Celebrating Manufacturing Month this October

October is Manufacturing Month in Minnesota. This industry is critical to the strength of our local economy and offers many family-sustaining job opportunities for our residents. Did you know that the manufacturing industry accounts for about 9% of all employment in Ramsey County, with 642 local manufacturing firms? Check out Ramsey County's Manufacturing Month webpage to learn more. ​

Also in October, Gillette Children's is celebrating its 125 years of service. Check out my newest episode of B's Table Talk featuring Gillette Children's President and CEO Barbara Joers and the archives here.

See you in the trenches.
B

---

• Meet St. Paul’s police chief finalists: why do they want the job? And what are their priorities?
  
• Three fast food restaurants robbed at gunpoint in St. Paul the first weekend of October.
  
• ​I’m referring us back to a Spring 2022 article, because the challenges continue: Metro Juvenile Detention Center Closures Blamed for Rise in Teen Crime.  ​

• The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank 2022 annual meetings begin in Washington, D.C., on Monday, and the IMF will hold its World Economic Outlook press conference Tuesday morning. The IMF said it plans to announce a downward revision in its global economic growth expectations for next year. 
• In separate speeches last week, Federal Reserve officials indicated they were committed to the current policy path of steadily rising interest rates: Fed Governor Lisa Cook said rates needed to stay at restrictive levels until the board was confident inflation was headed toward its 2% goal, and although Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he was starting to see signs of progress in battling inflation, he said that "more needs to be done." (The Wall Street Journal) Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she has not seen the evidence she needs to justify a slowing of interest rate hikes, and she does not expect the Fed to cut rates at all next year. (Bloomberg)  Meanwhile, a million job openings vanished in August. According to the most recent MetLife and U.S. Chamber Small Business Index, most small businesses anticipate inflation will get worse. In fact, seven in ten (71%) believe the worst is still to come with regards to inflation.
• Grant applications are now open for the East Metro Main Street Economic Revitalization Program. This program will distribute up to $7 million in grants from the Department of Employment and Economic Development to businesses and nonprofit organizations for capital projects in the Snelling-University-Rice Cultural District, the East Side community and along West Seventh Street. Grants will support economic recovery from the impacts of civil unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges to these commercial corridors since March 15, 2020. Eligible projects include the development, redevelopment, demolition, site preparation, predesign, design, engineering, repair or renovation of real property or capital improvements.

​Federal

• Midterm Election Turnout looks primed to reach historic levels again.

 
State

• KSTP/SurveyUSA poll: 3 statewide races all toss-ups with a month to go. This includes the attorney general, secretary of state, and auditor. The last time a Republican won a statewide race was in 2006.  The secretary of state race is getting the most national attention.
• THC Law in Minnesota: employers need to revisit drug testing policies.

 
Regional

• Rent control commentary has reached the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board:  St. Paul Regrets Rent Control.  “The City Council does damage control after builders flee.

 
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.

• Build a network to last the rest of your career. Join the LSP Class of 2023.  Registration is open!
• 2nd Congressional District Candidate Debate; Oct 13, 8am. Register here!
• Our first annual Career Connect Day is here! Oct 18, 9am – 4pm.  Looking forward to seeing you there!
• Our next Equity Leadership Series session is here: Oct 19, 7:30am. Register here!

• Why are so few workers worried for their jobs? Pay loss expectations among U.S. adults fell to a record low in September.
• 3 decision-making factors that will impact your business for the rest of 2022.

• Ramsey County: Ramsey County opened an Affordable Housing Development Readiness Solicitation, building off two previous solicitations, to increase and preserve the supply of deeply affordable housing options across the county. Ramsey County previously committed $37 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for affordable housing development-- matched by the City of Saint Paul.  

• EDA and Forge North: the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded 51 "Build to Scale" grants – totaling $47 million – to organizations that support technology entrepreneurs, catalyze innovation and fuel economic growth. EDA’s “Build to Scale” program provides annual grants that aim to accelerate technology entrepreneurship by increasing inclusive access to support and startup capital. This EDA investment will support Forge North—a startup coalition for the Greater Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) region. As a coalition of 130 startups, investment firms, entrepreneurial support organizations, corporations, government, and universities, the Forge North coalition is positioned to jointly engage and recruit thousands of Minnesotans to invest in startups.  
• PPL and LEAP: Project for Pride in Living (PPL), a partner of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Learn and Earn to Achieve Poten­tial (LEAP)™, has received funds totaling $1 million from the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Ramsey County, Minnesota. These funds will support LEAP pilot sites managed by PPL throughout Ramsey County, including the City of Saint Paul, at schools and community organizations. The dollars are part of a $24.8 million American Rescue Plan funding package for high-quality job training programs and workforce ini­tia­tives in the state.

• Reuter Walton’s Maplewood apartment project faces community push-back.  Neighbors have complained of the project’s high density. Back to the Planning Commission it goes…
• HIllcrest Site – The Heights – officially has sites available. Also looking for master housing developer.   The project received DEED redevelopment grant funds in support of the infrastructure work.
• Commercial and industrial:  JLL’s Q3 report indicates that stakeholders are rethinking offices, and signs point to a continued shakeup of the office market.  Prime Therapeutics is one example… Meanwhile, ‘Black Diamond’ site in Woodbury fetches $3.9M. MSP Commercial plans to build a 180K SF light industrial bldg. on a site kitty-corner from Amazon’s new distribution center.
• St. Paul commercial-industrial permits up in Sep, though still running well behind last year’s pace. Numbers are up on the strength of one big-ticket project: a $100M UST science, technology, engineering, and arts bldg. under construction now and scheduled for completion in 2024.  McGough Construction is the general contractor on that project.