St. Paul lost two employers this week that most residents assumed would outlast us all. Northern Iron, 120 years on the East Side, announced the closing of its Payne-Phalen foundry by year's end, laying off around 86 workers. The same day, Pearson's Candy - maker of the Salted Nut Roll since 1909 - told the state it's shutting its West 7th plant in September, cutting 80 more jobs.
 
My thinking: it's easy to read these as twin tragedies and stop there. That’s not the story, and neither one ends where the headline does.
 
Northern Iron's closure follows years of litigation with the MPCA over emissions and a community that organized hard against it. That's a case where regulatory pressure, agency over-reach, and ongoing legal battles forced the hand of the operator. Pearson's is different: a private-equity-owned business that changed hands three times since 2011 and finally ran out of runway. Two closures, two very different causes, one shared result - vacant industrial parcels in a city that needs to think carefully about what comes next.
 
That's the part I want to focus on. Closings aren't just losses. They're opportunities. Both sites sit on land the city can't afford to let slip into non-industrial use just because it's easier to rezone than to redevelop. History shows that business closures are often the beginning of a new chapter, not simply the end of the story. Vacant plants can become homes for new manufacturers, advanced production, logistics, food processing, or other industrial users that build on existing infrastructure. Today's closure can become tomorrow's ribbon cutting - if we preserve the opportunity.
 
That opportunity depends on discipline. As redevelopment conversations begin, these industrial-zoned properties should remain part of the city's long-term industrial portfolio. Protecting those sites preserves future employment opportunities, strengthens the tax base, and reinforces the city's fiscal health for decades to come.
 
Mayor Her has made clear that Saint Paul is open for business. Keeping industrial land available for the next generation of employers is one of the most practical ways to turn that vision into reality. Sometimes economic progress doesn't begin with new construction—it begins by ensuring the right land is available when the next opportunity comes calling.
 
Change is coming to the East Side and West 7th either way. The question is whether we treat it like an ending or a beginning.
 
See you in the trenches, B

In a Pioneer Press opinion piece this past weekend, Saint Paul City Council President Noecker made a compelling case that government is at its best when it focuses on core responsibilities, works collaboratively, and creates the conditions for communities to thrive. As Noecker argued, cities must prioritize the fundamentals—public safety, infrastructure, and basic services—while building stronger partnerships with counties, nonprofits, businesses, and community organizations to address broader challenges.
 
That philosophy resonates strongly with me.
 
The strongest communities are built when government, businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations each bring their strengths to the table. And in Saint Paul, we’re working together on critical issues such as zoning, economic development efforts, workforce initiatives, downtown revitalization, public safety partnerships, and efforts to support vulnerable populations. 
 
One clear example of the City focusing on basic services is Mayor Her’s commitment to serving the unsheltered – a continuation of the City and County work over years of focused efforts and committed resources. She has faced criticism for the City’s plan to close homeless encampments. And yet, this approach is not new. And neither is service to the city’s most vulnerable a new priority. Tacit endorsement of people remaining in unsafe and unhealthy conditions is not a solution. Real compassion means connecting people with housing, services, treatment, and support—and such services are essential to ensure people are served, not simply relocated.  
 
This is but one example of how partnerships between the city, the business community, service providers, and residents create better outcomes than any one sector can achieve alone. And partnership also means supporting leaders who are willing to make tough decisions – tackling complex issues directly. It means recognizing that compassion and accountability are not opposing values. And it means continuing to build the kinds of cross-sector relationships that produce real results for our community.

Join Greater MSP, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, and the St. Paul Area Chamber at COMPETE26 to learn more about something big happening in Minnesota. New industries are taking shape. Major investments are landing. Organizations across sectors are aligning around opportunities that could reshape the state's economy for decades to come.  At the same time, Minnesota faces a fundamental challenge. The economy that helped create our state's exceptional quality of life is not growing as fast as it needs to. If we want future generations to inherit the same opportunities, strong communities, and standard of living that Minnesotans enjoy today, we will need to build differently and with increased speed and scale. 
 
At COMPETE26, we'll explore recent wins and what it will take to turn early momentum into lasting prosperity. Join leaders from across sectors for an inside look at the projects, partnerships, and ideas helping build Minnesota's next economy—and why the next few years may prove to be among the most consequential in a generation.

Featuring Speakers:

• Aarica Coleman, President & CEO, Land Bank Twin Cities
• Peter Frosch, President & CEO, GREATER MSP
• Jen Hellman, President & CEO, Goff Public
• B Kyle, President & CEO, St. Paul Area Chamber
• Mike Logan, President & CEO, Minneapolis Regional Chamber
• Laura Monn Ginsburg, Partner & Principal, Apparatus
• D'Angelos Svenkeson, CEO, NEOO Partners Inc.

 
Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of the conversation, register today.
 
See you in the trenches,
B

P.S. We also will be hosting a Pre-COMPETE webinar on Wednesday, July 29 from 12-1 pm
Join GREATER MSP for a pre-event webinar that dives into what the 2026 MSP Regional Indicators Dashboard tells us about regional competitiveness.

This webinar elevates new insights from the 2026 MSP Regional Indicators Dashboard and what they tell us about the region's economy. Register now.

Downtown Saint Paul faces a challenge shared by cities across the country: too much vacant office space and too few tools to put it back to productive use. With office vacancy hovering around 37%, nearly one in three square feet downtown sits empty. At the same time, declining commercial property values have reduced Saint Paul’s commercial and industrial tax base by roughly $1.5 billion since 2023, placing greater pressure on homeowners, businesses, and city budgets.
 
As the City Council considers policies related to data centers, it is important to distinguish between two very different concepts: hyperscale data centers and “Tech Infill.”

Tech Infill is the adaptive reuse of portions of existing downtown buildings for data centers, cloud computing, and AI infrastructure. Unlike large, hyperscale developments, Tech Infill occurs inside existing buildings, often utilizing underused basements, storage areas, or vacant commercial space. It represents a redevelopment tool—without consuming new land.
 
The strongest proof point is just across the river in Minneapolis. The former Sleep Number headquarters recently underwent a major data center expansion, attracting more than $70 million in private investment. The building’s value increased dramatically, and its annual property tax contribution is projected to rise from roughly $250,000 to as much as $2.2 million. Importantly, the data center occupies only a portion of the building, while other uses remain in place.
 
For Saint Paul, Tech Infill can support a multi-prong downtown revitalization strategy. Not every office building is a good candidate for housing conversion, and many redevelopment projects struggle to secure financing. A data center located on lower floors – potentially otherwise unusable space - can generate revenue and lender confidence that help support residential, retail, or office uses above. 
 
Saint Paul leadership is focused on attracting new forms of investment and finding productive uses for underutilized buildings. Tech Infill needs to remain an available tool. The conversation – and potential policy considerations - should be centered on conditions and guiding principles for data centers, to capitalize on these opportunities, not on sending the wrong message that Saint Paul is closed to investment through a one-size-fits-all moratorium.
 
See you in the trenches,
B

First off, I hope you all had a safe and joyful 4th of July holiday celebrating America's 250th. Democracy depends on personal responsibility, civic duty, and collective action. In that spirit, I invite you to get involved in this summer's Chamber events: 
 
I invite you to join us for the 27th Annual Foundation Celebration and HERBIE Awards Ceremony next week on July 23 at the St Paul Hotel. Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, Ramsey County and our Corporate Sponsor, Blaze Credit Union. You'll be supporting the important work of our Foundation and celebrating some truly outstanding leaders in our community—this year’s awardees are Jim Mulrooney as the Individual and Minnesota Public Radio as the Organization HERBIE awardee. There are still opportunities to sponsor the event (includes a table), purchase a table for colleagues and friends to attend, buy a ticket to attend, or make a donation. All the money raised supports Leadership St. Paul as well as the Chamber's workforce initiatives.  
 
Also, registration is open for COMPETE 26 on August 5, a partner event between St Paul Area Chamber, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, and Greater MSP, discussing the need to drive greater growth for Minnesota’s economic future. Minnesota does not need just any kind of growth. We need "Greater Growth"—growth that performs better for business, people, and the planet. And it means bringing together organizations and sectors that don't typically work together to solve problems that none of them can solve alone. Join us!
 
And in workforce news: Career Ready Collective Launches in Saint Paul! This summer, the St. Paul Area Chamber is proud to host the inaugural Career Ready Collective, a spin-off of Greater Des Moines Chamber The Legacy Project: Career Ready Collective, welcoming 50 City of Saint Paul Right Track high school students for a five-week professional skills program.  More than 20 St. Paul Area Chamber members volunteered last week to help students strengthen their networking skills, sharing practical advice and real-world career experiences. We're grateful to Ramsey County Workforce for its financial support and St. Paul College for generously providing the program space.
 
See you in the trenches,
B