feb. 21 2015,11:41 am
But first they have to hire a consulting firm to determine which outside help to use.
Posted by nzeroesc on Feb. 21 2015,2:29 pm
We don't have a college. Thats the labor force Walmart will target. Also reference this map of their logistics network and you can see why locating farther West and North is beneficial with their store locations to be served. In regards to McKesson, my speculation is that being here would be a bit too close and overlap with their MN locations. Also I am sure at some point they would love to be in bed with Mayo, who currently is supplied by Cardinal Health, there isn't much point in building a warehouse in a region where every major medical center within 50 miles is in the Mayo network. As far as I can tell, McKesson does serve Mercy hospitals. Making Mason City and south a sound investment.
Posted by ALAngst on Feb. 22 2015,2:38 pm
I wasn't making the point we should have gotten these two companies. ALEDA, the chamber, excuse Albert Lea because of Austin and Rochester. Plus they say the tax situation of Iowa is so much better. Yet statistics show when it comes to all around taxes, Iowa and Wisconsin aren't worlds apart from Minnesota.
We pay an economic development officer over $90k. For what? What has he accomplished? And like I said last year, the ALEDA trumpeted the fact that along with the Chamber head they were going to visit every business in Albert Lea to talk with them about their business needs. They never did it.
People criticized Paul Sparks. He was city manager, assistant city manager, head of human resources, and economic development officer. When Dorman left, the job was handed to Nolander without any attempt to seek other applicants.
Posted by Common Citizen on Feb. 22 2015,2:52 pm
The answer to my question may be buried in another thread but what is Nolander's prior business experience? Has he ever owned and operated his own business? How else can you expect a person to understand the challenges business owners face or the needs they have.Without experience for a key position like that would be like hiring a police chief who has never carried a badge before.
Posted by Expatriate on Feb. 23 2015,7:39 am
Utility rates and reliability are a big factor in business location, both Mankato and Clear Lake have local power plants making the likelihood of long-term outages unlikely.
Posted by Self-Banished on Feb. 23 2015,11:21 am
(Expatriate @ Feb. 23 2015,7:39 am)
QUOTE
Utility rates and reliability are a big factor in business location, both Mankato and Clear Lake have local power plants making the likelihood of long-term outages unlikely.
Most businesses like Walmart, Target etc put in giant backup generators now.
Posted by Expatriate on Feb. 24 2015,10:27 am
(Self-Banished @ Feb. 23 2015,11:21 am)
QUOTE
(Expatriate @ Feb. 23 2015,7:39 am)
QUOTE
Utility rates and reliability are a big factor in business location, both Mankato and Clear Lake have local power plants making the likelihood of long-term outages unlikely.
Most businesses like Walmart, Target etc put in giant backup generators now.
Most of these generators you see at stores equal a discounted power rate for the owner, it’s called interruptible.
Meaning if your power provider is at peak limits rather than going to the open market and buying expensive power
they’ll start your generator.
This stuff works ok as long as you’re running parallel to the system, a black start from a total power loss is another
story, this called isolated power, you are on your own cycles, things can get messy in today's computerized world.
System reliability is far better the closer you are to a dependable power source.
Posted by Self-Banished on Feb. 24 2015,12:53 pm
^^that's why they have backup batteries for computers
Posted by irisheyes on Feb. 24 2015,1:56 pm
(Common Citizen @ Feb. 22 2015,2:52 pm)
QUOTE
The answer to my question may be buried in another thread but what is Nolander's prior business experience? Has he ever owned and operated his own business? How else can you expect a person to understand the challenges business owners face or the needs they have.
Without experience for a key position like that would be like hiring a police chief who has never carried a badge before.
Without experience for a key position like that would be like hiring a police chief who has never carried a badge before.
You make a good point, people with some private sector experience would be beneficial. Where I'll disagree is that business experience isn't necessary since what the companies want is corporate welfare. Pick an article of business dealing with economic development, every time the one thing businesses want from economic development is free land, reduced water/sewer rates, tax increment financing, etc.
Nothing wrong with some of this, so I don't mean to sound harsh calling it corporate welfare, trouble with Albert Lea is they mostly give the above to companies who only pay minimum wage with no benefits.
Posted by ALAngst on Feb. 25 2015,10:20 am
(irisheyes @ Feb. 24 2015,1:56 pm)
QUOTE
Nothing wrong with some of this, so I don't mean to sound harsh calling it corporate welfare, trouble with Albert Lea is they mostly give the above to companies who only pay minimum wage with no benefits.
I disagree slightly with you, in that I don't think they've really done anything in the past several years, except excuse their inaction as being unable to compete against Iowa, Austin and Rochester. It's like going to them and saying please sell our area get businesses to come here, and they say we've tried, we can't, other areas have more to offer, but we'll continue to collect our paychecks.
If a business faced what they described, they'd either go out of business or reinvent themselves.