Digi-Key's $400M expansion makes Thief River Falls key employee destination

THIEF RIVER FALLS - In this small northwestern Minnesota city, one of the country's 10 largest warehouses stands next to fields full of soybeans and sugar beets, a reminder that while the lush Red River Valley still provides plenty of agricultural opportunity, Thief River Falls is changing along with its largest employer, Digi-Key Electronics.

With the opening of its new 2.2 million-square-foot, $400 million expansion, the largest distribution center in the state now lies in a city of 8,573 residents. The company, which already employs 3,600 in Thief River Falls, plans to add more than 100 employees in each of the next three years.

And while the company's growth has helped the area hold its own as far as population, it does not insulate the company or others in northwestern Minnesota itself from the economic issues of today. All over Minnesota, and indeed the country, communities are dealing with a tight workforce, affordable housing issues, inflation and supply chain issues.

https://www.startribune.com/digi-keys-400m-expansion-makes-thief-river-falls-key-employee-destination/600207714/