Ten Businesses and Nonprofit Enterprises Receive Financing to Help Create and Retain Jobs in the Region

The Northland Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved financing totaling $1,012,000 to eight for-profit and two nonprofit organizations between June and November 2009.

The Business Finance Program offers flexible financing to new or existing businesses in the seven-county Arrowhead Region, with the goal of helping to retain or create new, high-quality jobs and sustain economic vitality in northeastern Minnesota.

BenCo, Inc., d/b/a Mangseth Painting, Grand Rapids
Mangseth Painting has been in business in the Grand Rapids area for 103 years. It was owned and operated by three generations of the Mangseth family until it was purchased by an employee in 2000. The company specializes in commercial, industrial, and institutional markets.

Champion Life Ministries, Inc., Duluth
Champion Life Ministries is a faith-based program that provides essential housing services to men in order to enhance their readjustment and reintegration into the community following chemical dependency treatment or other life crisis.

Dynamic Structural Steel, LLC, Proctor
Dynamic focuses primarily on fabrication and supply of structural steel elements for commercial and industrial buildings. The company has grown faster than anticipated; Dynamic currently has forty-five full-time employees and expects to hire another five.

Hydro Solutions of Duluth, Inc., Duluth
Hydro Solutions is a contract manufacturer of machined parts and assemblies for customers in the aerospace, petrochemical and medical industries, working with customers from the concept design stage through prototyping and final fabrication.

McNeil’s Family Home, Hill City
Doug and Juli McNeil will purchase a residential home in Hill City and convert it into a four unit adult foster care facility. The new facility will create six jobs in the small town of Hill City which is located in northern Aitkin County.

Minnesota Council on Addictions, Duluth
The Minnesota Council on Addictions is an incorporating 501(c)3 Minnesota non-profit organization that provides education and training regarding addiction. A subsidiary, the American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders, is expanding its capacity to provide professional certification for addiction counselors.

Meyer Group of Duluth, PC, Duluth
Tim Meyer, AIA, CID, LEED AP has over 22 years of architectural design and project management experience in Minnesota. Meyer has founded his own firm that will specialize in public sector projects including Government, Indian Gaming and Tribal Community Development.

Northstar Machine & Tool d/b/a Northstar Aerospace, Duluth
Northstar specializes in OEM precision contract manufacturing of aluminum components primarily for the aerospace industry. Due to recessionary impact on its major customers, Northstar is seeking opportunities to diversify with new customers in aerospace, wind energy, manufacturing, etc.

C&C Enterprises/ProPrint, Inc., Duluth
ProPrint, established in 1977 by previous owners, recently purchased land in the Duluth Airpark Industrial Park and built a 26,000 square foot facility to accommodate additional production and growth. It currently has 38 full-time and three part-time employees.

White Bear Technologies (Two Harbors Pet Products), Two Harbors
White Bear Technologies, Inc. is a high-tech company founded in 2004 to develop and sell location devices to the consumer, industrial, and public safety markets.  The company has patented a proprietary GPS/RF based tracking system. Five people work at its Two Harbors facility. Over the next two years the company may add up to 12 new jobs.