Editorial: Swedish toothpaste and bioscience

Vademecum. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

However, just over 40 years ago, it was one of the first companies to settle in Chaska's new Jonathan industrial park.

The Swedish toothpaste manufacturer built the plant, its first in the United States, to supply the entire U.S. market with its product. It planned to produce 20,000 tubes a day.

Vademecum chose Jonathan "because of the high quality of community planning, the availability of expansion space and the convenient truck transportation to and from the plant."

Vademecum never established a permanent spot on U.S. grocery store shelves. However, the industrial park continued to grow, offering thousands of jobs and creating a firm tax base for generations to come.

Decades later, the city is pinning its hopes and dreams on a new industrial park, "BioTech Center," located off of Engler Boulevard and future Highway 212. Like Vademecum, the city touts convenient transportation to and from the site.

Chaska recently received an official "Bioscience Zone" designation from the state, so it can use tax initiatives to attract more companies like Lake Region and Lifecore Biomedical.

City officials deserve plaudits for continuing to find ways to keep Chaska's industrial base growing.

As its housing base continues to grow, it's important to maintain a balance and avoid becoming a "Bedroom Community." (Just ask the nearby cities of Carver and Victoria about the importance of developing a strong industrial tax base to keep down residential property taxes.)

Carver County Commissioner Randy Maluchnik, who represents Chaska on the county board, recently invited Swedish Consul Bruce Karstadt out to our county. Karstadt was given a tour of the historic Andrew Peterson farm. Besides honoring our history, Maluchnik noted the importance of creating business connections with the consul and, in turn, Sweden.

There's no telling whether the consul's visit will result in the return of the Vademecum plant.

However, both the bioscience designation and the consul's visit reflect city and county efforts to build connections and invigorate trade.

It's important to put out as many feelers as possible. Attracting innovative and diverse industries (whether it's toothpaste or artificial heart valves) will help create an innovative and diverse town.