Exit of North Face, Columbia Sportswear highlights Uptown retail challenges
Market demographics are strong in the area, so why are stores struggling?
Economy
Despite new legal protections, breastfeeding Minnesota women still face challenges at work
Laws aren’t necessarily well-known — or enforced, according to researchers and advocates.
Food Innovation Team helps small businesses navigate Minnesota’s complex food laws
The Food Innovation Team is an eight-member group that includes two more food system advocates, as well as representatives from the state health and agriculture agencies and a couple people from county health departments.
Economy
The 5 biggest economic stories in Minnesota from 2018
From HQ2 to Janus, a look at the year in economic development.
Good Jobs
A warning lurks beneath state budget surplus prediction: not enough workers to go around
The tight labor market caused by retiring baby boomers is an immediate problem, and its pinch on growing businesses is only going to get worse.
Environment
Where the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project stands, and where it goes from here
An FAQ about the $2.6 billion project.
Good Jobs
‘If we are not making investments in our future, we will be in trouble’: a Q&A with outgoing DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy
As Hardy leaves DEED, the agency can boast about Minnesota’s record-low unemployment numbers and a overall robust economy. But that doesn’t paint a complete picture of the state’s workforce.
Economy
Unlike many cities, Chicago is losing people. Many of them are moving to Minnesota
Of the 100 biggest metro areas in the U.S., Chicago is one of just 10 that lost population.
Good Jobs
Faribault is a global businesses hotspot. Can other Minnesota cities learn from its success?
Despite a population of fewer than 25,000 people, Faribault has four major employers owned by companies outside of the U.S., an abundance of foreign investment that experts say is unique of for such a small city.
State Government
Flanagan to business leaders: Walz to push for paid family leave, more affordable child care — and a MinnesotaCare buy-in
While the incoming lieutenant governor expressed a willingness to listen to concerns about regulation and efficiency in government, she also set out what Gov.-elect Tim Walz might want in return.
Community Sketchbook
Minneapolis group wins national grant to address labor trafficking
CTUL was one of four organizations in the nation to receive the two-year grant from Partnership for Freedom, which seeks to confront the root causes that lead to both labor and sex trafficking.
Good Jobs
Is there really a stigma against blue collar jobs in Minnesota? It’s complicated.
For those on the front lines of workforce development in Minnesota, the conversation around the notion of a trades ‘stigma’ is complex.
MNopedia
The Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant created innovations in manufacturing technology and management — and an EPA Superfund site
The Army Ordnance Department authorized construction of the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant (TCOP) in the spring of 1941.