FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

BOVEY - With Plant 2 up and operating for only four months, Magnetation is continuing to thrive.  The operation was something Gov. Mark Dayton saw firsthand Wednesday.

Their ability to expand their workforce to 220 employees in four years was a major reason for his visit.

After the tour, the governor sat down for a discussion with the company's owners and other industry leaders at the nRRI Coleraine Minerals Research Labratory.

Discussions at the round table centered on what could be done to allow more expansions on the Range, like making permits move quicker.

"We want to make these decisions as efficient as possible because they're engaged in global competition, they need to be able to move fast," Gov. Dayton said.

Dayton said he will take what he learned from the visit to help create a better long–term plan.

"What can we do in Minnesota to put ourselves in the forefront of where the industry's gonna grow and not where it's gonna taper off," Dayton said.

For the next two days, members of the IRRRB, DEED, DNR and Pollution Control Agency will have a first–ever coordinated effort as they travel across the Iron Range to assess each mining business's needs for taking development to the next level.

"There's unprecedented cooperation among state agencies right now on how we can help out the permitting process in particular," IRRRB Commissioner Tony Sertich said. "So that's been a big push by Governor Dayton is to make sure government runs better and that's what we're trying to do on all these projects."

Gov. Dayton will continue his economic development tours across the state with looks inside other industries including forestry and agricultural technology.