The state of Minnesota is recognizing October 1-10 as Minnesota Manufacturing Week. There have been numerous celebrations and activities to recognize the importance and impact of manufacturing to the economy of Minnesota and the world. Many communities have turned this celebration into Manufacturing Month. The Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism would also like to recognize our local manufacturers and their importance to our community.
Manufacturing contributes $43.7 billion to the state economy and accounts for 16 percent of Minnesota's gross domestic product. Manufacturing has the second-largest total payroll of any private-sector industry at $19 billion annually in 2014, and pays an average annual wage of $61,048.
Minnesota has 311,880 manufacturing jobs statewide, which is 13 percent of all private-sector jobs. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, the average manufacturing job supports another 1.58 jobs in other segments of Minnesota's economy. That's another 493,000 jobs. Combined then, manufacturing supports almost 805,000 jobs, or 30 percent of total employment in the state. In Northfield, 9.6% of the 2015 employed population living in the city was in manufacturing, or over 1,100 people. Combined with other employees who live out of the city limits but work here in Northfield, that number rises to over 2,000 employees.
Most manufacturing jobs in Minnesota are concentrated in the following products: Food manufacturing, computer and electronic products, fabricated metal products, machinery, printing, medical devices and miscellaneous products, plastics and rubber products, transportation equipment and wood products. Did you know that Northfield has almost every one of those industries represented as well? Our manufacturing list includes:
Post Holdings Consumer Brands - MOM Brands
Multek Flexible Circuits
Cardinal Glass
Aurora Pharmaceuticals
All Flex Inc.
Astral Technology
Bilkin Industrial Fabricators
Cannon Valley Printing
Engage Printing
Northfield Automation Systems
Northfield Foundry & Machine
Syngenta Seeds
Trinket Foundry
Loon Liquors Distillery
Minnesota ranks 20th among all states for manufactured exports, and 17th among all states for the number of jobs (136,900) generated by manufacturing.
Hats off and thank you to all of our Northfield manufactures for their commitment to Minnesota and Northfield in particular, and the important and crucial role they play in our local economy, for the jobs they create, taxes they pay to our city, county and school district, and their involvement in the local community of time, talent and financial resources.
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Northfield Chamber To Participate In Small Business Saturday
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For the first time ever, the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is going to participate in the "Small Business Saturday" campaign created by American Express on Saturday, November 28, 2015. The Chamber will have a banner hung in Ames Park, along with special advertising with local media. In addition, a special
Shopping Passport has been created, with "Chamber Buck" prizes given away to shoppers who get their passport stamped and returned to the Chamber office. We anticipate special celebrity visits from Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the reindeer during the day. Contact the Chamber office if you are interested in participating in this special Be Local - Buy Local shopping event.
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Snowflake Medallion Highlights 2015 Winter Walk Planning
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The establishment of a new Winter Walk Committee is just one of the results of the recent meeting to plan for the 2015 Winter Walk celebration on Thursday, December 10, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Along with the many activities from previous years, the committee will be bringing back the Snowflake Medallion Hunt! With the help of chamber member Tim Freeland (KYMN Radio & Edina Realty) clues will be announced starting Saturday, December 5th up to the day of the event. The grand prize will be Chamber Bucks, the amount depending on the number of sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring the snowflake medallion hunt, the cost is $750.00, with only two sponsorship's available. Contact Todd or Lindsay at the Chamber office ASAP and help support Winter Walk and the Be Local - Buy Local campaign.
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NOVEMBER
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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2
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3
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4
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5
3:00 pm
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6
8:00 am
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9
9:00 pm
Golf Committee Meeting
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7:00 am
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11
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12
10:00 am
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17
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19
10:30
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20
8:00 am
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24
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25
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26
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30
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Update on 2015 Membership Campaign and Membership Directory
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A special thanks to all the members who are advertising in the 2015-2016 Membership Directory and Official Area Guidebook - we oversold the number of ads and had to add additional pages to the directory. We are putting on the final touches to the publication this week before we send it to the printer. Take a moment to log into your Chamber Master account to make sure all of your business and content information is current.
There still is time to help recruit that next door business to become a Chamber member. Thru the "Just One More" membership campaign in July, and the membership drive week in October, we have been able to gain a few new Chamber members. However, we still need more, and there is not a better time to join than now! Can we count on your support to take a few moments out of your busy schedule and recruit another business to join the organization that represents business interests in the Northfield area? Can we make our goal of 30 new members by the end of the month?
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State, local chambers work in tandem to strengthen economy
By Doug Loon
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One of the key criteria established by the board of the Minnesota Chamber in its search for a new president was the ability to develop and build relationships with local chambers of commerce across the state. The importance of these relationships in the search process demonstrates the commitment that the Minnesota Chamber places on building a partnership with local chambers. From my perspective, after working at the national level with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, this level of commitment does not exist elsewhere in the country. It is a relationship distinctive to Minnesota, and one that I am fully committed to enhancing in the coming months and years.
At least three key partnerships with local chambers make Minnesota unique, and makes our business community stronger - professional support through the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Executives (MCCE); business retention and job growth through Grow Minnesota!; and member advocacy to improve and protect our state's business climate.
MCCE is the professional association for local chambers of commerce. Its goal is to strengthen staff leadership as well as the organizational foundation of local chambers across Minnesota - from the smallest, part-time chambers to the large regional centers. The Minnesota Chamber will continue to lead and manage MCCE with the goal of increasing engagement. MCCE offers training and development opportunities for chamber staff that cannot be found elsewhere in your community. The local chambers involved in MCCE represent the best-in-class in Minnesota with their members as the ultimate beneficiaries. Successful local chambers, plus a strong state chamber, resul
t in a vibrant Minnesota business community.
More than 60 local chambers of commerce lead business retention efforts as partners in Grow Minnesota!. This program started when many of our business leaders commented that they were being recruited by neighboring states, yet not once had a Minnesota leader contacted them. Grow Minnesota! is about building relationships, solving problems, and ultimately keeping and growing companies in Minnesota. The relationship is critical, and is most valuable when it is developed among local private-sector leaders. Last year alone, Grow Minnesota! saved nearly 2,600 jobs.
Finally, advocacy - the Minnesota Chamber's greatest value proposition. Advocacy can be a local chambers' greatest value proposition as well. After all, what other organization in your community is going represent your members on issues that impact their everyday livelihood - whether it is a sign ordinance, or a tax increase? Local chambers are proud advocates for their members and the free enterprise system. Advocacy is critically important, and it does not have to be adversarial - we collectively represent our members with facts, research and good manners. Last year, more than 40 local chambers united with the Chamber Federation to speak with one voice on the business community's top five priorities at the Legislature. We look forward to uniting local chambers again this year, and encourage your local chamber to be a part of the Chamber Federation in 2016.
My commitment to supporting and advancing the effectiveness of local chambers is not only professional, but personal. It is also one that is shared by the Minnesota Chamber Board leadership and the staff. I welcome your comments and suggestions as we continue to work together to provide an environment where our members can continue to grow, provide opportunity for our citizens, and strengthen our economy.
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Thank You to Our Sponsors:
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Advertise your
business here!
Please contact Lindsay for pricing details
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OCTOBER
swag
423 Division Street
Northfield MN, 55057
507-663-8870
Primary Contact: Mary Closner
Thrivent Financial
301 Division Street South
Northfield, MN 55057
507-645-2427
Primary Contact: Tracy Fossum
Loon Liquors Distillery
1325 Armstrong Road
Northfield, MN 55057
952-905-8709
Primary Contact: Mark Schiller
TDP Group
4 Central Lane
Northfield, MN 55057
612-306-9586
Primary Contact: Tom McGovern
Unleashed Inc
Northfield, MN 55057
Primary Contact: Megan Tsui
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October's Top
Chamber Buck
Redeemers:
1. Econo Foods
2. The Rare Pair
3. Ace Hardware
Remember
Chamber Bucks
make great gifts or employee incentives. Available all year in $5, $10 and $25 denominations
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Heritage Dental Care
507-645-9543
Shawn McLeran - Cannon Valley Veterinary Clinic
Martha Kasper - Edina Realty
Carly Dabroski - Northfield News
Jim Williams - Forget-Me-Not Florist
Tate Running - Ameriprise Financial Services
John Thomas - Mr JST Technology Consulting
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Quality Appliance
507-645-0340
Ambassadors from left to right:
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Mr. JST Technology Consulting
507-786-9578
Ambassadors from left to right:
Martha Kasper - Edina Realty
Carly Dabroski - Northfield News
Andrea Dolan - Premier Bank Minnesota
John Thomas - Mr JST Technology Consulting
Bob Cross - Professional Pride Realty
Marty Benson - Community Resource Bank
Shawn McLeran - Cannon Valley Veterinary Clinic
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Congratulations Amy Voight, owner of A Team Landscaping on Ambassador of the Quarter
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Stop - Think - Connect
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and we'd like you to take some time and consider how to make your business safer from the risk of cyber-attacks.
Cyber security starts with a simple message:
Stop. Think. Connect
. Before you connect to the Internet, take a moment to be certain what you are doing is safe, and look for warning signs.
7 Tips from the Department of Homeland Security to Keep your Business Safer:
- Make sure all of your organization's computers are equipped with antivirus software and anti-spyware. This software should be updated regularly.
- Secure your Internet connection by using a firewall, encrypt information, and hide your WI-FI network.
- Establish security practices and policies to protect sensitive information.
- Educate employees about cyber threats and how to protect your organization's data. Hold employees accountable to the Internet security policies and procedures.
- Require employees to use strong passwords and to change them often.
- Invest in data loss protection software, use encryption technologies to protect data in transit, and use two-factor authentication where possible.
Protect all pages on your public-facing websites, not just the checkout and sign-up pages.
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30 year celebration at Valley Staffing, Inc
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Ribbon Cutting at Gran Plaza
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Business After Hours at Edina Realty
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Morning Business Brew at Bierman's Home Furnishings
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Ground Breaking Celebration for Save the Depot
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