News and Media

Bike-Pedestrian Bridge Construction Underway

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

The construction of a new bridge for walkers and bicyclists connecting the Old West Main Street business district and the future Upper Harbor recreation area is underway. The Bike-Pedestrian Bridge will serve as an accessible and safe way for people of all ages and abilities to travel between Bay Point Park and Old West Main Street business district. A Masterpiece in the Making The proposed bike-pedestrian bridge construction was approved for commencement at the December 2020 City Council meeting shortly after the City Council awarded a contract to Kraemer North American, LLC for the project. The project, which has been in the makin...

Life Sciences Fueling Construction Demand

Monday, June 14, 2021

In a time of widespread economic upheaval, the life sciences industry is one of the few whose prospects have changed for the better. Called upon to rapidly develop and distribute an all-important COVID-19 vaccine without sacrificing the research and production of existing drugs, the biotech industry is expanding at breakneck speed. Currently, around 13.9 million square feet of life sciences research and manufacturing space is under construction in key markets. In the United States, lab space vacancies have dropped to 7.1 percent, while commercial properties are being converted into R&D facilities on a massive scale. This biotech boom is providing a vital lifeline to the constructio...

Engaging the Workforce with Empathetic Leadership

Friday, June 11, 2021

Area Development’s staff editor Mark Crawford recently asked Ericsson’s Dan Kerber, vice president of digital services business operations for North America — who helps companies improve their financial and operational metrics through improved resource management processes — about his thoughts on leadership, especially the need for “soft skills” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Area Development: What are the most important soft skills needed for leadership today? Kerber: There are many important soft skills, but the three I have found most important are communication, giving effective feedback, and empathy. Good communication skills are essential for conveying information, decisions, and your thought processes to your team. Givin...

Infrastructure Upgrades Vital to U.S. Economy

Thursday, June 10, 2021

One of President Joe Biden’s first acts was to announce a $2.3 trillion bill to repair and upgrade the nation’s infrastructure. The bill addresses what has become a perennial topic of debate in Congress, and one that has repeatedly been set aside for action at some future date. It has been well-documented across the United States that years of neglect have resulted in roads and bridges in dire need of repair, outdated public transportation, subpar Internet service, and other critical infrastructure needs. In its most recent report card on the condition of America’s infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE...

Community-Led Growth: How to Build a Community from Scratch

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

I’ve spent the past 10 years growing companies and I can say without a doubt that when done right, community building has the best short-, medium-, and long-term ROI out of all the marketing and sales tactics — and I have tried and tested hundreds of them. Why is community building such a magical asset? Because it can touch on all the business metrics that matter, from churn rate to MRR and to cost-cutting. But more on that later. For now, I’d like to focus on how you can build a community from scratch. Most entrepreneurs I spoke to have the same two objections when it comes to community-led growth: it’...

Here's How These Businesses Exploded During the Pandemic

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

It’s been incredibly interesting to watch just how the world has responded to the Covid-19 crisis. Some businesses and individuals didn’t seem to respond or pivot at all, but a select group of companies figured out how to not only stay afloat, but also thrive in the midst of this pandemic. These companies, the successful amidst the chaos, act as a compelling case study for many economists around the globe (since this is truly all unprecedented), and for myself. I’ve been looking at the companies that have actually grown during Covid-19, and I dug into just how they’ve been able to do it. Hopefully, this insight wil...

Shoring Up Operations for Growth

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

The pandemic wreaked havoc across every industry, and companies in the manufacturing and mobility/transportation sectors were not spared. The result? Companies are re-evaluating their supply chains and operations in a post-COVID environment. Realigning the Supply Chain For the past 20 years, manufacturing moved operations from the U.S. to East Asia to take advantage of cheap labor. This approach dominated manufacturers’ strategy, paving the way for a status quo where low-skilled and large-scale manufacturing was done in China. But COVID-19 — coupled with rising wages in East Asia, trade tensions, and a tariff war between the U.S. and China — undermined the busines...

A Turnkey Approach to Manufacturing Location Decisions

Tuesday, June 08, 2021

When scouting locations for a retailer, an experienced real estate team knows precisely what to look for: sites that have high visibility, easy accessibility, and close proximity to a population base and competing stores. By comparing options that meet this small handful of criteria, the final selection can be relatively simple. Compare that to locating a new manufacturing facility. As many as 70 or more different variables can influence site selection — from infrastructure, logistical, and incentive considerations to permitting requirements, staffing needs, and community acceptance concerns. Site selection models for these facilities, therefore, can be notoriously complex. The strengths o...

Designing A Security Strategy For An Era Of Uncertainty

Monday, June 07, 2021

2020 will be seen as one of the most consequential years in any security professional’s career. For many, there will be a bright line dividing how things were before the pandemic from how they are now. A Splunk global survey of 535 security leaders found that the next great security challenge is cloud complexity—including shifts in workloads, new software development models, remote work and heterogeneous public cloud usage. To help leaders tackle these obstacles, Splunk offers a step-by-step guide. Read full article.

Brielle Finds Career Fulfillment as a Nurse

Sunday, June 06, 2021

Brielle’s journey began as a youth in the Young Adult Program at Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC). She was a single mother and needed to find a job to support herself and young child. She worked one summer in a work experience at a nursing home in the activities department. It was during that experience that she realized she wanted to become a nurse. She obtained her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certificate through Minnesota West Community & Technical College (MN West) and started working at a local nursing home. She worked there as a CNA for six years and the...

Tell us what you think about economic development marketing

Friday, June 04, 2021

If you are an economic development professional, we want to know what you think about place marketing - whether you're a marketer yourself or not. This survey is being shared with economic development and investment attraction professionals all over the world. Your contribution to this project benefits the industry as a whole; by sharing your perspective, you will be able to benchmark and compare your responses with economic developers everywhere. We're also doing a parallel concurrent survey with site selectors in order to compare and contrast the results. That's data that will be useful to economic developers everywhere. We're also going to be able to compar...

The Effects of the Pandemic on Industrial Design

Friday, June 04, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every facet of our economy, increasing a cultural reliance on e-commerce that is here to stay. Retailers have responded by minimizing square footage of brick-and-mortar store fronts, keeping less inventory on site, and focusing more on entertainment and experiential retail to keep shoppers engaged. As a result, the need for warehousing and industrial space has exploded, driving the desire for large-scale, innovative facilities that maximize efficiency and logistical operations. The literal driving force behind the industrial surge is the expansion of transportation capabilities worldwide, with international trade becoming the engine of the global economy. Goods ar...

Immigration Tips for International Business Travelers During the Pandemic

Thursday, June 03, 2021

In the economic development world, site visits from company executives, who often arrive from every corner of the globe, are a typical day…but during the last year business travel has virtually stopped, or declined sharply, while the world faced the challenges of the pandemic. As vaccines continue to combat the pandemic, we are slowly seeing some site visits resume. While remote visits and virtual site tours have kept the company relocation and expansion processes moving forward, we are eager for the day when we can meet again — face-to-face — with company executives and site selection teams, as international companie...

They Promised Change. Did They Deliver?

Thursday, June 03, 2021

After George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer a year ago, top players in Minnesota's startup community called for making the scene more racially inclusive. The calls were specific, so it's possible to check to see how entrepreneurs and investors stack up one year out. The community is addressing a stark and now well-known gap in funding: About 1% of founders nationwide who received venture capital in the past five years were Black. White founders, meanwhile, made up over 77% of venture capital recipients, according to a study RateMyInvestor and DiversityVC. "Everything they said, they've done." Read full article.

Two More Minnesota Companies Added to Fortune 500 List

Thursday, June 03, 2021

Minnesota had another strong showing on the annual Fortune 500 list. In the 2021 list, 18 Minnesota companies made the cut, up from 16 a year ago. Each year, Fortune magazine ranks the top U.S. companies by annual revenue. Minnetonka-based health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group held on to its spot in the top 10, landing in fifth place. In 2020, the company’s revenue hit $257.1 billion. “While widespread layoffs led to a decline in the number of individuals covered by its commercial insurance, [UnitedHealth’s] 6.2 percent revenue growth was powered by greater enrollment in its Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans, and by the strong performance o...

Adapting to a New Workplace Ecosystem

Wednesday, June 02, 2021

Agile work is increasing due to the pandemic. Having experienced some of the benefits of working from home — such as reduced commutes, increased ability to balance work and life, preferred space to execute individualized focus work, etc. — more office workers are going to expect flexibility in where they work. Recognizing this coming shift is the easy part. Understanding how portfolio and workplace strategies need to adjust — and then executing on those adjustments — is the challenge. In order to explore and better understand how organizations are thinking about these changes, Cushman & Wakefield partnered with CoreNet Global to surve...

DEED Has Called More than 30,000 Unemployed Minnesotans, Connecting Them with Job Resources and Work Opportunities

Wednesday, June 02, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) provided an update on its Good Jobs Now campaign to reach out to unemployed Minnesotans and connect them with employers hiring now. Many Minnesotans are currently searching for jobs, and DEED is reaching out to help. Since March, the Job Service and Unemployment Insurance (UI) staff have called more than 30,000 Minnesotans who are currently receiving unemployment benefits. During these conversations, DEED staff not only remind Minnesotans of the requirement to look for and attempt to find employment, but also talk to them about the CareerForce tools that can hel...

A Renewed Focus on Workforce Diversity

Tuesday, June 01, 2021

While 2020 will certainly be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic, the year also turned out to be transformative on the diversity and inclusion front (D&I). While much of the world sat socially distanced in their homes, we watched as our fellow Americans expressed outrage and grief over the gaps in opportunity and equity experienced by people of color. While it may have been expected that a global pandemic would shape site location strategy, is it possible that D&I initiatives would also alter the future of site location strategies? A Wake-Up Call With the social unrest and calls to action that 2020 brought...

Time to Change Your Game Plan?

Monday, May 31, 2021

by MARK AREND A year after my May 2020 Editor’s View, “On Plexiglass and the New Normal,” I’m still working at home 90% of the time. I could go to our offices — several Conway Data staff members are there regularly. But I don’t miss the commute, and after producing several issues of Site Selection remotely, we have that down pat. After a year of change, not much has changed, it seems. What has changed is a complete overhaul of our Global Best to Invest rankings, thanks to the efforts of Managing Editor Adam Bruns and Conway Data data crunchers working tirelessl...

Minnesota Tourism Industry Hopes For Rebound In Summer Months

Saturday, May 29, 2021

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Some hospitality businesses surveyed by the state’s tourism agency say they expect to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, which is an improvement over the outlook at the end of the last year. Explore Minnesota in a recent report found six in 10 tourism and hospitality businesses had already met pre-pandemic business levels or expected business to return to pre-pandemic levels before the end of 2021. An earlier survey found businesses were less optimistic. In December last year, one-third of respondents said they could remain solvent for more than three months under the current operating restrictions of the time. Fiv...

Demand Puts EV Battery Production In the Fast Lane

Friday, May 28, 2021

Speedbump or pothole? Either way, a global shortage of electric vehicle (EV) batteries is disrupting new and established manufacturers’ plans to deliver their product to consumers in the volumes and timeframes they first envisaged. That’s an opportunity for those looking to supply the demand, much of which is driven by local, state and national goals to reduce carbon emissions significantly in coming years. In March, for example, Volkswagen Group announced it is “pushing ahead at full speed with the development of production capacities in Europe in order to meet the increasing demand for battery cells,” according to a company release. “Togethe...

How Marketing Agencies Can Integrate Inclusivity Into Their Organization and Work

Friday, May 28, 2021

While inclusion and diversity have always been essential, they have become even more essential for marketers due to the industry's current pandemic and cultural climate. Simply put, we're dealing with two huge issues right now: a people crisis and an economic issue. By putting our efforts into inclusion, equity and diversity, we can provide a powerful solution to both problems we're facing. However, it's not as simple as changing a few policies and calling it a day. Instead, organizations need to work to expand these efforts to include the challenges of working during a pandemic. We are at a pivotal point where advertising, marketing and public relations agencie...

More than Simple Supply and Demand

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The pandemic has upended the labor market in unprecedented ways and it will take some time for the disruption to be resolved. Our new article examines employer challenges in finding workers during pandemic recovery and offers some ideas for new steps employers can take now to find the workers they need. In our work as DEED’s Labor Market Analyst and Workforce Strategy Consultant for Northeast Minnesota, we’ve heard from many employers who aren’t receiving the same number and quality of applications they were receiving prior to the pandemic. This is happening as many employers are hoping to hire more employees t...

Target Corp. begins search for City Center sublease tenants

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Target Corp., which in March announced plans to vacate nearly 1 million square feet of office space in City Center in downtown Minneapolis, has quietly begun the search for tenants to sublease its former 33 S. Sixth St. offices. While the City Center space is not formally listed for sublease currently, Minneapolis-based Target engaged brokers last week to market the offices to potential tenants. Target is looking for a user or users of significant size to soak up its vacant Minneapolis office space, and it is searching both within the Twin Cities market and nationally for potential tenants. “In their perfect world, it’...

Levee Park River Boat Dockage & Improvement Project Completion Brings Enhanced Commerce Activity to Red Wing

Monday, May 24, 2021

The Levee Park River Boat Dockage & Improvement Project brings with it enhanced recreation and commerce activity to Red Wing. Completed in the Spring of 2020 after flood delays, the challenging project has proven to be worth the effort and will benefit Red Wing for years to come. Dan Rogness, Red Wing Port Executive Director, tells us more about the ultimate success of the transient dock improvements. “This was a challenging project from start to finish due to high water levels, weather and barge damages. It will benefit Red Wing for years to come, including those persons involved with tourism, recreation...

Cheaper Medical Pot in Minnesota? Cannabis Companies Say It’s on the Way

Friday, May 21, 2021

Patients enrolled in Minnesota’s medical cannabis program will soon get a chance to buy the plant in dried, smokable form. That’s the result of a major change approved by Minnesota lawmakers on the final day of the 2021 legislative session. The state’s two medical cannabis manufacturers — Vireo Health and LeafLine Labs — say the change will significantly bring down the costs of the program, which has long been criticized for being pricier than other states’ programs. “Patients will be able to get the same amount of medicine for potentially half the price in flower form,” said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, an emergency medicine doctor who now serves a...

COVID-19 Business Toolkit

Friday, May 21, 2021

This toolkit will continue to be updated as new information and resources become available. Please continue to check back for updates. On May 6, Governor Walz announced new reopening measures for businesses and the lifting of other restrictions. Per MPR, the phased reopening includes the following date- or metric-specific changes: May 7: The state removes limits for outdoor dining and events. It ends the mask order outdoors except at venues with more than 500 people. Pandemic-related closing times for bars, restaurants and other gathering spaces are lifted. May 28: Any remaining outdoor limits and indoor activity restrictions will end. Read full article.

Employment Guidance

Thursday, May 20, 2021

EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE Minnesota Department of Economic Development resources for employers – Information on staffing, hours, unemployment insurance and assistance for small businesses. Coronavirus and unemployment insurance – Specific details on mandatory or voluntary quarantines, changes in hourly work or layoffs, and COVID-19 related costs. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's “worker protections” – A summary of FMLA, sick leave, unemployment insurance. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry – Frequently asked questions for employers and employees related to COVID-19 Minnesota Council – Society of Human Resource Management (MNSHRM) – Resources for HR professionals (login required). U.S. Department of Labor guide to FMLA in public health emergencies U.S. Department of Labor guidance on paid sick leav...

Minnesota Business Leaders Lay Out Solutions To Workforce Challenges

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Recently, the Minnesota Chamber held its annual Workforce Solutions Forum to talk about a fundamental challenge that faced employers for years before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and is likely to continue long after: workforce. The Minnesota Chamber Foundation’s Center for Workforce Solutions is a business-led initiative to ensure employers and employees possess the necessary tools for jobs of the future. Workforce moves far past admiration of workforce challenges. We focus on innovative solutions; to fill positions now and to change the long-term process that can develop a pipeline of workers and meaningful employment in Minnesota for generations to come. How can th...

Minnesota Has Added More Than 95,000 Jobs in 2021

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Minnesota added 11,300 new jobs in April, the fourth straight month that the state has posted job gains. Data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) shows that the state has now added 95,700 jobs over the last four months. More than half of those jobs were added in January when DEED reported 51,600 new jobs. The latest numbers bring the state’s unemployment rate down to 4.1 percent, a small decline from the 4.2 percent rate last month. Minnesota lost 416,300 jobs from February to April 2020 when the pandemic first hit. Since then, the state has regained 235,300 jobs...

Minnesota’s Unemployment Rate Ticks Down to 4.1% in April

Thursday, May 20, 2021

St. Paul – Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% in April, from 4.2% in March, according to numbers released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The unemployment rate decline was due to people moving from unemployment to employment. The U.S. unemployment rate rose one-tenth to 6.1% in April. For the fourth straight month, Minnesota gained jobs. Minnesota gained 11,300 jobs in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, up 0.4%, following growth of 20,400 (adjusted) jobs in March, 12,400 jobs in February and 51,600 jobs in January. Minnesota’s private sector gained 8,100 jobs of thos...

Reemployment After COVID-19 Layoffs in Minnesota

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

St. Paul – A new study released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) presents early findings about Minnesota workers who were laid off during March through June of 2020 and the most up-to-date information we have about their employment status. The study by DEED Labor Market Information (LMI) Office analyst Alessia Leibert will be featured in the June issue of Minnesota Economic Trends, a quarterly publication of DEED’s LMI office. Specifically, the study considers: How many and which workers were brought back to jobs at their old employer; Those who continued to work second jobs; Those who found new jobs; and Those wh...

Minnesota Exports at $5.4 Billion in First Quarter

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

St. Paul – Sales of agriculture, mining and manufacturing exports from Minnesota dipped 4% between the first quarters of 2020 and 2021, falling to $5.4 billion, according to a report released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). U.S. exports rose year over year by 2% during the same period. Minnesota exports grew 6% in March 2021 over March 2020, interrupting persistent monthly declines since March 2020. “It’s a positive sign to see our exports increasing in March, a trend we hope continues in the coming months as our economy recovers,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “DEED’s Minnesota Trad...

Business Education Network: Five Years Of Transforming Tomorrow's Workforce

Thursday, May 13, 2021

The Center for Workforce Solutions is the first-of-its kind in Minnesota, a business-led initiative to ensure employers and employees possess the necessary tools for jobs of the future. One of three priority areas for the Minnesota Chamber Foundation, it is complimented by our leadership programs, and the Center for Economic Research, which issued its first major report, Minnesota: 2030 in the spring of 2021. One of the major strategy recommendations of Minnesota: 2030 is leveraging Minnesotans – stressing the foundational imperatives to grow our workforce and help individuals develop the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century economy. Th...

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Thursday, April 29, 2021

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Wednesday, April 28, 2021

4 Ways to Get Your Attention Back on Track and Stay Focused

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

The following excerpt is from Dr. Nadine Greiner’s book Stress-Less Leadership. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound or click here to buy it directly from us and SAVE 60% on this book when you use code LEAD2021 through 4/10/21. It can be hard to concentrate. Even on your best days, you're surrounded by distractions. When you struggle to concentrate, you can’t focus on what needs to be done, you waste time and you stress yourself out. It’s time to review some solutions. Lay out the work and stick to it When you embark on a task without a plan, it’s like going on a road trip without a map. You need to know where you’re headed. A ke...

Minnesota patients 16 and up can schedule vaccination for COVID-19

Thursday, April 22, 2021

OWATONNA, Minn. Mayo Clinic Health System is now providing COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone 16 and up. Patients and community members no longer need to wait to be contacted to get vaccinated for COVID-19, and appointments are readily available. "It is important for everyone not just those who are high-risk to take steps to get vaccinated as soon as possible," says Jennifer Horn, M.D., regional chair for practice, Southeast Minnesota Region, Mayo Clinic Health System. "Many people have been waiting to be invited by their care provider or until people with the most need get vaccinated. To anyone who hasn't been vaccinated...

3 Technologies You Can Use to Re-Skill Your Employees

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

The following excerpt is from Caroline Stokes’s book Elephants Before Unicorns. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound or click here to buy it directly from us and SAVE 60% on this book when you use code CAREER2021 through 4/17/21. I’d like to introduce you to three technologies that will help people leaders discover talent and fuel your teams’ evolution to avoid dinosaur syndrome (falling behind in terms of the skill and functionality of your teams). Let’s walk briefly through each of them. Bias Avoidance Talent Matching The first tool is SquarePeg, a matching service for job seekers and employers that uses online assessments to measure a candidate’s aptitude, preferences and character traits, and determine whic...

The 9-Step Quick Guide to Rehabbing Your Career

Monday, April 19, 2021

The following excerpt is from Kanika Tolver’s book Career Rehab. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes or click here to buy it directly from us and SAVE 60% on this book when you use code CAREER2021 through 4/17/21. One of the most important phases of your career rehab journey is creating your Rehab YOU career blueprint. Become the architect of your career by considering your desired career path, location, salary, scope, organization type, benefits and perks and mentors. You’ll start to feel more confident in your career renovations as you craft your vision of your dream career. Here’s how to get started: 1. Be a brand, not an employee Most employees don’t see themselve...

It's Time You Master Google Analytics to Help Grow Your Business

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Being inquisitive about data is essential for any web-based business. How are you going to operate a website without knowing how people are actually using it? That's why Google Analytics is so crucial for any business running a website. It will give you the insights you need to make better decisions about your content, web optimization, SEO, and more. This free tool is preferred by millions worldwide as a simple way to understand their web traffic and make improvements to their websites. If you're ready to learn GA, The Google Analytics Master Class Bundle is a great place to start. This five-course bundle comprises 12 hour...

Leadership Strategies For Making Employees Happy

Sunday, April 11, 2021

As a leader, it’s no surprise that one of your most crucial jobs is making sure employees are productive day in and day out. Many leaders have attempted to increase team productivity by introducing state-of-the-art technologies and testing the most successful workflow methods they could find. Unfortunately, they’re missing a key ingredient. The best way to spur productivity is to make your employees happy. Don’t just take my word for it. In 2019, Oxford University's Saïd Business School published research stating that workers are 13% more productive when they’re feeling happy. Not only is productivity significantly improved, but happy employees are more likely t...

Spruce Up Your Office or Workspace with These 10 Must-Have Items

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Whether you're working from home for the foreseeable future or you're about to head back to working in person, there's no time like spring to update your office. We've rounded up some of the coolest items on sale right now to spruce up your office. Plus, during our storewide Spring Savings promo, when you spend $75, you'll get $10 in-store credit to put towards even more cool stuff for the future. Check out some of today's offers. Mobile Pixels TRIO: Portable Dual Screen Laptop Monitor Need some more screen space? This innovative Indiegogo-funded multi-screen laptop accessory lets you add two additional monitors to your laptop...

Training and scholarship opportunities for economic development professionals

Friday, April 09, 2021

Committed to strengthening the knowledge, skills and diversity of Minnesota’s economic development professionals, the nonprofit Minnesota Economic Development Foundation is promoting upcoming training opportunities and offering scholarships for professional development. The Minnesota Economic Development Foundation sponsors the “Upper Midwest Basic Economic Development Course,” a 5-day course that provides comprehensive training in the basic concepts, methods, and strategies of local economic development. This course is accredited by the International Economic Development Council and fulfills a requirement for taking the Certified Economic Development exam. The Foundation will provide a $250 scholarship to all Minnesota economic development practitioners, bringing the cost of this training opportunit...

Launch Minnesota Awards over $376,000 in Innovation Grants to Startups

Thursday, April 08, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced that it has awarded $376,075 in Launch Minnesota Innovation Grants to startup businesses. With these awards, the full $3.2 million in biennium funding for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 has now been allocated. In this latest round, DEED awarded innovation grants to 15 startups. Of those, nine are targeted businesses, which include BIPOC-owned (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), woman-owned, and businesses located in Greater Minnesota. Grants are awarded through a competitive application process to the most promising innovative and scalable technology businesses in Minnesota. Since Launch Minnesota’s creation in 2019, i...

Broadband Roundtable: Internet Access and Speed Are Key to Economic Growth, Business Vitality, Health and Education

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

St. Paul – Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove and DEED's Office of Broadband Development Executive Director Angie Dickison were joined by seven industry and community advocates from broadband coalitions and nonprofit groups for a discussion on March 30 about the importance of broadband access to economic growth, business vitality, health and education. This roundtable was part of a broader series of discussions the agency is hosting called "The Next Minnesota Economy," focusing on inclusive economic growth, reskilling our labor market and creating good jobs. Currently in Minnesota, about 92% of households and businesses have access to interne...

How To Be Creative As An Entrepreneur

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

You might think that creativity requires the antithesis of rules and regulation. Even the thought of being creative conjures up images of disorder. Messy rooms, paint everywhere, scraps of paper with ideas scrawled across them. The frantic creative genius works away, oblivious to the world around them. Chaos. Method in madness. Flashes of brilliance among a cluttered existence. The best entrepreneurs are creative. They need to find ways of solving old and new problems. They picture a world that doesn’t yet exist, they bring products to life using only their imagination. They think of ways to move forward, grow bigger an...

Why Economic Developers Need To Market Their Opportunity Zones Now

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Why economic developers need to market their Opportunity Zones now is to attract investors to the underfunded areas of their communities. Opportunity Zone legislation passed in 2017 and is designed to promote growth in stagnant and underdeveloped regions of the country. There are more than 8,700 Opportunity Zones designated through the U.S. in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five U.S. territories. Opportunity Zones identify areas where investment is needed to revitalize communities hit the hardest by socio-economic stress. Residents who live in areas designated as Opportunity Zones tend to suffer from unequal economic growth and access to capital. This ha...

Bushel Boy President on Labor Shortage and the Future of Indoor Farming

Sunday, April 04, 2021

When Chuck Tryon took over as president of Owatonna-based Bushel Boy Farms in early October 2020, the U.S. was still a couple months away from an approved Covid-19 vaccine. In late November, Minnesota would go on to experience its worst peak of Covid cases. Like virtually every business at the time, Bushel Boy faced a great deal of uncertainty. But that’s not just because of the pandemic. A more pressing concern? A shortage of workers to staff Bushel Boy’s tomato greenhouses in Greater Minnesota and Iowa. The company has two indoor farming operations: One at its homebase in Owatonna, and another in Maso...

The Secret To Business Survival In Today’s Tough Market

Sunday, April 04, 2021

As we were ringing in 2020, it’s safe to say that almost no one could have imagined the novel year that was virtually at our doorsteps. Like a monsoon, Covid-19 arrived, and with it a plethora of changes to not only how we live and work, but how business is conducted. Quarantines and lockdowns became a way of life, forcing companies to transform how they operate. Office staff, sales reps, and others who were considered non-essential workers began working from home. In-person meetings and sales calls became a thing of the past, replaced by collaboration tools to boost the efficiency o...

Minnesota Small Business Development Centers Partner with First Children’s Finance to Support Minnesota’s Child Care Industry

Friday, April 02, 2021

St. Paul – Under a partnership agreement announced today, First Children’s Finance will operate as the first statewide satellite center in the Minnesota Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) Network – providing specialized business and financial assistance to child care businesses across Minnesota at no cost to the businesses. Minnesota SBDC is part of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). “Without access to affordable child care, parents can’t earn a living, businesses can’t recruit reliable workers, and children miss out on early educational opportunities,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “This has never been more apparent than during the pandemic – an...

One Year After The First Wave Of Pandemic Jobs Losses, U.S. Adds Nearly A Million Jobs In March

Friday, April 02, 2021

A year after the devastating first wave of pandemic-related job losses came to light, the U.S. added 916,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department said Friday. It’s an encouraging sign on the anniversary of what was an especially distressing week for the workforce. Weekly jobless claims surged to a staggering 6.65 million for the week ending March 28, 2020. At the time, it was the highest level ever recorded. That month, the U.S. economy lost a total of 701,000 jobs in the first payroll decline since 2010. This March, the unemployment rate fell slightly to 6%—down from 6.2% in February. It’s a stark difference from the unemploymen...

Governor Proclaims April Technology Workforce Month in Minnesota

Thursday, April 01, 2021

St. Paul – Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed April 2021 Technology Month in Minnesota. It’s an opportunity to draw attention to our technology sector and workforce and its importance to Minnesota’s economy. While the importance of these jobs has been highlighted during the pandemic, technology workers have been in demand in Minnesota’s economy for a long time and represent some of the highest-paid, best jobs in our state. According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Labor Market Information (LMI) Office, the state of Minnesota is home to about 110,000 people working in Information Technology occupations. That’s about 3.8% of tota...

2020 Governor's Cups

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

It’s déjà vu all over again. Only the project numbers are different where Ohio and Texas — the 2020 Governor’s Cup winning states for per capita and total projects respectively — are concerned. They’re down a bit from the previous year, but impressive nonetheless for a year all states endured a pandemic-induced economic crunch. Both states were the winner in their category last year as well. Ohio finishes the per capita facilities race with 419, down from 448 in 2019. Texas, the total projects winner for the ninth consecutive year, has 781 projects for 2020; it had 859 qualifying project...

Innovation Roundtable: Entrepreneurs Share How Launch MN and the Angel Tax Credit Helped Them Succeed

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

St. Paul – Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove and Launch Minnesota Executive Director Neela Mollgaard were joined by entrepreneurs and support organizations for a discussion about what startups need to be successful and how Minnesota can encourage more investment in entrepreneurship and innovation. This roundtable was part of a broader series of discussions the agency is hosting called “The Next Minnesota Economy,” focusing on inclusive economic growth, reskilling our labor market and creating good jobs. “This legislative session, the Governor’s budget includes critical investments for Launch Minnesota and the Angel Tax Credit,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “Growing ou...

Machinery Still Revs the Economy, But Logistics and Life Sciences Are Where the Growth Is

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Judging by the number of e-commerce and health-related facility investments all around us in this pandemic year, you’d expect those categories to vault to the top of any global ranking by industry sector. They didn’t quite reach the summit, but logistics (+19.3%) and life sciences (+12%) show the biggest — and only — growth rates among the Top Industries of 2020, as judged by the number of projects tracked by NAICS code in the Conway Data Analytics Database. The database since the 1980s has tracked facility investments by corporate end users across all world geographies and all industry sectors. Life sciences rise...

2020: When Your Data Center Becomes Your Real HQ

Monday, March 29, 2021

Last year delivered plenty of wakeup calls to corporate real estate executives, but perhaps none bigger than this: Your site selection process for your company’s data center operations now carries more importance than your site selection for your corporate headquarters. In a world where remote work has become the norm for most non-industrial jobs, the headquarters facility has become a ghost town. Taking its place in critical importance is the data center, the lifeblood of your company’s entire global operation. The data center is what keeps you connected to your employees, your employees connected to each other, and your company connected t...

Recruiting and Retaining Today’s Manufacturing Workforce

Monday, March 29, 2021

AD: How has COVID-19 changed the employee experience in manufacturing, and what facets of this should organizations retain going forward? Zenk: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees have been experiencing a drastically different work environment. Thousands of manufacturers across the U.S. and around the world were deemed essential during the pandemic, and their production lines haven’t stopped. They’ve continued to produce essential goods that the global community relies on — from the food we eat to the clothes we wear and cleaning supplies we use in our homes. As some manufacturers increased output and others reconfigured operations to satisfy urgent demands...

Robust Development Plan Encourages Innovation and Expertise

Monday, March 29, 2021

Destination Medical Center (DMC) is a unique 20-year, public-private partnership and economic development initiative in Rochester, Minnesota, home to Mayo Clinic. Launched in 2013, the $5.6 billion plan is the largest in Minnesota’s history and one of the largest initiatives currently under way in the U.S. The partnership combines Mayo Clinic private development with that of other developers and investors, in addition to public infrastructure investment from the City of Rochester, Olmsted County, and the state of Minnesota. The DMC initiative is guided by a robust development plan, which was adopted in 2015 to chart the course for development over ...

Front Line: Job Creation Through Reshoring

Friday, March 26, 2021

Back in the 1980s, the term “offshoring” became a business buzzword as more and more U.S. companies moved manufacturing to foreign countries, typically to save on labor costs. In recent years, “reshoring” has been added to the lexicon as companies decide to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., for various reasons. In 2020, reshoring created more U.S. jobs than foreign direct investment (FDI) for the first time in seven years, according to data collected by the Reshoring Initiative. In 2020, U.S. companies reshored nearly 69,000 manufacturing positions, while greenfield investment in the same industries created fewer than 42,000 jobs, according to the Initiative...

In Focus: Driving Economic Prosperity Through Entrepreneurism

Friday, March 26, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic plunged the world into a deep health and economic crisis. The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine points to a “light at the end of the tunnel” for the country’s physical health, but as we collectively take stock for ways to rebuild our economy stronger and more resilient than before, we need to remember what works. Entrepreneurism has been, and will continue to be, a driver of long-term economic growth. The economic free fall brought about by the coronavirus was unexpected and unprecedented. Experts are still attempting to fully understand, quantify, and predict the full extent of the fallout...

The plain truth about virtual site visits for commercial real estate

Friday, March 26, 2021

There's a lot of talk and excitement among economic developers about using virtual tours to profile commercial real estate to potential investors and site selectors who may not be able to visit in person because of the pandemic. We get that - it IS genuinely exciting. There are so many compelling new ways to let people see a property - inside and out - from the comfort and safety of their offices. Even after the pandemic recedes, this will remain an excellent way to engage and inform businesses making location decisions. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of miscommunication and misinformation about what virtua...

Welcome Portia Robertson Migas, Greater MSP'S New Vice President Of Marketing & Communications

Friday, March 26, 2021

GREATER MSP is pleased to announce Portia Robertson Migas as the new Vice President of Marketing and Communications. In this position, Portia will serve as ‘chief executive storyteller’ and global brand strategist for the region. She will be responsible for managing and leading all aspects of the GREATER MSP Partnership’s marketing and communication strategy, campaigns, media and public relations, issues management and program initiatives. Portia will create and execute an innovative strategic marketing and communications plan in collaboration with GREATER MSP's hardworking, professional staff and a set of marketing and communications leaders from across the region. Read full article.

COVID-19 Highlights Distribution and Logistics Sector’s Importance

Thursday, March 25, 2021

While the pandemic caused massive supply chain disruptions that hindered the global distribution and logistics landscape, it also shined a spotlight on the industry’s importance, which only stands to grow in the coming years. Consider its impact on Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), located on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River in the community of Hebron. As airports across the nation grappled with plummeting passenger traffic, a boom in air cargo provided a much-needed silver lining for CVG. Cargo volume skyrocketed following the pandemic’s onset, and throughout the rest of the year, shipments reached levels typically seen only during th...

Cultivate a Second Life for Decommissioned Power Plants

Thursday, March 25, 2021

The generation landscape for utilities is in a state of constant change. The decarbonization movement is driving difficult decisions as coal-fired power plants close amid the transition to renewable generation. But there is opportunity within that disruption. Decommissioned power plant sites offer industrial developers a great deal of opportunity — specifically, decades of well-maintained assets. The majority of these facilities were built more than 50 years ago with access to everything they needed to operate — connections that would require extensive time and capital investments to put in place today. Rather than seeking greenfield locations, industrial developers should take a close...

In Focus: Increased Data Center Growth Driven by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

The stratospheric rise of the cloud over the past few years caught many off guard and created an arms race among the cloud providers, with data center development underpinning the effort. These cloud providers were anticipating ever-increasing demand for the cloud by globally creating a robust and redundant network of massive data centers tethered together through a network of smaller data centers and fiber connection locations. Data centers that service other segments of the market (wholesale colocation, “edge,” and retail) were also riding the wave of increased demand. Little did we know a global pandemic would make data centers and th...

The Impacts of Data and Future Technologies on Data Center Site Selection

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

The Ins and Outs of Data Centers I think one of the misconceptions about the data center business is that it’s a niche space. And the reality is it's become a very large industry and investment. And one of the things that we reference in talking to our clients is the fact that the five largest publicly traded data center companies are equal to the five largest office and industrial from a market cap perspective, which I think is surprising to many people. And I think [it’s] indicative of the growth of the industry over the last several years and wha...

Pandemic Fuels Data Center Growth

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

In a year full of turmoil and strife caused by an unexpected pandemic, data centers were quickly recognized for their crucial presence in all lives, for maintaining communication and knowledge during a period of sudden change for humanity. Data center operators and major services held fast throughout the troubled, early days as they were identified as truly mission critical. Companies large and small rapidly scaled up workloads with cloud service providers so employees could access their normal applications; schools and universities moved online as students attended classes remotely; and all people looked to the Internet for entertainment as they stayed hom...

Trends in Office and Industrial Parks

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Of course, the big factor impacting office and industrial parks going into 2021 is COVID-19. The pandemic has reduced business production and workforce (through illness, social distancing, and remote working), disrupted the supply chain and cash flow, and brought about significant investments in technology. Across the nation, the demand for suburban office parks is rising as more skilled workers move back to suburbs, due to concerns about housing costs and quality of education — they also feel safer from COVID-19 and the civil unrest that is happening in some larger cities. “The most notable shift is toward lower-intensity spaces, where getting int...

2020 Governor's Cups

Monday, March 22, 2021

The Case For Tech-Employment Resilience During COVID-19

Monday, March 22, 2021

Core technology jobs are weathering the pandemic better than many other occupations as demand stays strong for tech services and products that support social distancing and basic business and societal functions. This bodes well for tech hotspots across North America. The tech industry already is a pillar of the U.S. economy. In the past five years, one of every four new office-space-using jobs created were in the technology industry. That influence extends to commercial real estate: Tech companies in this year’s second quarter accounted for 20.5% of office leasing activity in the U.S., more than any other industry. The pandemic has pause...

This Is the Maximum Number of Hours You Should Work to Avoid Stress

Monday, March 22, 2021

As entrepreneurs we tend to spend many hours at work, however, this may not be the most beneficial for your health or even for your cognitive development. According to a study published by the Melbourne Institute Worker Paper , spending only 25 hours at work a week, that is, three days, could be the healthiest, especially if you are over 40 years old. According to Australian researchers , who analyzed 3,000 men and 3,000 women, working more than 55 hours a week produces fatigue, stress, affects neural processes and atrophy cognitive functions. That is, reducing work time to 25 hours for every seven days improves memory, abstract reasonin...

Indoor Farming is for Real

Friday, March 19, 2021

Jonathan Webb’s quixotic dream is coming true. AppHarvest, the ag-tech venture he founded four years ago in Kentucky coal country, went public in February after shipping its first consignment of beefsteak tomatoes weeks earlier from what is North America’s biggest greenhouse. AppHarvest tomatoes now are available in chains such as Publix, Kroger, Walmart and Food City. Originally backed by celebrity investors including Steve Case, Martha Stewart, J.D. Vance and the NBA’s Blake Griffin, AppHarvest hopes to grow 45 million pounds of tomatoes a year at its environmentally sound, $97 million indoor farm in Morehead. AppHarvest announced plans in 2020 for two ne...

The Nation’s Top-Performing Micropolitan Areas Unmask Opportunities In Tough Times

Friday, March 19, 2021

Micropolitan areas were socially distanced before it became a thing. Defined as having a population between 10,000 and 49,999, they sometimes can be virtually synonymous with entire counties, their populations spread across rolling hills and valleys. Others benefit from proximity to larger metro areas: not too far away, but just far enough to avoid being annexed — for now. Just ask perennial former No. 1 micro Statesville-Mooresville, North Carolina, which was swallowed up by the greater Charlotte CBSA several years ago, yet still churns results for its newly defined region. Read full article.

March: Economic development webinars you don't want to miss

Monday, March 15, 2021

So much goes into strategy and planning for economic recovery and this line-up of free professional development webinars is designed to help you and your team take on the challenges that lie ahead. From a closer look to the interactive data you offer prospective investors and existing businesses to automatic property data feeds, from a guest panel of economic developers sharing strategies from their communities to questions about GIS tools and what brokers want you to know, these free online workshops are well worth your time. Can't attend at those dates or times? No problem! Register anyway to ensure you ge...

Minnesota Adds Nearly 52K Jobs in January

Thursday, March 11, 2021

In January, Minnesota gained back nearly all of the jobs it lost in the prior month, the state’s jobs agency reported on Thursday. In the first month of 2021, the state gained 51,800 jobs, which covered all but 1,000 of the estimated jobs lost in December 2020. Minnesota initially reported a loss of 49,800 jobs in December, but the state’s original estimates often fluctuate as officials gather more data. In a Thursday morning news conference, Steve Grove, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, said that the governor’s decision to roll back some of his pandemic-related restrictions likely drove muc...

Grow Minnesota!® Program Expands To Help Businesses Recover, Grow In Every Corner Of The State

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

The Minnesota Chamber announced Wednesday, March 10, new opportunities for businesses to grow and receive economic development and assistance through its Grow Minnesota!® program. For more than 15 years, this program has offered one-on-one assistance to businesses who want to stay and grow throughout the state. “Minnesota has a legacy of building and growing businesses here that keep the economy strong and provide a quality of life for our communities,” said Vicki Stute, Vice President of Programs and Business Services at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “Every business will encounter challenges as they look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Grow Minnesota!®...

Roundtable in “The Next Minnesota Economy” Series Focuses on Getting Unemployed Minnesotans Ready for In-Demand Careers

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

St. Paul - Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove and Office of Higher Education (OHE) Commissioner Dennis Olson engaged in a dynamic discussion about training Minnesotans for in-demand careers with representatives from health care, manufacturing, technology, workforce development boards, unions and higher education on Friday, March 5. The discussion was the latest in a series of roundtables on “The Next Minnesota Economy,” focused on rebuilding a more inclusive economic recovery that works for all Minnesotans. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created a paradox in Minnesota’s economy. While hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are unemployed, there are thousands o...

Twin Cities United Way Awards Final Round of Covid-19 Relief Funds

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

The Greater Twin Cities United Way on Tuesday announced that it has awarded its final round of Covid-19 relief grants, which were fueled by an influx of corporate donations and individual gifts. The organization distributed $682,000 in grants to 51 small nonprofits in the Twin Cities metro. All the nonprofits in this wave of funding already receive regular annual funding from United Way, said John Wilgers, president and CEO of the group’s Twin Cities chapter. In the final round of funding, the organization targeted small nonprofits that had the “greatest capacity-building needs,” Wilgers said. Some of the beneficiaries in the final round of fundin...

Attract More Attention to Your Business Online by Improving Your Copywriting

Sunday, March 07, 2021

If you're marketing your products or services online, good copywriting is a must. Quality copywriting can be the difference between someone deciding your product isn't worth the trouble or that it's the most important thing they've ever needed in their life. It's all about perspective, and copywriting helps people get into the right perspective. It's easy to outsource your copywriting needs, but that can get expensive quickly. If you're cutting costs and want to manage your copywriting yourself, learn how to do it properly in The Premium Digital Copywriting Training Bundle. This five-course bundle features training from experts like Derek Franklin (4.5/5 instructor rating), Alan Sharpe (4.5/5 rating), an...

DEED Announces Recipients of $61.51 Million in Small Business Relief Grants

Friday, March 05, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced the 6,151 small businesses that received $10,000 grants last year through the Small Business Relief Grants program. This program – created last June by the state legislature – was available to Minnesotan owned and operated businesses that could demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. DEED partnered with the Minnesota Lottery to ensure fairness in the distribution of funds. A total of $61.51 million was awarded – with businesses selected through a randomized lottery process after the application period closed last July. Those chosen were screened to ensur...

March EDO Roundtable: How are different regions planning for recovery?

Friday, March 05, 2021

One of the things we've all lost during this pandemic is the opportunity to get out and meet new colleagues from across the industry and discuss different strategies for dealing with important subjects in economic development, such as corporate site selection, business retention and support, workforce attraction, and talent development. While admittedly not quite the same as a lively discussion in a conference room (or at the conference hotel bar), our popular EDO Roundtable webinar series has nevertheless clearly resonated as a way to gather voices from different regions to discuss strategies for managing these challenging times. We invite you to joi...

How to Keep Teams Connected When We're Apart

Thursday, March 04, 2021

It can be easy to put team-building activities on the back burner these days. Who wants to schedule another video call? However, it’s a leader’s job to ensure the team is engaged and functioning well. And if you’re not making time for team building, you’re actually making your team less productive. Although employee performance optimization — improvement of an individual’s own skill set — is important for personal growth, studies have shown that individual expertise is not what ultimately makes teams and companies more competitive and innovative. As clichéd as it sounds, teamwork really is what makes the dream work. Google’s well-known research into team dynamics reinforced what Amy Edmondso...

Announcing "The Next Minnesota Economy" Series of Roundtables on Rebuilding a More Equitable Economy, for Everyone

Wednesday, March 03, 2021

As Minnesota’s battle to defeat COVID-19 continues, our equitable economic recovery is a top priority of Governor Tim Walz, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, and our team here at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). This pandemic has had a devastating effect on so many of our state’s businesses and workers – and it has also caused many leaders to rethink the future of our economy. How can we rebuild our economy to provide opportunity for everyone? What are the jobs of the future, and how can we reskill our workforce to capitalize on them? How can we attrac...

DEED Awards $500,000 For Job Creation in Austin

Wednesday, March 03, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced that Nu-Tek BioSciences will open their first manufacturing facility in Austin. The expansion is expected to create 35 high quality jobs within the next two years. DEED is assisting the expansion with a loan of up to $325,000 from the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF) and a $175,000 award from the Job Creation Fund (JCF). “Nu-Tek’s expansion is a testament to how attractive it is to operate a business in Minnesota,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove . “This shows how even in difficult economic times there is a path for business to thrive i...

It’s time to re-skill Minnesota

Wednesday, March 03, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a paradox in Minnesota’s economy. While hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are unemployed, there are thousands of businesses across the state who are struggling to hire. For example, we’ve lost 60,000 jobs in hospitality in the last year, but there are 120,000 job vacancies across the state in other fields like health care and manufacturing. In other words, this is a unique recession – unlike anything we’ve ever seen. As the economy grows over the coming months, there is an opportunity for unemployed Minnesotans to consider jobs on new career paths. To maximize the economic recovery we need t...

Women look to rejoin Minnesota workforce

Wednesday, March 03, 2021

MINNEAPOLIS — The economic downturn ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic hit women harder than men, in part because the industries most affected had higher concentrations of female workers. That was further compounded by a severe shortage of affordable childcare when schools and daycare centers were shifted to distance learning, leaving many women to make the hard choice to cut back on hours or give up work altogether. It's not just anecdotal. The Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development, or DEED, reports that 575,000 women have applied for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus arrived. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reports tha...

Marketing Tips For Early-Stage Startups

Friday, February 26, 2021

Every business needs a way to tell its customers about its products and services. Those marketing channels differ from one business to another and can change as the business grows. And just like everything else in business, marketing needs an investment. In the earliest stages of a startup, this investment is usually best spent developing a product customers need. Imagine that you have just developed two brand new products. Product one has great signs of possible product-market fit based on customer interviews and the validation experiments data. Yet, you have no marketing budget for it. Product two is not validated at all, but you hav...

Resilience Is One of the Most Essential Entrepreneurial Traits. Practicing This Can Help You Build It.

Friday, February 26, 2021

Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from difficult events, and if there’s one group who needs that ability, it’s entrepreneurs. Without resilience, every lost client feels like a catastrophe. Failure seems like a point of no return, despite being a normal, if unpleasant, outcome of starting a business. Resilience, however, is not all or none. Some entrepreneurs are better at picking themselves up and pivoting than others. What separates people who thrive in stressful times from those who break down when faced with adversity? Research by Vassar College Department of Psychology's Michele M. Tugade from 2004 suggests that resilient people experience positive emotions mor...

Tell us what you think about economic development marketing

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Challenges of Moving Manufacturing Out of China

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

There is plenty of manufacturing capability around the world for consumer goods, PPE, testing equipment, medical devices, consumer goods, and other industrial products. So why are companies reshoring their manufacturing operations now? The Tax Reform Act of 2017 helped. The 301 China penalty tariffs gave a little push. But the global pandemic made executives acutely aware of their global supply chain risks and vulnerabilities and provided an opportunity to rethink their global manufacturing strategy. New strategies typically include at least some capacity for manufacturing and sourcing critical goods in America. Pharmaceutical manufacturers were among the first to consider reshoring in an attemp...

How To Attract Remote Workers To Your Community

Monday, February 22, 2021

You know you need remote workers, now let's talk about how to attract remote workers to your community. REMOTE WORKERS bring an abundance of advantages to a local workforce, from growing the tax base to diversifying the labor pool. As remote work continues to grow, more communities will benefit from adding remote workers to their local workforce. WAYS TO ATTRACT REMOTE WORKERS TO YOUR COMMUNITY REMOTE WORK IS THE NEW NORM Nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers who have been working remotely during the pandemic want to continue to work from home, according to a GALLUP POLL. Between April and May 2020, the number of remote workers in the U.S. doubled, GALLUP REPORTS...

In Focus: Construction Tech Adoption Speeds Up

Monday, February 22, 2021

Faced with the urgent need to both enable remote work and safeguard job-site activity, U.S. construction firms significantly ramped up tech investments in 2020, condensing three years worth of adoption into a single year. According to JLL’s State of Construction Tech report, mature technologies — including digital collaboration platforms, virtual scanning tools, and safety-focused wearables — were forecast to see strong growth in 2020, thanks to proven value and low barriers to adoption. But once the pandemic struck, these tools proved more than nice-to-have — they’ve become a veritable lifeline for companies of all sizes to keep projects alive through this publi...

COVID-19 Vaccine Resources For Businesses

Friday, February 19, 2021

GENERAL VACCINE RESOURCES COVID-19 vaccine FAQ from the Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Guidance for Allocating and Prioritizing COVID-19 Vaccine – Phase 1a from the Minnesota Department of Health Answering patients' questions about a COVID-19 vaccine from the CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Phases and Planning from the Minnesota Department of Health December 17 COVID-19 vaccine update from the Department of Health to the Senate HHS Committee COVID-19 vaccine data: Vaccine administration in Minnesota from the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 vaccine dashboard from the Minnesota Department of Health General vaccine information from the Minnesota Department of Health Myths and facts about the COVID-19 vaccines from the CDC COVID-19 vaccine facts and FAQs for business leaders from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Rea...

Free On-Demand Webinar: How to Safely Reopen Offices & Manage a Hybrid Workforce

Friday, February 19, 2021

In the wake of coronavirus shutting down offices around the world, remote work has become the new norm. So how do you make workplaces safer post-pandemic? In the 15th episode of our Leadership Lessons series, Comparably CEO Jason Nazar speaks with an expert on the topic, Envoy founder/CEO Larry Gadea, who has facilitated 1 million safe returns to the office. With a suite of products that redefine how to welcome visitors and employees back to the office, the workplace platform includes tools for check-in registrations, booking rooms/desks, managing deliveries, and capacity limits for social distancing. Envoy is used in more tha...

“Made in America” Executive Order to Affect International Companies and FDI

Friday, February 19, 2021

On January 25th, President Biden issued one of his first Executive Orders, making changes to the “Made in America” program. The order left many with questions about how it would affect trade and international investment into the U.S. About the Executive Order The Executive Order is designed to strengthen the requirements for federal procurement in the U.S., allowing more of a preference for domestic products and supply chains (e.g., components) of domestic products. The order creates a new “Made in America” office to administer the new processes, which will be housed under the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) and will have its own director. Al...

Port Authority Celebrates Black History Month by Supporting Black-Owned Businesses

Thursday, February 18, 2021

We celebrate the accomplishments of Black business owners and encourage the passion of Black entrepreneurs during Black History Month and beyond. The accomplishments of Black Americans in the business world are many and make a great impact, but inequality in the business environment of the United States still exists. We Need to Improve Black Americans own 2.2% of the nation’s 6 million businesses with employees and 7% of businesses overall, according to a survey by the United States Census Bureau. 36.1% of all Black-owned businesses are headed by women, making more Black-owned businesses women-owned than non-Black businesses. While these numbers are impressive, the...

How to Host Better Virtual Meetings

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

If you’re like most professionals, you spent a lot of time in virtual meetings in 2020 and will in 2021 — more than you ever thought possible in, say, 2015. And if you’re like most professionals meeting virtually, you’ve lamented the fact that they could be better. Virtual meetings suffer many of the same drawbacks as traditional meetings, including poor organization, bloated time slots and disinterested attendees. But they also suffer from a batch of problems uniquely their own, including intermittent delays, connectivity issues and the dreaded patterns of ongoing interruptions. And of course, virtual meetings aren’t going anywhere. Many businesses that transitioned to a remot...

Helping to preserve historic buildings may be the one thing everyone at the Minnesota Legislature agrees upon

Tuesday, February 09, 2021

An effort to continue Minnesota’s primary tax break for restoring historic buildings has bipartisan support at the state House and Senate — and little organized opposition. That still isn’t enough to make supporters of the measure comfortable. Backers of the extending the provision, technically known as the Minnesota Historic Structure Rehabilitation State Tax Credit, worry that lawmakers — with pandemic response and passing a budget being the major priorities of the 2021 session — might lose sight of addressing the credit, which expires June 30. A similar bill was introduced in 2020 but then disappeared after a single hearing (along with a lot o...

DEED Announces Over $13 Million in Relief Grants to Convention Centers and Movie Theaters Statewide

Monday, February 08, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has announced awards of $4.6 million in Convention Center Relief Grants and $8.54 million in Movie Theater Relief Grants to facilities across the state. These grants were part of a $216 million economic relief package signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on Dec. 16, 2020. This package included a $14 million appropriation for grants to movie theaters and convention centers in Minnesota impacted by COVID-19. “Convention centers and movie theatres are an important part of our economy that has been severely impacted by COVID-19,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “The stat...

CareerForce Helps Mathew Reskill to Reach Career Goals

Thursday, February 04, 2021

Mathew always knew he wanted to go into the nursing field, but it was something he kept putting off as his career took him in a different direction. But thanks to reskilling resources he learned about through CareerForce, Mathew is back on a health care career track and excited about what his career future will bring. Mathew got his first experience in health care when he provided care for people with mental and physical disabilities at Community Living Opportunities in Overland, Kansas. He found working with his clients to be very rewarding because he liked the feeling of helping people. After working with people with disabilities for three years, Mathew served six years in the military. He came back to the U.S. wit...

DEED Headquarters Set to Move to Downtown St. Paul’s Great Northern Building in 2021

Thursday, February 04, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) today announced that its headquarters will move to the Great Northern Building at 180 East Fifth Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This two block move in downtown St. Paul, which will occur by August 1, 2021, will be DEED’s first relocation in nearly two decades. As DEED evaluated the possibility of moving, it executed a thorough three-year planning and evaluation process, and was focused on best serving Minnesotans and businesses across the state. This included an analysis to re-examine space needs, and take account of future teleworking trends, to bot...

MSP Regional Recovery Hub Weekly Take

Thursday, February 04, 2021

The big thing you should know about economic recovery in the Minneapolis Saint Paul region for the week of February 1st. This is the Recovery Hub Weekly Take, a new resource giving you the latest insights on regional economic recovery in the Minneapolis Saint Paul region. This Week’s Big Thing: students and teachers are returning to in-person learning across the metro, opening up return-to-work for parents who have been sidelined. According to the Minnesota Department of Health over half of school districts in the metro are offering in-person learning or a combination of in-person and virtual learning models as of this week. Thi...

Top 30 Jobs in Demand Now in Minnesota

Thursday, February 04, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has updated its list of the top 30 jobs in demand now in Minnesota. You can see the list at CareerForceMN.com/JobsinDemand. “Many of the jobs most in demand now are in fields with a significant potential for career growth,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “For example, entry level positions in health care and manufacturing offer a path up to well-paying, family sustaining careers as a person gains experience and training. And in many cases, employers provide on-the-job training to help dedicated employees grow in their careers.” In the listing of the top 30 job...

5 Tips for a Thriving Company Culture

Wednesday, February 03, 2021

Given the uncertainty businesses face in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, company leaders are looking at every phase of their operation to determine ways they can improve. Workplace culture is one area commanding attention. As the virus caused business limitations and forced many companies to go fully remote in 2020, workplace culture was challenged in new ways. This was a reminder to company leaders to make this a priority, forcing them to find ways to strengthen it in the new year, says Mark McClain, CEO and co-founder of SailPoint and the ForbesBooks author of Joy and Success at Work: Building Organizations that Don’t Suck (th...

DEED Announces Nearly $2 Million in Awards for Job Creation

Wednesday, February 03, 2021

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has announced that since July, there has been $1.89 million in awards from the Job Creation Fund (JCF). Seven businesses are expanding in the state using awards from the JCF, six of which are in Greater Minnesota and one is in the metro. These projects are expected to create at least 226 new jobs. “This past year has brought some incredible challenges to business leaders in the state, but these expansions show that Minnesota still offers so many opportunities for growth,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “These awards are proof tha...

Launch Minnesota Awards $450K in Grants to Continue Building State’s Startup Network

Wednesday, February 03, 2021

St. Paul – Launch Minnesota – an initiative of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) designed to elevate Minnesota as a national leader in innovation – has awarded $450,000 from its Education Grants program to six organizations to continue development of our statewide innovation ecosystem. The Launch Minnesota Network is designed to help startups from across Minnesota get the resources and support they need to build the next big companies that will grow our state’s economy and create jobs. A collaboration that spans the whole state, it is connected by eight hubs for startup support that include 85 program partners. The Launch Minnesot...

4 Keys To Startup Success In Crowded Markets

Monday, February 01, 2021

Many would-be entrepreneurs spend a lot of time trying to think of the next big thing. Most end up spinning their wheels and never getting a new venture off the ground. It’s hard to come up with an original business idea. However, if you look at some of the most successful businesses in the world, you'll find that they aren't based on new ideas at all. The truth is that you don't have to be original to start a successful business. Many startups succeed in crowded markets by doing their homework and executing their business plans. Nerd Wallet, for example, succeeded amon...

DEED Awards Over $20.6 Million in Broadband Grants

Monday, February 01, 2021

ST. PAUL – While the critical importance of reliable, high-speed broadband access has become even more obvious during the pandemic, there are still unserved and underserved areas of the state. To help close that gap, on Jan. 28, the state announced broadband grant awards for 39 projects designed to bring service to more than 6,900 businesses, homes, and community anchor institutions in Minnesota. This marked the sixth year of grants through the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program overseen by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). DEED Commissioner Steve Grove and Broadband Director Angie Dickison joined three grantees at a recent virtual press conference to talk about the progra...

Does 2021 Mean A Road To Recovery?

Friday, January 29, 2021

Grow Minnesota! conducted in-depth conversations with nearly 300 businesses in 2020, to learn what challenges and opportunities they were facing in light of the immense changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. While not a substitute for hard economic data, these conversations provide key insights into how businesses are navigating unprecedented disruptions, and offer a glimpse at what Minnesota can do to help companies recover and grow in the coming months. Not surprisingly, the impacts of COVID-19 took center stage in our virtual visits with businesses this past year. However, the results from Grow Minnesota’s! outreach also reveal some surprising insight...

Grow Minnesota! 2020 Annual Report

Friday, January 29, 2021

2020 was filled with challenges, uncertainty and change. The events of the year also highlighted the innovation and resiliency of Minnesota businesses. The true value of our well-established Grow Minnesota! business retention and assistance program was also witnessed in 2020. As the only structured ongoing statewide economic development program of its kind, we had the capacity and experience to respond quickly to the multitude and variety of business concerns that surfaced throughout the past year. Our nearly 300 one-on-one business visits completed in 2020 also allowed us to share keen insights on Minnesota’s economic outlook. We will continue to buil...

Where Talent Is Migrating To — and From

Friday, January 29, 2021

For the last five years, Emsi has been tracking how communities are faring in their efforts to attract and develop talent. Our Talent Attraction Index equally weighs six metrics: migration, growth of jobs and skilled workers, regional competitiveness, job openings, and education attainment to rank each county and create our Talent Attraction Scorecard. Data for this year’s Scorecard captures where communities stood just before the pandemic hit. Perhaps one of the most notable results is that talent attraction is mirroring broader migration trends. Chiefly, talent is being drawn out of major metros to midsize markets. Counties between 250,000 and 1million i...

Not Waiting For the World to Change

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Sprung from the lush forests of Oregon just 15 years ago, a different breed of outsourcer has found small town America to be a vital talent resource. FCR (derived from First Call Response) got its start in the legacy timber town of Roseburg, a community of 21,000 that today is home to two FCR call centers and what the company calls its “Base Camp,” just 90 minutes from the Umpqua National Forest, Crater Lake, the Oregon Coast and the city of Eugene, where FCR operates another center. It’s hard to keep up with the flurry of company site openings in 202...

Strategies for Accelerating Project Execution

Thursday, January 28, 2021

More than 75 percent of the companies responding to a recent survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) expect the COVID-19 pandemic will have a financial impact on their business, with more than 50 percent anticipating changes to their operations. Prior to the pandemic many manufacturing companies had design and construction projects, either in progress or in the pipeline, with aggressive schedules. To slow the spread of the disease, many manufacturing operations and construction sites were shut down while new safety precautions were developed and implemented. Furthermore, uncertainty in the market caused many companies to delay committing large capital investments int...

A Time to Look Forward

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Years ago in this column, I reminded readers that January is named after the Roman god Janus — the one looking backward and forward at the same time. The cover on this January issue seems the perfect illustration of that notion. We were determined to not focus again on the coronavirus and pandemic after some 2020 covers that did just that. But how do we — and you — move into a new year without that context? The way we work, the way our organizations function and the way our industries are coping and transforming have all changed. Zoom meetings fro...

5 Ways COVID-19 Changed Site Selection

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

COVID-19 didn’t just upset the established model of corporate site selection in 2020; the global pandemic obliterated it. Site Selection Magazine’s annual survey of site selection consultants, conducted in late November, revealed five ways in which the global outbreak of coronavirus significantly altered how companies choose their business facility locations: Instead of people chasing jobs, jobs are now chasing people. Remember the good old days when everyone checked into the central office each workday and reported for duty? Yeah, neither do we. When the pandemic hit America in early March, worksites around the country began shutting down and the shift to remote wor...

The 2021 Regional Workforce Development Rankings

Monday, January 25, 2021

Joensuu, a city of 76,000 in Eastern Finland, is home to the European Forest Institute, appropriately enough. It’s also the home base of Valamis, a leading IT company specializing in the digitalization of learning. That may not be a new discipline, but it will take on greater urgency as remote learning becomes the norm. The company has 10 offices worldwide. In September 2020, Valamis published results from its second annual global report, The State of Learning and Development in the Workplace. More than 3,000 people were surveyed in more than 20 industries from entry-level to C-Suite executives in organizations fro...

Why Would My Community Want To Attract A Remote Workforce

Monday, January 25, 2021

Why would my community want to attract a REMOTE WORKFORCE? -- To grow your economy, of course! The coronavirus pandemic has affected U.S. workplaces in many ways, including transitioning many employees to remote work. As some businesses begin to welcome employees back to the office, many remote workers, about two-thirds to be exact, are opting to continue working remotely, according to a GALLUP POLL. Attracting remote workers should now be a priority for all economic developers. WHY WOULD MY COMMUNITY WANT TO ATTRACT A REMOTE WORKFORCE? Remote workers can bring many benefits to the communities they choose to live in. Just like any othe...

Launch Minnesota Receives National Award as a Small Business Administration “Super Connector”

Friday, January 22, 2021

St. Paul – Launch Minnesota – an initiative of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) designed to accelerate the growth of startups and amplify Minnesota as a national leader in innovation – has received a national award as a “Super Connector” in the new Lab-to-Market (L2M) Competition sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in partnership with the National Science and Technology. The competition drew over 160 submissions from across the country and awarded $330,000 in prizes. Launch Minnesota was one of four recipients in the Super Connector category which recognizes “current efforts to successfully attract and/or support networks of underrepresented communitie...

COVID-19 Business Relief Payments Information

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

The Minnesota Department of Revenue will send COVID-19 Business Relief Payments to eligible businesses under an economic relief package signed into law December 16. Eligible business owners do not need to take any action to receive this aid. We'll determine eligibility and payment amounts based on program requirements in the law and outlined below. Eligible Businesses This program provides direct payments to eligible businesses required to temporarily close or reduce services in November under Executive Order 20-99. Businesses in the following categories — as reported by the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance program — may be eligible if they meet the other program requirements. Read full article.

Education and Training Opportunities in Health Care

Thursday, January 14, 2021

So you’ve heard time and time again about how an entry level position in health care can be a springboard to a new and fulfilling career, and that is true. Health care is one of the few occupations where you are limited only by your own personal goals in life. So I wanted to take this opportunity to share information about the education and training opportunities that exist to help you begin your journey as a health care professional. Health care for youth and young adults Not sure if health care is the occupation for you? There are many opportunities to tak...

How to Protect Your Small Business Against Fraud

Thursday, January 14, 2021

As a small business owner, you have many responsibilities to uphold to keep your company running efficiently. One of them is ensuring you have sufficient security measures in place to protect organizational and employee data from fraudulent scams. Unfortunately, online scams are becoming increasingly pervasive: as of 2018, 82% of businesses reported experiencing a form of fraud. While these findings indicated that large enterprises were at a particularly high risk, small businesses were not exempt from these attacks, which is why it’s more important than ever to protect your small business against fraud. Here are three steps you can follow to boost your security and keep scammers a...

5 Reasons Why Good Leaders Must Be Great Followers

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

“He who cannot be a good follower, cannot be a good leader.” Aristotle's old adage has never seemed more prescient. Consider the current Covid crisis: It has taken a pandemic to prove that distant, aloof and larger-than-life leaders are no longer effective. Now more than ever it has become advisable for the modern manager to empathize with, and lend an ear to, those he manages. A study conducted by Kim Peters & S. Alexander Haslam on these two identities has proven that individuals who appear to be ideal followers are often a more popular choice for any leadership position among their peers. Here are 5 reasons why an individual’s personality as a player helps them to be a proficien...

Entrepreneurs, Here's Why 2021 Is The Right Time To Start Your New Business

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

The year 2020 came with its own share of problems. If there is one thing to learn from living through pandemics and lockdowns, it’s that a lot can change in a year. Many entrepreneurs started last January with high hopes and expectations for their businesses. However, many of those expectations went downhill as the year progressed. As with human nature, life moves on no matter what, so even though we were stuck at home for most of 2020, many businesses found ways to stay afloat. As we move forward in this new year, entrepreneurs are looking to strategize and many ar...

Hear What Former Participants Have To Say About Leaders Lab

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Leaders Lab is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage Minnesota’s developing business leaders (approximately late 20s to 30s). It will enhance your personal and professional growth, connect you with business leaders statewide, and provide understanding into what drives Minnesota’s economy and how policy affects the success of business in our state. The program consists of four, two-day sessions. Why should you apply for 2021 Leaders Lab? Take it from some of our recent participants: the top 5 reasons to apply for Leaders Lab this year. Read full article.

Minneapolis restaurateur Hector Ruiz plans first suburban location in Minnetonka

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Minneapolis restaurateur Hector Ruiz is partnering with an investor to open his first store in the suburbs. A second location of El Travieso Taqueria is slated to take a 1,200-square-foot storefront inside Minnetonka’s Minnehaven Square building, located at the intersection of Minnetonka Boulevard and County Road 101. It could be a first step toward a larger suburban expansion for Ruiz. That expansion is being aided by Chase Lindsay, a TCF Financial Corp. vice president and real estate and business investor who first met Ruiz several years ago. Lindsay is taking an ownership stake in El Travieso and providing marketing support for the growing business. The origina...

Site Selectors Make Five Predictions for 2021

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Renewed site selection activity, cautious optimism on foreign direct investment (FDI), continued skilled labor shortages and a shakeup of the global supply chain are among key findings of a 2021 outlook survey on corporate location trends. The findings were released today by the Site Selectors Guild, the only association of the world’s foremost professional site selection consultants. Conducted the week of December 7, 2020, the online survey of Guild members aimed to shed light on shifts and challenges in corporate location strategy moving into 2021. The COVID-19 impact survey of Guild members is the third of its kind, following surveys i...

Asian grocer United Noodles, Inc. buys Minneapolis warehouse for $6.95 million

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

The owners of United Noodles, whose Asian grocery store has been a tenant in Snelling Distribution Center in south Minneapolis for over three decades, have bought the building. The $6.95 million deal closed in late December. The single-story, nearly 82,000-square-foot warehouse at 2001 E. 24th St. last sold for $5.4 million in 2018, according to county property records. Eric Fung, co-owner and president of United Noodles Inc., described the purchase as a “huge investment” for the company, founded in 1972. A second United Noodles location opened in Woodbury in 2019. “Owning the building means that we now have the security of knowing that w...

Five Essential Elements Of A Marketing Plan For A Small Business

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

If you are planning to open your own small business, the first step is to develop a business plan. The next step is to develop a marketing plan, as all business plans should be paired with a strategy for marketing your products or services. Marketing strategies vary in format, but they all have the common goal of attracting and building relationships with customers. The style is up to you, but it should include the following elements. 1. Marketing Goals and Objectives You will need to develop realistic and measurable marketing goals that cover a full calendar year and are aligned with you...

A Zombie Mall Gets A New Lease On Life

Monday, January 11, 2021

The abandoned Four Seasons Mall in Plymouth looks like it would make a good backdrop for a zombie movie. But zombie time is running out. It will be razed for housing in 2021. The strip mall has been empty for 10 years—a good run for a zombie mall—and much of the old signage is still up for Fresh & Natural Foods and a Curves. Pull up to the site and you’ll draw the attention of a security guard. Arkansas-based Walmart paid $10.6 million for the land near the intersection of Highway 169 and Rockford Road in 2010 with hopes of building ...

4 Ways Your Company Can Have Great Success In 2021

Sunday, January 10, 2021

2020 was a tough year for businesses of all sorts. Covid-19 decimated labor markets, stressed supply lines and, in some unlucky sectors, ground production to a halt. 2021 is a chance to forget last year’s trials and to start fresh. Chances must be capitalized on to create change. You need to put your nose to the grindstone, both personally and as a business leader, if you want to make it a red-letter year. If 2021 is going to be your company’s year, you have to make it so. Here’s how to do it: 1. Tailor Your Expressions of Appreciation This past year has been jus...

How To Include Remote Workers In Your Workforce Attraction Strategy

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

As we enter a new year, you may be wondering how to include remote workers in your workforce attraction strategy. Government regulations and efforts to slow the pandemic have forced workplaces to embrace remote work options. 88% OF BUSINESSES all over the world authorized their employees to work from home due to COVID-19. It is vital to focus on effectively targeting remote workers but how does this translate to benefitting the local economy? WHY IT'S WORTH IT TO ATTRACT REMOTE WORKERS IT GROWS AND DIVERSIFIES THE LOCAL ECONOMY More people working from home equals more money spent locally. More money remains in the community, and the communit...

Many Minnesotans have skills that can transfer to a health care career

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Minnesota health care employers are seeking compassionate and caring people to fill a multitude of positions, both patient facing and non-patient facing. Many Minnesotans looking for work now already have the skills to do many of them. People that think they need extensive education and training to start their career in health care may be surprised to learn that sometimes the only thing needed to get in the door is a passion for doing good and the ability to pass the background check required by the Minnesota Department of Health. The rest of the training is often provided, and paid for...

Governor Proclaims April Technology Workforce Month in Minnesota

Thursday, April 01, 2021

Indoor Farming is for Real

Friday, March 19, 2021

DEED Awards $500,000 For Job Creation in Austin

Wednesday, March 03, 2021

COVID-19 VACCINE RESOURCES FOR BUSINESSES

Friday, February 19, 2021

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