For an organization like AURI, the success of its clients is paramount because it indicates whether the organization is achieving its mission and serving its intended purpose. Since the Minnesota legislature created AURI to support the state’s agriculture industry by developing new uses for crops, commodities and residue, the best way to determine success is to track the impact AURI has on its clients.
To that end, AURI recently reached out to clients served since July 2010 to determine the impact the organization has on Minnesota’s entrepreneurs, businesses and economy. The results, representing roughly 50 percent of past projects, offer a strong indication of the level of AURI’s success in achieving its mission.
In reviewing the results, it’s a pleasure to report AURI has made a significant positive impact on the state of Minnesota. Here are some highlights I feel are important to know.
First, between July 2010 and June 2016, clients reported they created or retained 603 jobs. This is an important statistic for AURI because Minnesota has always prided itself on having low unemployment rates, and this shows our meaningful contribution to it.
Next, our clients estimated $76,893,600 in total new gross annual sales resulting from AURI’s assistance. This is a result that I am especially proud to share. It is a sign that AURI successfully achieved its mission to foster economic benefit for the state and it means that we were instrumental in helping Minnesota businesses flourish.
In addition, AURI’s clients indicated that the organization’s assistance enabled them to invest nearly $90,000,000 in new capital during the same time period. This is significant, because it means that AURI contributed to the industry’s economic investment, which in turn creates stronger businesses and positively affects the state’s economy.
What’s even more impressive is current and past clients reported they expect to devote another $139,000,000 to capital investments over the next 5 years. That’s a 54 percent increase in capital over their previous investments. This tells me that many of our clients are feeling optimistic about the future of their companies and their ability to provide new, innovative solutions to the marketplace.
Finally, AURI learned that thanks to the hard work of its staff, clients utilized an additional 323,858 tons of Minnesota commodities annually. This means that during the period of study, AURI’s clients increased demand by nearly 2,000,000 tons for Minnesota commodities that might have otherwise added to the supply situation, likely resulting in lower commodity prices. Utilization is in our name and creating additional disappearance is good for the state’s agricultural industry and economy.
I am very proud of these achievements because they stand as a testament to the importance of AURI’s role of creating new opportunities for the state’s agricultural products and to meeting its mission of providing economic benefit throughout Minnesota.