|
DEED in the News
Broadband coverage in rural areas is spotty at best, with some states providing better coverage than others. There are regions where the state government has worked hard to provide grants and a flexible network of private and local not-for-profit organizations to build out coverage slowly. An excellent example of this would be Minnesota, where 117 providers have come together to build infrastructure in the name of economic development.
|
Minnesota's two largest export markets are touting the benefits of NAFTA. Two officials from Mexico and Canada spoke last week at a Minnesota Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Joining them was Commissioner Hardy, who noted the benefits of Minnesota's trading partners when the state's turkey industry got hit with avian flu in 2015. "One of the countries that stepped up and said, 'We'll still buy your good turkeys', was Mexico. And they helped us weather that storm," she said.
|
Two St. Cloud area companies are expecting to hire a combined 400 new workers with the help of $700,000 in state training grants. Park Industries and New Flyer of America, along with St. Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical and Community College, were awarded the funding from DEED's Minnesota Job Skills Partnership.
|
Recent Press Releases
Custom manufacturer Protolabs Inc. will invest $29.9 million to expand to a new site in Brooklyn Park. The expansion will allow Maple Plain-based Protolabs to create 139 new jobs, with the new location ultimately housing more than 350 employees. DEED supported the project with an $850,000 grant from the Job Creation Fund.
Serving Our Customers
The SciTechsperience Internship Program last week announced the placement of its 1,000th intern since the program began in 2012. For six years, SciTechsperience has helped college students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math find paid internships in their field of study with small Minnesota companies. The program is administered by the Minnesota High Tech Association through a grant from DEED.
|
|
|
|
Minnesota is the least stressed state, with North Dakota
right behind, according to a study by financial website WalletHub. Solid personal finances, healthy people and
less family-related stress were factors cited by WalletHub for the state's No. 1 ranking. According to the study, the state had the highest average credit score and was third for the fewest people in fair or poor health.
|
|
|