A City Where People WORK

Office tenant retention, expansion, and recruitment efforts are a primary focus of Capital City Partnership. Capital City Partnership has helped create an environment that is attractive to businesses both physically and fi nancially and has led efforts to
identify, evaluate, and fi nalize new and relocating businesses to create a world-class business district. This priority has led to strong investment in Saint Paul and expansion of the city’s jobs and property
tax base.

Capital City Partnership developed an Office Space Occupancy Action Plan designed to improve office space recruitment, absorption, and occupancy. The plan focuses on the “multi-tenant market” and the
core industries that hold the greatest promise for growth. The goals of the plan include increasing the number of new jobs and the total net absorption of downtown office space.

Through an innovative and collaborative marketing approach, Capital City Partnership and the Saint Paul economic development partners produced a Saint Paul brochure and folder to help market Saint Paul. The brochure highlights attributes of the Capital City and helps drive people to the Work in Saint Paul website, which offers information and resources on how to move your business to Saint Paul. The Saint Paul marketing materials are now being distributed by the economic development partners to individuals and companies that are interested in moving their businesses to Saint Paul. Saint Paul has become the Business Capital that many firms are proud to call home and has been
successful in recruiting and retaining corporate headquarters.

Lawson Software – relocated its headquarters to Saint Paul in a new $100 million building
Securian Financial Group – built a new $100 million headquarters
Ecolab, Inc. – expanded its corporate headquarters
U.S. Bancorp – relocated 2,200 employees to their new $79 million riverfront Operation Center
Gander Mountain – relocated their headquarters and 235 employees to Saint Paul, with aggressive expansion plans for the next 10 years
Great Northwest Insurance – moved its corporate headquarters to Saint Paul from Boise, Idaho
Minnesota Public Radio – expanded their downtown headquarters campus with a $46 million project
Nacel International School System – moved their Saint Paul Preparatory School to Galtier Plaza

Employee Profile

• There are an estimated 68,000 people employed in downtown Saint Paul, employed by 1,175 employers.
• 80% of employees enjoy working downtown to a great or moderate extent and cited atmosphere and green space, commute, restaurant selection, arts and cultural opportunities, as well as special events and festivals as primary reason they enjoyed the downtown area.
• 35% of employees are male, 64% are female.
• 60% of employees have Bachelor Degrees or higher.
• 81% of the employee population is between the ages of 25 and 55.
• 69% of the downtown employee population has an annual pre-tax income of $30,000 - $75,000.
• 95% of the employees do not live downtown.
• 63% of the downtown employees work for larger firms with more than 250 employees.
  

Spending Habits

• 58% of workers report staying downtown after work to eat out up to 4 times per month.
• 41% of workers go to bars and clubs downtown after work up to 4 times per month.
• 49% of workers stay after work to shop up to 4 times per month.
• 36% of workers stay after work to attend a concert up to 4 times a month.
• 29% of workers stay after work to attend a sporting event up to 4 times a month.
• 27% of workers stay after work to go to a museum or attend special events/festivals up to 4 times a month.
• 26% of workers stay after work to go to a theatre up to 4 times per month.

Commuting Patterns

• 75% of employees drive to work. 76% of employees have a commute of less than 20 miles.
• 25% of employees use alternative commuting modes (bus, walk, bike, car pool).
• 63% of employees would use light rail to commute to work if available.
  

Sources: Downtown Demographic Study Capital City Partnership / JH Pool Consulting, 2005; City of Saint Paul, 2008; *GVA Marquette Advisors – First Quarter 2007 Apartment Trends; **Saint Paul Area Association for Realtors, 2008

Saint Paul's Largest Employers
Private Sector Saint Paul FTE Employment Total FTE Employment