Company eyes Hutchinson for up to 70 jobs

A public hearing is scheduled for the Hutchinson City Council’s meeting Tuesday, April 14. It is to review proposed public subsidies being packaged to attract a new manufacturer of nuclear power plant cranes.

Atomic Crane Corp., a partnership between Hutchinson Manufacturing Inc. and a Shoreview company, wants to build a 51,000-square-foot building on an open lot along State Highway 7 west, west of Hutchinson Manufacturing.

The Shoreview company is a wholly owned subsidiary of larger, national company with plans to build up to 20 nuclear reactors between 2012 and 2020. Each plant requires 14 large cranes capable of lifting heavy components.

In a memo to the City Council, Economic Development Director Miles Seppelt said Atomic Crane expects to initially employ about 15 people. That could grow to 65 or 70 by 2012. The average wage is expected to be more than $15 per hour. Hutchinson is apparently competing with Georgia to land the plant.

The council will be asked to approve two resolutions. One allows Seppelt to apply for a $300,000, seven-year loan from the Minnesota Investment Fund on behalf of Atomic. The other resolution authorizes a set of business subsidies for the company under the state’s JOBZ program.

Read more about this story in the Leader’s April 14 print edition.

(Terry Davis is a Hutchinson Leader staff writer. E-mail him at davis@hutchinsonleader.com.)