When the Port Authority helps a manufacturer expand in Saint Paul, the benefits to the City can be considerable. Consider the case of Minnesota Wire & Cable Co. (MWCC), which the Port first assisted in 1989.

Today, MWCC is a custom manufacturer of specialty wires for use in applications ranging from aeronautics to biomedical engineering. For example, the company makes carbon wires that are nine times more thermally conductive than aluminum-ideal for wicking

Highland Park home three times over the years to help capitalize the business. By the late 1980's, management realized the company needed customized manufacturing space to progress to the next level. recalls Paul Wagner, MWCC's President, "Our customers are leaving their own high-tech clean rooms where they manufactured medical devices, to come see us in a building that was all nooks and crannies. It was an older building that had no parking and was poorly designed. We wanted

"FROM FINDING US A NEW FACILITY TO HELPING OUR EMPLOYEES KEEP THEIR SKILL LEVELS HIGH, THE SAINT PAUL PORT AUTHORITY HAS BEEN TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL TO OUR BUSINESS."

have also been embedded in the flukes of beached whales to enhance blood flow and allow the exhausted leviathans to make their way back to the sea. And MWCC's medical grade lead wires attached to different leg muscle groups have allowed paraplegics to walk up to 100 feet under their own power.

Miraculous as these products are for the end users, the biggest

to find a space that would let our customers 'track' from their environment to ours."

Management considered building a new facility in the suburbs but worried about the transportation problems this could cause many of the employees. Enter the Port Authority with an answer as tailor-made to MWCC's real estate needs as the company's wires are customized to the demands of the

beneficiaries of MWCC are a lot closer to home-the 185 full-time employees of a true Saint Paul success story. Since the port helped MWCC relocate from cramped and poorly designed quarters in 1989 to its present 28,000 square foot headquarters on Energy Park Drive, the company's annual sales have tripled from $3.7 million then to a projected $12 million for 1998.

"In helping us obtain our new space," says Executive Vice President, Joan Thompson, "the Port provided us with a key opportunity to expand our business. This, in turn, allowed us to provide new opportunities to Saint Paul citizens." Indeed, MWCC's work force serves as a model for diversity in small business. From Southeast Asians to Hispanics, African Americans to Croations, MWCC's staff is comprised of 42 percent minority and 39 percent female employees. Some employees also have physical or emotional handicaps, were homeless when hired, or are ex-offenders.

"The beauty of this hiring mix," says Thompson, "is that we did not consciously work on it. Our human resources staff has just always had the philosophy that if people are willing to work and are trainable, they deserve a chance. Giving back to the community is not just 'nice'-it's part of our mission as a company," she says.

MWCC's ability to act on this mission did not always seem so secure. The company's founder, Fred Wagner, refinanced his

medical industry. Port staff showed Thompson and other managers a virtually brand-new building on Energy Park Drive, which had recently lost its tenant due to corporate downsizing. with an exterior of gleaming blue glass, the 28,000 square foot facility afforded just the right high-tech image. Because of its location near Saint Paul's municipal stadium (today home of the Saints baseball team), it was also centered in the heart of the Twin Cities metro area. Customers would have no trouble finding the place, and employees dependent upon public transportation had easy access to work.

"The Port Authority was very accommodating to what we were looking for," Thompson says. "I believe they were working hard to find something that truly suited our needs."

But the Port's support didn't end at the real estate closing. Thanks to the Port's customized job training program, MWCC employees are currently benefiting from a unique skill assessment program administered by the Saint Paul Technical College.

"From finding us a new facility to helping our employees keep their skill levels high, the Port Authority has been tremendously helpful to our business," sums up Thompson. "Their connection to us is ongoing. Their staff creates more than just buildings-they create relationships that continue to be helpful in so many ways. I truly recommend the Port to anyone who's thinking of doing business in the Twin Cities."