Minnesota loses trū® Shrimp plant to South Dakota

The trū Shrimp Company, a pioneer in healthy, innovative and sustainable shrimp aquaculture, last week announced that it has revered it’s plans to building the first plant in Luverne and will instead build its first shrimp production facility, a Harbor, in Madison, SD.
trū Shrimp’s construction is expected to break ground this summer in Madison’s Lakeview Industrial Park, with the exact timeline pending the completion of permitting and financing.
The news brought  remorse from Minnesota Rep. Chris Swedzinski (R-Ghent).
“Opportunities for economic development of this magnitude don’t come around often and now it appears the inability of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to successfully negotiate permits is causing us to miss out on a chance to provide southwestern Minnesota with a big-time boost,” Swedzinski said.
Swedzinski authored legislation in the House to help advance the project. While his legislation did not pass, Swedzinski said he remains an advocate for the venture to take shape in Minnesota.
“Minnesota’s regulatory process is so onerous that businesses are simply choosing to set up shop in other states. I’m going to point to this example every time I hear a fellow legislator talk about how we need to bring jobs to Greater Minnesota,” said Rep. Swedzinski.
He added, “The easiest thing to do is to stop adding layers upon layers of new regulations and get government off the backs of job creators so they have some breathing room to operate in our state.”
The news was announced last week by  said Michael Ziebell, trū Shrimp’s president and CEO.
“We are excited to be working with the City of Madison and the Lake Area Improvement Corporation in bringing safe and sustainable shrimp to the U.S. consumer,” he said.
“Though we’re headquartered in Minnesota, trū Shrimp is truly a Midwest company. Building our first Harbor in Madison reaffirms our commitment to the broader region.”
“South Dakota is pleased to welcome its newest corporate citizen, trū Shrimp, to Madison,” said South Dakota Governor, Dennis Daugaard.
“The growing aquaculture industry, led by trū Shrimp, is not only a great fit for Madison, but also a natural fit for our state’s agricultural heritage.”
“trū Shrimp is going to be an excellent addition to Madison,” said Mike Malone, president of the Lake Area Improvement Corporation.
“They are an outstanding company with Midwestern values and an environmental focus. We are excited to bring this opportunity to the region.”
trū Shrimp’s innovative technology changes the way shrimp are raised, free of chemicals and antibiotics. 
The company calls its facilities “Harbors” to reflect these new processes and says this new approach will revolutionize the way seafood companies meet the demands of their customers. trū Shrimp’s processes enable shrimp to grow in shallow water that is cleaned and reused. 
Zibell indicated there are open items related to the Luverne site that need to be addressed before trū Shrimp can proceed.
“It’s a matter of timing,” added Ziebell, “Our timeline for capital financing and construction in 2019 does not allow adequate time to resolve the items in Luverne. 
“Locating the first Harbor in Madison not only meets the critical components of our business model, but our timeline as well,” Zibell said.