LABOR MARKET

The St. Cloud area's unique combination of city and country is evident in the historic industries that still prosper here today. Since 1898, the region has supported one of the world's largest granite producers, Cold Spring Granite. Helping to give St. Cloud the surname "Granite City", this family-owned company employs about 900 people locally, including third and fourth generation craftspeople.

Thanks to another natural resource, sand deposits, optics are an important legacy of this region, represented today by more than a dozen optical firms with manufacturing or laboratory facilities based here.

One can't forget the influence of the Mississippi River winding its way through St. Cloud proper, historically important for trade and transportation, now supporting a successful paper and printing industry. International Paper's vast paper mill along the riverbank of Sartell, a publication mill for magazine, catalog, newspaper, inserts and supplement papers, employs about 580 people.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS