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Louisiana Pacific’s new facility in North Branch will be welcomed and celebrated with a groundbreaking  hosted by the company, June 23 on the new plant site site in the Interstate Business Park.

In addition to this milestone, the company was also celebrating being awarded a $10 million state grant as one of several awards to businesses for expanding and creating employment in Minnesota.  The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced LP is included in $43 million from the Minnesota Forward Fund being distributed to four businesses and one academia-industry technology collaboration.

Louisiana Pacific, a high performance engineered wood building materials manufacturer, estimates 100 jobs to become available at the North Branch facility in the first five years.  Average wage, according to DEED, will be $32.75 per hour.

The Louisiana Pacific site is 120 acres in total and 200,000 square feet of siding manufacturing space, 

The North Branch location “...brings us closer to both our mills and our Midwest customers, allowing us to meet increasing demand for our products,” according to LP Chief Operating Officer Tony Hamill.

Other DEED awardees are Boston Scientific, Maple Grove, Dem-Con HZI Bioenergy, Shakopee, Ecolab, Eagan and a program that is a collaboration of Polar Semi Conductor and Honeywell Aerospace, at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.

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