Judging by the number of e-commerce and health-related facility investments all around us in this pandemic year, you’d expect those categories to vault to the top of any global ranking by industry sector. They didn’t quite reach the summit, but logistics (+19.3%) and life sciences (+12%) show the biggest — an...Continue Reading

Jonathan Webb’s quixotic dream is coming true. AppHarvest, the ag-tech venture he founded four years ago in Kentucky coal country, went public in February after shipping its first consignment of beefsteak tomatoes weeks earlier from what is North America’s biggest greenhouse. AppHarvest tomatoes now are available in chains such a...Continue Reading

The challenges faced in 2020 were unlike any other confronted in our lifetime. The global pandemic wreaked havoc on our personal and professional lives and the U.S. and global economies. The Commerce Department reports that U.S. GDP declined 3.5 percent in 2020, with the economy falling into recession in February 202...Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL-Minnesota) predicted a resurgence in manufacturing and exporting Thursday during a news conference at Clure Public Marine Terminal in Duluth. “Instead of bringing everything in from other countries, as much as we like that as a port too, it’s also about making stuff in America – inventin...Continue Reading

Telecommunications experts are happy to hear Congress is interested in broadband funding, but they say any federal dollars needs to be spread out over several years to make the most impact. That’s the message state broadband advocates and industry leaders gave to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar Wednesday, the same day Presiden...Continue Reading

For Harry's Bar and Grill in Hill City, construction on Enbridge's $4 billion Line 3 oil pipeline came at the right time. When work began Dec. 1 on the 340-mile pipeline across northern Minnesota, the state had just banned indoor dining at Minnesota bars and restaurants for the second time amid a dramati...Continue Reading

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here, but the question is, will the United States be as influential as we have been in recent decades? Many would argue the opposite as we exit the top-10 index of global innovation. Samsung was the world’s largest R&D investor last year, positioning South Korea just behind the U.S. a...Continue Reading

Today, A.T. Kearney released its 2021 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index, ranking the United States as the top destination for foreign investors for the ninth year in a row. The United States continuing to be ranked first in the world is no small feat, and has been supported by the U.S...Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Acting State Director for Rural Development in North Dakota Mark Wax announced today an over $80 million rural electric loan package to build or improve electric infrastructure in 11 states. “These investments will bring critical improvements and upgrades to the electrical system in North Dakota,” sai...Continue Reading

While many continue to debate the importance of economic incentives in the site selection process, it may be that incentives are more important than ever. In an unpredictable economy, companies are still poised to spend money; however, they intend do so in the most prudent way possible which means economi...Continue Reading

The Minnesota Chamber Foundation released a report on Tuesday, March 23 titled, “The Economic Contributions of Immigrants in Minnesota.” This report highlights their contributions as consumers, human capital, taxpayers and a link to the world economy, through entrepreneurship, by region and as talent in key industries.  “The success of Minnesota’s economy...Continue Reading

The Catalyst Story Institute envisions a day when Duluth is a major hub of independent television and episodic storytelling, feeding the world’s endless appetite for new streaming content. In 2019, the in-person Catalyst Content Festival drew 1,100 television executives, creators, and fans to Duluth and brought $1.7 million into th...Continue Reading

For more than a decade, Adam Bowman has faced a backlog when turning his cattle into meat. It's led him to take matters into his own hands and buy a butcher shop. Bowman, a farmer in southeast Minnesota who's been raising Angus Simmental cattle since 2008, is the owner of Bowman's Butcher Block...Continue Reading

According to CBRE, distribution firms want to be close to major air hubs to expedite speedy deliveries, but there is often a price to pay: Industrial rent premiums average 13 percent in the top U.S. airport submarkets and reach as high as 47% in the Chicago O'Hare submarket. In the er...Continue Reading

All over the world, entrepreneurs are turning to a powerful tool to improve their efficiency and raw output: automation.   Often hailed as the ultimate weapon for increasing productivity, automation certainly has a lot of advantages. But it’s not guaranteed to be effective. In fact, when used incorrectly, automation can end up workin...Continue Reading

St. Paul – Wednesday, March 17th was national Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Day and Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove and SBDC State Director Bruce Strong engaged in a lively, productive discussion with several small business owners and SBDC advisory board members from across th...Continue Reading

While nickel is mostly used for stainless steel, the base metal has begun to take centre stage in the production of batteries in electric vehicles, as it is expected that original equipment manufacturers will increasingly use high-nickel cathode battery chemistries. The global nickel market is currently running at a surplus, bu...Continue Reading

This year, many eager new entrepreneurs are ready to hit the ground running with their startups and hopefully experience a year less challenging than the previous one. When launching a new business, it’s important to consider what business tools and core essentials small businesses need in order to thrive in today’s "new normal." ...Continue Reading

As Corporate Real Estate Week kicked off around the world, two panels of diverse, expert leaders in corporate real estate began a discussion about how to make the profession more inclusive.  Sharing personal and professional experiences, three members of IBM’s corporate real estate team spoke about how diverse workplace yields benefit...Continue Reading

As business needs continue to evolve in response to the pandemic, many employers are putting new emphasis on finding candidates with essential workplace skills. According to RealTime Talent, while many job postings include post-secondary or technical training as a requirement, there are also many jobs for which employers are specificall...Continue Reading

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said the United States needs to boost domestic production of the minerals used to make electric vehicles, so long as it is done sustainably. The United States has been trying to wean its automobile supply chain off of China and other countries for years, with mixe...Continue Reading

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Standing in the middle of RDO Equipment's shop in Moorhead, surrounded by John Deere tractors and hulking construction equipment, Emma Westman wears jeans, a dark-gray, button-down RDO service shirt and chunky, steel-toed work boots. Yet she still manages to look like a ballerina. Hair pulled back in a careful bun, she sports ...Continue Reading

These 7 brilliant ways to grow your remote workforce will help you reap the benefits of the work from home movement! The advantages of a remote workforce for workers, employers, and the towns and states they reside in are many. TAP INTO THE WORK FROM HOME MOVEMENT 70% of the American workforce i...Continue Reading

Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them? 1—Google Workspace is adding new features to help remote workers.    Google recently added some new features to Google Workspace in order to help those working remotely collaborate and improve thei...Continue Reading