Central Corridor plus University Avenue businesses hasn't always added
up to positive press recently, so the City of St. Paul was happy to
welcome a new business along the light-rail corridor, building
automation systems firm
Automated Logic Twin Cities, which recently moved its offices form Roseville to the Westgate business center near University and Highway 280.
Prior to a ceremonial ribbon cutting with Automated Logic President Fred
Meyer, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman addressed the crowd of business
leaders and local officials, including State Senators Sandy Pappas and
Mary Jo McGuire.
Coleman called Automated Logic part of "a new wave of smart businesses"
that would be coming to the corridor, and he promised that the
construction "will be quick, � and not too far in the distant future, we
are actually going to see the fruits of 30 years of discussion � to
finally have light rail connecting our two downtowns."
"Construction of this magnitude is not easy," said Coleman,
acknowledging that "there are going to be challenges for businesses."
That said, he called Automated Logic's move "the first wave" of new
businesses of all sizes that will integrate with existing ones.
"We're going to be seeing a lot of ribbon cuttings along this corridor," said Coleman.
The open house was as much a celebration of sustainability.
"We are committed to [developing the light-rail corridor] in an
energy-smart, environmentally friendly manner," by attracting energy
smart, environmentally friendly businesses, said Coleman. "Businesses
that understand the technology behind it."
Automated Logic fits that bill. The 22-person branch office of an
Atlanta-based parent company is in the business of energy management,
helping businesses and building owners monitor and control their energy
use and related costs.
Other city officials were on hand to showcase sustainability efforts
like the St. Paul Port Authority's Trillion Btu loan project.
Port Authority President Louis Jambois addressed the crowd, as well,
saying a "quiet evolution has been happening for the last several years,
and companies like [Automated Logic] are part of that evolution.
"The notion of lean to green, supply chain to waste stream, in new
construction and in existing buildings is something that is taking place
right now," he said. "It's not just socially right, it makes sense on
the bottom line. This business is one that helps businesses save money,
that takes it right to the bottom line."
Photo: The ribbon
cutting, with Mayor Coleman at right; Rick Keal, regional vice-president
of Automated Logic. in the middle; and Fred Meyers, president of
Automated Logic/Twin Cities at left.
Source: Automated Logic, City of St. Paul
Writer: Jeremy Stratton