News and Media in Benton

Benton Economic Partnership hires new Executive Director

Thursday, October 01, 2020

Benton Economic Partnership has hired a new Executive Director, Amanda Othoudt. BEP is so excited to have this experienced and talented professional heading our organization. Amanda recently served as the Executive Director for the Economic Development Authority (EDA) and Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) for the City of Elk River. She managed city development and redevelopment projects, business outreach, expansion and more. During her time in Elk River, she facilitated the development of 723,258 sq ft of industrial, commercial, and multi-family housing projects, creating over $35 million in new taxable value. These projects resulted in the development of over 68 acres of new construction projects...

A Guide to Aerospace Investment Decisions

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The aerospace and defense (A&D) industry had a record year in 2019. Revenue passenger miles set a record, up 4.2 percent from 2018, and have been growing at roughly double GDP for the past two decades. Airbus’ and Boeing’s order backlogs ended 2019 at around 13,000 aircraft. The industry reported a record $780 billion in revenue — 5 percent over 2018. But in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the industry into crisis, literally overnight, with air traffic decreasing about 90 percent as society shut down and stayed at home. Hopes for a quick recovery have been dashed by the persistence of transmissions, and many believ...

Five Common Ways To Fund A Small Business Beyond Personal Savings

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

One of the most cliched statements in starting a small business is that “it takes money to make money”... but it is often true. Many businesses need an infusion of cash to buy essential components of their operations. For a pizzeria, that could be an industrial oven, and for a yard care business, that could be a commercial lawn mower. A common funding practice many new business owners take is to use personal savings and start small by reinvesting profits into the business. This approach, known as bootstrapping, seems rooted in common sense, but can be restrictive to your business’ growt...

Have Years of Darwinism in Rural America Paid Off During COVID-19?

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

As cities reel from a public health crisis and civic unrest, rural and small town community leaders are the unspoken heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have historically learned how to thrive through fostering creative connections between limited resources and community needs. Years of practice navigating threats and finding solutions keeps rural America surviving, even amidst a pandemic. Progressive rural community leaders developed a task force in March. They used frequent and clear communication on the local plan. Rural America applied well-practiced skills listening to citizens, health care professionals, business owners and educators to make decisions right for their own communities...

Infrastructure Investment as an Economic Stimulus Tool

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

In times of economic struggle — such as the recession that abruptly arrived with the COVID-19 pandemic — analysts and advocates promote an array of options as effective tools for stimulating the economy. One of the most frequently suggested options is infrastructure spending. Proponents of infrastructure spending during dire economic times view it as a productive job creator and essential foundation for a long-term recovery and return to sustained prosperity. Brian Raff, director of Communications and Public Affairs for the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), cites a 2015 study by the Duke Center on Globalization, Governance, and Competitiveness to demonstrate infrastructure investment’...

Why Companies Should Onshore in Benton County, MN

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

For companies looking to stabilize their supply chains by onshoring, Benton County, MN has the desired assets and amenities that appeal to site selectors looking to relocate or expand. Why Did Onshoring Become a Key Strategy? Onshoring to strengthen supply chains has become critical for many businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the vulnerability of relying on global resources and products. Over the past 40 years, many companies focused on cost reduction, choosing to steadily relocate manufacturing overseas as global markets opened up in places such as China, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. However, because of world events, businesses ar...

Beat Zoom Fatigue With These 6 Tips

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Do you audibly sigh every time you have to log on to what feels like your thousandth Zoom meeting of the day? You’re not alone. While we’re all more or less used to video calls and meetings being the norm now, the newly coined effect of Zoom fatigue hasn’t gone away. Since working from home is here to stay, video calls are here for the long run too. This makes it incredibly important to find a way to prevent Zoom fatigue from taking over your workday. Here are a few ways you can mitigate its effects. Read full article.

How To Keep Women In The Workforce During The Pandemic

Monday, September 28, 2020

We may be losing some of our best leaders to caregiving duties, and the pandemic is sending us backwards when it comes to gender equality. Women’s careers often take a backseat when caregiving duties rise, and women are more vulnerable to job loss during an economic downturn. The research shows that pandemic is hitting women hard on both fronts. Women are more than twice as likely as men to say they handle more than 50% of the caregiving and education responsibilities and 34% of working families are still without childcare coverage, according to Cleo’s State of Working Parents Study. A recent FlexJobs survey reports that 80% of workin...

Redefining Leadership 2020: Leading Through Uncertainty

Thursday, September 17, 2020

The past few months have been marked by uncertainty and unrest. Elected officials have done what they can to lead through a summer of civil unrest and continued pandemic fallout. But, more often than not, the burden of leadership has fallen on the business community. During these uncertain times, “employees are looking to businesses to lead,” noted Paul Marvin, CEO of The Marvin Cos., the Warroad-based maker of windows and doors. In a TCB Talks virtual panel discussion on Wednesday, Marvin joined Delta Dental of Minnesota CEO Rodney Young and Pentair Executive VP and Chief Human Resources Officer Kelly Baker to discuss ho...

Newly Named Executive Director of Broadband Development Spotlights Access

Thursday, September 10, 2020

As Angie Dickison formally steps into her role as Executive Director of DEED's Office of Broadband Development, she is traveling across the state to boost awareness of initiatives designed to help Minnesota achieve its goal of border-to-border high-speed internet access. Angie was appointed to this position last month by Governor Tim Walz, but has been filling this role in an interim capacity while serving as broadband development manager since July 2019. Read full article.

Catalina Valencia Named Director of Business Development at DEED

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is excited to announce Catalina Valencia as our new director of Business Development. Catalina, who has 20 years of professional business development experience in a broad range of settings, joins DEED on September 9 and will lead a team of six business development managers and other support staff who work with companies of all sizes to help them locate and expand in communities across Minnesota. Catalina comes to DEED from Greenville, South Carolina where she ran her own site selection and economic development consulting firm. Prior to that, she worked for five year...

Hidden Bias in the Workplace: Retention Strategies

Wednesday, September 02, 2020

So you, as an employer, have successfully implemented a recruiting strategy focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in your workforce. Your employee base is different from five years ago. It now includes more individuals of color, women, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQ, and workers of all ages and body types. It is the hope of management that – along with a more diverse workforce – employee longevity is one of the benefits. Retention is as important for employers as developing a strong recruiting strategy that attracts applicants with the right skills in the first place. What is equit...

Workforce Development Efforts Will Help Rebuild a More Equitable Minnesota

Tuesday, September 01, 2020

September is Workforce Development Month – and never in recent memory have investments in our state's workforce been more important. The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on jobs and employment in Minnesota. Our state's unemployment rate as of July is at 7.7%, down more than two percentage points from May, but still more than twice what it was in July 2019, when it was 3.2%. The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), and our workforce development partners throughout the state, are working to connect unemployed or underemployed Minnesotans during the pandemic with in-demand jobs at employers hiring now. Thi...

BEP Opens Applications for CARES Act Grants

Monday, August 24, 2020

Benton Economic Partnership (BEP) has worked conscientiously and consistently to encourage and lead economic development efforts throughout Benton County. They put in the long hours, they make connections, and they know how to get things done. As a result, Benton County Board has tapped BEP to allocate $735,000 in CARES Act funds to local small businesses through a grant application process. As reported in the Sauk Rapids Herald, Benton County Commissioners agreed BEP is well-positioned to administer the funds because they have an established and robust connection with businesses in the community. “They want us involved to set up the program an...

BEP to Launch CARES Business Assistance Program

Monday, August 10, 2020

The Benton Economic Partnership is pleased to announce it will launch a business assistance grant program by early Fall. The BEP has been asked by Benton County to manage the County’s allocation of federal CARES funds to help County businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the BEP website for announcements about grant applications, grant criteria and application deadlines. Businesses considering applying should be prepared to document losses or additional expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time the BEP has not determined the maximum amount it will grant eligible businesses. Grant awards may be based on the numbe...

The Old Creamery Café and Creative Catering are the Pride of Benton County

Friday, July 31, 2020

Benton County is all about dedicated people, community connections, and a palpable vibrancy; attributes clearly embodied by Mark Larson’s Old Creamery Café and Creative Catering. The restaurant brims with “true Central Minnesota Americana” serving as a place for the community to come for first dates, breakfast with the grandkids, or lunch after church. Creative Catering serves up the delicious food for the occasions the community celebrates: graduations, weddings, and lives well-lived. But to understand how these businesses achieved their place of pride in Benton County, it is interesting to trace Larson’s penchant for grabbing opportunities and seeking education and experience. H...

Make Your Next Pitch Instantly More Compelling By Using This One Philosopher's Framework

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Want to know with confidence that your elevator pitch will land? Would clarity and persuasion help you attract more clients, investors, mentors and sales? To maximize success in conversation, ensure you are following Grice’s maxims. Twentieth-century British philosopher Paul Grice shifted the way we think about semantics and language. His maxims for conversation are part of his work on the cooperative principle, which states that when people engage with one another there are unspoken assumptions around how the conversation will unfold. Research tells us that we grasp the nuances of Grice’s maxims from an early age; a 2015 study found that children as youn...

Minnesota's Craft Brewers Are Warming to Minnesota-Grown Hops

Monday, January 13, 2020

This article "Do Minnesota-grown hops have a particular terroir? Local brewers think so" first appeared in the Star Tribune http://m.startribune.com/local-brewers-look-to-minnesota-hops/566814492/ Terroir is a term that most drinkers would associate with wine. It refers to the unique flavors brought about by the climatic and soil conditions where grapes are grown and the expression of those flavors in a finished wine. But can the term also apply to beer? An up-and-coming Minnesota hop industry is aiming to find out. Like grapes, the character of hops is highly subject to the place where they are grown. The amount of bittering acids and the types of oil...