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Feeling the summer slow-down? Not us! Last week’s Foundation Celebration was a tremendous success. Congratulations again to the HERBIE winners. It feels so good to honor people who demonstrate civic leadership every day. And, of course, I’ve been watching the Olympics and our very own Suni Lee, Regan Smith, Alise Willoughby, Sarah Baco, Matthew Wilkinson, and others – including our pro team representatives!
While watching the games, for whatever reason, I got to thinking about our elections. Yes, it's not even August but my mind turned to the upcoming August 13 primary election. These often overlooked and low turnout elections are the first electoral step in deciding who our representatives will be at the State Capitol, County Offices, and City Halls across the state. These important elections will narrow the field of candidates who will eventually make decisions that impact all of us. Does your road need to get repaved? Do your property taxes go up? Does running your business become easier or harder? These are all examples of decisions that the candidates may be asked to make if elected. In our core footprint counties of Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington there are already 66 candidates for State House, 17 for county commissioner, and 67 for mayor or city council. This list of 150 candidates will grow now that the second candidate filing period opened today. I encourage you to learn more about these candidates: attend a meet and greet, visit their websites, read up on their policy positions and visit the East Metro Voter Guide often to learn more about their views on the business community. Why vote in the primaries?
See you in the trenches, B Wow. Last weekend’s Minnesota Yacht Club Festival was a fabulous success! I heard someone describe it as a cross between Woodstock and the State Fair. And by the looks of it, all over social media, the description was accurate. In case you don’t realize, Saint Paul’s Parks Department deserves a major shout-out. According to 5 Eyewitness News (if you hadn’t seen it for yourself!) the entire area was completely under water just a week prior and they had to do some serious clean-up to be ready. Congratulations, Saint Paul!
While you all were celebrating, I was at the national ACCE convention in Dallas, learning more about how to serve this region. The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) is our national association. I recently was voted in as a Board member, and am honored to serve with other chamber executives who lead the nation’s largest – and even smallest! – chambers. Lots to share! Regarding the Association of ACCE convention - this was my first convention and I was beyond impressed. I learned more about leadership, programming, chamber challenges nationally. I also saw some friends – including the Minnesota Chamber, Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber, and Greater Des Moines Partnership. Of special interest was our learning about ACCE’s plan to update the Horizon 2025 Initiative. This report originally was published in 2017, and laid out trends shaping the future of the chamber industry. I discovered this report and ACCE itself soon after arriving at our Chamber, and it has guided much of our progress. Into 2025, this report will be updated. I am so encouraged to spend time with other chamber leaders who face similar challenges to those in our region. The trends ahead? Digital transformation; political and social polarization; changing expectations of chambers; business model disruption; demographic shifts; balancing technological innovation and responsibility; upskilling at the speed of business; diverse and inclusive economic growth; leadership churn; and the expanding role of chambers as “unifiers.” More to come on all of this, but know we remain hard at work to continually improve on your behalf! See you in the trenches, B As we prepare to host a big anniversary - our 25th Annual Foundation Celebration – I want to talk a bit more about the legacy and ongoing work of our Charitable Foundation. Led by Executive Director Kathleen Lohmar Exel, our Foundation quietly goes about the business of leadership development and the advancement of DEI learning. All of this programming is aimed at investing in tomorrow’s leaders, creating leaders across the region who are all networked professionally to support one another and the Chamber’s work.
On July 25 from 11 am to 1 pm at Hamline University, we’ll celebrate the Foundation's commitment to nurturing our workforce through initiatives such as the beloved Leadership Saint Paul program, now in its 44th year with over 2,500 alumni, and the DEI Collaborative, an incredibly impactful cohort program that helps leaders dive deeper and create actionable change. A couple weeks ago we announced the HERBIE Award Winners: Bremer’s Erin Dady; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; and this year’s Inclusive Employer Champion, sponsored by Ramsey County, Blaze Credit Union. This is also a fundraiser for the work – register this week to join us! Today I wanted to talk a bit more about the legacy and ongoing work of our Charitable Foundation. Led by Executive Director Kathleen Lohmar Exel, our Foundation quietly goes about the business of leadership development and the advancement of DEI learning. All of this aimed at investing in tomorrow’s leaders, creating allies across the region all networked professionally to support one another and the Chamber’s work. Here's a bit more background about your Chamber Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1976, intended to operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. The founding Board sought to commit the Foundation to prepare tomorrow’s employees. More specifically, for: the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding of economics, finance, education ad training, housing, human relations, science and technology, economic planning and development, international relations, and other subjects relating to economic growth and the improvement of employment opportunities. The Foundation continues to stay true to the above statement through its mission: to make targeted investments to develop and support engaged leaders who enhance a vibrant East Metro business community. What have we done over 48 years? To be sure, we have done all of it through and on behalf of you, our members:
See you in the trenches, B Next Tuesday, July 16 from 3 to 5pm, the Chamber is hosting an open house for the Riverview Corridor project. This is a free, pop-in event focused on getting feedback from the business community on the transit alternatives being considered. As a reminder, the Riverview Corridor is a planned 12-mile transportation connection along West Seventh Street in St. Paul, serving neighborhoods and providing connections to MSP Airport and the Mall of America.
Three alternatives currently are being analyzed: two featuring "modern streetcars" and one with bus rapid transit (BRT). Between the alternatives, there are significant differences in project cost, traffic and parking impacts, economic development opportunities, and projected ridership. Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega and project staff will provide an overview at 3:30, and the rest of the open house will allow attendees to view displays and information and ask questions of the project team. It's really important that employers and employees share their feedback on what alternative they feel works best for our community. Ramsey County is actively engaging the public over the summer to help inform which alternative moves forward, so this is a great opportunity to provide your thoughts. We hope you'll join us: register here! See you in the trenches, B |
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June 2025
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