Pioneer Press Editorial Board
Editorial: Momentum builds in St. Paul
This spring, we’re hearing a welcome word to describe what’s happening in St. Paul: momentum.
Community leaders cite the vision to make the capital city a destination for well-paid technology and innovation workers as a promising example.
The effort — begun last year by an Innovation Cabinet — continues with recent appointment of a 31-member steering committee that includes Mayor Melvin Carter, City Council Member Chris Tolbert and experts in technology, innovation, real estate and economic and workforce development.
“Things have been moving,” Tolbert told us, noting that the pace of tech-firm inquiries and relocations picked up faster than he expected.
The “general sense I’m getting and hearing from people,” said B Kyle, president and CEO of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, is a “groundswell of good energy.”
The initiative set clear goals that include adding 2,000 tech-related jobs by 2020 and 200,000 additional square feet of related commercial space.
One project alone — the Osborn370 conversion of the former Ecolab office tower into an environment for tech and innovation firms — achieves the square-footage goal, Tolbert told us. Credit for assuring that the building remained job-producing office space goes to the company and its CEO, Doug Baker.
Among the new tenants is Techstars, an international program that funds and mentors entrepreneurs. Its “Farm to Fork” accelerator program — sponsored by Cargill and Ecolab — is expected to bring 30 agriculture and food technology startups to downtown over the next three years.
“The potential there is just outstanding,” Tolbert said, noting that the announcement “epitomizes the momentum we’re having.”
The startups, joining several technology companies already operating at Osborn370, “will have opportunities to collaborate with established innovators and will contribute to the entrepreneurial energy downtown,” a statement from Carter’s office said.
Such developments are a welcome change in a city with an up-and-down history of attracting and keeping office tenants.
Key players are aligning, Kyle says. City officials, including Carter and city council members, are “really supporting employer growth.”
What’s more, “the chamber is working really well with them,” something we note has not always occurred over the years. Those assisting the steering committee include Director Bruce Corrie and Economic Development Project Manger Marcq Sung from the city’s Department of Planning and Economic Development and Channon Lemon, the chamber’s vice president of economic development.
Kyle, who brings development experience from years at the St. Paul Port Authority, knows that deals “happen one conversation at a time, one person at a time.”
A decision-maker, she told us, can by swayed by a conversation with “one person like Chris Tolbert or (technology entrepreneur) Scott Burns” or another champion of St. Paul.
“That’s what we have,” Kyle said, “committed people who say, ‘We love it here and you will, too.’ ”
Setting the initial direction, the Innovation Cabinet — formed in collaboration between the city and the chamber — produced the plan dubbed “Full Stack St. Paul.”
That name may not resonate with the general public, but the target audience of tech decision-makers knows what it means: In technology, a full-stack engineer can tackle any challenge, from coding to cloud storage. The name is described as reflective of the city’s efforts to provide a full range of services to help tech and innovation businesses “start up and scale up in St. Paul.”
Tolbert, who noted more new downtown office space at The 428, the former Woolworth’s store, also sees signs of the tech wave spreading beyond the core. He notes interest in development in the Midway area, where the new Major League Soccer stadium is rising, as well as near Highway 280, on West Seventh Street and on the East Side along Payne Avenue. “People have started reaching out to us,” Tolbert said, indicating that they’re investing and looking for office space.
And he cites additional signs of St. Paul’s rising profile in the tech world: “Minnedemo” — an event billed as “Geek Show and Tell” and a showcase for tech products made in Minnesota — will be held in July at the Ordway. Blacks in Technology, described as the largest community and media organization that focuses on black men and women in the industry, will hold a conference in the Twin Cities in October.
Kyle makes a compelling point about why business vitality matters: There’s lots of talk about the desire to land a big corporate headquarters, “but the truth is, tomorrow’s large company is today’s small company or entrepreneurial company.”
If we focus on “one small company at a time,” she told us, “it’s doable.”
Kyle is convinced: “St. Paul’s time is now.” Encouraging evidence backs her up.
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