DEED Roundup-July 6, 2015

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July 6, 2015

In the News

Why the CNBC Ranking Matters
Mankato Free Press-7/1/15
Those who might write off Minnesota as a state with a good business climate may find themselves with a tougher case to make, given a recent No. 1 ranking by CNBC, the credible and influential business news organization.

China Investing in Minnesota Firms
MinnPost-7/6/15
China, flush from years of strong economic growth, is finally ratcheting up its investment in the United States, including firms in Minnesota. Those firms include Schwing America in White Bear Township and Cirrus Aircraft in Duluth. "At the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that our economic future and China's are incredibly intertwined," said DEED's Laurence Reszetar, who leads the state's effort to attract foreign investment. 

Did You Know?

toaster
 

The pop-up toaster, furnace thermostat and retractable seat belts were invented in Minnesota. Twin Cities Business magazine recently included them in a list of 50 "fantastic firsts" from Minnesota. Read about them here.

 

Tekne Applications

The annual Tekne Awards, sponsored by the Minnesota High Tech Association, honor innovation in science and technology. The group is now

Tekne logo
 

accepting applications for the 16th annual awards, with winners being  announced on Nov. 18. Awards will be presented in 14 categories, including advanced manufacturing, workforce development, financial services, health care, and energy and clean tech.  Go here to see the full list of categories, rules and application materials.

Recent Press Releases

DEED Awards Youth Employment Funding
DEED awarded $3.18 million to 22 groups that offer programs to help young people gain work skills and job experience. The grants were awarded through the agency’s Office of Youth Development, which provides youth employment, training, and education programs and services. The new round of grants will fund programs that focus on young people who are economically disadvantaged, at-risk, homeless, disabled or from communities of color that are under-represented in the workforce. 

Biz Services Firms Positive About Economy
Minnesota business services firms have a positive outlook about the economy, with 88 percent saying they expect revenue to climb or remain stable in the coming year, according to a new DEED study. The results were a slight improvement from 2014, when 87 percent of the respondents said they expected revenue to climb or remain stable. The firms expressed similar or higher levels of optimism in this year’s survey when asked about profits, productivity, exports and other economic measures.

Recent Blog Posts

Diploma and mortar board

It hardly came as a surprise that Minnesota ranked high in education when CNBC crowned the state “America’s Top State for Business 2015” recently. Education has long been a point of pride in Minnesota, a key value that sets us apart from other states. Go here to read more.

Serving Our Clients

Military veteran

DEED's annual Veterans Career Fair is the largest job fair in the state for the men and women who have served in the armed forces. This year's event will be held on Wednesday, July 15, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. Veterans who are looking for a job or are interested in exploring new careers or educational options will have a chance to meet with more than 150 employers with current job openings. More details are on the DEED website.