Team Effort, Team Victory
The Weekly Report – June 26, 2023
Strong support from our allies in the legislature, combined with valuable assistance from manufacturing companies around the state helped win approval of a key funding measure.
Years ago, I worked in both the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C., and the Minnesota Legislature in St. Paul. If there’s one thing those experiences taught me, it’s that nothing is more impactful to a lawmaker than hearing from their constituents, including business constituents.
Fast forward to this year’s Minnesota’s legislative session, and that truth still holds. Enterprise Minnesota couldn’t be more thankful for the support and outreach efforts of several manufacturing companies across the state, whose leaders were instrumental in advancing one of our key funding requests.
The funds will allow us to help a greater number of small manufacturing companies compete, grow profitably, and continue creating good jobs with excellent long-term career opportunities in their communities. Equally important, our legislative success signals a growing understanding of the importance of manufacturing to Minnesota’s economy.
As we gathered support for the legislation, it was especially helpful for state legislators to hear from manufacturers about the value of Enterprise Minnesota’s assistance in critical areas of their operations, including continuous improvement, strategy, marketing, talent and leadership development, employee retention, and quality management systems (ISO). A big thank you goes out to Gauthier Industries, Hydro Solutions, Delmar Company, The Tongue and Groove Store, Blow Molded Specialties Inc. Midwest, and DCI Inc.
These manufacturers know the value of Enterprise Minnesota’s services and the value of all small manufacturers to our state’s economy, and took time to testify, call or submit letters in support of the legislation, giving names and faces to the manufacturing community across the state. Their advocacy helps pave the way for a new group of qualifying manufacturers to access affordable business growth services.
We are also most appreciative of the authors of legislation supporting Enterprise Minnesota in both chambers of the legislature. Senator Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud) and Representative Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) introduced and championed our legislation, and also took the time to share their knowledge of manufacturing with their legislative colleagues. They are true advocates for our manufacturing sector and have a thorough understanding of how these companies create and retain jobs and drive our state’s economy.
On the heels of this year’s legislative success, we are excited to launch another round of tours of Enterprise Minnesota client manufacturing companies to give legislators a first-hand look at the amazing work they are doing across the state. We are also eager to begin working with companies that will qualify for the assistance provided by the legislation. Stay tuned for more details on both of these efforts in the coming weeks.
Industry News
U of M launches semiconductor consortium, paving way for high-paying jobs
June 24, Brainerd Dispatch
Manufacturers Lean into Automation, AI to Fill Skilled Worker Gap, Survey Says
June 21, Plastics Today
Wisconsin, Minnesota dairy farmers are forced to dump thousands of gallons of milk
June 21, Wisconsin State Farmer
Land of 10,000 Lakes gets $100 million for biomanufacturing
June 19, Biofuels Digest