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Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce
Business Monthly
January 2015
Thank you New
Members
Thank you Renewing
Members
KQPR-FM, POWER 96
Classic Rock
15th Annual Gourmet
Food Auction
Copper Kitchen
Trumble’s Family Restaurant
Big Island Rendezvous
Produce State Bank
Reinertson’s Embroidery
Freeborn County Pork
Producers
Thorne Crest Retirement
Community
Edward Jones
United Employee Credit Union
Uptown Dental
Etcetera Tanning & Clothing
Northstar Powersports & Marine
Peterson, Savelkoul, Kolker, Haedt &
Benda
American Family - Cliff Wuerflien Agency
Edwards Manufacturing Company
KATE/KCPI—The Breeze
Marketing Plus
Rustic Winery LLC
Geneva Meats
Manufactures Bank & Trust Company
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery
Ron Holtan Realty
Fisher’s Jewelers
Complete Realty
City of Emmons
Freeborn County Historical Museum
It’s time again for The Annual Gourmet Auction! Now in it's 15th year, this event is
sponsored by the Big Island Rendezvous and the Albert Lea – Freeborn County
Chamber of Commerce !
Join us on Friday, January 30th, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club
for this unique event! Social hour begins at 6 p.m. with the “tasting” commencing at
6:30p.m.
The silent auction runs from 6:00 to 7:25. At 7:30 p.m. the live auction action begins
and continues throughout the evening! With an array of items to bid on and lots of
great food to sample and savor, this is an night you don’t want to miss! Tickets are
$20 each or 2 for $35. Table of ten available for $160.
To make reservations call the Chamber
at 373-3938.
Money raised will be used for the 2015 Educational Days at the Big Island
Rendezvous and Festival and community projects of the Albert LeaFreeborn County Chamber of Commerce.
Mike Funk
Northwestern Mutual
Silver Bee Farms
Total Glass & Lock, Inc.
Habit for Humanity Freeborn/Mower
County
Minnesota Corrugated Box, Inc.
A-Best Sewing Machine & Vacuum Center
Join us, bring a friend, or bring your family,
and don’t forget to bring your appetite!
Business Monthly
Referrals
The following Business
have received referrals from
he Chamber Office this
month:
Freeborn Lumber Company
& Design
Holiday Inn Express &
Suites
Best Western/ I-90
AmericInn of Albert Lea
Americas Best Value Inn
Big Island Grille & Bar
Wedgewood Cove
Green Mill
Comfort Inn
Alliance Benefit Group
Applebee's Neighborhood
Grill & Bar
Cuban Island
Home Depot
Kwik Trip
Albert Lea Family Y
Anytime Fitness
Fleet Farm Supply
The Unbridled Boutique
Hy-Vee
MarketPlace Foods
Salvation Army
Mona’s Style Salon & Spa
Senior Resources
Anytime Fitness Albert Lea
American Red Cross
Country Soule Boot &
Western Market
Trumble's Family
Restaurant
Godfather’s Pizza
Grandma’s Kitchen
Iron Skillet/SKOL Tavern
Membership Drops
The following members
chose not to renew their
Chamber Membership.
Page 2
Dear Chamber Members,
Closing the Skills Gap
By Randy Kehr
There has been much talk recently about the lack of skilled workers available to
our employers. There are many jobs in our community that are sitting vacant
due to this shortage. While a number of organizations are working on this, including the Chamber’s Business/Education Partnership Committee, it remains a
significant problem. The following presents a series of steps that could and
should be taken and is reprinted with permission of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
“Recently, I wrote a blog post about the importance that career and technical education has in closing
the nation’s skills gap. We cannot just rely on the traditional, four-year college graduate as the sole
demographic responsible for growing our economy. We need to expand the pool of students enrolled
and graduating from all sorts of postsecondary programs, whether that’s a four year college degree,
two year degree, or other credential in a skilled labor. And we need high school graduates to have the
skills necessary for success in the workplace. Career preparation programs are an important part of
making this a reality.
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) recently released a report on how to improve
career preparation programs in K-12 schools to truly prepare students for an in-demand job that pays
a family sustaining wage.
CCSSO recommends 3 ways to make sure more students graduate high school prepared for careers:
Enlist the employer community as a lead partner in defining the pathways and skills most essential
in today’s economy. Who has a better understanding of workforce needs than employers?
Frankly, it’s a no-brainer that employers need to take the lead on identifying the high-growth
and high-skill jobs of tomorrow to ensure career preparation programs are aligned to those
needs.
Set a higher bar for the quality of career preparation programs, enabling all students to earn a
meaningful postsecondary degree or credential. Schools need to align to the needs of the
economy if they are going to get better results and outcomes for their students. And business
must be a part of developing programs that provide students with the skills needed in highdemand fields.
Make career readiness matter to schools and students by prioritizing it in accountability systems.
All schools need to play an important role in getting all students prepared for their future
careers. No longer can we look at career preparation programs as inferior or for students
who just can’t “hack it.” Furthermore, making more rigorous and relevant career prep programs requires more buy in from states. This means that these programs need to be given a
higher standing in their accountability systems so that schools and students prioritize them.
To date, 41 states and the District of Columbia have signed on in support of the recommendations in
the Opportunities and Options report. This is highly commendable.
While so much emphasis is put on raising standards in K-12 to graduate college-ready students, it’s
also critical to raise the bar for career readiness programs.
Through employer-focused efforts like this and the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management initiative, we can make the skills gap a thing of the past.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark D'Alessio is manager of communications for the USCCF's Center for Education and Workforce.
Business Monthly
Ambassador Visits
Chamber Board of Directors
Randy Cirksena
Chair
State Farm at the Barn
373-7717
Jeff Woodside
Vice Chair
Albert Lea Select Foods
379-9265
Catherine Buboltz
2nd Vice Chair
Albert Lea Tribune
379-3427
Amy Davis
Cargill Value Added Meats
377-2526
Between Friends Boutique
Kade Vershay
Dave Syverson Auto Mall
373-1438
Julia Thompson
Freeborn County Shopper
373-1310
Justin Oman
Security Bank
373-1481
Kathy Sabinish
Dave's Phone Booth/Frames-R-Us
377-0848
Jeff Eaton
Eaton Sport and Spine
377-1570
Patricia Dahl
Mayo Clinic Health
System Albert Lea and Austin
373-2384
Bragen Rights Photography
Dr. Adenuga Atewologun
Riverland Community College
433-0607
Kim Nelson
The Children Center
373-7979
Angie Kolker
Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services
373-6421
Page 3
Stephanie Haedt
Past Chair
Peterson, Savelkoul, Kolker, Haedt & Benda, Ltd.
373-6491
Business Monthly
Small Street Journal
Ambassador Scholarship Applications Available
The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber Ambassadors
will offer 5 $1000 college scholarships for the 2015 graduates of any Freeborn County High School. Applications will
be available on the Chamber’s website from December 1,
2014 through February 11, 2015.
Transfer Station &
Demolition Landfill
The Albert Lea Transfer Station & Demolition Landfill
will be selling permits for use of the City compost site for
2015. These permits allow you unlimited use of the site for
the calendar year (January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015)
and will be available at the Transfer Station and City Hall.
Checks should be made payable to “City of Albert Lea” in
the amount of $10 for city residents, or $15 for non-city
residents and $100 for City Commercial, or $150 for noncity commercial businesses. Permits must be visibly placed
on your windshield when using the site. Receipts will be
provided for these permits. If you lose your permit your
receipt will be required to reissue another permit at no
cost.
If you have any questions please contact the Transfer Station at 373-5013 or City Hall at 377-4325.
In order to be eligible, graduating seniors must meet the
following criteria:
1. Must be a resident of Freeborn County.
2. Individuals making application must be seeking financial assistance for their freshman year at a college or
university.
3. Preference is given to business majors, however others
will be considered. All majors are encouraged to apply.
Here is the link to the application:
http:surveygoldcloud.com/
s/79FABCFF3BE642CD/42.htm
Farm Family of the Year
The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce is
now accepting nomination for the Farm Family of the Year.
Selection Criteria include:
1. Full-time farmer (majority of income must come from
farming).
2. Farmed at least 5 years.
3. Have some involvement in the community organizations.
4. Not previously been an award recipient.
Able to attend recognition program in August at Farmfest
and participate in Freeborn County Farm Family recognition
in March.
The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce
Agriculture Committee and the University of Minnesota
Extension Service sponsor this award. Nomination will be
accepted until February 20, 2015 and can be picked up at the
Chamber Office, located in the Northbridge Mall at 2580
Bridge Avenue
Here is the link for the Nomination Form:
Page 4
http://app6.websitetonight.com/projects/3/3/7/1/3371604/
uploads/
Farm_Family_of_the_Year_Nomination_application.pdf
Business Monthly
Business After Hours
Quote of the Month
You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their
successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins. – Jim Stovall
Thank You One and All
Thank you Albert Lea Tribune for
sponsoring the December Business After
Hours
2015 Business After Hours Schedule
January 2015 - Pantheon Computer Systems
February 2015 - Green Mill
March 2015April 2015 May 2015 - Vern Eide
June 2015 - Blue Zones Project
July 2015 - St. John’s
August 2015 September 2015October 2015 - MarketPlace Foods
November 20145- Hy-Vee
December 2015 - Albert Lea Tribune
If you are interested in hosting a Business After Hours
Event
please call the Chamber Office at: 507-373-3938
Page 5
The Board of Directors and staff of the Albert Lea – Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a
big thank you to everyone who purchased Chamber Bucks
throughout the last year. The last two months have been especially busy as businesses and individuals purchased them
for holiday gifts or end of the year bonuses.
We are certain that those members who accept Chamber
Bucks are also grateful. Keeping these funds in the community goes a long way in supporting our businesses and the
jobs they provide. We know that it is a choice to select the
“Chamber Buck option” and it is truly appreciated. So again,
thank you for your continued investment in Freeborn County.
Business Monthly
Chamber Offers Job Bank
The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce has initiated a webpage dedicated to job openings in our area. To view
the job openings, go to www.albertlea.org. If you have positions that you would like posted, please send your available positions
to [email protected] or call the Chamber for more information.
Chamber Continues to Connect with Membership
The Albert Lea/Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce in an attempt to keep up with the times and in an effort to better communicate with our membership, encourages you to like us on Facebook.
Interested in having an Ambassadors Visit your Office?
Has your business experienced a change – such as management changes, relocation or remodel? If your business has experienced
any of these changes, please contact Geri at the Chamber Office – 507-373-3938 to schedule an Ambassador visit.
Special Chamber Member Offer
The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber in partnership with Coggno.com, are now offering our member businesses the opportunity to purchase, through our website, a carefully selected assortment of online training courses that are relevant to your
needs. For a limited time, we are offering a coupon code for a 20% discount per class for a month. The code is: alfccoc1 and
should be entered at checkout. Go to www.albertlea.org and click on Online Trainings to redeem your coupon and register today!
Video Tours Now Available!
Check out the new community video tours on our
website www.albertlea.org
These videos would be great tools for businesses to use for employee recruitment!
Member Referral
Know someone who isn’t a Chamber Member but who should be? Now there is a reason for you to actively recruit those
non-members. Any member who actively recruits and refers a current non-member to our office and that non-member
subsequently joins the chamber is eligible for a special prize drawing. Drawings will be held once per quarter from those
new members. Prize will be a one night stay in the Country Inn and Suites and a $50 Gift card from Green Mill for both
the new member AND the referring member. The Quarterly drawing will take place at Business after Hours.
Page 6
Business Monthly
Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce Information Committee Updates
Chamber Green Committee: The Green Committee did not meet in December.
The Chamber Worksite Wellness Committee: met on December 19th. Alice Englin gave the SHIP update and thanked
the businesses that submitted grant applications. She also introduced the idea of a guide to healthy meeting and events for businesses. She has created a draft and would like this committee to help finish it out.
Ellen Kehr gave the Blue Zones update. The committee reviewed the Status Report and then went through the workplan. FreebornMower Cooperative Services is the first designated worksite. They have a celebration tentatively scheduled for January 12th. HyVee is the first designated grocery store and they will celebrate January 23rd. There will be ribbon cuttings, certificate presentations, and a press release. It is important that staff and employees are there and we need to have a presence at the worksite celebrations. There are Purpose Workshops scheduled for Monday, March 2nd. There will be one during the day at ALHS for the students
and one in the evening at the Historical Museum for the community. There will be posters and they are reaching out to the community to get the word out. This group is sponsoring the June Business After Hours for Blue Zones Project worksites.
Patti Hareid updated the group on the EAP Action Plan and Dani Armbrust reported that the Diabetes Prevention Program will
begin in January or February.
The Chamber Governmental Affairs Committee: met on December 23rd. Chad Adams gave an update on the City. The
City Council approved a 0% General Fund levy. Overall, they approved a 2% levy increase. Last night, the Council set sewer rates
with no increase and water rates were raised 7%. This raise will mean about a $1.10 per month increase to the average house. Chad
stated that the water fund is challenging, however not as severe as in years past. The City is joining with other Greater MN cities to
fight proposed water quality regulations that would require an upgrade to the water treatment plant. They are working with the
Greater MN Partnership (GMNP) on this. They would like to see independent scientific review done before the regulations are implemented. This is part of the GMNP 2015 Policy Positions. Chad also reported that the housing study has been completed and
shows a need for senior affordable housing and workforce housing. The City is working with three developers of workforce housing and they can’t make it work. This has become a Greater Minnesota issue. There is too much of a funding gap. Chad explained
that one of the developers would like to build two 6-plex units. They would get 10 year’s tax abatements and are still looking at a
$400,000 gap. They are looking to the Legislature for gap funding. This is also part of the GMNP Policy Positions. Chad favors the
establishment and funding of a state workforce housing tax credit.
2015 Legislative Priorities were addressed. We will support the Greater Minnesota Partnership positions with a particular focus on
the Job Training Program request, water quality regulation, workforce housing and the Angel Investment tax credit expansion. In
addition, the committee supports the Shell Rock River Watershed request and is considering long term care requests. The Chamber’s Legislative priorities will be set at the January meeting.
Business/Education Committee: The Business Education Committee (BEC) met December 5th. New committee member
Jenny Hanson from Community Education was welcomed. Child Care Survey update: The group continues to gather data. The
survey is posted on Riverland website, included in MFIP/DWP packets at WDI, available to clients at the WFC, was sent to ABE
and Semcac. Randy Kehr provided data from the surveys submitted to date. Jeff Halverson reported on high school career-based
activities: The Young Entrepreneurs class starts January 2015. The local Blandin leadership group would like to do some sort of
“Shark Tank” event with the class. The Firefighter class continues, C.N.A. class done. The district is working on career materials
for 8th/9th grade. A group spent 2 days at St. Olaf College with other schools to work on improvements. LPEP/Blandin group
activities: Mary Williams reported the community connections and capacity building is growing and work continues. Raising career awareness within the community: Val Kvale is discussing a radio spot on KATE during “Albert Lea/Freeborn County live”
with station management. This would be a good opportunity to share some of the information the BEC is involved with, share some
of the curriculum news from the high school, college, etc. WDI across the 10 county service area is looking at what schools are
doing to raise career awareness. Ongoing Committee/Activity work: The school and chamber continue the quarterly newsletter
with a financial literacy focus this year. The school is looking at a partnership with Farmer’s State Bank as a 3rd -5th grade program. The school is using Reading Corp to help with reading intervention in elementary schools. The Y School’s Out staff may be
interested in some training with AL schools to assist with mental math problems; and techniques. Riverland Community College
update: Lori Jensen reported on a Career/Technical Ed conference in Mpls and a national CTE conference in Nashville in November.
Page 7
Business Monthly
She is working with Cybex to create posters to show the “new” world of manufacturing. Met 12/04/2014 with MDE and MnSCU to
discuss “Pathways to Post-Secondary” innovative ideas, etc. Grand Meadow school is looking at possibly adding a regional career
counselor for the schools. Youth Apprenticeship program: Val Kvale reports all eight students are doing well. The YA program
and RCC are exploring possible Credits for Prior Learning as a value-add for the YA students. Randy Kehr shared info on a MN
Regional Economic Competitiveness Initiative that states that there is still a disconnect between that schools and businesses and
communication remains a problem. The next meeting will be Friday January 9, 2015 8:30 am at the Chamber offices.
The Chamber Agriculture Committee: The Ag Committee did not meet in December.
The Chamber Ambassador Committee: The Ambassador’s are going to be visiting Ron Holtan Realty and Wireless
World.
The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber Board of Directors: met on December 18th. Chad Adams reported for
the City, Jon Murray for the Ambassadors, Randy Kehr for ALEDA and the CVB, and Dr. Atewologun for Riverland Community
College.
The following actions were taken by the Board: The Chamber will draft a letter of clarification to the Public Utilities Commission in
support of the Alliant/SMEC purchase agreement. Chad Adams is meeting one on one with the City Council members for direction
regarding the reorganization and realignment of City services to get their feedback on what they would like to see. The Board will
send a letter of support for City Manager Chad Adams to the Mayor and City Council. Full Board minutes will be available next
month on our website.
Business Monthly
Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau, Susie Peterson, Executive Director
Happy New Year and we wish you a prosperous 2015.
Here a guide to January events:
Marion Ross Performing Arts Center Events:
National Theater Live
“John” an adult only performance, Friday, January 9 and Saturday, January 10th – 7pm.
“Treasure Island”, Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24 – 7pm.
Opera
The Met HD Live Opera presents “The Merry Widow”, Saturday, January 17th -12pm.
“Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann”, Saturday, January 31 -11:55am.
Bolshoi Ballet
La Bayadere – Sunday, January 18 – 4:30pm
Music Events
Swing Dancing at Prairie Wind Coffee Shop will be held Saturday, January 17 - 7pm.
Hockey Tournament
Albert Lea U12 Girls A-B hockey tournament, Friday-Sunday, January 2-4 at Albert Lea City Arena.
Jr Gold tournament, Friday-Sunday, January 16-18 at Albert Lea City Arena.
Arts
Lens & Shutter Photography Club will meet Thursday, January 15 at Mayo Clinic Lower Level Room 465 at
7pm.
Freeborn Historical Museum will host Photo Workshops – Saturday, January 24, 10-4pm.
The Albert Lea Art Center is featuring “All Member Show”. The Exhibit opens on Sunday, January 25 with an
open house 1pm-3pm. The show runs through February 21.
Special Events
Festival of Nations presented by Hollandale Christian School, Thursday, January 16, 6:30-7:30pm - The 5th &
6th grade class will be showcasing various booths featuring 20 different nations from around the world.
Fundraisers
January 4, 8-1pm – Breakfast Fundraiser - Eagles
January 11 & 25, 8-12:30pm – Breakfast Fundraiser - American Legion
January 17, 5-9pm – Grace Andersen Cancer Benefit – Dave Syverson Showroom
January 18, 8-1pm – Amaranth Breakfast – Masonic Lodge
Business Monthly
Page 10
Business Monthly
Minnesota Chamber Information
Tax relief leads Minnesota Chamber agenda
By Bill Blazar
Good things are happening on the Minnesota economic front. Unemployment is dropping. The state treasury has a
projected sizable surplus. Our state is outperforming the national economy in many regards.
We want to make sure the momentum continues. The Minnesota Chamber and our local chamber partners are
ready to advance another aggressive agenda at the 2015 Legislature.
Tax relief headlines our priorities. Minnesota is a great place to live and work, but our taxes on all businesses – small, medium and large –
rank among the highest in the nation. And businesses do take notice. In the 2014 Minnesota Business Barometer Survey, 62 percent of
the respondents said high taxes in Minnesota were one of the top barriers for job creation.
The concerns are not surprising, given the record tax increases and spending enacted by the 2013 Legislature including a new fourth-tier
rate in the personal income tax. Though many characterize this as a “tax on the rich,” it really is a tax on those businesses that pay their
taxes through the individual income tax. Ninety-two percent of Minnesota businesses, including our smallest and newest, do so.
We propose that business owners who report income from their business on their personal income tax return be allowed to deduct a
certain portion of this income from their taxes. This will encourage businesses to reinvest in their companies and employees and improve
their competitiveness.
Rounding out our top five priorities:
Workforce: Accelerate our workforce development efforts to help employers struggling to find skilled workers. The urgency for skilled
workers is greater than ever and spans all industries and all parts of our state. We must especially ensure that our K-12 graduates are ready
for higher education and work when they get their diploma. Many jobs are available to them after high school if they have mastered our
state’s K-12 curriculum.
Health care: Ensure small employers are able to provide affordable and quality health care coverage for their workers. More than half of
those surveyed in our Business Barometer who provide health insurance for employees said their costs are increasing. We will seek policy
changes that reduce those increases. We also will advance common-sense reforms to improve the operations of MNsure, the state health
insurance exchange.
Transportation: Maintain a solid transportation system by passing a 10-year funding plan that provides for sustained and strategic investment in roads, bridges and transit. Minnesota businesses believe that today’s system meets their most pressing needs. However, without
additional funding, investment in our roads and bridges is projected to drop significantly, beginning in 2016. We support a three-pronged
approach to broaden and increase permanent funding: identify efficiencies; use a portion of the general fund; and use value-capture
mechanisms, similar to tax-increment financing, to assign a portion of a project’s cost to those who most directly benefit.
Labor/management: Eliminate the automatic inflation index in the state’s minimum wage rate, and reduce employer costs by advancing
workers’ compensation reforms in the hospital fee schedule for treatment of injured workers as we continue our efforts on regulatory
reform. Seventy-two percent of the respondents in the Business Barometer said government doesn’t do a good job of balancing the proper amount of regulation with the need of businesses to keep growing.
Minnesota returns to divided government following the November elections, but our goals remains the same. We look forward to working with Governor Dayton, the Senate, and the new pro-business majority in the House to deliver policies that will keep our state’s economy changing and growing.
Bill Blazar is interim president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce: www.mnchamber.com.
Page 11
Business Monthly
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Business Monthly
Chamber Staff
Randy Kehr
Executive Director
[email protected]
Geri Jensen
Administrative
Assistant
[email protected]
Amy Gauthier
Administrative
Assistant
[email protected]
Check out our Member to Member
Discounts Here:
http://www.albertlea.org/Discounts.php
Sue Axsmith
Administrative
Assistant
[email protected]
Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce 2580 Bridge Ave.
Northbridge Mall Albert Lea, MN 56007
Phone: 507.373.3938 Fax: 507.373.0344
Email: [email protected]
2013- 2014 Mission Statement:
"Promote and develop a healthy and positive
business climate and improve
the quality of life in the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Area."