It was a big day Tuesday for Zumbro River Brand and the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency as they celebrated the completion of Zumbro River Brand’s new warehouse.

The 74,000-square-foot building at the back of the company’s original building was made possible because of a partnership between ALEDA and Zumbro River Brand. Essentially, ALEDA paid to construct the building, and Zumbro River Brand will lease it with the option to purchase it in the future.

The contract food manufacturer, in turn, has been able to invest its resources in additional equipment and in providing 20 new jobs.

It was great to see the fruits of our local economic development leaders’ work, and we hope it teaches other business owners in town that those who have economic development positions in the community want to see our existing companies succeed.

Though they also strive for new companies to come to town, we have seen a lot of growth in recent years from companies already in town that have decided to invest more into our community and expand here.

We hope to see more of this in the future.