The Outlet is published quarterly to highlight Great River Energy's economic development activities.
Economic development in a pandemic
(and post-pandemic) environment
Great River Energy’s economic development services team stands in solidarity with its member-owner cooperatives and partner organizations as the world continues to monitor and adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic is unprecedented. But the need for economic development professionals to adapt quickly in response to a crisis is not. Whether faced with natural disasters, catastrophic events or viral pandemics, the role economic developers play in supporting the economic response and recovery efforts can have a significant impact in shortening the recovery time for businesses and communities. 
Report recommends consistent standards for
site readiness programs
Site readiness programs are a tool that many economic development organizations have used in recent years to help companies make faster, more informed decisions on the viability of potential sites. But not all programs follow the same defined standards, leading to inconsistencies. This issue is the topic of a recently released white paper by the Site Selectors Guild.
2019 year in review: Co-ops see
big success with small businesses
Great River Energy’s economic development services team reported a strong year for project deal flow again in 2019, with a high concentration in small- to- mid-sized business expansions in an array of industries. Although the total financing secured through programs administered by Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives was down from 2018 totals, the volume of businesses served by these programs remained strong. 
Meet your economic development services team
Tom Lambrecht
Tom administers and implements economic development strategies.
You can reach him at
763-445-6105 and tlambrecht@grenergy.com  
Erin Sparks
Erin, based in Maple Grove, focuses on economic development in central and southern Minnesota. You can reach her at 763-445-6113 and esparks@grenergy.com  
Jeff Borling
Jeff, based in Duluth, focuses on economic development in northern Minnesota. You can reach him at 218-355-8088 and jborling@grenergy.com  
Our member-owner cooperatives
Great River Energy and our 28 member-owner cooperatives take pride in providing our service territory across Minnesota with competitively priced, reliable energy. We are also committed to helping customers start and grow their businesses by helping them plan and manage their energy needs.