LE SUEUR – Chris McPhillips knew more than four years ago producing cannabis would be a lot more profitable than selling it.

It’s the next gold mine, oil industry, the wave of the future. And the Twin Cities businessman was determined to get in early on the action. What he didn’t know in 2020 was the millions of dollars, the former Green Giant factory, and the support of a greater Minnesota city he would need to to make it work.

McPhillips, like hundreds of other entrepreneurs, is waiting for Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management to start awarding licenses to companies ready to grow cannabis and marijuana that will soon be for sale across the state. But he has built-in advantages that could position his new enterprise, Minnesota Valley Cannabis Co., to take a hefty share in the billion-dollar-plus industry that’s poised to take over Minnesota.

“When we spoke to the city of Le Sueur, they didn’t balk at us coming here,” McPhillips said. “I decided to invest the money that I’ve made here.”

McPhillips is getting outsized attention for his audacious plan to turn a 50,000-square-foot building built in the 1960s into a massive cannabis-growing operation. He bought the building, one of four in the former Green Giant complex in Le Sueur’s industrial neighborhood, about two years back. Once he secures a manufacturing license, he plans to invest up to $10 million into the facility and hire up to 250 workers — 50 full-time, up to 200 part-time — to start operations by the end of next year.

McPhillips owns Crown Automotive, an auto parts distribution company out of Bloomington. He’s also worked with partners to found CrunkBabies, a Twin Cities-based clothing line. But he switched interest to cannabis once word came from state leaders that Minnesota was interested in legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana.

“There’s only a few markets that come in our history that are brand new,” he said.

Industry experts expect Minnesota’s retail cannabis sales to top $1 billion once they start in 2025. Some financial firms predict Minnesota’s industry could hit $1.5 billion in annual sales and serve one out of eight residents by 2029; other firms are more optimistic.

DULUTH – The St. Louis County Board unanimously approved its 2025 budget during Tuesday’s final meeting of the year — marking the first time the county’s budget has exceeded $500 million.

The budgeted $504,403,199 goes toward public safety, roads and bridges, public health and human services, employee wages, community programming, infrastructure and more. It also considers inflation.

The board’s finance committee chair Annie Harala said in a news release that a half-billion-dollar budget might make people wonder where it all goes. She noted that this is the largest county east of the Mississippi River and that it has an abundance of roads and three courthouses within it.

“These are things to be proud of, but also requires investment to ensure we have equitable services for people throughout the county,” she said.

About a third of the budget is funded by the property tax levy. The final levy was approved at $180 million, which is a 7.23% increase from this year.

DULUTH – The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa announced plans to connect its community to the Willard Munger State Trail.

Tribal leaders are designing a connection from Carlton that leads to both the Black Bear Casino Resort and the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, aiming to serve cyclists and pedestrians.

The 70-mile Munger Trail stretches from Hinckley to Duluth, and the project is expected to improve accessibility between Cloquet, Carlton and northeastern Minnesota.

The project team is conducting field studies and surveys to assess environmental and cultural factors before finalizing the trail’s location and design recommendations, a news release said. The band is also seeking community input before it pursues funding.