Minnesota’s Medical Alley: 8 Companies Growing Local Job Opportunities
January 22nd, 2018 Written by: Molly Masterson
Minnesota’s Medical Alley is the No. 1 medical technology cluster for innovation in the world. Home to medical technology companies like Medtronic, Mayo Clinic, and Starkey Hearing, there are many reasons to be a proud employee at one of 750 medical innovators.
This booming medical technology industry in Minnesota has fueled billions of dollars in economic growth, as well as thousands of jobs in medical device manufacturing and assembly. In fact, Minnesota medical device manufacturing jobs have grown 14% over the past five years creating some of the best medical technology jobs in the country. But which companies are contributing to job growth the most?
With our 50 years of experience as a full-service staffing agency, we’ve worked with some of Minnesota’s top medical device manufacturing and healthcare companies. Join us as we list some of the top medical technology companies that are developing Minnesota’s medical industry and expanding local job opportunities.
1. Medtronic
As the world’s largest medical equipment development company, Medtronic is responsible for the lives of many patients. And their nearly 5,000 awarded patents provide endless job opportunities for medical assembly workers and other medical manufacturing positions. In fact, they employ about 10,000 people in Minnesota alone. But with their relatively recent decision to move their headquarters to Ireland, many job seekers are wondering what that means for the job market.
Amidst skepticism that Medtronic’s move to Ireland will eliminate U.S.-based jobs, their CEO, Omar Ishrak, is insistent that this is a misconception. In fact, he believes it will result in job growth for Minnesota and the U.S. This was proven to be true when they added around 300 more jobs to their offices in Plymouth, MN compared to previous years when they were headquartered there. Furthermore, Medtronic has pledged to add at least 1,000 jobs in Minnesota before 2020, showing that they remain committed to developing Minnesota’s medical technology job market.
Image Credit: Medtronic
2. Boston Scientific Corp.
Boston Scientific Corp. is another medical technology company with a strong presence in Minnesota thanks to an acquisition they made back in 2010. The company is most famously known for their stents, defibrillators, and pacemaker devices and has roughly 13,000 life changing products.
Even though Boston Scientific is headquartered in Marlborough, MA they have more employees working in Minnesota overall. In fact, 7,000 of their 25,000 employees worldwide are based out of their Minnesota offices, whereas only 4,000 are based in Marlborough. So despite their name and home base, Boston Scientific is a major player for Minnesota’s medical technology job market.
Image Credit: Boston Scientific
3. 3M Healthcare
3M3M is not only the inventor and manufacturer of your home’s favorite adhesives and office tools like Post-It Notes and Scotch Tape, but they also manufacture key medical equipment. This includes medical grade tape, bandages, surgical masks, and more.
Minnesota’s first and arguably most famous manufacturing giant, 3M, also contributes heavily to the medical manufacturing job market. Their medical assembly and manufacturing operations are located in St. Paul, MN, making it a convenient place to work for assemblers, supervisors, and engineers. With 3M standing for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, the state is well-rooted in the company, and their commitment to improving the Minnesota economy is strong.
Image Credit: 3M
4. St. Jude Medical
St. Jude Medical is the second largest medical device company in the state, coming in right behind Medtronic. Since 1976, they have produced breakthrough medical devices, including the world’s first mechanical heart valve. Flash-forward 40 years and several acquisitions later, and St. Jude Medical remains an innovator in medical device and equipment manufacturing.
To continue offering revolutionary inventions and expertise, St. Jude Medical recently merged with another major player, Abbott Laboratories. Even with a merger that introduced a new headquarters in Illinois, their office in St. Paul, MN remains the top employment center for the company. Today, Minnesota is the home of 4,000 St. Jude Medical employees, which is roughly 22% of their overall workforce. So while they’re base of operations may shift to Abbott in Illinois, St. Jude Medical has a strong and growing presence in Minnesota, offering plenty of medical assembly jobs in St. Paul, MN as well as other job opportunities.
Image Credit: St. Jude Medical
5. Smiths Medical
Specializing in infusion therapy, vascular access, vital care, and more, Smiths Medical products have a strong presence in hospitals and emergency rooms across the world. With operations in over 30 countries, their global headquarters is located in Minnesota with the U.S. market contributing to roughly 45% of their sales.
Having just recently invested in a new 145,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility in Minneapolis, MN, Smiths Medical is here to stay. But they are committed to creating an enriched environment for Minnesotan employees in other ways as well.
“Our biggest focus is on culture,” CEO Jeff McCaulley told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. “[We want] to create a culture that’s much more innovative, much bolder in its thinking, much more aggressive in its plans around new products and just how far we can push.”
Given their new cultural direction, Smiths Medical is a great place to work for your own professional development.
Image Credit: Smiths Medical
6. Coloplast
Inspired by the needs of a loved one, Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen invented the first adhesive ostomy bag in 1954 serving as the foundation for Coloplast. Today, Coloplast employs nearly 10,000 people in searching for simple solutions that make a difference in people’s lives. Their expertise continues to impact ostomy care as well as urology, continence, and more.
With their U.S. and manufacturing headquarters located in Minneapolis, MN since 2009, Coloplast is a big contributor to the Minnesota economy and job market. The U.S. market continues to represent a huge opportunity for Denmark-based Coloplast, something they plan to capitalize on by investing heavily in their U.S. infrastructure. This includes expanding their medical assembly jobs in Minneapolis, MN and their partnerships with Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota, and more as stated in their investor relations report.
Image Credit: Coloplast US
7. Starkey Hearing Technologies
Created 50 years ago to help people hear, Starkey Hearing Technologies’ products have been worn by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, and millions of people in need all over the world. They were one of the first hearing solutions companies that recognized the unique needs of individuals in their hearing loss—a realization that powered their success and custom inventions.
In their 50 years of business, Starkey Hearing has remained headquartered in Eden Prairie, MN. As one of the only American-owned and operated hearing solutions company, Starkey is proud of the roots they’ve put down in the state. In fact, their business and foundation has given Minnesota international recognition for their technological innovations and tremendous charity work—further emphasizing Minnesota’s presence as a hub for medical technology innovation.
Image Credit: Starkey Hearing Technologies
8. Metro Mold & Design
Located in Brooklyn Park, MN, Metro Mold & Design has an extensive medical manufacturing presence in Minnesota. Their specialty lies in molding and assembling high-quality plastics for a variety of industries, including medical and healthcare. And as a family-owned business, they’re proud of their Minnesota roots.
Metro Mold & Design is contributes significantly to the local medical manufacturing job market as a fast growing manufacturer with cutting-edge capabilities. Through a series of acquisitions and accelerated growth, the company has moved into a 132,000 square-foot facility where it employs scores of skilled workers. And of those workers, over two-thirds of them work in Metro Mold & Design’s medical branch, MMD Medical.
Image Credit: Metro Mold & Design
Strengthen Minnesota’s Medical Alley
If you need expert professionals to help your company climb to the top of this list, contact us to request talent. Want to get hired for one of Minnesota’s best medical technology jobs? Find a job with us to start the process.
