The largest economic growth hurdle for the next ten years will be availability of workforce. Historically, Minnesota has had one of the highest labor force participation rates in the country.
To capitalize on this, the size of the population needs to continue to grow.
The discussion around marijuana legalization in Minnesota is picking up at the Legislature. In fact, the Legislature has launched a ‘“Be Heard on Cannabis’ Community Conversation” tour that will be coming to Saint Peter the evening of November 20. It will be critical that the voice of employers is heard in this process – particularly around the sort of workplace regulations that would be necessary to include in any legalization scenario to ensure safe and productive workplaces. I’d invite you to participate in this forum to lend your thoughts and expertise to this process. Full event details are below. Read More
The following is a guest blog post authored by Diane Dobitz and Briana Baker who are members of the Mankato Indigenous Peoples Day Committee. Their post is a continuation of Scot Zellmer’s post “On Being A Successful Business in an Ever Changing World” and speaks to the importance of commemorating Indigenous Peoples Day on October 14th, 2019.
Are you part of a Greater Mankato member business and have an interest in writing a guest blog for us? Send 500-800 words to media@greatermankato.com or reach out to Greater Mankato Growth with further questions.
The following article was submitted by Sean Dahlman from Greater Mankato Growth member business, Pantheon Computers. It is about cyber security and how it relates specifically to the healthcare sector.
Are you part of a Greater Mankato member business and have an interest in writing a guest blog for us? Send 500-800 words to media@greatermankato.com or reach out to Greater Mankato Growth with further questions.
Our entire team at Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. works each day to bring value to our members and drive increased vitality to the Greater Mankato region. To ensure that we’re effectively updating our partners and the community on our work, we revamped our annual report. Instead of a once-a-year 40+ page document, we’ve transitioned to a quarterly report in a new, condensed infographic layout. This has allowed us to streamline and considerably reduce staff time as well as printing costs all while making the content easier to digest, more immediate, and more impactful. I invite you to take a look at our Quarter 2 report.
In May 2019, the Legislature passed a new Minnesota Wage Theft Law to create additional protections for workers and add criminal penalties for employers. Wage theft occurs when an employer avoids paying or fails to pay wages earned by its employees. GMG published a blog highlighting these new requirements here.
For additional information, you can also attend an overview presentation on Minnesota’s new Wage Theft Law hosted by The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on October 16. More details on this event are below. Read More
The following is a guest blog courtesy of Blethen|Berens.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced a final rule making more American workers eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The current salary thresholds were set in 2004. Previously, in 2016, the DOL announced a final rule, significantly increasing the overtime thresholds for the “white collar” exemptions, which was to be effective December 1 of that year. This proposed change was halted by the Courts before it took effect. Then, after a change in White House administration, in July, 2017, the Department of Labor abandoned the proposed final rule from 2016 and started over with a new process of reviewing and proposing changes to the overtime rules. The resulting final rule, which will go into effect on January 1, 2020, provides an increased threshold salary for the white collar exemptions, but the increase is much lower than the previously proposed rule from 2016. Read More
Our partners at the Southern Minnesota Area Human Resource Association (SMAHRA) are hosting an event titled Your Personal MBA: Understanding Business Functions & Business Acumen Part 1 and are opening the event to GMG members to attend. You can view the event flyer below for additional details.
The following article was submitted by Lori Creighton from Greater Mankato Growth member business, Homestead Media. She writes about the benefits of using a proactive recruiting process instead of a reactive one.
Are you part of a Greater Mankato member business and have an interest in writing a guest blog for us? Send 500-800 words to media@greatermankato.com or reach out to Greater Mankato Growth with further questions.
The following article was submitted by Sean Dahlman from GMG member business, Pantheon Computers. It’s provides information on how to avoid “phishing”, which is a type of cybercrime used to gain sensitive data by posing as a legitimate sender in emails.
Are you part of a Greater Mankato member business and have an interest in writing a guest blog for us? Send 500-800 words to media@greatermankato.com or reach out to Greater Mankato Growth with further questions.
The business world continues to evolve and modernize at a rapid pace. One area this is evident in is a company’s benefits for their employees. Most people expect the usual allowance of vacation time and some health insurance for example. But companies these days are becoming more creative and empathetic when it comes to employee benefits and they can be a great way to entice potential workers. Here are a few things you might want to suggest or implement in your workplace:
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The following article was submitted by Jody Steffen, Account Representative at GMG member business, Hire Image. She writes about the importance of background screening in the hiring process.
Are you part of a Greater Mankato member business and have an interest in writing a guest blog for us? Send 500-800 words to media@greatermankato.com or reach out to Greater Mankato Growth with further questions.
