DUBLIN: Lt. Gov. Tina Smith visited Merrifield to talk about an industrial sector that employs roughly 2,400 people in the Brainerd lakes area manufacturing.
Smith spoke during Lakes Area Manufacturing Breakfast at Clow Stamping, which drew local government officials, business executives and legislators. Gov. Mark Dayton declared the week of Oct. 1-10 “Minnesota Manufacturers Week.”
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Smith’s remarks to the gathering were later mirrored in her comments at a press conference afterward: to beef up the state’s manufacturing power and overall economy, there’s a need for increased broadband infrastructure as well as workforce training to fill demand for workers.
Also essential are exports from Minnesota to foreign countries, she told reporters.
Most of the exports in Minnesota are manufactured exports, and most of the exporters are small businesses,” Smith said.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal between the U.S. and several nations bordering the Pacific Ocean, has engendered fierce controversy between those who say it will increase America’s trade and those who say it will threaten jobs. Smith said TPP was “largely a federal issue” although it had the potential to both positively and negatively affect Minnesota.
“For agricultural products and manufactured products it can be very helpful, but for other parts of Minnesota’s economy, it can be a real challenge,” she said. “I think it cuts both ways.”
The Dayton administration plans to look into augmenting the workforce development grants awarded by the state to companies looking to train and hire new workers, but specifics depend on upcoming state budget numbers, she said.
We make millions and millions of dollars of grants, but I’m hearing all over the state that that’s not enough,” she said. “We’ll be looking at that for the next (legislative) session.”
Kathleen Motzenbecker, head of the Minnesota Trade Office, keynoted the breakfast with remarks encouraging business owners to open themselves up to exporting internationally. The MTO has offices in Brazil, South Korea, China and Germany to help make international trade easier for Minnesota businesses. The state of Minnesota is working to help boost trade through encounters with foreign officials and business leaders, such as the governor’s recent trade mission to Mexico and his upcoming meeting with representatives from Belgium, Motzenbecker said.
In addition, the state offers special grants of up to $7,500 per business to help them export their goods. The grants are meant to fund things like hiring translators and international business contact matchmaking, she said.
