Jackson Economic Development Corporation (CEDA)
Jackson Crossroads and JEDC’s newest development is ready to welcome commercial/retail and industrial businesses.
Attracting Businesses to Jackson
The JEDC’s all-volunteer board offers decades of experience providing land and building opportunities to businesses in the Jackson area.
Nearly 2,000 workers commute to Jackson, Minnesota every day. This creates quite an impact on the local economy, especially when you consider that the population of Jackson is just over 3,200. This impact is due in large part to the success of the Jackson Economic Development Corporation (JEDC), something that Thomas Nelson, the contracted Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Jackson, is very proud of.
The JEDC is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting economic development in and around the city of Jackson. By creating a healthy and diverse environment for new and existing businesses, the volunteer led JEDC hopes to enhance quality job opportunities for residents, further promoting the common good and general welfare of the people who live and work in Jackson.
According to Janice Fransen, current President of the JEDC board, the JEDC identifies areas of need and opportunity “by staying in touch with the community, especially the business community.” The JEDC meets regularly with each manufacturer “to find out how their business is doing, what needs they may have, what problems they may be facing, and any plans for the future.”
In these meetings, the JEDC encourages companies to identify companion businesses or industries that they would benefit from having in the area, and “these annual visits help us to focus our efforts.”
In years past, the JEDC’s primary role has been to provide land and building opportunities. The JEDC often develops incentive packages that involve coordinating key players including the city, school district, county, Rural Electric Cooperative and even the State of Minnesota. This model of collaboration and teamwork has proven to be successful for attracting economic development to the area.
The JEDC has created several industrial development parks, enticing companies such as HitchDoc, Tri-State Contracting, and Palmer Bus to locate in Jackson. The JEDC is also responsible for building structures for businesses (both speculative and build-to-suit), helping companies such as AGCO, Ametek, CAT Ziegler, and West Corporation to establish a presence in Jackson.
More recently, the JEDC has expanded into commercial development with Jackson Crossroads, the new home to the City of Jackson’s Municipal Liquor Store. There is also a 30,000 sq/ft spec building currently available (see below). In the next 5-10 years, Fransen would “like to see that area become fully developed with commercial/retail and industrial businesses. This would contribute to an already vibrant industrial park.” Nelson adds, “Jackson has been very successful at growing industry, and I would like that success to carry over to the commercial business sectors as well. I would like to see more amenities and options in Jackson that will, in turn, help to grow the population of the community.”
The JEDC has been around for decades, and is known for facilitating nontraditional deals to make projects work to the benefit of all parties involved. Fransen is proud of the JEDC’s success, “We have a group of intelligent, creative and dedicated Board Members on the JEDC Board. This group has gone above and beyond to attract and retain businesses and jobs that contribute to the economic well-being of the city of Jackson and surrounding community.”
Jackson Economic Development Corporation (JEDC)
Location: 80 West Ashley Street, Jackson, MN 56143
Phone: 507-847-4423
Inception: 2003
