Virginia, MN – The groundbreaking was held for a $9 million Ulland Brothers project that will consolidate the company’s employees and operation into a new maintenance garage, warehouse facility and administration building just north of Highway 135 behind the St. Louis County motor pool.
Ulland had plenty of suitors on the Range — Hibbing, Mountain Iron and Eveleth, along with Virginia. Company President Michael Welch told the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board in June that Ulland had sought out other locations before landing on the Virginia site.
“We checked in Hibbing, but couldn’t find the right fit. We looked into Eveleth and Mountain Iron, but ended up on Virginia,” Welch said.
The IRRRB, at that meeting, OK’d a $350,000 grant to the City of Virginia that will aid with the project. The city is also seeking a $200,000 grant from the Department of Employment and Economic Development to put toward the venture. Other financing will come from taconite funding, including Virginia’s share of the mining effects tax.