In the News

Help for Minority-Owned Businesses
Mankato Free Press-5/30/16
The Prosperity Initiative, a program intended to promote minority-owned business growth in southern Minnesota, recently graduated its first class. Participants said the program gave them valuable insights about their strengths and weaknesses and a better understanding of how to succeed. A two-year grant from DEED helped make the program possible.

Two DEED Programs Prove Vital
Duluth News Tribune-5/31/16
The Job Creation Fund and the Minnesota Investment Fund are two important tools economic developers have relied upon to stimulate job growth and capital investment. These programs have proved vital to helping companies expand and add jobs in the state. And the returns have been strong.

Trade With Russia Poised to Grow
Minneapolis Star Tribune-6/3/16
Minnesota’s trade with Russia, relatively small to date, is poised to grow, opening the doors to more Russian businesses in the state. Imports into Minnesota from Russia jumped from $9.2 million in 2014 to $41.5 million in 2015. DEED's Laurence Reszetar says the strained U.S.-Russia political relationship probably has affected business relationships between the two countries as well, but that could change.  

Serving Our Clients

DEED will sponsor the 10th annual Veterans Career Fair next month in Brooklyn Center. The event, which has attracted more than 1,000 veterans and their families in past years, will be held July 13 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more details on sponsorship or exhibiting, visit the DEED website. In conjunction with the Career Fair, Gov. Dayton will declare July to be Hire a Veteran Month.

DEED Press Releases

Exports at $4.6 Billion in First Quarter
Minnesota companies exported $4.6 billion worth of manufactured, agricultural and mining products in the first quarter of 2016, according to figures released last week by DEED. The agency said first quarter exports were down 5.2 percent from the same quarter a year ago. U.S. exports fell 6.8 percent in the first quarter, with 40 states reporting declines or no growth. While exports were down from a year ago in seven of the state’s top 10 national markets, Minnesota performed better than the country as whole in the first quarter,” Commissioner Hardy said.

Did You Know

The Twin Cities has the best park system in the country, with Minneapolis ranking first and St. Paul second in the 2016 ParkScore Index by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.