 Regional Listening Tour
Our team at DEED is traveling throughout Minnesota meeting with partners, businesses, and local leaders to listen, learn, and better understand local priorities. These conversations inform how we shape and deliver programs that strengthen our economy for everyone. We have traveled to Rochester, Bemidji, Thief River Falls, and Lakeville. More visits are planned for 2026. We’re always eager to meet and learn from businesses. During our visits, we attended regional roundtables and toured the following companies:
Rochester: Rion, BioLabs, and Nucleus RadioPharma
Bemidji: Aircorps Aviation LLC and The Design Store
Lakeville: BTD Manufacturing, QA1 Brands, and GF/Uponor
Season of Small Business Resource Fair
Celebrate Minnesota’s entrepreneurs during the annual Season of Small Business, which we're kicking off with DEED's Season of Small Business Resource Fair! Connect with our partner organizations offering resources, guidance and support to help small businesses start, grow and succeed. Attendees can meet local and statewide service providers, explore available programs and make valuable connections, all in one place. No registration is required.
Event details:
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Date: Wednesday, November 4
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Time: 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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Location: University Enterprise Laboratories (1000 Westgate Dr, St Paul, MN 55114)
Participating organizations:
Howliday Inn Grows with Assistance from SBDC
The Howliday Inn LLC is a dog boarding and daycare business offering short- and long-term care that supports each pet’s socialization, rest, attentive care, exercise and a structured schedule.
Owner Kjersti Bastian shares that “Working with the SBDC really kept me focused on the right path toward opening my business. Their expertise, knowledge of resources, and flexibility are top-notch, and I would never hesitate to refer someone to them.”
Bastian continues that this is a lifelong dream come true, as “building my own business from the ground up makes me feel extremely empowered, and I am blessed to be able to have my family right alongside me”
Find your local Small Business Development Center
Minnesota Small Business Call: Employee Ownership & Succession Planning
Employee ownership can offer small business owners a powerful path for succession while preserving jobs, strengthening communities and creating wealth for employees. Join DEED’s October Small Business Call for a panel discussion exploring employee ownership options, the benefits and challenges of transitioning a business, and resources available to help owners plan for the future.
Michael Darger, a community economics specialist with the University of Minnesota, will moderate a panel featuring Kirsten Kennedy of the Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership (MNCEO), Char Vrieze of Cooperative Development Services (CDS) and Electra Skrzydlewski of the Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD).
Register for October’s Small Business Call
Previous Small Business Call recordings
Visit Office of Child Care's New Website
DEED’s Office of Child Care works to expand access to quality child care across Minnesota by supporting child care providers, strengthening community partnerships and investing in solutions that increase capacity. Child care businesses and community partners can visit the new site to explore innovative practices, funded projects, reports and other resources.
Connect with the office to learn how it can support your work
New Child Care Facility to Open in Monticello
Kids Haven Child Care and Preschool recently broke ground on a new center in Monticello. The project is projected to add more than 300 child care slots and approximately 40 jobs to the area. Kids Haven’s new location and its existing location in Buffalo receive support from the Initiative Foundation through a grant from DEED for training of its staff. The center is expected to open in the spring of 2027. Congratulations to Kids Haven, Monticello and Wright County.
Bridge2Food North America Comes to Minneapolis
Food innovators, entrepreneurs and industry leaders will gather in Minneapolis October 13–15 for Bridge2Food North America 2026. Co-hosted by MBold, this event will feature discussions on consumer trends, food product development and health-driven innovation, along with networking opportunities and a pitch event showcasing emerging companies
Explore the program and register
Food. Ag. Ideas: The Minnesota Model - October 27
Next month, Naturally Minnesota will host its ninth annual Food. Ag. Ideas. conference, bringing together farmers, founders, researchers, investors and industry leaders for a full day of conversations exploring this year's theme: The Minnesota Model.
GLP-1s alone could remove $50B from food and beverage sales by 2030. Tariffs, trade wars, and climate volatility are cracking supply chains that once felt unshakable. Consumer trust in food has never been lower, or more commercially consequential. That's exactly what Food. Ag. Ideas. 2026 is built to unpack.
Learn more and register
Mark Cuban AI Hackathon for High School Students
High school students within 55 miles of Red Wing are invited to participate in the free Mark Cuban AI Hackathon this fall. Over three sessions, students will learn about artificial intelligence and machine learning, explore real-world applications, and build with AI alongside mentors and other students. The event will be offered on October 31, November 7 and November 14.
Learn more and register
Claude Workshop for Small Business Owners - October 1
Join Anthropic and Tenex for a half-day AI fluency training and hands-on workshop for business owners and operators who want to learn how to leverage AI to solve real world business problems. No prior experience needed. Just practical skills you can put to work the next morning, and a room full of local leaders problem solving alongside you.
The Claude SMB Workshop is a free, hands-on session built for leaders running real companies with real operational complexity. You'll spend the afternoon with Anthropic — the company behind Claude — learning practical AI skills, working through exercises on your own laptop, and trading notes with other business owners in Minneapolis navigating the same questions.
Learn more and register
October 15: EO Minnesota Event Preview & Informational Launch
October 21: Butter Together
October 29: Groove Pitch Series
November 7: Feast! Local Foods Marketplace 2026
Startup and Small Business Calendar
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