Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce

Business Monthly

April 2015

Intego Financial Group, LLC

Thank you

Renewing Members

Etcetera Tanning & Clothing

Kenneth R. Leland Realty, Inc.

Watercolor Originals

Kay Nails

RWP Design Build

United Employee Credit Un-ion

BEVCOMM

Royal Lawn/Royal Sports

Brick Brothers Furniture

Southeast Minnesota Associa-tion of Realtors

Sate Farm-Nancy VanderWaerdt Agency

Albert Lea Radiator & Cooling Systems, LLC

American Bank

Arrow Printing

Culligan Water Treatment

Eaton Sport & Spine Clinic

Lembke Construction Inc.

Martin’s Cycle & Fitness

Oak Park Place

Trailside Apartments & Town-homes

Winnebago Cooperative Tele-com Association

Zogg Dermatology, PLC

Smokin Bros BBQ

Albert Lea Public Warehouse

Hilltop Greenhouse and Farm

Reim Roofing & Metal Con-struction Inc.

Alliant Energy

Community Foot Clinic

Kibble Equipment, LLC

Southern Lock & Glass

The Marketing Plant, LLC

Bent Tree Wind Farm

Leuthold’s

Albert Lea Farmer’s Market

Dave’s Phone Booth/Frames-

Thank you New Members

Teacher of the Year

I recently had the honor of attending the 2015 Teacher of

the Year ceremony at Albert Lea High School. In addition

to attending, I had the honor of presenting an award from

the Albert Lea – Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce

to award winner, Todd Lange. Mr. Lange was selected

from among five finalists, all of whom are deserving of recognition. The

other finalists were Penny Hagen, Robin Hundley, Beth Nelson, and Lynda

Kiesler. The selection is made by the Teacher of the Year Committee, one

of whom is Geri Jensen from the Chamber staff.

Why does the Chamber of Commerce participate in this process and

recognize the winner in a public ceremony? It is really quite simple. Teach-

ers are actively involved in the process of molding our future workforce.

Whether they teach elementary school or secondary school they, along with

parents, are actively involved in preparing our children for the future.

Today, perhaps more than ever, it is critical that our teachers give the

children they have before them the tools necessary to compete in the world.

It matters not if they are going on to a four year institution or our fine local

community college. The workforce of tomorrow must understand that the

future can be challenging. Proper preparation can make the journey easier. It

is important that we recognize teachers that give students the right direction.

Another reason for participating is the sincere concern that most

teachers have for the children. Mr. Lange said in his biography that he

“hoped each day that I am a better teacher than yesterday.” Paula Buendorf,

Teacher of the Year in 2014, said in a letter to the Chamber that she knew

that she “was one of many teachers in our community that strive to do what

is best for their students.” The attitudes expressed by these two winners are

the attitudes that we encourage by participating in the award process.

Does our participation matter to these teachers? Again, I will turn to

Paula Buendorf’s letter to the Chamber. She said, “Please know that I ap-

preciate the commitment you give to our district’s TOY program. It is a true

show of support to all teachers”.

We at the Chamber salute all the dedicated educators in our commu-

nity. From early childhood through post-secondary education, the role they

play cannot be overestimated.

Dear Chamber Members,

Business Monthly

Referrals The following Business

have received referrals from the Chamber Office this

month: Freeborn Lumber Company

& Design

Holiday Inn Express & Suites

Best Western/ I-90

AmericInn of Albert Lea

Americas Best Value Inn

Big Island Grille & Bar

Wedgewood Cove

Green Mill

Comfort Inn

Alliance Benefit Group

Applebee's Neighborhood

Grill & Bar

Home Depot

Kwik Trip

Albert Lea Family Y

Anytime Fitness

Fleet Farm Supply

The Unbridled Boutique

Hy-Vee

MarketPlace Foods

Salvation Army

Mona’s Style Salon & Spa

Senior Resources

Anytime Fitness Albert Lea

American Red Cross

Country Soule Boot & Western Market

Trumble's Family

Restaurant

Godfather’s Pizza

Grandma’s Kitchen

Iron Skillet/SKOL Tavern

Kay Nails

Ambassador Visits

Business Monthly

Chamber Board of Directors

Randy Cirksena Chair

State Farm at the Barn 373-7717

Jeff Woodside

Vice Chair Albert Lea Select Foods

379-9265

Catherine Buboltz 2nd Vice Chair

Albert Lea Tribune 379-3427

Amy Davis Cargill Value Added Meats

377-2526

Kade Vershay Dave Syverson Auto Mall

373-1438

Julia Thompson Freeborn County Shopper

373-1310

Justin Oman Security Bank

373-1481

Kathy Sabinish Dave's Phone Booth/Frames-R-Us

377-0848

Jeff Eaton Eaton Sport and Spine

377-1570

Patricia Dahl Mayo Clinic Health

System Albert Lea and Austin 373-2384

Dr. Adenuga Atewologun Riverland Community College

433-0607

Kim Nelson

The Children Center

373-7979

Angie Kolker

Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services

373-6421

Stephanie Haedt Past Chair

Peterson, Savelkoul, Kolker, Haedt & Benda, Ltd. 373-6491

The Children’s Center - Mommy and Me Room

Elite Pet & Garden, Inc– Tom Theesfeld

Kay Nails - Ellie Bowman

Small Street Journal

Business Monthly

Congratulations to Cole & Katie Pestorious and

children; Danica, Bridget, and Cael

Co-owners of Frontier Family Farms

2015 Farm Family of the Year

Radiography Students (l to r) Darin Ness, Megan

Spinler, Amber Schmit and Sarah Fischer with Radi-

ography director, Sandy Sellner-Wee met with Dr.

Adenuga Atewologun, Riverland college president

(right) to discuss their success at the conference.

Riverland Radiography Students

Place First at National Conference

BIG Community Blue Zones

Walking Moai® Launch!

Meet community members while

moving and enjoying the outdoors!

Meet at Fountain Lake Park (by the Gazebo) May 9th at 9:00 a.m. Registrations for dozens of prizes at the event. Must be present to win. Prizes include gift certificates for Blue Zones Designated Restau-rants!

For those who preregister online for the walk qualify to be in a drawing for the latest FITBIT! www.bluezonesproject.com 2 walking path options will be avail-able; you can go on the 5 mile walk around the Fountain Lake or join us walking beautiful downtown Albert Lea! We want all of you to join us in this great walk that brought together 600 people in 2009! Bring your fam-ilies, friends and co-workers. Let’s make history together this year!

Business After Hours

Business Monthly

Thank you Albert Lea Chiropractic

for sponsoring the March Business After

Hours

Quote of the Month

“You must do the things you think you

cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

2015 Business After Hours Schedule

January 2015 - Pantheon Computer Systems

February 2015 - Green Mill

March 2015– Albert Lea Chiropractic

April 2015 - Vern Eide

May 2015 - Accentra Credit Union

June 2015 - Blue Zones Project

July 2015 - St. John’s

August 2015 - American Legion Post #56

September 2015-

October 2015 - MarketPlace Foods

November 20145- Hy-Vee

December 2015 - Albert Lea Tribune

If you are interested in hosting a Business After Hours

Event please call the Chamber Office at: 507-373-3938

Albert Lea—Freeborn County

Chamber of Commerce is now a

Blue Zones Worksite!

Blue Zones Project® Albert Lea announced that the Albert Lea - Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce has been named a Blue Zones Worksite®. They were designated after completing the necessary items in the Blue Zones Worksite pledge, including successfully registering more than 25 percent of their employees to pledge and take action on www.bluezonesproject.com. The Albert Lea – Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce joins 3 other Albert Lea worksites in achieving the Blue Zones Worksite designation. “I am extremely pleased that the Chamber has shown that a small office can achieve designation,” says Chamber Executive Director, Randy Kehr. “We believe that creating a culture of well-ness in our office will not only benefit our individual office envi-ronment but can also be an inspiration to all our members to consider doing the same.” The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce has been the leader and champion for employee wellbeing in Albert Lea for many years. In 2010 they created the first standing com-mittee on worksite wellness at the Chamber level in the State of Minnesota. This long standing committee leads the Blue Zones Project worksite initiatives in Albert Lea. The Chamber of Com-merce recognizes our worksites each year for achievements in well-being and continues to be recognized on a State level for their outstanding efforts in this very important area of employee health, productivity and retention. We thank the Chamber of Commerce for their leadership and outstanding commitment to the well-being of the Freeborn County workforce and congratulate them on this achievement. For more information about how to become a Blue Zones Worksite, contact the Blue Zones Project team at 641-530-5742 or visit www.bluezonesproject.com.

Business Monthly

Chamber Offers Job Board The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce has initiated a webpage dedicated to job openings in our area. To view the job openings, go to www.albertlea.org. If you have positions that you would like posted, please send your available positions to chamberoffice@albertlea.org or call the Chamber for more information.

Chamber Continues to Connect with Membership The Albert Lea/Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce in an attempt to keep up with the times and in an effort to better com-municate with our membership, encourages you to like us on Facebook.

Interested in having an Ambassadors Visit your Office? Has your business experienced a change – such as management changes, relocation or remodel? If your business has experienced any of these changes, please contact Geri at the Chamber Office – 507-373-3938 to schedule an Ambassador visit.

Special Chamber Member Offer

The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber in partnership with Coggno.com, are now offering our member businesses the op-portunity to purchase, through our website, a carefully selected assortment of online training courses that are relevant to your needs. For a limited time, we are offering a coupon code for a 20% discount per class for a month. The code is: alfccoc1 and should be entered at checkout. Go to www.albertlea.org and click on Online Trainings to redeem your coupon and register today!

Video Tours Now Available! Check out the new community video tours on our

website www.albertlea.org These videos would be great tools for businesses to use for employee recruitment!

Member Referral Know someone who isn’t a Chamber Member but who should be? Now there is a reason for you to actively recruit those non-members. Any member who actively recruits and refers a current non-member to our office and that non-member subsequently joins the chamber is eligible for a special prize drawing. Drawings will be held once per quarter from those new members. Prize will be a one night stay in the Country Inn and Suites and a $25 Gift card from Green Mill for both the new member AND the referring member. The Quarterly drawing will take place at Business after Hours.

Become a Fan!

Go to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/alfcchamber and “like” us for news and special offers from the Cham-ber and it’s member businesses. You can also follow us on Twitter! @alfccoc or www.twitter.com/ALFCCOC

Business Monthly

Chamber Green Committee: The Green Committee did not meet in March. The Chamber Worksite Wellness Committee: met on March 20th. Kelly Goskeson made a presentation about the Rotary’s UV Splash Color Dash; Kelly explained that the Rotary Club has planned to focus on youth community programs. Last year, they decid-ed to support Halvorsen Elementary School and their healthy snack cart program. They were able to raise $4300 and would like to better that amount this year. Their main fundraiser this year will once again be the UV Splash Color Dash. It is a 5K run/walk that will be held Eddie Cochran Weekend on June 13th. It will begin in the North Broadway lot with a route to Pioneer Park and back. There will be a party at the end to compliment the Street Dance. Individual registration fees are $40. Local businesses can sponsor color stations for $500. Last year, Cargill sponsored a station and also paid the registration of any employee wanting to participate. The Rotary would like to extend this to other businesses. New this year, $100 business sponsorship will get any participating em-ployee a registration fee of $20. Erin pointed out that Mrs. Gerry’s is planning to do this sponsorship and then cover 50% of the $20 fee. Businesses should email Kelly if they would like to register or have questions. The $100 sponsorship will not be available for registration online. Station sponsors will also be able to get the discount for employees. Ellen Kehr gave a report on the progress of the worksites in the Blue Zones project. This is a critical time for worksites. We need 10 designations out of the top 20 businesses and should have 5 by the end of March. Ellen also reported that there will be no Open Streets event this year. There will be an event on June 27th called “Let’s Play” and it will be held by Frank Hall with street closure there. It will be geared toward active things. The Spring Kick-off for Walking Moais will be held Saturday, May 9th at 9:00 a.m. Moais will meet at the gazebo and there will two ability walks: the whole walkway or a shorter one mile route. There will be $500 in gift certificates to Blue Zones restaurants for individual participants and $500 in gift certificates for worksites as well. Rachel Breneman explained that she, in conjunction with the Hy-Vee pharmacy, offer biometric screenings for $45. She can go to the business or the employees can come to her. She asked that interested businesses contact her with questions or to set up screen-ings.

The Chamber Governmental Affairs Committee: met on March12th. Chad Adams reported for the city that, legislatively,

they are keeping an eye on the workforce housing bill and it is advancing well. They are also keeping an eye on environmental

regulations and MPCA peer review. They are watching the progression of LGC through the legislature. Locally, the City is

close to wrapping up the agreement with St. Johns and the Mrs. Gerry’s project is moving forward. The City is working on the

acquisition of 6 acres at the alpaca farm for a storm water retention pond for area businesses. Environmental studies and a cost

estimate need to be done for the tax increment financing agreement. Chad met with the market rate housing developer. There

will be a tax abatement hearing in April. The developer plans to build 24 units with the goal of 48 if it takes off. He is looking

at signing the purchase agreement on the property this week. John stated that the County is on board with their share of tax

abatement (85% for 10 years) as is the school district. The County will have a public hearing on April 21st. Each participating

body needs to hold a public hearing.

At the AMC legislative conference last week, John Kluever had 15 minutes with the Governor. He spoke of the MPCA/

phosphorus regulations that are adversely affecting Hayward. John reported that the formula for County Program Aid is work-

ing for Freeborn County, however the southern tier of the state and western counties are hit hard. He spoke to the Governor

about having the formula be more equal. In this legislative session, child protection has become a big issue with DHS. The leg-

islature would like to lower the case load, which would make it necessary to hire more workers to add more protection. John

reported that the Commissioners held a sales tax workshop yesterday and the proposed half cent sales tax is still moving for-

ward. There will be a listening session at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. It is hard to tell where they are with community members.

They are still on track for voting somewhere between August and December with the increase taking effect in January. John

also reported that the Union Pacific closing date is on or before the 31st of March. The term of the grant is until June 30th. The

County Commission and City Council will be meeting after the county has acquired the land to see about the possibility of

turning parts of it over to the city. In the Legislature, there was a hearing in the Senate on the Water Trail. Rep. Bennett intro-

duced the bill in the House. There is legislation requiring independent scientific peer review of MPCA requirements if the cost

is more than $50 million. There is also bipartisan support for job training bills.

Legislatively, Randy K. reported that along with what Chad touched on, the GMNP is also working on broadband, job training,

and the Angel Investment tax credit, workforce housing and other issues. A discussion of the State surplus and government

growth took place. Randy K. also reported that he received a letter from Rep. Paul Thissen. He read over our priorities and

wanted to touch base with Randy K. about our position on Consumer Informed Choice. Randy has received more information

from Katie Davis and is trying to get together with Rep. Thissen to help explain our position.

Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce Information Committee Updates

Business/Education Committee: the Business Education Partnership Committee met on Friday, March 6, 2015 at 8:30

am at the Chamber offices. Child Care Survey: Responses are limited; we will look at having a table at the Family Fun

Fest-April 18th, and at the Spring Regional Job Fair on April 21st. Both events are at the Northbridge Mall. Kim and

Jenny will work on the details. We will also look at possibly having interpreters available both dates. Albert Lea High

School Updates: Perkins committee for the area (Albert Lea, Austin, Owatonna and Riverland) met recently and are

going to do some brainstorming for the possible revision of the allocation of funds. A state Perkins rep was also part of

this meeting. The 9th grade tour of area industries will be happening this spring. ALHS is looking at revising the pro-

cess and procedure to make it run more efficiently. LPEP and Blandin Partnerships: LPEP committee has reps from

AL going to the Homeless Day at the Capitol. The group is looking at a new name for the local committee. Feb. 23

“Community Conversation” went well. Career Awareness: We continue to develop ideas and resources to help raise

career awareness/education to students, parents and the community. Riverland Community College: Lori was attend-

ing a high school career fair in Brainerd . She will bring back ideas for us to pursue. Albert Lea School Board: Dave

reported that the school has been supporting students with grief counseling after the death of a classmate. The calendar

has been set for 2015-2016, and 2016-2017 school years, so plans, registration and other can proceed. We are continuing

to pursue the Academy concept to help 10-12th grade develop career interests, work with Advisory, etc. Community

Education: ECFE is now moving forward with scheduling since the calendars are now set for the next two years. ECFE

is going to pilot an intergenerational art/literacy project called “Oaks and Saplings”. A community needs assessment was

recently completed during kindergarten registration which was a success at 68%. Youth Apprenticeship program: Con-

tinues to go well. Christina Ebeling, HS instructor and Val Kvale, Community Coordinator, attended a statewide gather-

ing at MDE Feb. 19. NEXT BEC meeting: Friday, April 3, 2015, Chamber office. The Chamber Agriculture Committee: 2015 Farm Family of the Year is Cole and Katie Pestorious.

The Chamber Ambassador Committee: The Ambassador’s are going to be visiting Advance Family Dental, Hubbard Agency and Quarterly Meeting.

The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber Board of Directors: met on March 25th. Chad Adams reported for the

City, Ryan Cafourek for the Ambassadors, and Susie Petersen for the CVB.

Action Items: George Gonzalez was approved to replace resigning Board member Kade Vershey. A motion passed in

favor of joining the Minnesota Chamber Foundation, and another to accept a new Wellness Policy.

Negotiations continue taking place with the Carrington Companies on our lease. Jennifer Byers of the MN Chamber

phoned in to discuss our joining the Chamber Federation. In the process of earning our Blue Zones designation, a Well-

ness Policy was created and the Board approved the policy. We have two seminars scheduled in the next few months.

Mark Lanterman will join us April 13th from 10-2 at Wedgewood Cove and Joe Constance will put on two seminars,

“Building Positive Attitudes in the Workplace” and “Managing and Motivating- 8 Keys to Success” on June 10th.

Full Board minutes will be available next month on our website.

Business Monthly

Save the Date! Wind Down Wednesday Summer Market & Music Festival on down-

town Albert Lea on Broadway Avenue. Festivals will be held June 17, July 15 and

August 19 providing a wide variety of incredible art, crafts, artisan food products and

entertainment. Applications are available at www.winddownwednesday.com.

Spring is officially here and the month of April is filled with family entertainment and activities! May you all

have a blessed Easter Holiday!

Naeve Hospital Auxiliary “Books Are Fun” will hold their sale – April 2 & 3 at Naeve Health Care Foundation

Board Room.

First Lutheran Church presents Maundy Thursday “The World Alive” drama at 7pm in the sanctuary.

Park & Rec presents their annual Free Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, April 4 at Albert Lea City Arena. Make

sure to bring a basket for your eggs! The Easter Bunny will make an appearance- cameras are welcome!

9:30 - 10am for 0 - 4 years & special needs. At 10am - Ages 5 - 7 and 8 - 11.

Lighthouse Event Center presents “Ross Kleiner & the Thrill”, April 4 at 7:30pm.

Albert Lea High School’s Jazz Band performance will be held April 10, 7pm at High School Auditorium.

Joy Unleashed: 3 Secrets for Claiming Your Life’s Miracles presented by David Larson and Kate Sholonski.

This is a delightful evening of taking charge & putting yourself in the driver's seat of your life. You'll leave

with 3 powerful tools to never again be controlled by people or circumstances outside you. Claim your pow-

er within to live the miracles you were meant to experience. Apply your new skills to keep joy close at hand,

even when life gets tough. Joy is what you were meant to experience and joy you shall have! Cost is $30 at

the door or $15 in advance. Register at Community Education Office at 507-379-4834

Marion Ross Performing Arts Center presents National Theater Live from London “Skylight”, April 10 & 11

at 7pm. and Met Live in HD - Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana/Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, April 25 at 11:30am.

Northbridge Mall hosts Gold Wing Harley Bike Display, April 11 &12 and Family Fun Festival, April 18.

Business Monthly

Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau, Susie Peterson, Executive Director

Business Monthly

Freeborn County Historical Museum events include lecture series “History of Navel Battleships, April 11 - 9-10am; “Timeless Tea”, April 18 at 2pm; Telling your family story with collage, April 25, 10-11am and photo presentation of “Freeborn County, You Tell Us” at 2pm. Lens & Shutter Photography Club will meet April 16 at 7pm at Mayo Clinic Health Room #465. Southwest Middle School presents “Love Potion #10, The Musical”, April 17 at 7pm at Middle School Little Theater. A meld of comedy, intrigue, romance - and the great songs of the golden age of rock and roll! Featuring Michael Patrick "Records" Ryan and the Whitesidewalls. Tickets are $20.00 advance / $25.00 at the door. Tickets are on sale at the CVB. Come out to the City Arena for a “Fabulous Friday”, April 17 at 10am. Join them for a fun day of ice skat-ing, a mystery movie, games and crafts. Pizza and pop will be provided for lunch. Fountain Lake 5 and Tiger Trot 5k will be held Saturday, April 18 at 9am at the former Brookside school. Both events are timed events and run at the same time. Come to the Interchange (formerly Prairie Wind Coffee) for swing dancing, April 18, 7-11pm.

Albert Lea High School Show Choir Concert will be held April 20 - 7pm at Albert Lea High School Auditori-um. Cantori Concert will be held at United Methodist Church, Sunday, April 26 at 3pm. Glenville United Methodist Church will host the Goodtime Band Concert, April 26 at 2pm. The Albert Lea Art Center artist of the month is James Wegener. James’s art is well known throughout MN and nationally. Plan to attend his open house reception on April 16, 5 - 7pm. and James will be the speaker kicking off the art center's 2015 Dorothy Godtland Lecture Series that evening at 7pm. Easter Brunch will be held at Wedgewood Cove – 10-2pm, April 5. Fundraiser breakfast events: April 11 – Grant Edwards Benefit – Green Lea Golf Course – 5-8pm April 12 – Eagles Breakfast –8-1pm April 12 - Good Samaritan Pancake Breakfast– 8-1pm April 12 & 26 – American Legion Pancake Breakfast – 8-12:30pm April 19 – Amaranth Pancake – Masonic Lodge – 8-1pm Do you have an event to promote? We provide free welcome bags filled with information for any event, meeting, tournament, festivals, and class reunions promoting Albert Lea and the surrounding communities! Local businesses are welcome to place a coupon in the bags for visitors which are very much appreciated by the guests. Information on the many events and festivals in our community, whether you’re looking for our calendar of events, information on attractions or lists of hotels and restaurants, can be accessed by logging on to our website at www.albertleatourism.org to find all the latest in local tourism related information. Our calendar is updated daily. Stop in at our office at 102 W. Clark Street, email susie@albertleatourism.org or call us at 507-373-2316!

Business Monthly

Let’s put brakes on Minnesota spending

By Bill Blazar

The recent budget forecast sets the stage for Governor Dayton and the Legislature to adopt a budget for the

next two years. The good news is that Minnesota has a growing surplus. That’s not surprising given the fact

that the 2013 Legislature raised permanent taxes by more than $2 billion to solve a much smaller two-year

shortfall. A good share of these increases fell disproportionately on Minnesota businesses.

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and our local partners recommend a balanced approach that will best position Minneso-

ta for a strong economic future. The projected surplus is an excellent opportunity to reduce uncompetitive business taxes and to

invest in key infrastructure needs of transportation and education/workforce.

The governor’s supplemental budget will frame the budget debate. His current recommendations fall far short of what our econ-

omy needs to change and grow. He makes no progress in improving Minnesota’s business competitiveness. He instead supports

using virtually all of the nearly $2 billion surplus on new and permanent spending.

The budget debate can be dizzying in the exchange of numbers. But all Minnesotans should pay attention to these telltale figures:

Minnesota’s general fund is projected to have a surplus of $1.869 billion for the two years beginning July 1, 2015 – and an-

other $3 billion for the following two years.

The surplus is above and beyond a 4.5 percent increase, or $1.8 billion, in spending that is assumed under current law.

Dayton proposes to use $178 million, or less than 9 percent, of the surplus for tax relief targeted at individuals and is actually

increasing taxes by $47 million on various business taxpayers.

It begs the question: How much money is enough to fund state government?

Minnesota ranks among the top in the nation on many quality-of-life measures. However, our taxes on all businesses – small,

medium and large – rank among the highest in the nation. The budget debate must not ignore the realities of globalization, com-

petitiveness and our changing demographics – all of which will have great impacts on Minnesota’s economy and the state treas-

ury.

Our challenge is to meet the dual tests of an aging population and globalization simultaneously. We can’t simply increase spend-

ing and the taxes that go with that while expecting the world economy to look the other way. Over the next decade fewer peo-

ple will be sharing the bill for an aging population, and our businesses will increasingly compete in a global marketplace. We

cannot sustain higher permanent spending, putting even greater pressure on taxpayers.

Instead, we urge policymakers to adopt a balanced budget solution to best position Minnesota for a strong future. First priority

should be to lower our uncompetitive taxes, allowing taxpayers to invest their own money in their families, their businesses and

their employees. Secondly, Minnesota should invest a portion of general fund resources in key infrastructure needs.

We need to reduce taxes and figure new ways to deliver important public services. Transportation and workforce are the most immediate and greatest opportunities. Transportation financing deserves to receive consideration the general fund. In early child-hood, as just one example, we get greater bang for the buck if the state funds scholarships for low-income children of all ages, rather than providing pre-K for all four year olds.

This is only the beginning of rethinking how we spend our state dollars; health care is perhaps our greatest challenge. But we can make a great start by putting both transportation and education/workforce on new, 21st century funding plans that are sustaina-ble while making our state more competitive. We can settle for nothing less to ensure a growing economy.

Bill Blazar is interim president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

Minnesota Chamber Information

Page 12

Business Monthly

Business Monthly

Chamber Staff

Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce

2580 Bridge Ave. Northbridge Mall Albert Lea, MN 56007

Phone: 507.373.3938 Fax: 507.373.0344 Email: alfccoc@albertlea.org

Mission Statement:

"Promote and develop a healthy and positive business climate and improve

the quality of life in the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Area."

Randy Kehr Executive Director director@albertlea.org Geri Jensen Sr. Administrative Assistant member@albertlea.org Sue Axsmith Exec. Administrative Assistant alfccoc@albertlea.org

Noelle Hagen Administrative Assistant chamberoffice@albertlea.org Check out our Member to Member Discounts Here: http://www.albertlea.org/Discounts.php