So excited to talk about our upcoming Career Connect Day, on October 18, at RiverCentre. This year’s event will welcome 2,500+ high school sophomores to an interactive day of career exploration with you, the employers who would like to introduce them to potential opportunities within your organization and sector. Our vision is to make this available to any high school or student interested in participating, with room for all employers who want to connect with them. Our first year is building up to be even bigger than we’d anticipated, and we look forward to seeing you! If you’d like to participate with a booth or sponsorship, please contact us for more information. Our vision? For 2024, we’ll expand and partner to invite all metro high schools that are interested, and add a second day for post-high schoolers looking for full-time, internships, retraining, or re-entry. Please join us! On a side note: Invest magazine is a great resource on markets, business, and the economy, and one I read regularly. I spoke with them again recently on the economy and how we’re recovering. In case you’re interested… See you in the trenches. B
First and foremost...WELCOME to Amanda Duerr, our new VP of Public Affairs! Amanda is a veteran of the government affairs community. Prior to joining the Chamber, Amanda served as the Director of Government Affairs for Charter Communications, where she was responsible for state-level lobbying and maintaining positive relationships with the local communities served by the company. Learn more about Amanda in our Access newsletter. Federal
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Election season is ramping up. Be sure to reference our East Metro Voter Guide to learn more about your candidates! Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.
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Before we get to anything else, let me start with a “Happy State Fair!” Looking forward to the hangover-on-a-stick, and visiting many of you at your booths. So glad you’re back… Now: on to my thoughts at hand: Mayor Carter’s annual budget address last Wednesday. You can read news articles about it here and here. The proposal reflects a 15.3% increase in the property tax levy. My thoughts? I sent out a snappy tweet last week: “Mayor Carter proposes 7.6% real increase to tax levy. Carter’s proposal outlines real goals – and costs – of growing this capital city. Notable is the irony of rent control cap of 3%; math doesn’t compute.” On a more reflective note, I found Mayor Carter’s plan to be consistent with his stated priorities. The city has to grapple with the $15M budget deficit due to a lawsuit that made it all the way to the Supreme Court. So, though the city lost the lawsuit, street maintenance costs have been transferred to the general fund. Not sure who won that one. That takes care of 7.7% of the proposed increase. The real increase, then, is an additional 7.6% property tax burden for 2023. My reaction? First of all, I’ve got questions in to the City’s CFO on how this 15.3% translates to some sample commercial properties in St. Paul. Second, I couldn’t get over the cognitive dissonance: Mayor Carter said, “same as every family and resident, the work of the city costs more every single year to do.” I agree. The illogical counterpoint is the property owner or housing developer, with rental control in place, who is legally prevented from similarly adapting to this reality. I reviewed the budget proposal highlights:
Read here for budget proposal highlights, including American Rescue Plan Investments. Finally, an opportunity to thank a public servant: Do you know a public servant in the East Metro who demonstrates innovation and excellence? Help amplify and celebrate their achievements by completing this brief nomination for the 2022 Leaders in Local Government Awards in September. Nominees from within Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties will be selected based on their contributions and innovative initiatives and public policies that advance the public good and demonstrate a commitment to efficient and effective government in various areas of local/county government. If you’ve observed excellence, please take a moment to celebrate it! See you in the trenches. B
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Election season is ramping up. Be sure to reference our East Metro Voter Guide to learn more about your candidates! Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.
MLS All Star Week recap: was a great week! There was the MLS Skills Challenge and the MLS All-Star game, which were both very exciting. Minnesota’s job hosting the MLS All-Star Game draws praise from visiting players, fans. Along with that were community service projects and a Hometown Heroes Showcase, hosted by MLS, Minnesota United, and Black Players for Change. The Showcase event acknowledged the work of four impactful leaders making positive change in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul communities in four areas: education, mental health, food security, and social justice. Each of the leaders from these organizations will receive a $15,000 grant as well as a suite of promotional assets from MLS to help continue their work and impact in the community. This year’s honorees are Muhammad Abdul-Ahad, Founder & CEO of T.O.U.C.H.; Marisa Miakonda Cummings, President & CEO of Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center; Braxton Haulcy, Executive Director of Walker West Music Academy; Ekta Prakash, CEO of CAPI. Tony Sanneh was recognized as an Honorary Hero for his support of the Hometown Hero program and commitment to our community both through soccer and other facets of life. Congratulations to all the honorees! To read more click here. M Health Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub had its open house on August 4, introducing the redesigned space to the community. This is a manifestation of community investment and partnership. St. Joseph’s was the first hospital in Minnesota. CEO James Hereford welcomed us with this assurance: “Our Response to community need remains unbroken.” The redesigned space is the beginning of a new concept in responding to health needs, a community resource as well as a health system resource. This amazing investment exemplifies MHealth Fairview’s willingness to be bold in its commitment to the community. United Healthcare also partnered on this project. On behalf of its 20,000 employees, CEO Brett Edelson said: “United healthcare is excited about this concept, Trusted partners in the same place to provide services.” See you in the trenches. B
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Election season is ramping up. Be sure to reference our East Metro Voter Guide to learn more about your candidates! Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.
This week I’m delighted to share this platform with Abel Ebane, the 2022 Board Chair for the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce. Abel shares his insights on how we can better work together to be ever more impactful to the business community. Thanks Abel! Before I turn the mic over to Abel, I have to send a shout-out for the MLS All-Star Game this week. Check out the All-star week events throughout the Twin Cities. Entrepreneurs need resources to prosper in any space. Minnesota is no exception. Resources are available and a lot of work is being done by Chambers of commerce, for-profit, non-profit organizations, and other entities trying to influence the business ecosystem. Some are successful and others are duplicating efforts. This lack of a streamlined and synergistic approach to resource mobilization creates a big challenge. At the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce, we are committed to serving Black-owned businesses and their communities through access to education, advocacy, and economic development. Our goal is to maximize the potential of every Black-owned business, large or small, by providing equitable opportunities for growth at every stage. Our Chamber and the St. Paul Area Chamber are working together to connect businesses to build a more collaborative ecosystem. We believe that when organizations share more about the work they do and their best practices, we can build synergy, mobilize resources for entrepreneurs of color, and create a more vibrant region. To better help amplify the work being done by entrepreneurs, there needs to be a synergistic approach to the work being done to mobilize resources in Minnesota. Organizations and enterprise leaders need to work hand in hand and leverage the power of numbers to influence outcomes. A simple approach could be to start supporting each other’s efforts, sharing key trainings and best practices, and leveraging each other’s expertise. Let us help in that effort and better connect the great talent in our region! Abel EBANE http://linkedin.com/in/abellubbertyn See you in the trenches. B
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Election season is ramping up. Be sure to reference our East Metro Voter Guide to learn more about your candidates! Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.
I just spent a week in Indianapolis, at our Association of Chambers of Commerce Executives (ACCE) annual conference. It was my first conference and I was energized with great work being done in Chambers across the country; and they aren’t always in the largest Chambers. Amazing people, on the ground, serving employers with extraordinary creativity and energy. I spent a lot of time thinking, too, about the season we are in. Today, August 1, is my 5-year anniversary as the President and CEO in service to you at this Chamber. It’s been quite a season together thus far, yes? So much work has been done, building. And ahead I see that we are entering a new season, one of refining. We are shifting gears. And each gear requires different leadership skills. First and second gears, our building season, have been about restarting, becoming productive and honing our competitive edge on your behalf. We’ve been innovative, we’ve challenged thinking (including our own), and leaned in where needed. As we shift into third gear, our refining season, we are operationalizing the priorities and values we’ve laid out, executing on real work that helps businesses get access – to capital, to opportunity, to new business. And we’re investing in our team, building leaders within who can be increasingly impactful to you and joyfully connected to the work. We also are responsible for providing a nurturing environment for innovation and invention. And we need partnerships more than ever. Because this is new territory for all of us. Thank you for your ideas, your service, your creativity, your allyship. Thank you, too, for the privilege of serving you. It continues to be my honor. See you in the trenches. B
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Election season is ramping up. Be sure to reference our East Metro Voter Guide to learn more about your candidates! Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.
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