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Putting in the Work

6/27/2022

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Another departure from B’s Blog this week so that your Chamber Team can highlight our DEI Collaborative and Kristie Lazenberry's work with the Chamber: 

Let me introduce myself, I am Kristie Lazenberry, the new Program Director for the DEI Collaborative at the St. Paul Area Chamber. As someone who has worked in the field of racial justice for many years, I’ve learned a great deal as a consultant, workshop content developer, facilitator, and Qualified Administrator for the IDI. My extensive experience with business leaders has made me well aware of the work that needs to be done in the world of business.
We have all been made aware of the dwindling workforce pool if we maintain status quo and only invite people to the table who look, talk, and act just like the traditional leaders of businesses. Our leaders must break out of the box and change their fundamental mindsets to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion and then lead their respective organizations with that new vision. The studies have been done repeatedly and continue to show the array of positive benefits to any company’s bottom line by doing so.

​So as a CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO or anyone at the C-Suite level, how do you get there? You must do the work! This is not ‘fluff’ nor should it be the first thing to go when you get in a crunch; it is one of the most important things you can do, and it is not easy. Confronting your own biases, existing in discomfort is not generally what you seek out, but the growth extends to all areas of your life and frankly, will bring you some amazing experiences.

The St. Paul Area Chamber's DEI Collaborative program has been serving business leaders in the Twin Cities area for over 7 years and business leaders who have participated in it praise the approach. Each cohort of 10-15 leaders engage in confidential conversations guided by an experienced facilitator and in the process, deepen personal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and leveraging that commitment to lead meaningful change.

The next cohort starts in September 2022. We would love to have you participate! To learn more about the DEI Collaborative, please click here. For questions and inquiries, please contact Kristie. 

B will be back next week with thoughts and a quick read on things you should know.

See you in the trenches,

 
Your Chamber Team
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Absolute Power

6/20/2022

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First things First: This past Sunday, June 19, marked Juneteenth, commemorating June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Texas were informed of their freedom – 2-1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Observing this day is vital because it reminds us that work still needs to be done to eliminate inequalities and injustices in our communities.
 
Along with most of you, I imagine, I’ve been reflecting on much of the news. From the House committee investigative hearings regarding the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol (on a side note: The AP recently published an article on the thirst for power, comparing Jan 6 with Watergate, which sent my thoughts along this path; worth reading), to Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Or even the more mundane madness of a Minnesota legislative session that ends without committing the billions of unspent surplus. I’ve been thinking about the nature of power. Where is the learning for us?
 
This phrase from 19th-century historian Lord Acton, “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is a warning against the negative effects of power. The true threat, for each of us, is that increased power threatens to corrupt a person, lessening our morality. Leadership, at its core, is all about power and influence. That’s why, to my mind, the concept of “servant leadership” is so pivotal.
 
For most of us, we start, innocently enough, from a place of striving to do good. And yet somewhere, somehow, along the way we start abusing the privilege of leadership. Ever so subtly at first. No matter how large or small our domain, when we have authority over it we are vulnerable to abuse of that authority.
 
So I’ve been doing some reading:  how can I avoid being corrupted by power? The Keller Institute wrote a great piece on how to “Escape the Corruption of Power”:
  1. Don’t forget where you came from.
  2. Ensure you have self-imposed restrictions to rein yourself in.
  3. Remind yourself that no one is untouchable. Even the mighty fall – as history has shown us.
  4. Find a mentor – someone who has demonstrated good leadership and ask them to help keep you grounded. None of us is immune to the allure of power.
 
It’s challenging to be both great and good. That said, we can be encouraged; self-awareness and diligence – and courage - can be a protection. And we can channel Mother Teresa who, when asked about the great things she did, assured us that “none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”  

​See you in the trenches.
B
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  • US opens COVID vaccine to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; shots begin this week. This follows a CDC panel now recommending vaccines for children under five.
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  • Fed Reserve Chair Powell has pledged to do whatever it takes, with the largest rate hike since 1994, (three-quarters of a point on June 15), to curb inflation.  Fed’s aggressive rate hikes raise likelihood of a recession.
  • Report: home inventory and prices rise in May. Inventory now stands at 1.3 months of supply, well below the 4-6 months needed for a “balanced market.” Meanwhile, homes aren’t getting any cheaper.
  • State’s unemployment rate drops to 2%, a historic level – again. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained the same at 3.6%, while the national labor force participation rate rose a tenth of a point to 62.3%. The state’s labor participation rate rose from 68.3% to 68.4%, DEED reported. ​
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​State
  • Shocking no one: Special Session of Legislature is “unlikely.” This impasse leaves about $7.2B of the original $9.25B surplus unspent.
  • Governor revives stimulus checks for Minnesotans debate.
 
Regional
  • Property owners file federal lawsuit over St. Paul rent control.
  • Purple Line drops downtown White Bear Lake, considers Century College. The decision comes as little surprise to those who have been involved in crafting the corridor, given that in late April, the committee directed Met Council planning staff to study route modifications following negative feedback from the White Bear Lake City Council.
  • The long-stalled Rice Creek Commons development in Arden Hills likely isn’t moving forward any time soon.
  • Petitions submitted to put St. Paul property tax hike for preschool expansion on November ballot.

Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.
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  • If you haven’t yet met Nancy Korsah, make a point to do so! Black Business Enterprises finds its first space in North Loop.
  • Check out your Chamber’s calendar of upcoming events as well, which includes:
    • Come meet some new people at our next free monthly mixer!  June 30, 4-6 PM: Chamber Connect at Holman’s Table.
    • July 14, 8-9 AM: Shifting Work Environments & Staff Shortages - Business Education Series (Hybrid) .
    • July 19, 11 AM-1 PM: Annual Foundation Luncheon at the St. Paul Event Center.
    • August 1: Golf Classic and Golf 101 at Mendakota Country Club.
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  • You’ve been searching high and low for that next great hire. You’ve gone through headhunters, job search engines and word of mouth, all to find the next C-suiter who can drive strategy and culture across your company. And it’s gone about as well as finding a needle in a haystack, hasn’t it? Maybe it’s time to consider another source of talent: The 5.4 million women who left the labor market when the pandemic hit to care for their children and families.
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  • EDA’s new funding opportunity: Economic Recovery Corps and Equity Impact Investments programs. EDA is excited to announce a new funding opportunity that includes two programs that will strengthen equitable economic development strategies across the nation. The Economic Recovery Corps program will add staff resources to local organizations focused on improving economic resilience and competitiveness in distressed regions across the country. The Equity Impact Investments program will provide technical assistance to enable organizations serving underserved populations and communities to participate in economic development planning and projects.  A webinar about this funding opportunity will be held on Thursday, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. RSVP HERE for the webinar.  Deadline to apply: August 5, 2022.
  • St. Paul officials on Wednesday reaffirmed their intent to make reparations to Black residents, but they still have to decide how to make it happen.Members of a reparations advisory group recommended next steps for St. Paul leaders, including looking at the city's federal American Rescue Plandollars, sales taxes, land sale proceeds and philanthropic contributions as potential funding sources. 
  • Launch Minnesota, the state’s start-up accelerator, is preparing to accept its next round of applications for $1.5M Innovation Grants, beginning July 10.  This initiative is designed to accelerate innovation and provide access to capital, educational resources, and programming to help early-stage businesses grow.
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  • St. Paul commercial-industrial permits down in May. $15.2M worth of permits during the month, the lowest of the year so far.
  • Xcel Energy work ahead in downtown St. Paul:  “Xcel Energy will be relocating natural gas line along 5th Street, between Robert and Jackson streets, in downtown St. Paul, with work taking place here through mid-July. We’re working in your community to continue to provide safe, reliable service.”  Also ahead: Xcel Energy will be working in several areas in Ramsey and Washington counties to relocate natural gas and electric utilities prior to the METRO Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project. Learn more about the Metro Gold Line BRT Project. 
  • Interested in the latest work of the Great River Passage Conservancy? Here are visions for learning center at St. Paul’s Crosby Farm Park.
  • Gateway Park opens on St. Paul's Highland Bridge site: After more than a decade of planning and construction on one of the largest redevelopment projects in city history, Gateway Park became the first portion of St. Paul's Highland Bridge site to open to the public.
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The Satisfaction Equation

6/13/2022

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Another Simon Sinek podcast to share with you today. I love that guy.  In his “A Bit of Optimism” podcast, Sinek recently interviewed Arthur Brooks, and they talked about a number of things including Brooks’ new book, From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of life. Here is the link to this podcast. 
 
Why did it captivate me? Two main points resonated with me: 
 
#1:  “The Satisfaction Problem”  (around minute 11:30)
 
As he prepared for this book, Brooks asked the Dalai Lama how to solve “the satisfaction problem.” We think of satisfaction as getting what we want, achieving something, of having things: “If I have that job, that relationship, that car or house, THEN I’ll be happy.” The Dalai Lama’s answer was that to get stable happiness, we need to stop striving to have what we want and start wanting what we have.
 
The real way to understand this: our satisfaction is what we have divided by what we want.  HAVES/WANTS. 
 
SO, if we spend less time WANTING, our satisfaction equation increases. Instead of, “I wish I had the new,” it’s “I love the thing I’ve got.”  
 
#2:  “Fluid Intelligence” vs “Crystallized Intelligence”  (around minute 21)
 
And then, how do we continue that satisfaction into the second half of our lives? Around age 70, the population splits: ½ continues to be happier all the way to the end of life; the other ½ starts experiencing decreasing happiness. Why?
 
As we age, our intelligence shifts from “fluid intelligence” to “crystallized intelligence.”  The first is defined by our energized, innovative, and creative work; the second reflects a different set of skills, wisdom, and intelligence, that we can capitalize on as masters/teachers and sharing that learning with the next generation. We can transition to becoming other-focused.
 
Brooks shared the example of Johann Sebastian Bach, an innovative musical genius, who made the transition to master/teacher. He was the creator of high baroque style, among the most prolific composers in history. One of his sons, Johann Christian Bach, created a new style of music – classical style. That son ultimately eclipsed his father. Instead of striving to compete, the father spent the rest of his life as a master teacher of the forms. He was beloved, happy, surrounded by family and students…. he spent the second half of his life in service to others. All by remodeling his life and embracing the transition.  
 
Really inspiring to me – starting each day with a sense of fullness and satisfaction and focusing on how to serve others…. I hope it inspires you as well! Speaking of podcasts, listen to my latest episode of B's Table Talk featuring Amanda Rome, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Xcel Energy and check out the archives here. ​
 
See you in the trenches.
B​
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  • Minnesota’s first test-to-treat site for COVID-19 opened this past Friday.
  • COVID-19 levels are down 16% in the Twin Cities wastewater.
  • Free COVID test about to expire? Minnesota’s tests have longer shelf life than listed.
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  • The Federal Reserve Federal Open Market Committee will hold its monetary policy meeting Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, during which the central bank is widely expected to raise the key benchmark interest rate by a half-percentage point. In light of the latest inflation data, Chair Jerome Powell's remarks on the Fed's inflation expectations will be closely watched. 
  • Liz Reynolds, special assistant to the president at the National Economic Council, will be among the speakers discussing the competitiveness of the U.S. economy at a Bipartisan Policy Center event, "Defining Competitiveness: Why It Matters." The event will be broadcast live at noon on Tuesday. 
  • Inflation: $5 gas is here: AAA says nationwide average hits new high – for the first time ever. Inflation at new 40-year high – up to 8.6% in May. And most Americans expected it to get worse.
  • EDA: By September 30th of this year, EDA will announce the recipients of the final phase of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). This $1 billion competition is the largest economic development program in the nation in the last decade, and the marquee program of EDA’s American Rescue Plan programs.  
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Regional
  • Pay increase coming to minimum wage earners July 1.
  • St. Paul approves six tiny homes for the homeless near Lake Phalen. Last Wednesday Saint Paul’s City Council approved zoning required for a micro-neighborhood of portable tiny homes.
  • The Hillcrest redevelopment project takes another step forward. City Council approves master plan for the site.
  • Changes coming to County Boards across the East Metro.
​
Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.
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  • Lots going on in downtown St. Paul: check out the Downtown Alliance calendar of events and plug in!
  • Black Tech Talent Summit:  June 17- 18, online Friday and in-person at the Science Museum Saturday
  • Check out your Chamber’s calendar of upcoming events as well, which includes:
    • Come meet some new people at our next free monthly mixer!  June 30, 4-6 PM: Chamber Connect at Holman’s Table
    • July 14, 8-9 AM: Shifting Work Environments & Staff Shortages - Business Education Series (Hybrid)
    • July 19, 11 AM-1 PM: Annual Foundation Luncheon at the St. Paul Event Center
    • August 1: Golf Classic and Golf 101 at Mendakota Country Club
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  • Regarding the great resignation:  great article on “conversational capacity”; this especially resonates with me: “bad communication may not be the big reason they are leaving, but it is the big reason why they might stay.”
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  • The Saint Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board recently received an update on the first round of funding from the City’s 30% AMI Deeply Affordable Housing Fund. Approximately one-third (~$12 million) of the previously announced $37.5 million American Rescue Plan (ARPA) investment will be deployed to support these projects, which will increase the supply of deeply affordable multifamily rental housing in St. Paul. 
  • Building equity in multifamily housing: “Building Family in Small Multifamily Ownership” initiative is entering 2nd year, so far has helped 16 people buy 2-4 unit properties in the Twin Cities. Its goal is to reduce racial gaps in homeownership and help BIPOC households to build wealth as owner-occupant landlords.
  • MBOLD selects 4 Minnesota businesses for food and ag entrepreneurship program. The coalition includes Target Corp, General Mills, Cargill, and Land O’Lakes. This year’s cohort includes: Step One Foods; Local Create; HidrateSpark; Bizzy Coffee.
  • Minnesota has one of the best business climates for LGTBQ+ people, according to a new index by Out Leadership. With a score of 86 – up 2.5 points from last year – Minnesota ranked 11th on the index.
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  • Sustainable: ‘Passive’ housing gains active support. Sherman’s Verdant apt bldg. at 85 S Livingston Ave. is ​​St. Paul’s first “passive house” multitenant development (focused on energy efficiency through design and construction approaches). ​
  • Study: remote work could slash office valuations by $500B by end of 2020s.
  • Hmong grocery store owner buys St. Paul warehouse for wholesale tropical-produce market. Mo Chang bought the 30K SF bldg. at 141 W Lafayette Frontage Rd. (formerly Dragon Star Supermarket). This site will be an extension of Mo’s Tropical Market at 2128 – 11th Ave. in North St. Paul.
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Back to Workplace, Back to Summer, Back to “Normal”?

6/7/2022

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​Happy Birthday (June 5) to our fearless leader B Kyle! This week B takes a break from her blog as she celebrates another trip around the sun, so we’re taking over her blog and sharing a few things we’re celebrating.

  • Back to workplace with our coworkers and welcome to new Chamber staffers Kristie Lazenberry, Madisen Rogers, and Sandra Tougnon! Kristie comes to us from the Itasca Project and is leading our DEI work. Madisen just graduated from the U of M and joins us in a few weeks to support our growing WorkStream clients, and Sandra graduates from Central High School tomorrow and will fill in as our Office Coordinator this summer before starting college this Fall. We’re excited to have both Madisen and Sandra return to the Chamber after previous internships with us and proudly support them as they enter the next chapter of their lives. Please say hello when you see them at our upcoming Chamber events!
  • Celebrating Summer with patio season and golf! You may also find our staff celebrating the exceptional patios to choose from (see more here). We’re hosting many of our free Chamber Connect events at Chamber member patios throughout the summer. If you haven’t attended, we’d love to see you. We’ll be at Holman’s Table on    June 30 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM. Register for the event here.
  • Yesterday we joined our partners at the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce for their Annual Golf Classic. See photos of the event here. It was a beautiful day and it made us eager for our Annual Golf Classic on August 1. We still have a few foursomes available and have also added a Golf 101 component to introduce new players to the sport for lessons and dinner/awards with our Golf Classic participants. Find out more here.
  • And finally, we’re celebrating our members, their tenacity, and their new beginnings. Certainly COVID isn’t over, but on this sunny day we celebrate with optimism for our region and the growing sense of normalcy we see each day. 

B will be back next week with more thoughts and a quick read on things you should know.

See you in the trenches.

Your St. Paul Area Chamber Team
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