News and Media

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

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

You want to dip into the remote workforce honey pot, so here's what you need to start doing to attract remote workers today! Remote workers balance out the economic climate for communities, bring in new skillsets to the local workforce, grow the tax base, and reduce the carbon footprint by eliminatin...Continue Reading

Who doesn’t need some happy news these days? Just in time for the United Nation’s annual International Day of Happiness on March 20, the results of the 2021 World Happiness Report have been released—and the results will put a smile on your face, despite the ongoing pandemic that has killed more than 2.6 millio...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

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

So much goes into strategy and planning for economic recovery and this line-up of free professional development webinars is designed to help you and your team take on the challenges that lie ahead. From a closer look to the interactive data you offer prospective investors and existing businesses to automati...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

CareerForce has provided some preparation tips to assist job-seekers in their interview process. CareerForce is a unified, cohesive network of private, public, and nonprofit partners throughout Minnesota committed to providing career development.  Read full article.Continue Reading

In a year full of turmoil and strife caused by an unexpected pandemic, data centers were quickly recognized for their crucial presence in all lives, for maintaining communication and knowledge during a period of sudden change for humanity. Data center operators and major services held fast throughout the troubled, early day...Continue Reading

It’s been one year since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic, forcing companies across the country to close their office doors. Today, nearly half (47%) of American employees are currently working from home at least part of the time, according to a study by Glassdoor. As vaccine production and distributio...Continue Reading

Of course, the big factor impacting office and industrial parks going into 2021 is COVID-19. The pandemic has reduced business production and workforce (through illness, social distancing, and remote working), disrupted the supply chain and cash flow, and brought about significant investments in technology. Across the nation, the demand for suburba...Continue Reading

AD: How has COVID-19 changed the employee experience in manufacturing, and what facets of this should organizations retain going forward? Zenk: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees have been experiencing a drastically different work environment. Thousands of manufacturers across the U.S. and around the world were deemed essential during the pandemic...Continue Reading

GENERAL VACCINE RESOURCES COVID-19 vaccine FAQ from the Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Guidance for Allocating and Prioritizing COVID-19 Vaccine – Phase 1a from the Minnesota Department of Health Answering patients' questions about a COVID-19 vaccine from the CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Phases and Planning from the Minnesota Department of Health December 17 COVID-19 vaccine update from the Department of Healt...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

Living and working in Benton County is all about making connections — seeking opportunities to grow your career, your business, your farm, or your family. It’s a place to put down new roots or explore your family’s ties to the region. Time Magazine reported that genealogy is the second mos...Continue Reading

ST. CLOUD — Macanon "Mac" Dhein is now weeks away from achieving a yearslong dream, and St. Cloud is weeks away from having its own makerspace.  Want to know how he feels about it? "(I'm) more excited than I'm usually comfortable feeling," he said.  The planned opening date for Make It Mac's Makerspace is Apri...Continue Reading

Have you ever seen one of those 50-page business plans that go into detail about every conceivable aspect of a still purely theoretical business? You probably have, since those business plans have been the industry standard for decades. Yet, in a world where words like lean and agile are becoming the new norm for startups...Continue Reading

More than 75 percent of the companies responding to a recent survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) expect the COVID-19 pandemic will have a financial impact on their business, with more than 50 percent anticipating changes to their operations. Prior to the pandemic many manufacturing companies had design and constructio...Continue Reading

An effort to continue Minnesota’s primary tax break for restoring historic buildings has bipartisan support at the state House and Senate — and little organized opposition.  That still isn’t enough to make supporters of the measure comfortable. Backers of the extending the provision, technically known as the Minnesota Historic Structure Rehabilitation State Tax Credit...Continue Reading

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced that its headquarters will move to the Great Northern Building at 180 East Fifth Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This two block move in downtown St. Paul, which will occur by August 1, 2021, will be DEED’s first relocatio...Continue Reading

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has updated its list of the top 30 jobs in demand now in Minnesota. You can see the list at CareerForceMN.com/JobsinDemand. “Many of the jobs most in demand now are in fields with a significant potential for career growth,” said DEED Commissione...Continue Reading