Spotlight On: NeTia Bauman, CEO & President, Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation
December 2024 — Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation CEO and President NeTia Bauman sat down with Invest: to discuss how the organization serves the Greater St. Cloud region across various sectors. It does so in a manner of ways, including through establishing and maintaining strong connections, with the ultimate goal of supporting a healthy business economy.
What is the overall impact of the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation in the Greater St. Cloud and Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region?
I joined the corporation a year ago, and this has been a year of significant transitions. We serve Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties in Minnesota, and we are located within an hour of the Twin Cities. We have unique opportunities and challenges related to our geography. It’s been a year of learning, educating, and analyzing the economic landscape of our region. This year, the GSDC partnered with the city of Sartell and beat out 75 other cities to bring in Niron Magnetics. It has a pilot facility in Minneapolis and was looking for a full-scale production facility, and we were the awardees. Another integral part of the work we do involves supporting talent development and promoting our region. We strive to create private-public partnerships to enhance quality of life, so we are involved in various sectors such as housing, childcare, infrastructure and downtown revitalization. Our work has focused on strengthening partnerships to create more sustainable solutions in our areas.
In Central Minnesota, we are the hub lead for our region for the Launch Minnesota Initiative, which is a legislatively-funded program operated by the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The GSDC provides support for high-tech, scalable ventures and serves both metro and rural communities. We work intentionally to create more localized pockets of angel investors and venture capital to create and strengthen our entrepreneurial ecosystem. We recently received a grant for another state-funded program, the Small Business Assistance Partnership grant, to launch a program called Thrive Minnesota which provides one-on-one customized growth strategy coaching from “idea to exit.” This provides local small businesses and start-ups with the opportunity to work with local growth strategy partners.
What primary industries are the main drivers of growth in the Greater St. Cloud region?
We have a unique blend of traditional and emerging industries and are always actively working towards diversification. Historically our region has been rooted in advanced manufacturing like metal fabrication and food production. Presently we are observing growth in clean tech, like with Niron Magnetics and New Flyer, a heavy duty electric transit bus manufacturer, which recently celebrated 20 years in our community. Healthcare is another fast-growing sector. CentraCare is a privately owned rural healthcare facility headquartered in St. Cloud and is one of the largest healthcare providers in the state. CentraCare recently solidified a partnership with the University of Minnesota to open a four-year medical school in St. Cloud. This opportunity has opened doors to explore medtech, and the potential in this industry is limitless, especially given the fast-paced advancements in technology and AI. There is also an opportunity for data centers to develop in our region due to our cooler environment.
What measures are being implemented by the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation to attract business and investment opportunities?
It’s important to be intentional about targeting emerging industries like clean tech and med tech. We are refining our customized technical assistance solutions to improve growth strategies for both emerging ideas and existing businesses. Storytelling is a technique that is undersold but critical. We have a unique value proposition that needs to be shared, and it’s our job to tell that story. In order to attract new businesses, we need to attract talent, which can only be accomplished if we share our story about our region’s fantastic quality of life.
How do you work with county and state officials to achieve your organization’s goals and promote development?
The benefit of working with the GSDC is that we are regional, so we are well-connected and can help advocate for incentives at both the local and state levels. Synergy is paramount. A mutual relationship has to be established, so credibility is important. I’ve found that a balance of anecdote and data helps to sell our story. We use economic impact modeling to provide actual data sets to demonstrate to a city or a county how incentives might be advantageous and they need to be navigated. We can use this modeling to show the long term direct, indirect and induced economic impact on GDP, output and taxbase growth. We have been trying to leverage that tool and model long term outcomes to the best of our ability.
What primary challenges are being faced by the St. Cloud region, and how is the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation working to address these?
We have had a tight labor force for years so our talent attraction campaigns are vital. We make sure our campaigns are targeted to different regions and sectors, so our efforts in rural Minnesota vary from those in the Twin Cities. In 2025, the GSDC will seek out and apply for grants on behalf of our employers who often do not have the capacity to administer grants for workforce training dollars, which can be critical in meeting workforce demands.
Housing is an additional challenge both in terms of affordability and lack of appropriate housing opportunities. We co-lead partnerships to advocate and support affordable and appropriate housing solutions, which involve innovative models for multifamily, single family and condos. Childcare is another substantial challenge in our region. Any given day over 4,000 slots are needed. This impacts our ability to attract new business and new talent. We partner with organizations like United Way and the business community to create solutions to this issue.
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