Minneapolis Manufacturing Plant To Leave Due To Protest Response

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – A manufacturing company that has called Minneapolis home since 1987 plans to seek another location after its owner announced that he plans to take his 50 employees elsewhere due to the city’s response to violent protests that broke out following the death of George Floyd.

Kris Wyrobek, the president and owner of 7-Sigma, Inc. in south Minneapolis, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he can no longer trust city officials, whom he said failed to protect his employees and left them “all on our own.” Wyrobek told the newspaper that the plant, located 2843 26th Ave., closed down for about four hours on the first night protesting began across the city because he wanted to keep employees safe. He said when fires began to break out in the area where the plant is located, fire officials did nothing.

"They don't care about my business," Wyrobek told the Star-Tribune.

Attempts to reach Wyrobek on Tuesday were not immediately successful.

The manufacturing plant is among dozens of Minneapolis commercial properties that sustained damage in fires that were set as part of the protests. A city survey has indicated that about 1,000 commercial properties sustained damage in the protests and looting when fires broke out around the city in the days following the death of Floyd, who died while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. The report indicated that 52 businesses were destroyed while another 30 sustained heavy damage.

On Monday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced the creation of Minneapolis Forward: Community Now Coalition, which includes a group of local business and community groups. Frey said Monday that the city has not determined how much money will be devoted to the rebuilding effort.

“George Floyd moved to Minneapolis for a fresh start," Frey said in announcing the formation of the coalition. "In honoring his memory and generations of black people who have been victimized before him, we will rebuild as a stronger, more equitable and more inclusive city."

Wyrobek told the Star-Tribune that he has no interest in considering remaining in Minneapolis. 7-Sigma specializes in the production of precision rollers used in high-speed printing operations used to create bank statements and social security checks. Wyrobek is among city business leaders and owners who have criticized city officials for not being responsive to their concerns.

According to the Star-Tribune, insurance experts have estimated the cost of the damage around the city at $500 million, which ranks only behind the Los Angeles riots in 1992 in terms of damage done by protests and rioting. In today’s economy, the damage done in Los Angeles was estimated at $1.4 billion.

Now, Wyrobek is among those business leaders trying to rebuild and although he says he at no time trying relocate during the protests, he is not willing to stay put

"We are cautiously optimistic we can do that," Wyrobek told the Star-Tribune. "But we are certainly not able to do that in Minneapolis."