Latest news with #MattVarilek
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Heliene Celebrates the Grand Opening of Rogers, MN Solar Manufacturing Facility
The new facility expands the Company's annual U.S.-made solar PV module output to 1.3GW and creates hundreds of new jobs in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area ROGERS, Minn., June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heliene, Inc., a customer-first provider of North American-made solar PV modules, celebrated the grand opening of a new solar PV module manufacturing facility in Rogers, MN on May 30. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, MN Commissioner Matt Varilek, and Rogers' Major Shannon Klick together with other State elected officials were in attendance to mark this milestone achievement for domestic clean energy manufacturing, regional job creation, and economic development. The Rogers facility houses Minnesota Line 3, Heliene's third U.S.-based manufacturing line. Minnesota Line 3 has been operational since April 29 and has an annual capacity of 500MW. Heliene also owns and operates 300MW-Minnesota Line 1 and 500MW-Minnesota Line 2 at its existing Mountain Iron, MN facility. The opening of Line 3 brings Heliene's total U.S.-made module manufacturing output per year to 1.3GW. 'Heliene is experiencing continued demand for our high-quality, high-domestic content solar PV modules,' said Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Heliene. 'By nearly doubling our manufacturing capacity at our new Rogers, Minnesota facility, we can continue to provide best-in-class fully domestic content products and service to our customers, while we deliver on our broader goal of onshoring U.S. solar supply chains, by incorporating domestically-produced, cells, frames, polymers and other critical components.' The completion of Minnesota Line 3 expands Heliene's commitment to offering U.S. solar developers high-quality PV modules made with an industry-leading percentage of domestic content. The Company is hiring more than 220 new employees in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area to support operations, maintenance, and engineering at the new facility. Heliene received $2.3M in funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), with specific funding from the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF), Minnesota Job Creation Fund (JCF) and the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP), to support the above mentioned job creation. 'The opening of this new manufacturing plant means high-quality solar panels will be produced in Rogers to meet increasing demand for energy across our state and throughout the country—and it will create hundreds of new jobs for the region,' said Senator Klobuchar. 'I'm committed to working together to strengthen our manufacturing economy, increase affordable clean energy, and bring the jobs of the future to Minnesota.' Across all its U.S. manufacturing lines, Heliene is producing bifacial, high-efficiency crystalline solar PV modules with the highest possible percentage of domestic content available on the market. To support this effort, Heliene has secured a number of strategic partnerships with domestic solar module component manufacturers in recent years. About HelieneHeliene is one of North America's fastest-growing, domestic PV manufacturers serving the utility-scale, commercial, and residential markets. With an in-house logistics team and remarkably responsive support staff, Heliene delivers competitively priced, high performance solar modules precisely when and where customers need them to accelerate North America's clean energy transition. Founded in 2010, Heliene consistently ranks as a highly bankable module manufacturer. For more information, visit For more information, please contact:HelieneMedia inquiries:heliene@
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minnesota gains 10,700 jobs in March, largest gain in a year
Minnesota added 10,700 jobs in March, the largest monthly gain in a year, and the state's unemployment rate rose to 3.1%, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. The state's unemployment rate was up 0.1 percentage point from last month, and compared with 4.2% nationally, DEED said. The rise in unemployment, even though state added jobs, can be attributed to more people entering the workforce. More than 2,700 Minnesotans joined the labor force last month, bring the labor force participation rate to 68.2%. This measures the percentage of Minnesotans either working or actively seeking work, and is used to calculate the headline unemployment rate. Minnesota's overall job growth last month rose 0.4%, four times faster than the national rate of 0.1%; Minnesota's private sector grew twice as fast as the U.S. overall. 'Minnesota's job market has shown impressive resilience in the face of unprecedented uncertainty from the federal government,' DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a statement. 'This month we added jobs at a much faster rate than the nation as a whole as employers continue hiring, and more Minnesotans joined the labor force to look for work.' Eight of 11 state employment supersectors gained jobs in March, with particularly strong growth in construction, up 1,900 jobs, or 1.4%. Government employment was up 1,500 over the month in March, with all growth coming from local and state governments. Federal employment was steady. Recent federal mass layoff announcements are not yet reflected in this data because these estimates are based on employers' reporting of payroll jobs. Minnesota has gained 37,581 jobs over the past year, faster than the national rate of growth. The private sector gained 29,579 jobs — in line with the national average. 'Minnesota has a diverse economy, allowing us to weather shifts in broader macroeconomic trends,' said Angelina Nguyen, director of DEED's Labor Market Information Office. Of alternative measures of unemployment, the broadest, called the U-6, increased to 6.9% in March, up from 6.6% in February and 5.4% a year ago, DEED said. This measure factors in people who have voluntarily left the labor force, such as stay-at-home parents, discouraged workers who have stopped seeking jobs, and part-time or otherwise marginally employed workers. Medical device company to close Maple Grove facility, cut 101 jobs Business People: Dairy Queen appoints Domino's exec Art D'Elia as COO Working Strategies: Using AI to organize or even conduct your job search Mendota Heights med tech company to lay off 124 workers after acquisition Business People: Andersen CEO Chris Galvin named chairman
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New grant for St. Cloud downtown revitalization
St. Cloud's downtown businesses will get a boost from new state funding, which was announced Thursday. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development awarded a $624,000 grant to the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation as part of its Main Street Economic Revitalization programming. The award, which provides 30% matching grants up to $750,000, was part of the third and final round of the program's funding. Art Hub: Cream City Tattoo owner launches new resource for artists, businesses St. Cloud's grant will go toward construction, property renovations, designs and other infrastructure improvements, according to a DEED press release about the funding. "Main Street businesses are essential to local and regional economic growth," DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a release. "Through these grants, DEED is helping support economic revitalization that generates excitement among residents, community leaders and businesses around Minnesota." More: Spotlight on rising influencers: Nominate St. Cloud's top 5 under 40 professionals The Main Street Economic Revitalization Grant Program started in 2021 and has provided $80 million in funding across all three rounds, with St. Cloud previously receiving $1.5 million in 2022. Since the program launched, the grants have helped maintain or create more than 8,700 jobs and increased local tax bases by nearly $369 million, DEED said in the release. African food: East African with an American twist: New restaurant serves up fusion food in St. Cloud St. Cloud's newest grant is part of almost $6.2 million awarded to nine organizations throughout the state. Greater Bemidji, Greater Mankato Growth and Little Falls' Initiative Foundation are among the other organizations that received funding. Applications will open soon for St. Cloud businesses to apply for funding from the grant. This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud gets Main Street Economic Revitalization grant
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Public Facilities Authority announces $2.2M in funding for Wells project
Feb. 20—The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority on Thursday announced over $60.3 million in loans and grants awarded to 17 wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects throughout the state, including one in Wells. The Wells funding, for about $2.2 million in total, includes about $975,000 for the first two phases of sanitary sewer reconstruction on Sixth Avenue Northwest, Fifth Avenue Southwest, Fifth Avenue Northwest and Broadway, as well as about $1.2 million for watermain replacement along Franklin Street, Fifth Avenue Southwest and Northwest and North Broadway. MPFA awards funds to help cities build public infrastructure that protects the environment and public health, promoting economic growth. Since its inception in 1987, MPFA has financed nearly $6.1 billion in public infrastructure projects, impacting most every community in Minnesota. "Funding from MPFA is a vital resource for many towns across the state, and an investment with an impact felt long after project completion," said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek, chair of the MPFA. "Meeting Minnesota's universal need for clean, drinkable, accessible water is a key step in empowering Minnesota's economy for all and will continue to be a priority as we ensure our communities are able to flourish." The MPFA administers and oversees the financial management of revolving loan funds and other programs that help local units of government build facilities for clean water, drinking water and transportation infrastructure projects. Funding for these projects primarily comes from the MPFA's Clean Water Revolving Fund (CWRF) and the Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF). The CWRF helps communities build or upgrade wastewater treatment plants to comply with discharge standards in the federal Clean Water Act, and the DWRF helps communities build drinking water storage, treatment and distribution systems that comply with standards in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Projects can also receive funding from MPFA's Point Source Implementation Grant program, Water Infrastructure Fund and Small Community Wastewater Treatment Program. In some cases, funding can be provided by specials state appropriations, the USDA Office of Rural Development and local sources.
