The 32-acre Empire Builder Business Center on Saint Paul’s North End was established in 1985 on vacant shops of the Great Northern Railroad Co. The area had been vacant and underutilized for many years before redevelopment by the Port Authority.

Before redevelopment by the Port, the area was largely vacant. And the businesses that were on-site employed 20 people and paid a total of $50,000 annually in property taxes.

Currently the 12 organizations and businesses on the site employ more than 730 people and pay about $468,098 annually in property taxes.