Yesterday, Governor Dayton heard the concerns of local St. Cloud business executives during a regional economic-development summit at St. Cloud Technical and Community College.

The St. Cloud Times reports that Governor Dayton spoke on the need to "expand businesses' access to capital, and to better align the state's job-training programs with professions that have a surplus of job openings."

The summit was aimed at gathering the best ideas on job creation from Minnesotans and to highlight Minnesota's strong business climate and economic development opportunities. The Governor is holding statewide jobs summit on October 25, 2011.

Check out part of the St. Cloud Times article below:

Energy costs, a lack of commercial air service and a shortage of qualified workers are hampering job growth in Central Minnesota, local business executives told Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday morning.

The comments came during a regional economic-development summit Dayton scheduled at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. It was one of a series of summits Dayton has conducted across the state this month to gather ideas on job creation from local leaders and entrepreneurs.

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After the summit, Dayton told reporters his statewide tour has highlighted several economic issues he hopes to incorporate into his legislative agenda for 2012. That includes the need to expand businesses' access to capital, and to better align the state's job-training programs with professions that have a surplus of job openings.

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Last night, Governor Dayton gave the keynote address at the Minnesota Business Partnership Annual Dinner and called on Minnesota's business leaders to join him in addressing the issues facing the state.

The Star Tribune reports that the Governor asked business leaders to help rebuild our state's infrastructure and improve our higher education system.  Check out some excerpts below and read the full article here.

"I am trying to identify those who are willing to join in partnership," Dayton told about 700 business leaders at the Minnesota Business Partnership's annual dinner in downtown Minneapolis.

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Dayton told the business leaders that the state is at a critical time in addressing higher education and infrastructure needs, including a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.

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He wants business leaders to get involved to help identify "pillars of excellence" in the higher education system that can be improved and built upon.

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Yesterday, the Governor's Office announced the breakout sessions for the 2011 Governor's Job Summit.  The summit will feature two breakout sessions where attendees can choose from separate panels, each addressing a separate aspect of growing businesses and creating jobs.

Some of the topics include: Capital Access for Small Businesses, Energy Efficiency + Job creation, Reducing the Cost of Government for Business Growth, Infrastructure for the 21st Century, Workforce Solutions Designed to Meet Business Needs, and much more.

For the complete list of sessions and their moderators, click here.

The statewide summit is culmination of the Governor’s conversations with Minnesotans across the state about the best ways to grow and strengthen our economy.  These conversations will provide the agenda for the summit, with a focus on workforce alignment, access to capital for small businesses and increasing our state’s exports.

The Governor's Job Summit will be held on Tuesday, October 25, 2011.

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Yesterday, Governor Dayton traveled to Washington, DC and spoke on the American Jobs Act after attending a White House meeting with Bill Daley, President Barack Obama's chief of staff.

The Star Tribune reports:

The meeting came two days after the U.S. Senate blocked the bill in a Republican-led filibuster. The administration has vowed to press on with the legislation, either in whole or in parts.
 
Rejecting the jobs bill, Dayton said, is “the wrong thing for the people of Minnesota, and the wrong thing for the people of this country… We as governors know how vital this is for our states.”
 
Dayton appeared at the White House with two other Democratic governors, Martin O’Malley of Maryland and Christine Gregoire of Washington State.

The Governor was in Washington, DC for a National Governors Association Executive Committee Meeting.

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This week a new solar energy plant celebrated its grand opening on the Iron Range.  Minnesota was chosen for Seattle-based Silicon Energy’s second plant because of a state incentive program encouraging the purchase of solar panels made in-state.

IRRRB provided $1.5 million in equipment loans for the project and the agency worked over several months to create a package to assist Silicon Energy with building a plant in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. The company has already hired 15 employees and plans to add additional employees over the next few months in manufacturing, engineering, and sales. 

Minnesota Public Radio highlighted the news earlier this week:

Mountain Iron, Minn. — A new solar energy plant on the Iron Range celebrated a grand opening Monday.

Seattle-based Silicon Energy began training workers to produce photovoltaic systems at a plant in Mountain Iron last month. Minnesota was chosen for Silicon Energy's second plant because of a state incentive program encouraging purchase of solar panels made in-state, said company president Gary Shaver.

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Last night, Governor Dayton spoke at the launch of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership (Greater MSP Partnership), which is committed to economic growth and prosperity in the 13-county Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area.

The Greater MSP Partnership is another example of public-private organizations and businesses working together to create jobs and put Minnesotans back to work. It will focus on five areas to increase job growth in the Twin Cities: health and life sciences, corporate headquarters and business services, food and agribusiness, innovation and technology, and financial services and insurance.

Governor Dayton's remarks at the launch of the Greater MSP Partnership is just another example of his focus on jobs and gathering input from a broad spectrum of Minnesotans on how to get our economy working again. The Governor will hold a jobs summit on October 25th - another in a series of steps his administration is taking to Minnesotans back to work.

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Today, Governor Mark Dayton joined 15 other governors in signing a letter to Congressional leadership urging swift consideration of the American Jobs Act.  Read the letter below:

Dear Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader Pelosi:

As governors, we believe that of all the difficult decisions we have to make as a country, our top priority must remain job creation, always.

We therefore urge swift consideration of the American Jobs Act, which draws upon many ideas that governors - Democratic and Republican alike - are putting into action in the states.

It is an economic and historic truth that, to create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments.  As President Obama has stated, to create jobs, we must be willing to educate, innovate and rebuild.  Our global competitors are investing in their infrastructure and in the skills and education of their workforce.  To create jobs in our communities, we must be willing to do the same.

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Last week, details came out about Governor Dayton’s upcoming jobs summit on October 25th.  While this event will certainly be a great chance to gather input from an even broader spectrum of Minnesotans about how we get our economy working again, it will be just one of a series of steps our administration is taking to put Minnesotans back to work.
 
Preceding the summit, Governor Dayton has visited nearly a dozen communities asking for input from all Minnesotans about how we can grow businesses and create jobs across the state.  Most recently, he was in Duluth soliciting ideas from business leaders and community officials.  Several business leaders cited government incentives that allowed them to expand or grow their companies, and the Governor reiterated his belief that government has a role to play in job creation.
 
One of the things that government can do to ensure that private businesses can hire is to help small businesses access the capital they need to grow.  Last week the Department of Employment and Economic Development announced a new grant that would mean $15.5 million in new funding for small business lenders.  This public/private partnership will help thousands of small businesses in our state and create up to 3,000 jobs.

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This morning, the Grand Forks Herald has a story on Governor Dayton's regional economic development summit in Thief River Falls. The article highlights the Governor's focus on job creation throughout the state.

“Jobs and economic growth are my goal for the next three years,” Gov. Dayton said during the summit. See the article below.

Grand Forks Herald: Jobs, population discussed during northwest Minnesota summit

THIEF RIVER FALLS — In the midst of a struggling statewide economy, the community of Thief River Falls has a problem other Minnesota cities might wish they had.

Thief River Falls and neighboring communities such as Roseau, located in the northwest corner of the state, have plenty of jobs but are in need of more people and more housing.

At a regional economic development summit held Monday at the theater on the campus of Northland Community and Technical College, 16 panelists, including Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, answered questions and addressed concerns about the lack of available housing and workers.

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The Duluth News Tribune highlighted Governor Dayton's regional economic development summit at the University of Minnesota – Duluth on Friday.

Over 150 people attended the summit, which was aimed at gathering the best ideas on job creation from Minnesotans and to highlight Minnesota’s strong business climate and economic development opportunities. See below:

Duluth News Tribune: Economic development forum in Duluth focuses on jobs

More than 150 people participated in an economic development forum at the University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton sat with 14 other people on a panel in Kirby Ballroom that included state legislators, economic developers and people running area businesses.

The obvious topic was about how to create more jobs in what Dayton called a “different economic era.” He praised efforts in Duluth to revitalize its downtown as a sign that people working together “against the grain” can overcome economic obstacles.

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