Hat Tip to State’s Economic Developers during Economic Development Week

11 May 2017

Minnesota has lots of EcoDev bragging rights.

This week is National Economic Development Week – and have we got the bragging rights for the great work our economic development teams do to help businesses expand in or relocate to Minnesota.

Recent recognitions highlight our robust business climate; skilled, educated workforce; and positive work/life balance. CNBC named Minnesota Top State for Business (2015), the 2^nd Smartest State (2016) and the 2^nd highest in Quality of Life (2016). Read more on the Minnesota Success Story or go to BusinessClimate.com.

Compare Minneapolis-St. Paul just launched. Among top 10 metro areas, Minneapolis-St. Paul ranks:

1^st in Fortune 500 companies per 1 million people (4.5) – 2016
7^th in total number of Fortune 500 companies (16) – 2016
7^th in employment in manufacturing industries (194,368) – 2015
8^th in employment in financial and insurance industries (108,055) – 2015
8^th in employment in health care and social assistance services (267,626) – 2015
10^th in venture capital investments per capita ($99) – 2016
8^th in total invention patents (3,419) – 2015
8^th in exports per capita ($5,563) – 2015
Minneapolis-St. Paul airport (MSP) ranks ninth in scheduled departure flights (176,126) among large U.S. airports – 2017

A wealth of business development and expansion programs also is driving job and business growth. One of the most successful is the Job Creation Fund, which provides grants to businesses in exchange for job creation and investment commitments. Since the program was launched more than three years ago, the state has awarded $33.3 million for 75 business expansion projects in Minnesota. Companies, in turn, have committed to creating nearly 4,600 fulltime jobs and investing more than $1 billion.

Continue to full article.

More Topics

Personal service and lower fees at community banks

May 1 2017

Personal service is the hallmark of community banks. According to BankRate.com, that’s one of the biggest reasons people give for keeping their money at small, locally owned banks instead of national behemoths. Staff at a community bank know the people who use it, often entire...

Goetz inspires hometown crowd

Apr 28 2017

Stephanie Goetz knows how to hold the attention of an audience. After a 10-year broadcasting career in Fargo, N.D., the 2003 Red Wing High School graduate created Goetz Communications, a motivational speaking and consulting business. At Wednesday's Professional Women's Leadership Event, the audience, perhaps, was one of Goetz's most attentive as...

Julie Klecker named region's top female business professional

Apr 28 2017

The 2017 Professional Women's Leadership Event drew record attendance Wednesday. Held at Treasure Island Resort & Casino, the 31st year of the event was attending by over 250 women. Julie Klecker, of Ellsworth, was named the Business Professional Woman of the Year. Klecker, an accounting specialist at RiverTown Multimedia,...