Mayors Rybak, Coleman Launch Thinc.Green MSP to Retain, Grow Green Manufacturers, Jobs

Mayors’ Green Manufacturing Initiative Moves to Next Level of Collaboration, Seeking Private Investment

June 22, 2010 (MINNEAPOLIS) Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman today announced the launch of Thinc.Green MSP, an unprecedented economic-development partnership between the two cities to retain, grow and attract green-manufacturing businesses and jobs in the Minneapolis Saint Paul region. 

Thinc.Green MSP represents the evolution of the Mayors’ Green Manufacturing Initiative, a partnership begun in 2008 with the BlueGreen Alliance. The cities are backing Thinc.Green MSP with a newly completed marketing plan and unprecedented sharing of staff and resources, drafting a joint-powers agreement to formalize the arrangement and actively seeking private investment and partnership in Thinc.Green MSP.

"Thinc.Green MSP is one more example of how Minneapolis and Saint Paul are collaborating as never before to make our entire region economically competitive," said Mayor Rybak. "As we move forward together, we turn to the Minneapolis Saint Paul business community to invest in Thinc.Green MSP with us. Our two cities can’t do this work alone, but together with the private sector, we can distinguish our region as an economic innovator and make it the perfect place to create, expand or relocate green businesses and the good jobs they create."

"Thinc.Green MSP is the result of years of planning and partnership focused on one goal: making our region the center of a burgeoning green economy," said Mayor Coleman. "As we work toward economic recovery and expansion, we all need to work smarter and closer together. Thinc.Green MSP is a significant step forward in our efforts to market, grow and retain green jobs better than any region in America."  

Mayors Coleman and Rybak — who met at Kapra Cosmetics, an expanding local green manufacturer located in Northeast Minneapolis — were joined by BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster, Restore Products Founder Laurie Brown, and representatives of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and the Saint Paul Port Authority.

"Minneapolis Saint Paul is well positioned to become a national leader in green manufacturing, and to create the jobs that come along with it," said David Foster. "Thinc.Green MSP will be one of the most important economic-development initiatives for this region in the coming decades."

Thinc.Green MSP will immediately begin implementing five Strategic Initiatives to drive demand for locally-produced green products and services, as well as for the highly-skilled workers to make those products and deliver those services. The initiatives are:

Strategic Initiative I – Buy Green: Local Government Green Purchasing Partnership

Working with Minneapolis Saint Paul and other jurisdictions, Thinc.GreenMSP will expand green-purchasing policies for local governments in the region to help grow the market for green products.

Strategic Initiative II – Green Town: Incentives for the Built Environment

Thinc.Green MSP will support local and state actions to utilize aggressive green building standards. Establishing a green standard creates demand for manufacturers, vendors and suppliers of green products and services.

Strategic Initiative III – Re:Purpose: Match Existing Industrial Zones with Green Assets

A targeted green-business-recruitment strategy expresses a public commitment to attracting new businesses, spotlights smart-growth assets like transit and offers superior space to companies that seek to create synergies with other compatible businesses.

Strategic Initiative IV – Early-Stage Financing: Finance Program through Local Investment Bank

A critical component in developing a green manufacturing base in Minneapolis Saint Paul is private start-up funding to seed businesses seeking to locate and/or grow within the region. Thinc.Green MSP will develop creative, innovative and affordable financing options that will create new ways to leverage public investment with private capital, while accommodating start-ups with different needs.

Strategic Initiative V – Thinc.Leader: Recognition Program for Local Businesses

Thinc.Green MSP will establish a program to recognize corporate leadership in green manufacturing.

Published Jun. 22, 2010