300 gather for ‘Niron’ groundbreaking

by Dennis Dalman

news@thenewsleaders.com

(Editor’s note: The following story is based on the viewing of an hour-long video of the groundbreaking ceremony.)

Local and state officials, including Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum and Gov. Tim Walz, gathered in Sartell Sept. 26 to celebrate a groundbreaking at the site of the future Niron Magnetics manufacturing plant.

The ceremony had the ambience of an exuberant pep fest, with speakers brimming with good cheer and pride for the Niron Magnetics plant and its historic importance. As flags fluttered in the breeze, the Sartell High School Sabres Marching Band performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” just before speakers, one by one, took the stage.

An estimated 300 people attended the groundbreaking with most of them sitting in chairs that had been set up for the occasion.

The event was emceed by Tom Granger, Niron Magnetics’ commercial vice president.

Those who attended included Mayor Fitzthum, Gov. Walz, State Reps. Tim O’Driscoll (R-Sartell), Bernie Perryman (R-St. Cloud) and Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring), U.S. Reps. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota’s Sixth District) and Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota’s Fourth District), U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (in a video recording) and Niron Magnetics’ chief-executive officer Jonathan Rowntree.

Mayor Fitzthum noted the historic significance of Niron Magnetics in Sartell, calling it “an exciting new chapter in Sartell.”

For helping make it a reality, he praised Sartell City Administrator Anna Gruber and city staff, the school district led by Dr. Michael Rivard, city council members past and present and local business leaders.

“What a day!’ Rep. Emmer said. “This is the first large-scale manufacturer of rare-earth-free permanent magnets in the world. Think about that! Right here in Sartell.”

Like Mayor Fitzthum, Niron Magnetics’ CEO Rountree also commented on the new plant’s historic importance.

“We are not just building the world’s first Niron Magnetics manufacturing facility,” he said. “We are launching a new American industry, and we are starting it right here in Sartell, Minnesota.”

Rowntree thanked Rep. Emmer and Rep. McCollum for their unwavering bipartisan congressional support for the project and noted the magnets will create a new American supply-chain independence for such magnets.

Gov. Walz made that same point, noting the United States and other countries are currently almost totally dependent on magnets made in China. Walz described the magnet plant as a bold, innovative effort made possible by strong bipartisan congressional support.

“This is a big step and a big deal for Sartell and for our entire state,” he said.

Building site

The 79-acre building site, which is near the Sartell Public Works buildings on Fourth Avenue S., was once owned by the Verso Paper Mill. It’s located about one-fourth mile southwest of the paper mill, which operated under various ownerships for slightly more than a century. In 2012, Verso announced it would close permanently after a fire and explosion killed one employee and injured several others. The City of Sartell later bought both sites of the paper-mill land.

That mill was a long-time economic bedrock for Sartell, and Niron Magnetics has the potential to become another economic bedrock.

The new facility

Niron Magnetics manufactures magnets without the use of rare-earth minerals that are expensive to mine and detrimental to the environment. China makes millions of those magnets that use rare-earth minerals.

NM makes magnets with a process using readily available and inexpensive nitrogen and iron. NM magnets are highly-sought because they are “permanent,” meaning they do not lose their magnetic force over time like other magnets do.

Worldwide, there is an ever-growing need for commercial magnets because they are vital for clean-energy products such as electric cars, wind turbines, cell phones, appliances, robots, thermostats, military fighter jets and a wide range of other high-tech items.

A historical “first,” the NM plant in Sartell will be a 160,000-square-foot building. It’s expected to hire 175 high-tech employees during its first few years of operation and up to as many as 300 eventually.

NM will generate up to $60 million yearly for Sartell and central Minnesota, according to Mayor Fitzthum.

Niron background

Niron Magnetics was founded in Minneapolis in 2022, based on technology innovations developed by a University of Minnesota professor, Jian-Ping Wang. He helped found NM and serves now as an advisor to the company.

Nearly two years ago, NM officials began scouting around for a place in Minnesota to build a manufacturing plant. Scores of cities were considered before NM officials began a series of talks and meetings with Sartell city staff members and others in the city. Earlier this year, NM and Sartell came to a green-light-go agreement.

The City of Sartell granted the NM company financial increment-tax financing and a waiver of some fees. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic also awarded $2 million to make the proposed project become a reality.

Sartell is the right choice, said NM’s CEO Rountree, because of several factors, including availability of skilled workers, adequate electrical power and the presence of area universities and the community college that could provide skilled high-tech employees.

At the groundbreaking ceremony in Sartell, Rep. Betty McCollum noted NM plans to build a second manufacturing plant in the next year or two.

“There’s going to be a $1.2 billion facility, and it’s going to be built somewhere in the United States,” McCollum said. “Governor (Walz), Representative (Tom) Emmer, I think we can do it right here!”

Sartell robotics

An interesting side note: During their research into Sartell, NM officials became aware of the Sartell High School’s award-winning robotics team. They were very impressed when they saw that team in action. They then announced NM would like to sponsor the Sartell Sabres Robotics Team.