Grant helps Truman, MN welcome Dollar General
February 4, 2020Project marks first Heartland economic development grant for city
Residents in Truman, Minnesota have a new place to shop now that Dollar General has opened its doors.
The business is a welcome sight for community leaders who worked for months behind the scenes to bring it to town. City Administrator Bethanie Ekstrom and the council worked with the landowner and project managers to find and prepare a development site.
Their work paid off as the new store serves as a welcomed asset to the city, providing food, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items.
Heartland Consumers Power District, the city’s wholesale power provider, recently presented the city with an economic development grant to help with costs related to the store’s construction.
Filling a void
News of the Truman store broke in May of 2019. It was met with anticipation and excitement that only grew until the store opened a few short months later.
“It’s going to fill a huge void for Truman,” Mayor Lynn Brownlee told the Fairmont Sentinel in September of 2019. “They’ll have…many things that we won’t have to go out of town for, which is good for everyone.”
Dollar General strives to provide value and convenience as well as create positive a economic impact for each community in which its located.
Beyond the benefits of simply having a place in town to shop, Dollar General creates local jobs, increases the city’s tax base and draws people to the community.
Heartland grant aids with infrastructure costs
The Dollar General store was built on an empty lot situated along MN Highway 15, a main thoroughfare through the community. A developer purchased the land and constructed the facility and now rents it to Dollar General.
Ekstrom and the city were involved in the project from its early stages, facilitating communication between parties and assisting with permitting.
The city also had to install new electrical infrastructure to accommodate the new building, including a new transformer, meter and more.
A $5,000 economic development grant from Heartland will help offset the city’s costs.
Heartland provides economic development grants to customer communities to help fund projects that spark growth and development, including new business opportunities.
“A new retail establishment is an exciting benefit to any rural community,” said Heartland Director of Economic Development and Governmental Affairs Casey Crabtree. “Heartland was happy to help with this project and looks forward to partnering with Truman on more opportunities in the future.”
Heartland has been supplying reliable, public power to the city of Truman since 2006. This project marks the first time the city has applied for and received a Heartland economic development grant. The city has previously utilized Heartland’s energy efficiency grants to help purchase more efficient street lighting and lighting at city hall.
Dollar General celebrated its 16,000th store grand opening in late September of 2019. It operates stores in 44 states with plans to expand to 46 states in 2020.
Featured image: Heartland Customer Relations Manager Kelly Dybdahl, far right, presented an economic development grant to Truman city officials in late 2019. Pictured from Truman, from left to right, are Councilman Brian Nickerson, Councilman Jake Ebert and Utilities Op Foreman Taylor Varpness in the back row, and City Administrator Bethanie Ekstrom, Mayor Lynn Brownlee and Councilwoman Kathy Hendricksen.