Over 100 Jobs Coming To St. Paul With Lockheed Martin Expansion

ST. PAUL, MN — More than 100 new jobs are coming to St. Paul thanks to ForwardEdge ASIC — a subsidiary of aerospace company Lockheed Martin — which plans to invest $60 million in the community, Gov. Tim Walz announced in a news release Tuesday.

ForwardEdge ASIC LLC — a microelectronics design startup that makes application-specific integrated circuits — has signed a lease in St. Paul and begun recruiting new employees, officials said.

Job openings will be posted on the State of Minnesota’s CareerForce website. The company will also connect with universities like the University of Minnesota, St. Thomas University, and Metropolitan State University to recruit and train new employees, according to officials.

"Lockheed Martin considered multiple U.S. sites for this project but ultimately chose to expand in Saint Paul," Walz wrote in the news release. "The company's decision is a testament to the area's world-class talent and access to business support and infrastructure. This expansion is tremendous news for Minnesota’s economy and workforce."

The state of Minnesota is supporting the ForwardEdge expansion with $800,000 from the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Minnesota Investment Fund program and $500,000 from the Job Creation Fund program, officials said.

To qualify for funding, ForwardEdge must create and maintain at least 113 jobs over the next two years — with pay ranging from $40 to $70 per hour. All 100-plus jobs are anticipated to be professional-level research and development positions including managerial and engineer-level positions, according to officials.

"This is an exciting opportunity to support business expansion and job creation in our city," St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said in the news release. "This investment supports our local and statewide vision of being a technology hub attractive to our 21st-century workforce."