Growing ‘Jobs for Minnesotans’ Coalition Excited About the Thousands of New Jobs and Billions in Economic Development Projected in Minnesota

St. Paul (Feb. 7, 2013) – In light of the increased jobs estimates released in a study of the Minnesota mining industry this week conducted by the University of Minnesota Duluth Labovitz School of Business and Economics, the Jobs for Minnesotans Coalition reaffirms its enthusiasm for the immense opportunity for Minnesota presented by the Strategic Metals industry.

“We’ve now learned that the construction alone of new Strategic Metals projects could mean 1,000 to 2,000 jobs per year and thousands more permanent jobs across Minnesota” said Harry Melander, Minnesota Building and Construction Trades President and President of Jobs for Minnesotans.  “It is absolutely critical that regulators and policy makers understand how important these jobs are to our members and their families.”

Minnesota has the opportunity to gain thousands of jobs – potentially for hundreds of years – by safely extracting strategic minerals from one of the world’s largest known, untapped source of copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium and gold located in northeastern Minnesota’s Duluth Complex.

“Our company is excited about the economic shot in the arm that these strategic metals projects represent” said Dan Hagen, Business Segment Leader, PaR Systems.  “The sales of our mill liner products are up substantially over the past few years, and we definitely see long-term growth potential here, which could translate into more employees when more of these types of businesses are up and running” Dan concluded.

“The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is committed to working with Policy Makers and stakeholders, including businesses and labor organizations, to make Minnesota a world class place to do business,” said David Olson, President of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “The Jobs for Minnesotans Coalition is a growing statewide coalition of business, labor, educators, environmental interests and others interested in capitalizing on the tremendous economic opportunities outlined in the Labovitz School of Business and Economics recent study.”

“The billions of dollars in economic impact of the amazing number of direct jobs, and the additional 1.8 spinoff jobs that are created for every direct job, means Strategic Metals mining will be a jobs and economic development boon for every part of Minnesota,” said Matt Kramer, President of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.

About Jobs For Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in October 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. This coalition includes businesses and business associations, middle class workers, labor organizations, local governments and other supporters of job creation in the state of Minnesota.

Jobs for Minnesotans’ initial focus will be to champion the development of critical and strategic metals (copper, nickel, platinum, palladium and gold) mining in Minnesota and provide information about the direct and ancillary job creation that strategic metals mining will produce for the state, once permitted to begin operations.

In addition to providing information and resources, the coalition serves as a platform for jobs supporters to get involved and work together to promote job creation the state of Minnesota.

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Media Contact:
Tony Kwilas
651-292-4668
tkwilas@mnchamber.com