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Second Round of Small Business Relief Grants approved in Todd County

Thursday, September 17, 2020

The Todd County Board of Commissioners approved a second round of CARES Act Relief grants on September 15th. Qualified businesses and Non-profits may apply for up to $10,000. Applications are posted on the Todd County and Todd County Development Corporation websites under business resources for download. The application period is from September 21st through October 16th. For questions regarding the grant program or to pick-up an application, contact Rick Utech, Todd County Development Corporation at 320-732-2128 or email rick.utech@co.todd.mn.us. Download the business application here. Download the non-profit application here.

A Heightened Focus on Reshoring

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks inherent in the global supply chain, particularly the worldwide reliance on China for medical supplies. The supply chain turbulence experienced during the pandemic undoubtedly will impact future business decisions, extending beyond medicine to other industries, including electronics, aerospace, automobiles, defense, consumer products, and technology. Incentivizing Reshoring Manufacturing companies accelerated moving production to low-cost manufacturing countries (known as offshoring) in the early 1990s. In the rush to globalize, key manufacturing sectors were abandoned in the United States. But now that the vulnerabilities of doing so have been exposed, there is talk of “de-globalization,” or reshoring. Read full article.

How to Work from Home Successfully

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Whether you’re a 9-to-5 office worker or an entrepreneur used to running around to clients and conferences for different business opportunities, the health crisis has caused many people to make the dramatic shift to working entirely from home. As someone who’s experienced the whole spectrum of work setups — everything from corporate offices to coworking spaces to getting work done on cross-country flights — I can say firsthand that even though it can be hard to make this quick transition, there are steps you can take to make working from home more manageable. Many people will even find some advantages to this setup that ca...

Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition Launches Statewide Speed Test Initiative

Friday, August 07, 2020

By Ann Treacy From the MN Broadband Coalition... “The Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition is pleased to announce the launch of the Minnesota Speed Test Initiative,” said Vince Robinson, Chair of the MN Rural Broadband Coalition. “There is no doubt that the lack of broadband in rural Minnesota hampers telework, distance learning, and telehealth. Our goal is to find out exactly where broadband service is available in rural Minnesota and what speeds people are receiving.” TAKE THE TEST: http://mnruralbroadbandcoalition.com/speedtest A pilot program for speed testing is ongoing in St Louis, Koochiching, and Itasca Counties. The Range Association of Municipalities and Schools has been leading the wa...

Business Development Return On Investment During New Normal

Wednesday, August 05, 2020

In the marketing world, many businesses focus on ROI (return on investment). However, when the business does not obtain the immediate monetary results it desires, the decision makers begin to pull away from social media marketing. This is especially true with ROI during a time of crisis, such as the pandemic. But, there is another side of the coin called return on influences, says social media marketing expert Christopher Tompkins. Read full article.

The Importance Of Remote Working To Younger Generations

Tuesday, August 04, 2020

As more jobs shifted to remote work during the Covid-19 crisis, many Millennial and Gen Z employees experienced “flex work” for the first time in their careers. According to the Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2020, 45% of these younger employees had never worked remotely before the pandemic, compared with just a third after the onset of the pandemic. As of May 2020, the shift to remote work had largely been viewed positively by employees, with more than 60% of younger generations saying they would like the option to work remotely more often after the crisis and use video conferencing instead of travelin...

Crisis in the Heartland

Friday, July 31, 2020

There’s a daycare crisis in rural Minnesota. It’s looming over rural Todd County like a storm rolling across the prairie. Everyone in the middle of it can see it, even as it grows, but convincing those under clear skies that it exists is an uphill battle. Recently, local economic development authorities began seeing encouraging signs of support through the involvement of the MN Dept. of Human Services, Initiative Foundation and First Children’s Finance in the form of grants to several hard-hit communities. Last summer, the Initiative Foundation selected four central Minnesota cities to receive grants amounting to $10,000 each in respons...

Could a Post-Pandemic National Industrial Strategy Advance the Cause of Advanced Manufacturing?

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic disrupted global supply chains, a new report released in April by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) urged the U.S. government to develop a national industrial strategy to strengthen the competitive position of advanced, traded-sector industries that are “too critical to fail.” “Even before this pandemic, China posed an unprecedented competitiveness challenge in the advanced industries that are most critical to America’s economic wellbeing and national security,” said ITIF President Robert D. Atkinson, the report’s author and a past contributor to Site Selection. Read the full artcile here.

Study: Your dollar goes further in rural Minnesota, if you can find a place to live

Friday, July 24, 2020

Nowhere in Minnesota can a person afford the cost of living on the state minimum wage of $9.86 an hour. In fact, most regions require well over $15 an hour to afford to live. However, rural Minnesotans can often afford a similar or higher quality of life than their metro area counterparts, despite overall lower wages, according to a new study from the Center for Rural Policy and Development. Read full article.

In Focus: When — and How — to Ramp Up the Workforce

Wednesday, July 01, 2020

With the uncertainty in the future of businesses and the length of the coronavirus pandemic, many companies have responded to the crisis by moving to conserve money as quickly as possible. Steps taken to do this have included laying off or furloughing staff, reducing contractors and consultants, placing a freeze on new hires, and reducing compensation. Many of these steps were necessary for companies to take due to the unforeseen collapse in the economy and a lack of demand for their services. However, companies now need to consider when is the right time to re-engage with talent acquisition and what ar...

How the Covid-19 Crisis is Affecting the 2020 U.S. Census

Monday, June 22, 2020

The U.S. Census is conducted in the United States every 10 years. The Census aims to count the entire population of the United States. The Census asks American households certain questions such as sex, age, and race of each person in the household. These demographics help determine congressional representation and how much funding each state, county, and community received of the $675 billion per year in federal funding. These funds are spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works, and other essential programs. The U.S. Census data is also very helpful for businesses and developers. Businesses can use Census data to decid...

What's Your Pandemic Pivot? 4 Key Steps for Startups to Survive Catastrophe.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Back in 2008, I was happily running a thriving ad-tech business — until the day the economy tanked. I woke up that morning to find my inbox overflowing with about 50% of my customers writing to cancel their services. Pretty soon, I was having to lay off dozens of smart, hard-working employees and move our office, along with a handful of survivors, into a barn. I had to give up my family home, too, and move with my wife into a moldy studio apartment. Unable to pay my remaining employees and also myself, I spent my weekends refinishing furniture and selling it at yard sales to mak...

COVID-19 Will Remake How We Work and Live

Monday, June 01, 2020

Generally speaking, everyone resists change. Especially sudden change. But Covid-19 changed all that. Friday rolled around and we were told to grab-your-stuff and go home and no one knew when we would be back. You hear people say, “When things go back to normal…” Well, will things really go back to normal? We’ve learned new techniques, new ways to do things differently when working together digitally. Perhaps we will not return to the old ways. Read full article.

Potential Shifts in the Workforce Due to COVID-19

Monday, June 01, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is already causing shifts in the economy and workforce. Other than the obvious loss of employment, some of which will hopefully be temporary, another significant shift in the workforce involves employees in the professional services sector and others forced to work remotely from home. Although companies allowing employees to work remotely was already a growing trend in the United States, the question will be whether this trend continues after COVID-19 is under control. And, if the trend does continue, which is likely, consideration for incentives for home-based or remote employees will also have to be considered fro...

Smart Facilities and Industrial IOT in the Era of 5G

Monday, June 01, 2020

For manufacturing and distribution facilities, the introduction of 5G — the next generation of cellular wireless — could be a game-changer down the line. Consider: 5G will hasten the rise of the smart factory/warehouse, where tracking and distribution will improve exponentially, thanks to industrial IOT sensors. Monitoring will happen continuously in real time as the 5G network takes a triple approach to improving mobility — speed (ultra-fast data rates), interactivity (ultra-low lag with no buffering), and connectivity (more capacity, devices, and data). Read full article.

Broadband in Rural Todd County

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

We live in an increasingly complex world of technology, dependence upon smartphones, high speed Internet, and other electronic devices. There used to be a time, not very long ago, when you could casually say you could live without those things. It’s not really true anymore. No more is this evident than in rural areas, where affordable broadband is limited, or non-existent. Driving to the highest point in the area and holding your laptop in different directions may not get you the best signal, not to mention, it’s inconvenient. This is exactly the problem the Todd County Economic Development Corporation ha...

Why a U.S. Recession May Be Further Away Thank You Think

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

With all the media talk over a looming recession, is it time to start worrying about one? The answer is an emphatic “no,” says Dr. Ted C. Jones, chief economist and senior vice president for Stewart Title Guaranty Company in Houston. Citing economic indicators from real estate sectors, American industry and the larger economy, Jones told an audience of 185 people in North Port, Florida, earlier this month that virtually all major signs point to continued expansion of the U.S. economy through at least 2020. Read full article.

No Experience Required: 9 Occupations Hiring Now

Thursday, April 09, 2020

Many businesses working to provide essential services like health care, food, supplies and transportation are hiring right now in Minnesota. Some positions may be temporary during the COVID-19 pandemic, but many are permanent and, particularly in the health care field, can serve as a stepping stone to higher-paying careers for those who get additional experience or training. In many cases, a person can find a job in one of these occupations without previous experience in the field. Many of the jobs listed below may be posted under multiple titles – some of which vary in their job descriptions, requirements, and wages...

Getting by: How businesses in one Greater Minnesota town are dealing with ‘social distancing’ disruptions

Thursday, April 02, 2020

At The Tavern on Main, a downtown café and bar in Litchfield, Minnesota, Bethany and Michael Lee had to lay off 13 workers as they try to salvage their business during the disruptive “social distancing” brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. The Lees had to shutter their dining area, which doubles as a popular bar in the evening. But they have been selling enough takeout orders to generate about a quarter of their usual business – enough, they hope, to get them by until things return to normal. Read full article.

A Guide for Minnesota Small Businesses Who Need Help

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Over the past few weeks, several state and federal programs have been built to assist small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Different programs make sense for different businesses, so we’re providing this summary guide to help small businesses quickly see which programs might be right for their situation. SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) – all Minnesota small businesses should apply for these! Read full article.

Hospitality skills transfer well to many health care positions

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Are you a leisure and hospitality industry service provider whose job has been recently impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? Our health care industry needs you! Many people working in restaurants, hotels, casinos, event planning, theme parks, and other tourism- and travel-related jobs have been laid off and are looking for work. If you were among those leisure and hospitality workers laid off, you have a set of skills that can easily be transferred to help meet the needs of health care employers across Minnesota. Here are seven skills common to hospitality service providers – and how they’re needed by health care employers right now. Read full article.

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