2025 State Of The City: Eagan Is Strong, Growing
Inspired by Eagan’s iconic tree logo, Mayor Mike Maguire explained the City’s current state and its future outlook with a tree metaphor during last month’s State of the City event on Thursday, March 20, at Royal Cliff Events Center in Eagan.
“In short,” he said, “Eagan is stable, strong, growing, and full of promise.” Much like a tree.
Approximately 100 attendees turned out for the event, while many others watched online. In addition to listening to Maguire’s take on the past year and the year ahead, a variety of short videos helped convey his key messages: new development; sustainability; race equity and inclusion; and continuing innovation and progress by the Parks, Public Works and Public Safety teams.
Maguire noted that last year his State of the City message was “a little doom and gloom.” After all, Thomson Reuters had vacated their office space, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota was consolidating, and the Delta, Unisys, and former Argosy sites had become vacant or had plans to become vacant. But even back then, Maguire said, he’d been optimistic, suggesting that “Eagan was better and more uniquely prepared for the change in office space.”
Turns out, he was right. Since then:
Thomson Reuters has moved to a new Eagan location while Amazon plans to build on the former corporate campus.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has also moved to a new Eagan location, while its former call center is being repurposed as a research-and-development facility for Solventum, a 3M healthcare spinoff.
The Dakota County Community Development Agency is prepping the former Delta Airlines property for market-rate and affordable housing.
And the Northwest Central Commons Small Area Plan (see cover image) — helmed by Jill Hutmacher, Eagan’s director of community development — won an award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association for its innovative approach to bringing a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood to the area near Eagan Central Park and the Eagan Community Center.
Maguire pointed out one key indicator of Eagan’s economic health: the rebound in building permits, with a valuation of nearly $200 million in 2024. “This growth directly boosts Eagan’s tax base, increasing property values and enabling reinvestment in our community.”
To watch the entire presentation, including videos, visit cityofeagan.com/sotc.
Briefly: Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Minnesota, Anteris, Proozy.com
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has been named a Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The 2025 Equality 100 Awards were presented to businesses that are committed to creating more equal and inclusive workplaces and have met all the criteria of the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) survey.
“It is an honor to earn a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index for a fifth straight year,” said Bukata Hayes, vice president of racial and health equity and chief equity officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. “As both an employer and a health plan, Blue Cross will continue to evolve and work to ensure that members of the LGBTQ+ community are protected from discrimination and harm, and can live their truth without fear.”
To earn this rating, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota took concrete steps to ensure greater equity for LGBTQ+ workers and their families. These actions include offering worker protections, inclusive benefits, and an inclusive culture, plus taking corporate responsibility.
People
David Im has joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota as chief operating officer. Additionally, Chris Fanning is now chief growth officer, and Carey Smith has been named president of Xcelerate Health, a new technology-related business unit.
Business
A heart valve device created by Eagan-based Anteris Technologies, a newly public medical device company, has been used to successfully treat over 100 patients worldwide. The company plans to begin another trial later this year, pending U.S. FDA approval.
Patrons were out in force during the fifth-annual Eagan Restaurant Week, March 24–30, visiting the more than 20 participating restaurants, including Ansari’s Mediterranean Grill & Lounge, Bay Leaf, Hope Breakfast Bar, Mason Jar Kitchen & Bar, Saffron Indian Grill & Bar, and Ze’s Diner Eagan.
Taco-and-tequila restaurant Lago Tacos plans to open a 6,000-square-foot restaurant (730 Vikings Pkwy.) near the Minnesota Vikings training camp this summer; it will be the chain’s fourth location.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation has won a $10.3M interim arbitration judgment against Eagan-based Prime Therapeutics over price-fixing allegations with competitor Express Scripts Inc. in violation of federal and state laws. The pharmacy benefits manager “strongly disagreed” with the ruling.
The parent company of online retailer Proozy.com, best known for offering sporting goods deals, has purchased Zulily for $5M. This is the fourth purchase of the discount retailer over the past two years.
Climate Action Plan Leads Way Forward
The City of Eagan plans to adopt the final draft of its Climate Action Plan (CAP) to address changing environmental conditions in April — also known as Earth Month.
“This is a road map for how our community will address climate change,” says Gillian Catano, the City’s sustainability coordinator. “This 10-year, data-driven plan has ambitious goals — reducing greenhouse gas emissions 55% by 2035 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.”
A multi-stakeholder Eagan group of roughly 60 people — from businesses, school districts, transit, utilities, nonprofits, Dakota County, and more — met regularly to draft the CAP. They were facilitated and supported by the City’s Climate Action Plan consultant, paleBLUEdot.
“Climate change affects all of us,” Catano says, “and that’s why our team worked collaboratively, writing a CAP that reflected community input every step of the way.”
The CAP provides a menu of detailed actions that the City, businesses, and residents can take to support communitywide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and to build resilience against climate change, now and in the future.
Posted on the City’s website (cityofeagan.com/climate), the CAP is supported by five documents, most importantly, the Climate Vulnerability Assessment and the Eagan GHG Inventory Report.
The former analyzes climate trends and projections to understand impacts on Eagan and to identify groups that are most vulnerable to climate change. The latter measures emissions from community and municipal sources, and includes a forecast to track progress toward reducing emissions. This granular document takes a deep dive into not only how Eagan contributes to climate change but also how that can change. “This document is our CAP’s guiding North Star,” Catano says.
With the CAP in place, the City will lead the way and also partner with businesses, residents, and other organizations to put these actions and strategies into place. While you can read the CAP online, why wait to get started?
Below are a dozen actions your business could take right now.
- Provide bike parking and amenities
- Incentivize carpooling and ridesharing
- Complete an energy assessment
- Install energy-efficient lighting and appliances
- Eliminate single-use plastics
- Compost food and organic waste
- Install low-flow fixtures and leak-detection systems
- Install rain barrels or irrigation controllers
- Reduce paved areas and add permeable surfaces
- Use drought-tolerant and native landscaping
- Install backup power sources
- Provide shelter options during extreme weather
Earth-friendly Businesses Serving Eagan
Most of us celebrate Earth Day once a year, but a number of Eagan organizations make caring for our environment a cornerstone of their business models. While not a complete list, here are six to be aware of.
Climate change is threatening over half of Minnesota’s birds, according to Audubon. Fortunately, the family-run All Seasons Wild Bird Store helps local customers care for birds year-round with bird feed and bird feeders, pole systems, and more. Plus, staff members are knowledgeable birders and have included “authors, bloggers, life-long hobbyists, and state top-bird listers.”
Eagan-based Gopher Resource safely and efficiently recycles lead batteries. In fact, recycled materials make up 80% of new batteries. Plus, the lead in batteries can be recycled endlessly. Their sustainable practices and advanced technologies “prioritize people and the planet,” the company says.
Plus, Gopher Resource offers the Recycling Zone, Minnesota’s second-largest household hazardous waste and recyclables facility, and Reuse Zone, which offers free products to Dakota County residents.
“Sustainability is at the core of everything we do,” proclaims Eagan-based Storm Creek on its website. That’s why this athletic gear manufacturer has become a bluesign® system partner, joining with 80 other brands to reduce their environmental impact. Impressively, Storm Creek has upcycled over 46 million plastic bottles thus far, converting them into yarn and then merchandise.
Wilderness in the City is an Eagan-based nonprofit that aims to preserve and enhance natural urban areas for future generations. Among its projects, the group plans to replace turf with native pollinator gardens in area parks, fund bike racks and trail signage, and improve Lebanon Hills Park with nature-based recreation and educational opportunities.