Coming Up: Retail Rally & The Government Affair

August 14, 2017

Brought to you by:

Wondering What Makes Local, State And Federal Government Work & How You Can Comfortably Engage?

Whether your experience with government is limited to voting for elected officials or you lobby your representatives on a weekly basis, The Government Affair series will walk you through a comprehensive, non-partisan, grassroots experience at the local, state and federal level.

This program will challenge participants to stretch their knowledge on all levels of government while learning from and networking with other business people and influential leaders.

This four-part series meets from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month from September to December at a location relevant to the topic.

Dates/topics include:

September 19, 2017 - Local Government
October 17, 2017 - State Government
November 21, 2017 - Federal Government
December 19, 2017 - Grassroots Engagement & Campaigns + Graduation!

Held in partnership with:

River Heights Chamber of Commerce (lead organizer)
Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce of Commerce and Tourism Bureau
Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Connolly Kuhl Group

Investment:

$199 for all four series programs and graduation.

Click here to learn more!

Sponsored by:

Series sponsorships available. Contact Bruce Nustad, [email protected], for details.

It's Coming... October 4!

In the ever changing world of retail, retailers and their partners have a new place to find support, ideas, training, education and innovation to help their businesses not only survive, but thrive.

The Minnesota Retailers Association is pleased to announce Retail Rally--coming to the retail community October 4 in partnership with the University of St. Thomas.

Watch your inbox for more details in the coming weeks, and learn more below!

Local Update

Minneapolis Readies New Vote On Bag Fee, Approval Likely

From Fox 9, Samuel King, August 8, 2017

"Shoppers in Minneapolis are one step closer to paying fees on paper or plastic bags at stores after the City Council's Health, Environment and Community Engagement Committee voted to send the proposal to the full council for consideration.

The council voted last year to ban single-use plastic bans and charge fees for other bags. It was set to take effect June 1, but was stopped after a jobs bill passed by the Minnesota State Legislature stripped local governments of the ability to enact bans on plastic bags.

The new ordinance requires retailers to charge a $0.05 fee on plastic and paper bags, as well as the initial purchase of reusable bags. City leaders said the ordinance is aimed at reducing waste and processing issues at the city's recycling facility.

"I hope this would allow store operators--and also consumers--to make smarter decisions and realize to protect the environment, we should start bringing our own bag," said Cam Gordon, chair of the Health, Environment and Community Engagement Committee.

It's the latest example of local governments addressing issues dealing with the environment or public health by enacting fees or taxes.

Chicago and Philadelphia have enacted taxes on sugary drinks, while Minneapolis recently joined other cities in restricting the sale of menthol cigarettes.

The Minneapolis bag ordinance would not be a true tax--retailers would be allowed to keep the fees to offset costs. Retailers say paper bags are more expensive to stock than plastic bags.

The Minneapolis City Council is set to consider the bag ordinance at its next meeting. If passed, it would go into effect next June."

Generations and the workforce

Millennials Forcing Employers To Rethink Employee Retention

From the Star Tribune, Scott Rollin, August 6, 2017

"Employees born in the "millennial period" are no longer the new kids on the block. They have begun to transition into middle-management and other key employee roles in businesses all around the country.

Couple this with the fact that the top concern of companies today is hiring and retaining qualified employees and you have a scenario where business owners must worry about how to compensate this newest generation of key employees. And the tried-and-true methods of long-term incentive compensation that worked with baby boomers might not fit as well in this environment.

This new generation of key employees (whether millennial, Gen Z, or whatever other label you might attach to them) is driven by different goals and desires than many traditional incentive compensation plans are built to recognize.

For instance, some plans pay for "loyalty" to the company, i.e. "stay with us for many years and we will reward you for that long service." Loyalty looks different to this new generation.

The notion of staying with the same company and/or job for five to 10 years will become more of the norm than the 30-year careers of our parents. Their career decisions are also going to be heavily influenced by things like current compensation and cash flow, work-life balance, a sense of doing good and helping others, and flexibility in work schedules, etc.

They are going to want to understand the "why" of what their work means to the company and all of its stakeholders - not just the customers."

Border Adjustment Tax

How One Retailer's Voice Made A Difference In Washington, DC: Games By James' Glenn McKee & BAT

Most small retailers don't have a moment to spare. And neither did Glenn McKee when he got the call about going to Washington, DC to talk with Minnesota's elected officials about the proposed border adjustment tax a month and a half ago.

But McKee, owner of several Games by James and Air Traffic stores, decided to take a few days away from running his business to tell his real life story about how the proposed high import tax would negatively impact his suppliers and ultimately his customers.

McKee's efforts and those of many other retailers produced important results last week when an influential group of legislators announced that the border adjustment tax had been dropped from the federal budget plan.

Following an initial visit to DC in June, McKee made a second trip a week later, and a third just two weeks ago to deliver the message that the border adjustment tax threatens to damage retailers of all sizes with noticeable impacts on communities across Minnesota.

"If you don't think one or two or three or 10 conversations can make a difference, try telling that to Glenn McKee" said Minnesota Retailers Association president Bruce Nustad. "The pressure to pass the border adjustment tax was tremendous, but voices like Glenn's made a made a huge difference in this conversation. We are so grateful to Glenn and others."

"In the beginning I questioned how my voice as a retailer in Minnesota could impact on this conversation", said McKee in reaction to the announcement. "But it turns out delivering the straight story and helping those that are elected to represent us understand this issue had a deep impact. I feel like I made a difference."