Minnsights Blog

The business community should be paying attention now, not waiting until November. The next Legislature will face important questions around taxes, regulation, workforce, energy, health care and the overall cost of doing business in Minnesota. This election is especially important because Minnesota’s economic competitiveness will depend on the policy choices made over the next several years. Businesses need policymakers who understand how those decisions affect employers, employees and communities across the state.

We had a terrific week because we were with our Board of Directors down in Hastings at the Confluence Hotel and Conference Center, where our Board met for its annual planning retreat. It was a very productive and very important meeting as we set the future plans for the organization.

I'm coming to you this week from Colorado Springs, where I'm participating in the national program of the Conference of State Manufacturers Associations, better known as COSMA, where we've been meeting here in Colorado Springs over the weekend. This is my peer set. These are the other organization leaders that head up manufacturing associations across the country. In the case of the Minnesota Chamber, we're not just the Chamber, we're the state’s manufacturing association as well. And I’m very pleased to be here learning and connecting with and sharing our work in Minnesota with our peers across the country.

We had an exciting week as we hosted our annual Women in Business Minnesota conference, this year at Target Field, bringing together business leaders from across the state, talking about the importance of the sports industry for the state and focusing on leadership, connections and professional opportunities in women's sports here in our great state.

What happens to a plastic bottle after you put it in the recycling bin? There is plenty of speculation about where our plastics end up after the blue bin - being shipped overseas, ending up in the ocean or simply being thrown away as trash. While there can be some truth to these claims globally, it’s important to understand that recycling is largely a regional system.