Louis Jambois Joins Enterprise Minnesota Board of Directors

Minneapolis (January 4, 2010) – Enterprise Minnesota announced today that Louis Jambois has joined its Board of Directors. As a board member, Jambois is responsible for providing oversight to the organization’s direction and progress.

Jambois is president of the St. Paul Port Authority (SPPA). Founded in 1932, SPPA provides businesses with cleaner land for expansion, space on the Mississippi River to receive and ship commodities, loans for real estate or equipment purchases, and job training for workers. SPPA has carved 19 manufacturing business centers out of polluted and often abandoned land, and since 2000 has helped create or retain more than 12,000 good-paying jobs in Saint Paul.

Prior to joining SPPA, Jambois served as executive director of Metro Cities (formerly the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities), and as a long-time executive at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Coming from a strong background in helping businesses grow, Jambois says he is excited to make an impact in such a crucial sector as manufacturing.

“I’ve been in the community and economic development game for a long time, and from that experience I’ve come to recognize the critical importance of diversification in any effort to assure long-term economic sustainability,” Jambois said. “I cannot imagine a vibrant Minnesota economy without a strong manufacturing base.”

Enterprise Minnesota, the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) affiliate, works with small and medium size manufacturing companies to help them compete and thrive. Its services help clients improve their efficiencies, contain their costs, and achieve real growth in sales revenue and earnings.

“Louis Jambois provides a highly respected perspective of economic development to helping the state’s manufacturers grow,” says Enterprise Minnesota president and CEO Bob Kill. “With experience working both at the state and local level, this industry will benefit from his skills and knowledge.”

In addition to Jambois, Enterprise Minnesota’s Board of Directors includes: Board Chair Steve Thul, president, Whirltronics, Inc.; Vice Chair Merritt Marquardt, general counsel (retired), 3M; Dennis Dotson, president, Dotson Iron Castings; Paul Flood, vice president & SBA division manager, Bremer Bank; Bob Kill, president & CEO, Enterprise Minnesota; Lorin Krueger; Michael Orrick, vice president, large law sales & account management, Thomson Reuters; and Rich Pogue, president and CEO, Remmele Engineering.

Enterprise Minnesota is a consulting 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that helps Minnesota manufacturing enterprises grow profitably. Chartered by the Minnesota State Legislature in 1987, Enterprise Minnesota is an affiliate of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).