GILBERT, MN-Twin Cities-based Delta Dental Plan of Minnesotarecently opened a customer service center on the Iron Range regionthat will employ more than 100 local workers. The office istemporarily located here, but the Iron Range Resources andRehabilitation Board says it will work with the local community andDelta to finance and construct a 10,000-sf permanent customerservice facility in the East Range/Quad City.

The IRRRB provided a solution to Minnesota's tight andcompetitive labor market, says Michael Walsh, president and CEO ofDelta Dental Plan of Minnesota. The IRRRB can help companies suchas Delta, who often need “to move out of state to fulfillemploymentneeds,” says John Swift, a commissioner of the IRRRB.

Eagan, MN-based Delta Dental is an independently operated,nonprofit dental services company that administers prepaid dentalservice plans serving more than 1.3 million Minnesotans and morethan 1 million other members in other states. Delta also servesmore than 8,700 purchasing groups and is the largest administratorof dental benefits in the state of Minnesota's three public healthcare programs.