Governor Tim Pawlenty announced today that Coloplast, a $1.1 billion global health care company based in Copenhagen, Denmark, will move its North American corporate headquarters to Minnesota beginning this fall.

Coloplast CEO Sten Scheibye joined Governor Pawlenty and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to announce that at least 300 corporate headquarters jobs are planned to move from Marietta, Georgia, to its new corporate campus on West River Road in North Minneapolis. The move – beginning with the first 200 jobs in September – will enable the company to double the size of its facilities to 500,000 square feet for office, research and development and production activities.

“Coloplast is a world leader in the design and manufacture of high quality and innovative health care products and services,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Their decision to come to Minnesota is an important and exciting development that underscores, yet again, our commitment to placing Minnesota squarely at the intersection where medical technology and biosciences converge to create a biobusiness revolution.”

The company specializes in urology and continence care, ostomy care, chronic wound care, skin care and breast care products and services. It employs nearly 7,000 people worldwide, including about 90 people at Coloplast Skin Care Products in North Mankato. Coloplast’s recent acquisition of Mentor’s Urology Division added about 330 employees in Minneapolis, which will provide the foundation for its U.S. operations.

"With our high quality of life and growing life sciences industry, Minneapolis is a perfect home for Coloplast," Mayor Rybak said. "As the commercial hub of the upper Midwest, Minneapolis will do everything it can to ensure that Coloplast has the workforce and financial support it needs to succeed in North Minneapolis."

“Once we completed the acquisition of Mentor, the decision to move our North American headquarters to Minneapolis was an easy one,” Scheibye said. “It’s clear to us that Minnesota’s leaders continue to be visionary and aggressive in building upon an already strong global presence in medical technology and the biosciences. We’re delighted to be here and make Minnesota our home.”

Ward Einess, Acting Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), said the state will provide a forgivable $500,000 Minnesota Investment Fund loan to help with the costs of corporate location. DEED also has offered to provide workforce training opportunities and technical assistance to the company.

“This is a key biosciences business development expansion for Minnesota, and a real win for our efforts to grow this industry in our state,” Einess said.

Coloplast is now looking into how it can further expand its Minneapolis location. The company expects to begin its headquarters relocation in September and to complete the move into its Minneapolis facility by the end of next year.