 |
| Three Cheers for Business Our trio of chambers produces dozens of programs each year (over 150). All of them are designed to serve the essence of our mission which is to grow jobs in this region. We realized 5 years ago that something was missing and that something was to pause and celebrate organizations that were running great enterprises. So, we launched the Best in Business Awards. We love this luncheon because it recognizes businesses that are leading the way in a variety of categories and the award presentations provide inspiration for ways you can emulate them. Too often, business is unfairly cast in a negative light. We all know better and on March 19th we will honor five winners that are leading the way. Congratulations to the 2015 Award Winners:
Best in Business | Second Harvest Heartland
Quality of Life | Accenture
Small Business of the Year | Chowgirls Killer Catering
Non-Profit of the Year | Northside Achievement Zone
Break-Out Business of the Year | WOODCHUCK USA
Please join us.
Opportunities Abound with 1.9 Billion Dollar Surplus
Our economy continues to shine. We enjoy the lowest unemployment rate in the nation and, as we learned from last Friday's budget forecast, we are also experiencing robust growth. The key now is to take advantage of the surplus to improve our state business climate. With some strategic tax reductions, we can clearly accelerate job growth helping every sector of the state. Let me put that another way. Right now, we are kicking Wisconsin's butt. Think of how much better we would be doing if our state tax burdens were more aligned.
Here are three specific existing taxes that could be meaningfully reduced without committing a significant portion of surplus dollars: the business property tax, the corporate tax and the estate tax.
Lowering the business property tax would help all businesses in Minnesota. Of the states that levy a corporate tax, Minnesota ranks the third highest. We have much to attract business here, but this tax Is clearly one of the obstacles. Some of the surplus could be used to reduce this rate without making a hole in the General Fund.
It may surprise you, but the tax that draws the most ire from the business leaders I see is the estate tax. Less than 1/3 of the states levy this tax and it is driving away some of our most successful business leaders. A first step here would be to simply match our brackets to the less stringent federal tax.
We will have to see what the Governor and Legislature choose to do, but I see this as a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our state and invest in its future. What's Next for Transportation? Those of you that regularly read this column know that the funding needs are far too great to be so easily addressed by a budget surplus. Certainly, more funds can be made available in the short term, but we must implement a 10 year solution that truly insures our transportation infrastructure will be able to do it's job of moving employees, students and goods and services effectively and efficiently.
Responding to requests by the business community, MnDOT Commissioner Zelle and our regional transit leaders are providing much needed transparency inside their operations. Because implementing the dedicated funding necessary to become economically competitive will be painful, it is essential that all the players understand and agree to the need.
Once we are on the same page, this Chamber will continue to work aggressively to secure the funding necessary to insure this region's growth. 
Todd Klingel
President & CEO
Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce |
|
|
|
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
|
|
Marco Inc.
- Marco staff Clay Ostlund, sales engineering manager and Nick Thompson, senior network engineer, completed their Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification in Brussels, Belgium. This designation is accepted worldwide as the most prestigious networking certification in the industry.
- Marco, Inc. was selected as a 2014 Elite Dealer by ENX magazine and The Week in Imaging, a print and online publication for dealers and resellers of office technology, solutions and services.
- The company was selected as the North Dakota Young Professionals (NDYP) 2014 Best Place to Intern and runner-up for the 2014 Best Place to Work. The awards are a reflection of the creativity and innovation that businesses offer young professionals.
- Company promotions include Mike Welling to director of managed IT services and Clint Dorgan to production systems sales manager.
- Marco purchased Solbrekk, Inc., a business IT services company located in Minneapolis. Their employees have joined the Marco team. Since 2004, Marco has grown from 200 employees to 850 employees and now has 41 locations nationally.
University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota staff & faculty successfully competed for $741 million in externally sponsored research - a 6.8% increase from 2013. The 4700 awards (federal, state and private) received was an increase of 337 over last year. Funding from partnerships & collaborations between the U of MN and other universities, businesses and community partners increased the past fiscal year by $10.8 million or 21.6%. And for the first time in its history, the University is part of a group of universities that rank in the top 25 on all nine performance measures that the Center for Measuring University Performance has determined gives a reasonable approximation of the institutions' research performance, accomplishments and strength.
Minnesota Wild/Xcel Center
Xcel Energy Center - home of the Minnesota Wild - and the Saint Paul RiverCentre have been certified to three international sustainability standards - LEED, Green Globes and APEX/ASTM - making it the first complex in the world to receive those three designations. Together, these certifications signify that the venues have a high-performance operation that actively works to minimize its environmental impact. Each certification requires a comprehensive auditing of organizational environmental practices and procedures and compliance with a stringent set of preset standards. Xcel Energy Center is the only National Hockey League (NHL) arena in the U.S. (second in League) that is LEED Certified as an existing building. It's the first in the world to be certified Green Globes and APEX/ASTM.
Ronald McDonald House Charities Upper Midwest
In 2014 Ronald McDonald Charities Upper Midwest served nearly 4000 families at the Ronald McDonald Houses on Oak Street in Minneapolis, the House inside Children's Hospitals and Clinic in Minneapolis and in the Family Room inside Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul. An average of 80%+ are from Minnesota and the surrounding states, with the remainder coming from across the country and the world. The average length of stay at the Ronald McDonald House on Oak Street is 146 days. |
|
|
|
RECENT RIBBON CUTTINGS & GRAND OPENINGS
|
Online Trading Academy Minnesota
7900 International Dr., Ste. 170
Bloomington, MN 55425 www.tradingacademy.com/minneapolis Tom Tagtmeyer cut the ribbon to celebrate Online Trading Academy's new offices in Bloomington's International Plaza building. |
|
|
UPCOMING RIBBON CUTTINGS & GRAND OPENINGS
|
Captain Canine
Friday, March 13, 2015 | 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
(Ribbon Cutting at Noon) 9730 Irving Ave. South
Bloomington, MN 55431 www.captain-canine.com Please RSVP to Brent at [email protected] if you plan to attend. |
|
|
 Best in Business Awards
Thursday, March 19, 2015 | 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Members: $50 | Non-Members: $70
Sponsored Table of Ten: $1,000
LOEWS
601 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55403
The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and its affiliates invite you to celebrate the accomplishments of these companies at its annual luncheon. Frank Vascellaro This sell-out event features unique video business profiles and on-stage interviews with company leaders conducted by Master of Ceremonies, Frank Vascellaro of WCCO-TV.
CONGRATULATIONS 2015 AWARD WINNERS:
- Best in Business | Second Harvest Heartland
- Quality of Life | Accenture
- Small Business of the Year | Chowgirls Killer Catering
- Non-Profit of the Year | Northside Achievement Zone
- Break-Out Business of the Year | WOODCHUCK USA
Thank you to our sponsors: Xcel Energy, Comcast, RBC Wealth Management and PSAV
|
|
|
|
|
State of the City: Shape of Things to Come
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 Radisson Blu Mall of America 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Members: $35 | Non-Members: $50 Sponsored Table of Ten: $375 (with priority seating) Join us on Wednesday, March 18 for the 2015 State of the City address "Shape of Things to Come." Mayor Gene Winstead and new City Manager Jamie Verbrugge will provide you with a glimpse of future Bloomington. Thank you to our sponsors Mall of America, Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd., Rasmussen College, Raymond James Financial Services - John Stanley, TRIA Orthopaedic Center, Holiday Companies, Total Wine & More, Walser Automotive Group and Xcel Energy. |
|
|
  
Enhanced Listing Opportunity
Click here for details. Did you know that over 31,000 people visit the Chamber's website every month? And that for as a little as $150 you can show off your company to thousands of potential clients? The Chamber now offers Enhanced Listings in our Online Membership Directory. Your company is immediately bumped to the top of your category in search results and includes a YouTube video, a photo gallery, 1,600 character description, 20 additional keywords and much more! You can check out the Minneapolis Regional Chamber's Enhanced Listing by clicking here and compare it with your listing in our online directory. Contact Lisa Myhre at (612) 370-9137 or Rhonda Bernard at (612) 370-9121 today! |
|
|
|
Meet the Chamber! Bloomington
 Tuesday, March 10, 2015
7:30 to 9 a.m. / Bloomington Chamber of Commerce
|
|
South Metro Young Professionals:
Using Technology to Streamline Your Business
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
8 to 9:30 a.m. / Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Thank you to our sponsors: Mortgages Unlimited, Inc. - Furlong Team and Star Choice Credit Union |
|
Get Acquainted Breakfast: Celebrating a Century of Service
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
7:30 to 9 a.m. / East Side Neighborhood Services Thank you to our sponsors: CenturyLink, Xcel Energy and Northeast Bank |
|
Best in Business Awards
Thursday, March 19, 2015
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. / LOEWS Hotel Minneapolis Thank you to our sponsors: Comcast, Xcel Energy, RBC Wealth Management and PSAV |
|
DRIVE Roundtable: An Art Anniversary:
100 Years of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Friday, March 20, 2015
7:30 to 9 a.m. / the Local Thank you to our sponsors: Foley & Mansfield, PLLP, Wells Fargo, Cara Irish Pubs and Xcel Energy |
|
|
|
|
