Committee hears $4 million request to help small manufacturers adopt technology, reach Greater Minnesota

A bipartisan appropriation proposal to support small manufacturers drew several brief testimonies on March 19. Representative Jason Kosnick introduced House File 510, asking the committee to appropriate $4,000,000 to Enterprise Minnesota to support small manufacturing companies and their employees.

Bob Kill, president and CEO of Enterprise Minnesota, told the committee the request splits the appropriation evenly between two purposes: $2,000,000 for the Made in Minnesota program to help companies adopt technology and automation, and $2,000,000 to expand statewide outreach so Enterprise can serve manufacturers with 250 or fewer employees in Greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities. Kill said Enterprise Minnesota is the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership partner and that the appropriation unlocks an equal amount of federal matching funds.

Kill provided program metrics: 8,625 manufacturers operate in Minnesota, about 51% are outside the seven‑county Twin Cities area; manufacturing accounts for roughly 11% of jobs and 14% of wages in the state. He said Enterprise assisted more than 130 small manufacturers in the past year and cited past return‑on‑investment calculations of about $25 in private gain for every $1 of state support.

Matt Hanson, president of Hanson Companies, described his 109‑year family business that employs about 85 people and said gap funding from Enterprise Minnesota has helped his company grow equipment budgets and retain employees.

Representative Kosnick and committee members emphasized the role of manufacturing in local economies. The committee heard no opposition testimony and laid the bill over for further consideration.