Lisi Medical Remele, Inc. broke ground on May 14, 2024 to begin their facility expansion.  

In his opening remarks, Shane Hybben, Director of Engineering and Operations, explained that the facility will be expanded by 45,000 square feet, bringing the total size of the facility to 152,000 square feet.  The total expansion cost is approximately $11 million and will create approximately 30 jobs over the next two years. 

Big Lake Mayor Paul Knier, who was present with members of the city council and chamber of commerce, called it a “win -win for Lisi, a win for the council, and a win for all residents of Big Lake.”   

Hybben echoed those remarks as he spoke about the partnerships that made the expansion possible.  

“We are immensely grateful to the City of Big Lake, the State of Minnesota, and Sherburne County for their unwavering support and partnership throughout this process,” Hybben said.

A process that, according to Therese Haffner, Community Development Director for Big Lake, has taken approximately six months.  The City of Big Lake helped Lisi obtain nearly $1 million in funding from the state.  In January, the city council recommended Lisi for the Job Creation Fund and recently was awarded $550,000 for Lisi through the Minnesota Investment Fund. 

Haffner explained that these types of investments not only create jobs, but also diversifies the tax base and has a ripple effect on other businesses in the city.  

“When you have more employees in the city, they’re using services in the community– whether it’s getting something to eat or whether it’s using one of our local credit unions or banks,” she said. “Whether their using one of our local medical facilities in town, it has that ripple effect.”

That ripple effect also includes all the people who will be involved in the construction of the facility addition.  According to Steve Dorgan, Managing Principal from Cressa, that construction should be completed in November of this year.