Gov. Mark Dayton is sending his early thanks to The Hormel Institute and Austin.

Dayton posted a video earlier this week to congratulate and thank the Institute and the community for The Institute’s $28.5 million expansion.

“The state of Minnesota supported this expansion because of the new jobs it creates and the cutting-edge cancer research which benefits the people of our state and throughout the world,” Dayton said in the video. “We’re very proud of The Hormel Institute and the work that is done in Austin.”

Dayton visited Austin for the project’s May 2014 groundbreaking. Now, the Institute is nearing completion on its second major expansion. The Institute will double in size with 15 new research labs and several innovative research support spaces. The new building footprint is 140,000 square feet, growing from just 75,000 square feet two years ago.

In the next few years, 130 new faculty and staff jobs will to be added, growing The Hormel Institute to about 250 employees overall.

The Institute is also nearing completion on its new Live Learning Center and is making a final push for campaign contributions for the state-of-the-art communications and education center continues. The $4.5 million project has received tremendous support with donations still being accepted through next week.

Less than $200,000 is left to raise for the $4.5 million project. Every tax-deductible gift of $500 and more (received by April 29) will be recognized on a new, beautiful donor wall in the Live Learning Center. The donor wall will be featured inside the multifunction room in front of the entrance to the auditorium. The wall will include donor names or memorial statements and feature research cell images in the background.

Donors who gift $1,000 or more to the Live Learning Center will be invited to the June 1 Grand Opening and the historic reception for its first international cancer conference, The seventh China-U.S. Forum on Frontiers of Cancer Research symposium.

Gifts of $500 or more received by April 29 will be honored on a new donor wall in the Live Learning Center, and those donors who give $1,000 or more will be invited to the June 1 Grand Opening and historic reception for its first international cancer conference.

Donations can be sent to The Hormel Institute, 801 16th Ave. N.E., Austin, MN, 55912. For more information, call 507-437-9604.

As summer approaches, the public can look forward to opportunities to tour the expansion. The Hormel Institute will offer three open houses this summer. Free tours will take visitors through the new labs and Live Learning Center — including views of the new state-of-the-art auditorium and technology — to get an inside look at the tools used to accelerate cancer research.

Open houses will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on June 4, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on July 29, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 30.

See Gov. Mark Dayton’s video on The Hormel Institute at http://mn.gov/gov-stat/video/hormel_institute.mp4