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Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy2016-2021

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IntroductionRegion Nine Development Commission is designated by the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) as south central Minnesota’s Economic Development District (EDD). The organizational structure focuses on regionalism, which creates a unique perspective of the area’s economy. Being designated as the area EDD, Region Nine is responsible for the development and oversight of the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

The CEDS creates a foundation for regional economic development and captures the unique regional perspective related to economic development. Throughout the development of the CEDS, the region created strategies to help mitigate our threats, overcome our weaknesses and capitalize on our strengths to create a more viable and prosperous region. Woven throughout the CEDS is components of economic resilience. Much of the region’s unique vulnerabilities are articulated in both the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) Analysis and throughout several goals and strategies in the plan. The goals and strategies construct a foundation for increased regional resiliency and support any economic mitigation efforts for future natural or economic disasters. The CEDS was developed with the vision to promote the economic and socio-economic development in the region through intergovernmental cooperation, long-range planning, strategic planning and technical assistance.

The CEDS will ultimately enhance and support current and future economic development efforts in the region and engage local, regional, state and federal partners. Region Nine and it’s public, private and non-profit partners will champion and advance effective, sustainable and resilient rural economic development in south central Minnesota. The goals and strategies will align with a five-year life span of the CEDS.

In 2012, the Minnesota Association of Development Organizations (MADO) began working on a Greater Minnesota development strategy, DevelopMN. DevelopMN establishes the strategic framework for coordinated action to create a greater overall development impact in Greater Minnesota. During DevelopMN’s creation, four cornerstones were identified as key components of strong regions and communities: human capital, economic competitiveness, community resources and foundational assets. To ensure alignment between state and regional plans, Region Nine designed its regional planning process and its CEDS on these four cornerstones.

Region Nine Board of DirectorsBrad Ahrenstorff, Blue Earth County, ChairEric Anderson, City of Mankato*Gary Sturm, Watonwan County, SecretaryGerri Lienke, Waseca CountyJim Broich, Brown CountyJim Swanson, Sibley CountyPhil Schafer, Martin County, Vice ChairSteve Rohlfing, Le Sueur County, TreasurerTerry Genelin, Nicollet CountyTom Loveall, Faribault County

Acknowledgments

Table of Contents

South Central Workforce Council | CEDS CommitteeAmanda Mackie, Community Based OrganizationsBill Aufderheide, ConstructionBill Meyer, ManufacturingCandace Fenske, Hospitals/Health CareChristine Bauman, Rehabilitation ServicesDeb Barnes, Long Term Health Care Dennis Siemer, Electrical & Component ManufacturingDr. Susan Tarnowski, Post-Secondary EducationDuane Lambrecht, Business and IndustryGrant Moody, Business and Industry Jim Abraham, Employment ServicesJoan Tesdahl, Social ServicesJohn Schons, Non-profit OrganizationJon Nowak, Organized LaborKaren Wolters, EducationLarry Treptow, Concrete ManufacturingLinsey Preuss, Economic Development*Reggie Worlds, Employment Services*Shane Meier, Organized LaborTim Wenzel, Machining ManufacturingWilliam FitzSimmons, Finance

Region Nine Community and Economic Development Planning CommitteeBlair Nelson, Waseca County**Bob Broeder, Le Sueur County**Charles Schmitz, City of New Ulm**Gary Sturm, Watonwan County**Mike Pfeil, School Districts**Rick Scholtes, Faribault County**John Pioske, Sibley County**Olivia Lippert, Youth**Chuck Zieman, City of St. Peter**Terry Anderson, City of Fairmont**April Femrite, Coldwell Banker Commercial Fisher GroupBarb Embacher, South Central CollegeBrad Finstad, Center for Rural Policy & DevelopmentBrian Tohal, City of New UlmBrian Benshoof, MRCI WorkSourceBrigid Tuck, University of Minnesota ExtensionBryan Stading, Regional Center for Entrepreneurial FacilitationChris Shearman, Taylor CorporationDanny Lenz, City of WasecaDebra Bultnick, South Central CollegeDerek Tonn, Map FormationDiane Halvorson, South Central Workforce CouncilGary Sandholm, City of WasecaGary Schott, S.C.O.R.E.Honey Burg, The Legal ProfessionalsJamie Scheffer, City of St. JamesJean Burkhardt, Southern MN Initiative Foundation BoardJim Beal, JBeal Real Estate GroupJohn Harrenstein, City of North MankatoJulie Nelson, Minnesota State UniversityKatie Boone, Community MemberKim Foels, Waseca Chamber of CommerceKristin Prososki, City of MankatoLisa Hughes, DEED Workforce CenterMichael Hanson, City of Madison LakePam Bishop, Southern MN Initiative FoundationRob Anderson, Brown County Economic Development Roxy Traxler, Sibley CountyRuss Michaletz, Gustavus Adolphus CollegeRuss Wille, City of St. PeterRyan Brixius, USDARyan Krosch, Nicollet CountySam Ziegler, GreenSeamSarah Richards, Jones Metal Inc.Tim Clawson, Faribault County Development Corp

Region Nine Development Commission StaffNicole Griensewic Mickelson, Executive DirectorBrent Pearson, Resource Development PlannerDanielle Walchuk, Regional Development PlannerSam Parker, Community Development PlannerScott Reiten, Regional Emergency Management PlannerLuAnn Vanderwerf, Finance DirectorLinda Wallace, Senior Financial AccountantBarb Dressen, Executive AssistantAshley Aukes, Communications Specialist

*Serve on the Region Nine Community and Economic Development Planning Committee** Region Nine Commissioner

About Region Nine ............................................... 1The Process ............................................................ 2Regional Overview ............................................... 3Human Capital .................................................... 18

Economic Competitiveness ............................... 21Community Resources ...................................... 24Foundational Assets ........................................... 30Appendix ............................................................. 37

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About Region Nine Development CommissionRegion Nine Development Commission serves nine counties in south central Minnesota: Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca and Watonwan. Region Nine takes great pride in working with and on behalf of these counties and their cities, townships and school districts. Since 1972, being a partner for progress has led to the development of programs in the areas of economic development, business development, healthy communities, transportation, community development and leveraging regional resources. Region Nine is governed by 38 regional leaders. These leaders include elected officials representing nine counties, 72 cities, 147 townships, school districts, the Minnesota Valley Council of Governments and special interest groups including, Health and Human Welfare, Minority Populations and Youth.

Region Nine receives an annual planning grant from the Federal EDA to conduct economic development planning activities within the district. Activities range from developing and maintaining the CEDS, leading regional-based economic development goals and strategies, facilitating the regional Community and Economic Development Planning Committee, hosting regional grant opportunities forums, workforce forums and assisting communities who are interested in seeking Federal EDA funding.

The Process

Introduction to the regional CEDS and planning process to Region Nine’s Community and Economic Development Planning Committee. The 35-member committee consists of a wide range of representation from across the nine counties.

Coordinated and facilitated a full-scale strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) discussion and analysis. The meeting was scheduled for three and half hours of focused conversation around human capital, economic competitiveness, community resources and foundational assets in the region. The full results of the SWOT session can be found in the Appendix II.

Developed and distributed a survey to supplement information gathered from the SWOT discussions and analysis. The survey was aggressively promoted through press releases, social media advertisements, website banners and Region Nine’s network of partners. The survey focused around human capital, economic competitiveness, community resources and foundational assets in the region. In total, the survey received a total of 108 responses from individuals across the region that either live and/or work in the nine county area.

Once the CEDS goals and strategies were developed from the SWOT analysis, an online prioritization survey was sent to Region Nine’s Community and Economic Development Planning Committee. The committee had the opportunity to further review and refine the CEDS goals and strategies as well as weigh the importance of each strategy.

The South Central Workforce Development Committee and the South Central Workforce Council reviewed and provided a resolution for the approval of Region Nine’s 2016-2021 CEDS on December 14, 2016. The resolution can be found in the Appendix I.

The Region Nine Board of Director’s reviewed and provided a resolution for the approval of the 2016-2017 CEDS on December 14, 2016. The resolution can be found in the Appendix I.

The draft document of CEDS document was made available online at rndc.org for a 30-day public comment and review period from November 4th - December 5th, 2016. A paper copy was available upon request. Press releases and social media announcements were used to inform the region the CEDS was ready for public review.

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Regional Overview

PopulationWhile there is one major metropolitan area located in the region, the Mankato-North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the region has a large rural base. Of the 231,683 people, around 55,416 reside in the Mankato-North Mankato area. There are five other cities in the region with estimated populations over 5,000: New Ulm (13,583), St. Peter (11,784), Fairmont (10,421), Waseca (9,351) and New Prague (7,508). In all, Region Nine represents 9.34% of the population outside of the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul region.1

According to the Minnesota State Demographic Center and the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Region Nine in the past 15 years grew at a slower rate of 4% comparatively to Minnesota, who experienced a 11.5% population increase. The region’s growth is concentrated primarily in three of the nine counties: Blue Earth (+18.3% growth), Nicollet (+12.3% growth) and Le Sueur (+9% growth). The other six counties ranged between -2.8% and -13.8% population decrease, with the largest loss occurring in Faribault County.2

1 US Census Bureau, Minnesota State Demographic Center 2015 population estimates: http://mn.gov/admin/demography/data-by-topic/population-data/our-estimates/pop-finder1.jsp2 Minnesota State Demographic Center, Population Notes – Young Adults in Minnesota: A Demographic and Economic Profile, by Brit C. Henderson and Andi Egbert, June 2015

231,683 people in Region Nine

Age There are two prominent trends in south central Minnesota’s age demographics. First, the population projections from the Minnesota State Demographic Center indicate over the next 30 years, ages 65+ and 85+ will greatly increase in population. Currently, Minnesota is on the cusp of witnessing new historical highs for both of these age groups. The increase in the older adult population can be attributed to the large Baby Boomer population and the increased life expectancies. These age groups will grow at an exponential rate and will eventually out number the other age groups.

In contrast, as a percentage, both Blue Earth and Nicollet counties top the statewide list as having the highest representation of 18-34 year olds in the state of Minnesota. Blue Earth County alone has 22.9% of the population being comprised of 18-24 year olds versus 9.5% statewide. In particular, the City of Mankato’s young adult population represents just under half of its total population (48%). The large draw for this age group is the area’s abundance of educational opportunities.2

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3 Minnesota State Demographic Center Population Estimates, 2015 http://mn.gov/admin/demography/data-by-topic/age-race-ethnicity/4 U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

RaceBased on 2015 Population Estimates from the Minnesota State Demographic Center, south central Minnesota counties are predominantly white ranging from 91.75%-97.88% of the total population in these counties. The most racially diverse county in the region is Blue Earth county with the population consisting of 91.75% white, 3.57% black or African American, 2.43% Asian, and 1.81% of two or more races. Brown County is one of the least diverse counties in the region, with a 97.88% white population.

Unique to the south central region, Watonwan County has a growing Hispanic or Latino population, with 23.2% of the total population being Hispanic or Latino and 21.3% of households speaking a language other than English at home. This large Hispanic and Latino population is a growing influence in the local workforce and economy.3

EducationEducation is vital when aligning worker skills with the needs of employers, which is critical to increasing productivity and growing the region’s economy. Nicollet County has the highest percentage of people that have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher at 32.3%.4 Blue Earth County has the second highest with 30.4%, in comparison to the State of Minnesota which has 33.2%. Both the City of Mankato and the City of North Mankato have the highest percent of population that has completed a bachelor’s degree or higher with 34.3% and 35.7% respectively.

Collectively, all of Region Nine’s counties have a higher percentage of high school graduates than the state. Sibley County has the highest percentage of graduates at 41.2%. Additionally, six out of the nine counties in the region have a larger percentage of individuals who have an associate’s degree comparatively to the state’s 10.5%.

The region has several higher educational institutions that offer a wide variety of disciplines and programs including: Minnesota State University, Mankato; South Central College; Bethany Lutheran College; Rasmussen College; Gustavus Adolphus College; and Martin Luther College. Minnesota State University, Mankato is a four year, public university which, offers 130 programs of study. South Central College is a community technical college that offers 50 technical career and professional programs. South Central has established partnerships with regional businesses and industries and delivers customized education through its Center for Business and Industry. Bethany Lutheran College is a private liberal arts college that offers 21 majors, 22 minors and eight pre-professional programs. Rasmussen College is a private college offering approximately 29 programs ranging from the certificate and diploma level through the associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s level. Gustavus Adolphus is a private liberal arts college that offers 72 majors and 12 interdisciplinary programs. Martin Luther College is a private college that offers over a dozen majors as well as graduate degrees in education.

GeographySouth central Minnesota has a continental climate that is characterized by periods of intense cold and heat with strong winds and varying precipitation. The average winter temperature is approximately 14 degrees Fahrenheit and the average summer temperature is approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature extremes range from -60 to 114 degrees Fahrenheit.

The region’s geographic area is 5,064 square miles, or approximately 6.3% of the total surface area of the state of Minnesota. The topography is generally flat with areas of gently rolling hills. The region’s valleys were cut into an otherwise flat topography by glacial melt rivers. The largest and most pronounced valley in the region is called the Minnesota River Valley. This valley, which ranges from one to two miles wide, is characterized by out-wash areas, fertile soils and bedrock outcroppings.

Rich loams, silts and clays are the predominate soils throughout the region. These soils, along with the climate and the flat terrain create one of the best agricultural areas in the world. The region’s counties are leaders in the production of corn, soybeans, hogs and other agricultural related commodities.

The majority of mineral deposits throughout the region are sand and gravel; however, a buff-colored limestone found along the Minnesota River is used throughout the world as a building material. The limestone is known as “Kasota Stone,” which is desired for its architectural beauty and durability. Kasota Stone has been used both nationally and internationally for large construction projects including a baseball stadium, a national museum and an embassy.

The region has a considerable amount of lakes, rivers and streams. The Minnesota River serves as the predominant drainage system for the area. Its tributaries include the Blue Earth, Watonwan, Le Sueur, Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, Cobb and Maple Rivers. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources there are 362 lakes of ten acres or more within the region.

Much of the region is underlain with glacial, sand, gravel and sedimentary bedrock, which are permeable and porous rock types which can create aquifers. The aquifer creates a natural purification of groundwater, which is an asset that the natural geology of the region provides.

Region Nine’s counties have a higher percentage of high school graduates than the state.

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Transportation Transportation networks are critical to supporting the region’s economic vitality and quality of life. The movement of goods and services is essential for thousands of manufacturing, retail, wholesale and agricultural businesses in Minnesota. Strong transportation connections link area workers with jobs, raw materials with manufacturers and products with markets. Local communities must evaluate transportation needs and the implications related to land use, community and economic development decisions.

In south central Minnesota, U.S. Highway 169 is a major transportation corridor for funneling freight from the southwestern and south central region to the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro. These regions produce large quantities of corn, soybeans and ethanol, which contributes to Minnesota being the third in the nation for production of these commodities. Other commodities that utilize this transportation network are aggregates, clay and sand, hogs, manufactured goods and food products.

Regional trade centers serve as economic and service centers for surrounding areas. The City of Mankato can be classified as the top trade center for the region with shopping centers, education institutions and a world-class health system, Mayo Health System. New Ulm, Fairmont and Waseca are also classified by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) as regional trade centers in south central Minnesota.

Region Nine is a part of MnDOT District 7, which includes 13 counties in both south central and southwestern Minnesota. This includes all of Region Nine’s counties as well as Cottonwood, Jackson, Nobles and Rock counties.

MnDOT District 7 directly supports 1,330 miles of state and federal highways, 146 miles of interstate, 484 bridges, 4,188 miles of county and state aid highways, 492 miles of rail line, 14 airports and nine county/three city transit systems. District 7’s fiscal year budget in 2016 is 27.4 million or 7.1% of the total statewide budget. From 2016-2019, the average cost of a construction project is 90.1 million with an average of 12 projects being employed between 2016-2019.

Economy Most of Region Nine does not meet the traditional economic distress criteria. This poses a unique challenge to the region when aligning traditional economic development funding for projects contingent on traditional economic distress criteria. Ultimately, the challenges posed by an economy doing well are impending workforce shortages, where to hire new workers from, and how to access funding streams for projects in which workforce benchmarks are critical. New benchmarks for analysis, such as increase and decrease of civilian labor force are new opportunities to assess the economic climate of the region.

Region Nine, as a whole, had an unemployment rate in the past 24 months that was below the national average. Its 2014 Per-Capita Money Income was at 94.3% of the national average, and its 2014 Per-Capita Personal Income5 was at $42,244 – 91.74% of the national average. None of these indicators are low enough to meet conventional economic distress criteria.

Region Nine would need to see an increase in unemployment by greater than 1.5% (which, as of 2015, would be close to 2,000 additional unemployed workers) and a nearly 12% drop in Per-Capita Personal Income in order to be considered distressed. Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan Counties are the closest, but do not presently meet the criteria.

5 Calculations generated by StatsAmerica’s Measuring Distress6 U.S. Bureaus of Census, Labor Statistics, and Economic Analysis; Calculations generated by StatsAmerica

Region Nine Economic Distress6

County

24 Month Unemp

Above/Below Nation

Per Capita Personal Income

Above/Below Nation

Per-Capita Money Income

Above/Below Nation

Blue Earth 3.05 -2.18 $40,756 88.5 $26,181 91.7Brown 4.15 -1.08 $45,804 99.5 $27,801 97.4Faribault 4.36 -0.87 $45,769 99.4 $25,834 90.5Le Sueur 4.69 -0.54 $43,524 94.5 $28,179 98.7Martin 4.23 -1 $45,193 98.1 $27,629 96.8Nicollet 2.72 -2.51 $42,550 92.4 $27,561 96.5Sibley 4.15 -1.08 $39,814 86.5 $26,709 93.5Waseca 4.28 -0.95 $39,118 84.9 $25,991 91.0Watonwan 4.84 -0.39 $37,521 81.5 $26,298 92.1

1,330 miles of highways146 miles of interstate

484 bridges4,188 miles of county/state aid highways

492 miles of rail line

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Impact and Recovery from the Recession7

Industry 2007 2008 2009 2010 2015Recession Impact

Natural Resources and Mining 2,749 2,789 2,774 2,780 3,399Construction 4,897 4,530 4,103 4,007 4,766Manufacturing 22,007 21,504 18,878 18,303 19,103Trade, Transportation and Utilities 19,849 20,115 19,518 19,519 20,564Information - 2,465 2,221 2,121 2,224Financial Activities 3,799 3,674 3,642 3,765 3,703Professional and Business Services 6,471 6,179 5,632 5,814 5,986Education and Health Services 25,521 26,462 26,746 26,724 26,919Leisure and Hospitality 8,885 8,632 8,391 8,317 8,743Other Services 3,218 3,141 2,998 2,940 3,018Total, All Industries 104,900 104,737 100,354 99,744 103,934

The Great Recession of 2008 – 2009 was one of the deepest in recent memory. Region Nine, however, entered the recession earlier than the state, with job losses from 2006 to 2008, before dropping most dramatically in 2010. Since then, the region has recovered at a rate much slower than the rest of the state.

Every major industry has recovered since 2010, but the true measure of the recovery is how many industries are recovered to pre-recessionary levels (pre-2008). As a whole, Region Nine has lost 0.9% of its covered jobs since 2007 and has gained employment in that time in only three major employment sectors: natural resources and mining (up by 23.6% and represents 650 jobs gained); trade, transportation, and utilities (the second leading employing sector) is up 3.6% with 715 jobs gained; and education and health services (the leading employing sector) is up 5.5%, with 1,398 jobs gained. Manufacturing is the third leading employing sector in the region and has been one of the slowest to recover. It has lost 2,904 jobs since 2007 despite gaining 800 jobs since 2010.

WorkforceThe major employment industries in Region Nine are education and health services; trade, transportation, and utilities; and manufacturing.7 Combined, these three industries accounted for nearly two-thirds of all jobs in the region in 2015.

Industry Employment Breakdown7

7 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Compiled by Region Nine Development Commission

Major Employment IndustriesEducation & Health Services

Trade, Transportation & UtilitiesManufacturing

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In order to actively recruit businesses and public sector employers, it is important to highlight a labor force that is willing, able and ready to work. The labor force in south central Minnesota is the total number of people aged 16 years and older that are either employed or unemployed. In order to be considered unemployed a person must be available and actively seeking work.

Much like the unemployment rate, labor force participation ebbs and flows. On a national and state level, it has decreased steadily since the turn of the millennium, and has dropped rather dramatically since the Great Recession of 2007 – 2009. Due to low unemployment and the recovery in full swing, these drops cannot simply be attributed to the recession. Many economists theorize that it is a result of the aging workforce, early retirements, and delayed entry into the workforce by younger workers as they seek additional education to expand their skillset to become more competitive for fewer jobs. This may be particularly impactful to rural communities in Region Nine that skew slightly older.

The American Community Survey data slightly reflects this, with workers aged 20 to 24 years and 55 to 64 years representing the lowest percentages of working age adults. Additionally, counties that skew much younger (Blue Earth 79.4%, Nicollet 71.3%, and Waseca 76.3%) also have the three lowest labor force participation rates among workers aged 20 to 24 years.

Conversely, Brown and Martin County are ranked 55th and 69th among all 87 counties in Minnesota; they also have two of the three lowest labor force participation rates among 20 to 24-year-old workers. Watonwan County is unique because it skews young yet has the highest labor force participation. Additionally, Watonwan County has labor force participation rates that are much higher than the region as a whole in the following demographics: Black or African American (88.2%), Asian (83%), Two or

Labor Force and Labor Force Participation8

In Labor Force

Labor Force Partic. Rate

Total Labor Force 129,516 69.8%AGE

16 to 19 years 7,930 56.6% 20 to 24 years 16,117 79.7% 25 to 44 years 48,890 89.9% 45 to 54 years 27,481 88.7% 55 to 64 years 22,971 77.7% 65 to 74 years 5,032 27.9% 75 years and over 1,086 5.9%

RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGINWhite Alone 124,266 69.9%Black or African American 1,600 60.8%American Indian and Alaska Native

326 59.4%

Asian 1,364 71.0%Some other race 895 76.4%Two or more races 993 60.5%Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race)

5,200 71.8%

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTPopulation 25 to 64 years 99,332 86.4%Less than high school graduate

4,767 70.3%

High school graduate (includes equivalency)

30,079 83.6%

Some college or associate's degree

37,701 88.1%

Bachelor's degree or higher 26,786 91.1%

Age of Population8

CountyMedian

AgeStatewide

RankBlue Earth 30.3 1Nicollet 35.0 10Waseca 38.8 25Watonwan 39.7 30Le Sueur 40.8 36Sibley 40.9 37Brown 43.2 55Martin 45.6 69Faribault 46.5 72

More Races (67.5%), Hispanic or Latino (83.1%), and those with less than a high-school degree (81.3%). This is important to note because it is driven, by a large degree, by an unemployment rate that has significantly exceeded the region as a whole in every successive year since 2003. By this measure, Watonwan County was hit particularly hard during the height of the recession with an 8.8% unemployment rate (Region Nine’s was 7.5%) in 2009.

As mentioned previously, the unemployment rate for Region Nine has mirrored the state’s – with a few exceptions in Watonwan and Le Sueur Counties. In 2009, Le Sueur County peaked at 10.9%, while the region as a whole peaked that year at 7.5%. Other counties in the region peaked in 2009 as well: Faribault (9.2%), Watonwan (8.8%), Waseca (8.2%), Sibley (7.9%), Martin (7.5%), Brown (7.3%), Blue Earth (6.4%), and Nicollet (6.3%).

According to DEED’s Labor Market Information (LMI) Office, Nicollet and Blue Earth County (which encompass the Mankato-North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area) are historically among the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Consequently, the region as a whole, has been inching towards “full employment”, the point at which many economists agree that virtually all people who are able and willing to work are employed. According to DEED’s LMI Director, Dr. Steve Hine, the next challenge for the region is an impending workforce shortage.

“The next challenge for the region is an impending workforce shortage.”

-Dr. Steve Hine, DEED Labor Market Information Director

2,812,9472,845,2022,859,6012,874,6632,880,4272,879,7592,887,8312,906,3892,925,0882,941,9762,938,7952,946,2782,958,2722,971,5232,982,7503,010,366

128,307

133,444

130,100

132,417

2,700,000

2,750,000

2,800,000

2,850,000

2,900,000

2,950,000

3,000,000

3,050,000

124,000

125,000

126,000

127,000

128,000

129,000

130,000

131,000

132,000

133,000

134,000

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Minnesota Labor Force

Loca

l Lab

or F

orce

Source: DEED Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program

Minnesota Region 9

9 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program8 S2301, American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates

Region Nine Labor Force9

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In theory, when there is full employment there is less room for upward growth. If everyone that is willing and able to work has a job, hiring becomes a challenge. Accordingly, the most recent recession masked the trend of older workers dropping out of the labor force. This, combined with a labor force that is growing, but at much slower rate statewide, and had actually declined from 2011 to 2014, before gaining in 2015 in Region Nine, is projected to lead to a shortage of workers. Meanwhile, the Mankato-North Mankato area is among the youngest in the state, has a diverse mix of jobs, and an unemployment rate that fell below 3% in 2014 and has consistently remained there into 2016. With diversity on the rise, opportunities exist for inclusionary strategies to engage diverse cultures and females to respond to the potential workforce shortage.

Occupational Employment Statistics

1st Quarter 201611

Region Nine State of MN Median

Hourly WageEstimated

EmploymentLocation Quotient

Median Hourly Wage

Total, All Occupations $16.39 107,390 1.0 $18.88Management $37.29 5,560 0.9 $48.47Legal $32.43 310 0.4 $38.40Architecture & Engineering $30.88 1,830 0.9 $35.14Business & Financial Operations $27.33 3,630 0.6 $31.06Computer & Mathematical $26.89 1,750 0.5 $38.93Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $25.65 6,020 0.9 $31.65Life, Physical & Social Science $23.47 710 0.8 $29.94Construction & Extraction $21.80 3,320 0.9 $25.36Education, Training & Library $21.42 10,720 1.7 $22.59Community & Social Service $21.31 2,040 1.0 $20.99Installation, Maintenance & Repair $20.16 3,740 1.0 $21.96Protective Service $18.16 2,220 1.4 $19.85Production $16.80 11,520 1.4 $16.80Arts, Design, Entertainment & Media $16.67 1,480 1.1 $22.49Transportation & Material Moving $16.35 6,750 1.0 $16.35Office & Administrative Support $15.76 15,740 1.0 $17.65Farming, Fishing & Forestry $13.19 270 1.9 $14.86Healthcare Support $11.94 3,980 1.2 $13.96Personal Care & Service $11.80 4,690 1.0 $11.29Building, Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $11.65 3,320 1.0 $12.25Sales & Related $11.05 10,590 1.0 $13.03Food Preparation & Serving Related $9.32 6,420 0.7 $9.39

$20.79

$17.77 $17.00 $16.92 $16.78 $16.61 $16.48 $16.39 $16.19 $16.03 $15.52 $15.48 $15.07

$18.88

EDR 11 EDR 10 EDR 7E EDR 7W EDR 6E EDR 3 EDR 1 EDR 9 EDR 2 EDR 4 EDR 6W EDR 8 EDR 5 State ofMinnesota

Median Hourly Wages by Economic Development Region10

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As of the first quarter of 2016, Region Nine had the eighth highest median hourly wage across all occupations, and had the fifth highest estimated employment. This was approximately $2.49 below the state median, which is heavily driven by the 1.7-million estimated jobs in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.

Among the highest paying occupations in Region Nine were management (median hourly wage of $48.47 across 5,560 jobs), legal ($38.40 across 310 jobs), architecture and engineering ($35.14 across 1,830 jobs) and business and financial operations ($31.06 across 3,630 jobs). Some of the highest employing occupational sectors included office and administrative support (15,740 estimated jobs); production (11,520); education, training and library (10,720); and sales and related occupations (10,590).

Among the highest concentrated; farming, fishing and forestry occupations are significantly meeting local needs with a location quotient of 1.9 despite the lowest number of estimated jobs (270). Some of the most prevalent occupations in the region have significant industry concentration that is meeting local demand to the point of being distinguishing industries, these include education, training and library occupations and production occupations. Consequently, office and administrative support occupations and sales occupations have a location quotient of 1.0, which means that the region and the nation are equally specialized. Essentially, the occupations with the greatest number of employment are highly concentrated, or meeting local demand. Food preparation workers, healthcare practitioners, and management occupations have room to grow despite having high employment across the nine counties.

Average Annual Change in Labor Force from 1977 -2001 was 17,252 people statewide and 1,423 people in Region 9* (from 1990 - 2001). Average annual change since has been 13,161 statewide and 274 in Region Nine. * = Sub-state data began aggregation in 1990.

10 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Local Area Unemployment Statistics11 DEED Occupational Employment Statistics, 1st Q, 2016

Annual Change in Labor Force 1991-201510

Statewide 1977-1990 Average Increase: 15.5%

15 16

Southwest Minnesota is projected to grow by 2.7% by 2022, resulting in 5,685 new jobs and 48,000 replacement hires needed to fill jobs vacated by the current workforce. Projections for the Mankato-North Mankato MSA are included in southwest Minnesota. In southeast Minnesota, there will be a projected 16,909 new jobs created and 60,750 replacement jobs at a 6.4% growth rate. In all of southern Minnesota there are a projected 22,594 new jobs, 108,750 replacement jobs and a 4.8% growth rate. Among the highest growing occupations will be: personal care and service occupations (3,065 new jobs and 17.3% increase by 2022; healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (5,708 new jobs and 17.7% growth); healthcare support occupations (2,624 new jobs and 13.3% growth); and construction and extraction occupations (2,053 new jobs and 12.3% growth).

7,760

2,990 1,320 1,360 1,130 2,300310 1,700

6,5703,770 2,190

13,190

3,390 3,960

12,930 13,030

1,770 2,680 4,200

9,7706,850

0

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Figure 10: Southern Minnesota Employment Projections 2012-2022

2012 2022 Replacement Hires

Southern Minnesota Projections by Occupation Grouping13

Southwest Minnesota Industry Projections, 2012 - 202212

Industry

Estimated Employment

2012

Projected Employment

2022

Percent Change

2012 - 2022Total, All Industries 207,849 213,534 2.7%Manufacturing 31,654 31,719 0.2%Total Government 31,721 30,668 -3.3%Health Care & Social Assistance 25,529 29,605 16.0%Retail Trade 20,071 20,404 1.7%Accommodations & Food Services 11,915 12,153 2.0%Wholesale Trade 8,262 8,526 3.2%Other Services 8,312 8,265 -0.6%Construction 7,299 7,809 7.0%Finance & Insurance 5,874 5,903 0.5%Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting 5,389 5,519 2.4%Transportation & Warehousing 5,123 5,317 3.8%Professional & Technical Services 4,069 4,486 10.2%Admin. Support & Waste Management 3,893 4,252 9.2%Information 2,914 2,608 -10.5%Arts, Entertainment & Recreation 2,507 2,551 1.8%Management of Companies 1,977 2,072 4.8%Educational Services 1,971 2,037 3.3%Real Estate & Rental & Leasing 1,270 1,396 9.9%Utilities 772 704 -8.8%Mining 383 458 19.6%

The Department of Employment and Economic Development produces projections by occupation and industry. Region Nine is included in the southwest planning region, which includes southwest Minnesota (Southwest Regional Development Commission) and counties to the north (Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission). According to these projections, southwest Minnesota’s industry growth is projected to see the greatest gains by 2022 in the health care and social assistance industry, which aligns directly with many of the highest growing occupation projections (projected to add 4,076 new jobs at a 16% increase). Government employment, on the other hand, is expected to contract by 3.3% (realizing losses of 1,053 jobs). Professional and technical services are expected to grow by 10.2% (adding 417 jobs), while the information sector is expected to continue to lose employment, despite significant need.

Much of this growth will be the southeast response to Destination Medical Center, which will flow into the south central region. Wages will vary, with healthcare growth primarily in the practitioner occupations with median wages in excess of $80.00 per hour and healthcare support occupations earning significantly less. In Region Nine specifically, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations have room to add more jobs to meet the demands of the region.

Highest Growing Occupations: Personal Care & Service Occupations

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations Healthcare Support Occupations

Construction and Extraction Occupations

12Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, 2012-2022 Employment Outlook13 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Occupational Employment Statistics, 2016

17 18

Approximately 76.6% of workers within the labor shed of Region Nine either live and work in the region or live outside the region and work within the region.

The top work destination in the region is Mankato-North Mankato, which accounted for 17.9% of employment. 4.8% of workers in the region lived in New Ulm, while 3.8% lived in Fairmont, and 3.6% lived in Waseca. The top commuters into the region from outside the region were from Minneapolis (0.8%), Owatonna (0.6%), and St. Paul (0.5%).

Of the 31,737 residents of Region Nine that work outside the nine counties, many of those commuters are employed in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Owatonna, or Rochester. Although the numbers are not significant, 1.3% of all workers in the region (representing over 1,300 workers) commuted into Bloomington, 1.2% (approximately 1,200 workers) into Owatonna, 1.1% into Minneapolis, 1% into St. Paul, 0.7% into Faribault, 0.7% into Shakopee and 0.6% into Rochester.

25,660 31,73778,597

Labor and Commute Shed14

14 U.S. Census Bureau Local Employment Household Dynamics, OnTheMap, 2014

The Cornerstones

The following section is divided into four cornerstones:

1. Human Capital2. Economic Competitiveness3. Community Resources 4. Foundational Assets

Each cornerstone has associated goals, strategies and action steps. The strategies (u) and action steps (n) have been prioritized and categorized by a corresponding colored bullet (green-high, orange-medium, tan-low). An action table located in Appendix III identifies key partners, timelines and evaluation metrics for each strategy and action step outlined in the CEDS.

19 20

Human Capital

Developing, retaining and attracting talent is critical for Greater Minnesota to sustain and grow rural businesses and communities. Monitoring the characteristics of the labor force and the needs of employers and creating strategies for alignment between the two is the foundation of human capital. Coordinating the region’s employers and the available labor force will improve the overall resiliency and adaptability of communities and the region to social, cultural and technological changes in the future.

Goal

Strategies

Maintain the existing unemployment rate, move towards full employment in each county and focus on worker recruitment strategies to mitigate impending labor market shortages.

u Promote a quality, flexible and trained workforce to area businesses.

n Increase opportunities for encore careers and returning graduates to return to the regional workforce.

n Partner with universities, technical colleges, workforce councils, local economic developers, business development centers, workforce centers and employers to promote incumbent worker upskilling to increase mentorships and potentially elevate wages and knowledge across the region.

n Connect and support communities with high concentration of minority populations to inclusion opportunities (e.g. Gaylord, Madelia, Mankato/North Mankato MSA., and St. James). These communities will have the opportunity to access these specific talent pools and market the community as a place of high inclusion.

u Enhance and capitalize on the quality of life amenities to retain the talent in the region.

n Connect, promote and incentivize businesses to create great places to work.

n Retain the 76.6% of workers that presently live and work in Region Nine and commute to Region Nine for work; capture the nearly 30,000 jobs that the region is exporting to other areas of the state.15

n Increase the median wage across all occupations in south central Minnesota from $16.39 per hour closer to the state median wage of $18.88 per hour by focusing on high wage and high employment occupations.16

n Partner with area employers and workforce partners to create, evaluate and publish a list of top workplaces in the region.

15 American Community Survey 2014 Data, OnTheMap16 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Occupational Employment Statistics, 2016

Labor ForceAs Region Nine’s economy continues to recover from the economic recession, the challenge will be meeting the hiring and skills needs of area employers. The labor force of Region Nine declined four years in a row (2011-2014), then increased to above pre-recession levels in 2015. Additionally, this decline (2011-2014) was supplemented by a decrease in unemployment as the economy improves to pre-recessionary levels.

21 22

Goal

Strategies

Increase the number of residents (ages 18-64) who have completed post-secondary education or training with a particular focus on certificates, technical degrees and apprenticeships relevant to employment in middle-skill, living wage occupations.

u Increase the awareness among students, parents and educators about the educational requirements for future employment opportunities specific to the region.

n Greater collaboration and coordination of programs amongst higher education institutions and major regional employers.

n Offer and promote incentives, upskilling, job training and fast track education opportunities.

n Pursue additional funding to secure additional school and career counselors.

u Offer and increase the availability of cultural competency education throughout the region.

Educational AttainmentAs the population of south central Minnesota’s workforce declines, increased worker skills will be critical to improving productivity and growth of the economy. According to the 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Nicollet County has the highest percentage of people that have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher at 32.3%17. Blue Earth County has the second highest with 30.4%, which, in comparison, the state of Minnesota has 33.2% of population that has obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Economic Competitiveness

Creating an attractive environment for growth is critical to creating jobs, improving living standards and financing necessary public services. Economic Competitiveness requires communities to develop and link all available assets to support innovation and encourage business growth. With the identification and alignment of our regional and local assets, south central Minnesota will be able to support small, medium and large scale enterprises, which could in turn stimulate business growth, innovation and an increase in the overall productivity of the region.

17 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2014

23 24

Goal

Strategies

Increase entrepreneurship and innovation throughout south central Minnesota’s communities.

u Increase and diversify access to capital to boost innovation and entrepreneurship.

n Encourage partnership between local public and private sectors for incentives and programs for area businesses, such as tax increment financing, tax abatement, or DEED’s Business Development Public Infrastructure program to attract entrepreneurs to the region and align the recruited entrepreneurs with the local employment needs.

n Incentivize local employers with the research and development tax credit to encourage and increase research and development in the region.

u Progress research and development projects into marketable technology production that will ultimately increase STEM industries that will spur economic development throughout the region.

n Directly connect higher education institutions, including Minnesota State University, Mankato, South Central College, Bethany Lutheran College, Rasmussen College, Gustavus Adolphus College and Martin Luther College, directly to major employers for potential research and development collaborations.

n Create networks of incubator, co-working, proof of concept, maker spaces, innovation centers and tech centers in the region and connect to regional partners for education, training and STEM programming to spur innovation throughout the region.

u Explore incentives and expand renewable energy development.

19 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Employment Dynamics, 201520 University of Minnesota Extension/Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

18 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

Entrepreneurship and InnovationSouth central Minnesota communities must embrace and encourage innovation, calculated risk-taking and foster entrepreneurship to compete effectively in the global economy. Currently, the State of Minnesota ranks 13th in the nation for research and development funding. Both public and private sectors provide $1 billion annually into research and development of science and technology projects.18

Goal

Strategies

Increase the number of capital investment programs available to small and medium enterprises (SME), small is considered 20 or fewer employees, medium is considered 21-50 employees, to allow growth and job creation for the majority of Region Nine businesses.

u Partner with the Small Business Development Center, South Central MN S.C.O.R.E., Regional Center for Entrepreneurial Facilitation and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation to help them expand and funnel their resources into the most rural areas in south central Minnesota.

n Partner and support legislation, utilizing statewide support, to expand the Small Business Development Center, South Central MN S.C.O.R.E., Regional Center for Entrepreneurial Facilitation and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s capacity to build out their network and increase resources for rural SMEs.

u Develop and promote a regional marketing strategy with a clear and concise message to attract potential new residents by leveraging regional resources, such as the University of Minnesota Extension, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Region Nine and other regional partners.

u Continue to grow and support businesses with global connections through e-commerce.

Small Business GrowthSmall businesses located in rural areas have limited access to capital compared to larger businesses. In order to grow and expand, small rural businesses must have access to more public and private funding opportunities. Approximately 71.8% of businesses in Region Nine have less than ten employees (compared to 71.6% statewide).19 Research shows that as much as 80% of job growth in a community comes from existing businesses.20

25 26

Community Resources

Communities seek to maintain rural values, their heritage and the assets that support them. Community resources include topics that balance the preservation and improvements of local social, cultural and natural assets that are critical for the future. Building, improving and promoting regional and community strengths will lead to a competitive advantage and provide a foundation of community resiliency. By working together regionally, resources and opportunities can be maximized and regional economic success can be achieved.

Goal

Strategies

Increase visitor spending in south central Minnesota.

u Capitalize on current tourism destinations and future development of new destinations.

n Promote agricultural-based tourism and pursue potential for tourism development surrounding the agriculture sector and local foods.

n Promote nature-based tourism and pursue potential for development of new hospitality and nature access ventures.

n Capitalize on commuters traveling to Rochester’s Destination Medical Center and the Twin Cities by expanding access to businesses and promoting tourist destinations along major transportation routes, e.g. U.S. Highway 169 and Interstate 90.

u Create and promote “unique niches” through placemaking, comprehensive planning or capital improvement planning to map out a community brand and vision in scalable increments for the next three, five and ten years.

n Promote and highlight local businesses and their locally produced products.

n Work with local chambers of commerce and businesses to create downtown festivals and fairs in communities where downtowns benefit from an influx of pedestrians and customers.

n Organize both amateur and professional athletics to draw people to park systems or town centers.

n Increase the capacity of commuter bus lines, land-to-air buses, taxi services and ridesharing to expand south central’s tourism from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The connections could link to state parks, historical destinations and downtowns, e.g. Mankato, Henderson, New Ulm as well as lakes and regional parks and trails.

TourismTourism can be an essential industry for local economic development. Travel and tourism generates sales in every county in the Region Nine service area. Traveler spending indirectly supports jobs in supporting industries such as financial services or printing. Travel and tourism in Region Nine generated approximately $353 million in gross sales in 2014.21

21ExploreMN, Minnesota Department of Revenue, 2014

27 28

Goal

Strategies

Increase employment in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector to generate customers in downtown districts and increase community engagement.

u Increase coordinated regional promotion of all cultural and arts related events for greater reach and community support of these sectors.

n Partner with area universities, technical colleges and school districts to promote art programs, art walks and art-related events and courses in rural communities.

n Create a traveling art showcase that promotes art education and area artists, including theater arts, photography and digital art.

u Implement arts and culture-based placemaking to improve downtowns and public spaces.

n Reuse vacant storefronts, warehouses, etc. to host new and emerging artists, galleries and experimental spaces.

n Apply and receive designation as an Artspace Community.

n Establish a grant or a revolving loan fund opportunity for arts-centered commerce.

Arts and CultureArts and local culture contribute to the vibrancy of local economies and the quality of life experienced by local residents. The arts and entertainment sector experienced a drop in employment following the most recent recession. In each of the past three years, however, this sector has increased in employment partly due to an increase in consumer confidence. Employment in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector represent 1% of the total employment in Region Nine in 2015.23

23Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, 2015

Goal

Strategies

Increase civic engagement and community participation across all age groups and ethnicities.

u Build upon the strong foundation of community participation and support found in local communities.

n Utilize innovative civic engagement techniques to draw perspectives from youth and people from long distances to increase engagement and input.

n Increase voter turnout in all nine counties to 67.5% so that each county ranks in the top ten voter turnout of all counties across the state.22

u Increase mentorship opportunities for younger generations to assume future community leadership positions.

n Support local community leadership programs and networking groups.

Social CapitalLocal residents must encourage and foster new local leadership skills as well as promote and attend civic engagement opportunities in order to become resilient against future challenges. Results from Region Nine’s CEDS survey indicates approximately 70% of survey participants that either live and/or work in the Region Nine area currently believe that the development of community leaders in the region is average, below average or needs improvement.

22MN Secretary of State, US Census Bureau, 2010

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Goal

Strategies

Improve water quality by ensuring south central Minnesota’s groundwater and surface water supplies are protected from depletion and degradation by reducing the number of impaired waters and endangered ecosystems in the region.

u Promote adherence to the Federal Clean Water Act standards that presume a water body should sustain healthy aquatic life, recreation and additional uses, such as drinking water, industry and agricultural uses.

u Promote intergovernmental cooperation and partnerships related to water quality plans, projects and initiatives.

n Support and promote regional water quality plans, projects and initiatives.

u Enhance soil and water management by increasing conservation practices, retaining top soil and agriculture productivity during extreme rain, drought and freezing events.

Water QualityThere is an increased demand for water resources related to growing populations, agricultural and manufacturing utilization and an increase in urbanization and recreational activities. During 2016, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) had 155 additions to their impaired waters list that are in Region Nine of about 4,600 listings statewide. MPCA delisted a total of six impaired waters in 2016.25

Goal

Strategies

Protect and preserve natural resources for continued responsible use. Achieve no net loss of wetlands/prairie lands and add programs and policies that reduce the carbon footprint through renewable energy or energy efficiency initiatives.

u Protect valuable natural resources and outdoor heritage through education, preservation and conservation efforts.

u Actively engage the public in natural resource planning to achieve greater community awareness and support of reducing overall carbon footprints.

n Develop, implement and consistently enforce land use policies that balance economic competitiveness and resilience with human well-being and natural amenities preservation.

n Promote compact and infill development of cities and urban areas that include mixed commercial and mixed residential zoning to reduce the number of vehicles traveled and reduce costs associated with heating and cooling, saving communities and businesses on land-use expenses.

n Retrofit and convert energy inefficient building’s waste into Combined Heat and Power buildings to deliver hot water, heat and electric generation uses.

Natural ResourcesThe region offers an abundance of natural resources that are essential to the local, regional and statewide economies. As the population of the state continues to increase, strain on natural resources is on the rise. Multiple threats include groundwater overuse and contamination, invasive species and an overall decline of natural resources. One of the region’s largest natural resource is the productive soil. Region Nine’s natural resources and mining sector provides 3,399 jobs, 73.8% of those are animal production. Of the 3,399, 42% are hog and pig farms (primarily in Martin County), 12.9% are cattle ranching and 12.1% are dairy cattle and milk production.24

24Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, 2015 25 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Impaired Waters List, 2016

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Foundational Assets

Communities require proactive and collaborative strategies to address infrastructure needs in a cost-effective manner. Managing access, maintenance, replacement and growth of community infrastructure is key to preserving and providing growth opportunities locally. Foundational assets include both above-ground and below-ground infrastructure such as transportation, utilities and water. The maintenance and expansion of the region’s foundational assets will increase south central Minnesota’s competitiveness for future internal and external business investments. Ultimately, efficient infrastructure will support economic strength and vitality as well as increasing communities’ standard of living.

Goal

Strategies

100% of businesses, households and community anchor institutions in Region Nine will have access to high-speed internet at statewide broadband goals, with infrastructure in place to upscale.

u Create and leverage public and private partnerships, establish co-operatives and work with all wireline providers in the region to improve access to high-speed internet.

n Leverage federal program dollars, CAF II, and ARRA to meet national speed goals of 10/1 as Phase I to implement high-speed internet access across the nine counties, and provide scalable infrastructure that can provide speeds in excess of 1:1 gig symmetrical speeds.

u Promote the benefits of high-speed internet in rural Minnesota, show return on investment and gather public input and/or conduct a community broadband feasibility study.

n Work with all communities within the region to ensure plans are in place to meet the MN Governor’s Broadband Task Force 2016 recommended speed goals (25Mbps download/3 Mbps upload statewide by 2022; 100/20 by 2026).

n Work with the counties of Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan and the Blandin Foundation to ensure that each of the nine counties in Region Nine become members in the Blandin Broadband Cohort.*

n Work with Office of Broadband Development and providers to help update the Connect Minnesota service maps in the nine counties in Region Nine to include all providers’ data and ensure that the maps are as accurate as possible.

u Work with local legislators and the State Office of Broadband Development to provide support for more funding to be apportioned to the state to implement broadband infrastructure and planning in rural Minnesota.

n Partner with representatives of the Governor’s Broadband Task Force to help reinforce the recommendations made to the state and ensure that the challenges of businesses, residents, and community anchor institutions across Region Nine are well represented.

Broadband AccessAccess to affordable high-speed internet is imperative to remain competitive in today’s global economy. In order to attract employers and to increase the area’s employment, there needs to be a foundation of broadband infrastructure. Broadband infrastructure can be a catalyst in local economies and ultimately lead to regional economic growth. In Region Nine 84% of all households are served at the state broadband goal of greater than 25Mbps download/3Mbps upload speeds in 2016. 64% of households are served at 120Mbps download/20Mbps upload speeds.26

*Martin County became a member in the Blandin Broadband Cohort in 2014.26Minnesota Office of Broadband Development, 2015

33 34

Goal

Strategies

Increase local transportation economic development projects in the region.

u Encourage state and local units of government to support and pursue options that increase the availability of transportation funding.

n Participate in regional highway corridor coalitions.

u Maintain and/or promote major transportation routes that connect regional economic hubs to stimulate economic development.

n Identify important freight routes which serve a supplementary role to the Minnesota trunk highway system to promote the safe and efficient movement of goods.

n Partner with MnDOT to help identify potential freight enhancement projects that have good potential for a positive return on investment.

TransportationReliable transportation networks are essential to economic growth, production and trade. Without access to a well-maintained freight/transportation network, raw materials, goods and products cannot be transported, which would result in low to no productivity in the region.

According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 2016 Statewide Freight System Plan, 40% of the gross state product is dependent on freight-related industries, a higher percentage than many of Minnesota’s neighboring states.26 Trucking is important to all industries, as even goods moving via other modes often use trucks for the first and last mile of the trip. As of 2014, Region Nine has 138 freight trucking businesses, which is approximately 8% of Minnesota’s general freight trucking businesses.27

26 Minnesota Department of Transportation, Statewide Freight System Plan, 201627 U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 Business Patterns

Goal

Strategies

Increase the number of communities that have achieved BFC-designated status by League of American Bicyclists.

u Develop plans with local partners and help connect them with funding sources that will develop, expand and maintain active transportation networks.

n Promote the availability and benefits of trail systems to increase awareness and support for increased active living in Region Nine communities.

n Continue partnering with the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership to promote active living in communities.

Active TransportationActive living planning and implementation of active living strategies will help improve community health, livability and social capital in the region. By partnering with the Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC), they will assist communities to improve conditions for better bikeable communities. Currently, there is only one community in south central Minnesota that is designated as a bicycle friendly community, Greater Mankato. Encouraging the adoption of local complete streets policies will increase the awareness and improve the local transportation network’s functionality for all users.

35 36

Goal

Strategies

Increase the level of service of the region’s transit system.

u Evaluate funding and service options to meet mobility and access needs of individuals.

n Coordinate transit providers across the region to assist in efficiently connecting people to jobs and services.

n Closely align policy decisions and funding availability with the supply and demand of transit services in region.

TransitTransit is an increasing and important need for rural and small urban centers in south central Minnesota. The region must evaluate the area’s needs to meet demand and reduce the mobility gap.

Goal

Strategies

Decrease the number of communities out of MPCA compliance and increase the number of communities and projects on the MPCA PPL.

u Develop appropriate water and wastewater infrastructure to support existing and new business and housing developments.

n Facilitate and educate local communities with best practices that illustrate funding options to update outdated and undersized systems.

Water and Wastewater InfrastructureWater and wastewater infrastructure projects are difficult to fund especially with a small population base versus a larger community being able to spread the project costs across a larger population.28

According to the MPCA 2016 Clean Water Project Priority List (PPL) there are 14 cities in Region Nine that are listed. The project cost ranges from approximately $400,000 to $13.4 million. Of the $1.4 billion of total estimated project costs in Minnesota, over $42 million are in the Region Nine area.

Goal

Strategies

Move toward equilibrium in local housing markets.

u Increase the development of workforce housing.

u Provide more coordinated housing planning for communities on a local and regional scale.

n Collect and share best management practices around housing projects, policies and financing.

n Encourage development of transitional and life-cycle housing in rural communities.

Housing AvailabilityHousing challenges that can arise in communities are, tight rental and ownership markets, cost-burdened households, workforce and elderly housing shortages and low quality and aging housing stock. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, families who pay more than 30% of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities. In Region Nine, Blue Earth County has the highest number of renters that spend more than 30% of income on housing with a total of 55% of renters. Both Nicollet and Martin counties have 45% of renters that spend more than 30% of income on housing. Watonwan County has the lowest number of renters that spend more than 30% of income on housing with a total of 32% of renters.

Additionally, a 5% vacancy rate is generally considered a sign of a healthy rental housing market, currently per the 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates all counties are above the 5% vacancy rate except Faribault (4%), Le Sueur (3.2%), Nicollet (3.5%) and Waseca (3.2%).29

28 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Clean Water Project Priority List, 2016 29 U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

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Appendix I: Resolutions

Appendix I - Resolution Region Nine Development Commission

39 40

Appendix I - Resolution South Central Workforce Council | CEDS Committee

Appendix II: SWOT Analysis

41 42

• Highereducation-studenttalent,drawsoutsidecitizenstoregion

• Educatedworkforce • Diversity-bothculturalandbusiness&industry• Recognition&awards-P.R.opportunitiesforsouthcentralMinnesota

• Regionalcooperation • Qualityoflifeamenities-keepstalenthere• Abundanceofpostsecondaryeducation(2yr./4yr.etc.)

• Significantpopulationwithassociatedegrees(2yr.)• Coordinatedstateandlocaleffortsforbusinessattraction,expansion&retentionbothforbusinessdevelopmentandworkforcedevelopment(DEED/MNWorkforceCenter/SBDC)

• Employersopentoadiverseworkforce• Employersopentoanagingworkforce(e.g.hiringandretaining)

• Entrepreneurialattitude • Businessesarewillingtotraintherightpeople

• Affordablehousing-notinalignmentwithneeds• Youngtalentleaving-retainingnewgraduates• Languagebarriers• Internationaldegreesmightnottranslate• Livablewagesforentry-levelpositions• Servicesforpeopleintransition(e.g.addiction)• Centraldatabase-employersdonotknowwheretoaccessdata

• Analysisofemploymentneedsforpositions-donotlimitapplicantpool

• Decliningpopulation• Workforceshortage• Lowerwagesthancomparingwiththemetroarea• Lackofacceptancetoculturaldifferenceintheworkplace

• Retainstudents • Futureregionaltransitsystem• Betteraccesstoresourcesforinternationalstudents,immigrants-e.g.transportation

• Howtodispersetalentpooloutsideofregionalcenter

• Recruit&retainbackgraduates,peoplewhohaveleft• Boomerpopulation-encorecareers• Coordination/articulationofagreementsbetweenuniversitiesandcolleges

• Workwithbusinessestomeetworkexpectationsofnewemployees

• Educationalincentives • Highschoolinternships • Moreeducationalinstitutionsandbusinessconnections

• Qualityoflife-marketing • Lesstraffic-convenience • Directing/recommendingmorepeopletowardsfasttrackeducation

• Numberofplaceshiring• Strongpopulation/laborforcegrowth

• Agingworkforce-agriculture,skilledandmanufacturing

• Schooldistrictcutbacks,especiallysmallerdistricts/tradesandelectives

• Regionally(theMidwest)lowestunemploymentrates

• Costofhighereducation• Studentspushedtowardsfouryeardegreesbyparents

• Reducedfundingforschool/careercounselors• Highschoolstandardsarerelatedto4yr.colleges

Human CapitalStrengths Opportunities

ThreatsWeaknesses

• Numberofjobsavailable • Costofdoingbusinessislessthanmetropolitanareas• Willingnessoflocalgovernmenttohelp-businessmentoring

• Regionalcollaboration• Abilitytosharerisksacrossmultiplefinancialproviders(loanpackaging)-‘everyonetakesapieceofthepie’

• Transportation-accesstorailandhighway• Agriculturaleconomy• Stronganddiversemanufacturingbase• Costofliving• Lowerpropertytaxes• Exportassistance• 2020mandateinsolar&otherenvironmentalpolicies• Accesstosupportservices(S.C.O.R.E./SBDC/SBA)funding

• NPOtrainingresources-K-12&College• Smallbusinessesgeneratingeconomicimpact• Proactivepromotion-initiatives(GreenSeam)• Globalconnectionsthroughinternettrade• Directsuccessoflocalbusinesses(proven)

• Lackofmarketingoftheareas/Minnesota• LackoffundingtoDEEDformarketing• Affordablebroadband-availabilityandreliability• Workforcehousing-transportation• Publicinfrastructure/roadsandbridges• Unreliablepowersource(electricity)• Lackofstartupcapital(orperceptionthereof)• Knowledgeofusersforaccesstoresources(notuserfriendly)

• Systemnavigation(guide/coachatcommunityleveltoleadbusinessesthroughprocess)

• Diversityinaccesstofunding• Accesstofinancing• Lackofsoundandupdatedtechnology(wireless)• K-12cutbacks-communityaccessforK-college/restsonteachers

• GreenSeam • Naturalresources-land,rivers,lakes,etc.• Financialresourcesforbusinesses• Work/collaboratewithotheruniversities-R&D• Incubator,workspaceopportunities• Educationofstakeholdersonavailableresources(government,non-profit,profit)

• Moretrainingintechnical(informationtechnology)andbusinessoperation/management

• Bringpeopletotheappropriateresources• Bringchangeinprogramrequirementsatcommunitylevel

• Trainingneededtoestablishsoundbusinesspractices• Tellstoryofeachlocalcommunityandconnecttoresources

• Transportation • Internationalopportunitiesinfood/medicalthroughlocalresourcespromotion

• Clarity,transparency,promotionofimmigrantreformtoincentivizeruralcommunitiestoacceptpopulation

• Integrationofnon-localsintocommunity

• Lackofwillingnesstoacceptchange/newideas• Entrepreneurslackofbusinessintelligence• Lowagricultureprices• Schoolfunding,referendumsandpropertytaxes• Cityandruraldivide• Lossoflaborforceinsmallercommunities• Payscalecomparisons • Drivewagesdowntocompete• Largecompaniesimpactonruralcommunitiesiftheyleavecommunity

Economic CompetitivenessStrengths Opportunities

ThreatsWeaknesses

44

• Waterquality(watershedimpactedbyfarmdrainage)

• Farmbuffer-50ft.bufferstrips(legislativemandate)• Waterqualityimpactedbychemicalfiltrationofwater

• Shortsighted-immediatereturnsvs.long-termgoals

• Promotionandadvertisementregion-wideiscurrentlyweak

• Attentionandintentiontoleadership• Properuseofresources-possiblytomanynon-profits

• Toomuchrelianceononesystem-notawaytoeasilyaccessinformationaboutcommunityeventsandresources

• Lackoffundingforpublicfacilities,communitycenters,recreationalfacilities,arts&culture

• Southcentraldoesnothaveareputationfortourism

43

• Accesstomajortransportationroutes(HWY169,I-90,etc.)andexpansionofmajorroads

• Greatwaterresourceforwaterappropriationpermits• Trailsystems• Mostproductivelandintheworld• Lookingfornewopportunities-technologyinagriculturalsystems

• Lackofbroadbandavailability,accessibilityandaffordability

• Lackofworkforcehousing • Lackoflifecyclehousing(activeseniorandbeyond)• Betterjobatmaintainingthestreets• Lackofplanningforfutureinfrastructureimprovementsinthepresent

• Broadbandinruralareas-eachlocalareashastodetermineownbroadbandsystem-navigating,privateproviders,state/federalfunding,ownership

• Waterandsewer-oldsystems• Historicalbuildingmaintenance-balanceoffunding• Communitieshavingaplantotakethemtothenextlevel

• Showbenefitofbroadbandavailabilityandaccess-willpaybackintheend

• Regionalhousingplan • Sharingofcostsforinfrastructure/drainagewatercosts

• Schoolsystemstohavehighratingsanddrawpeople• Collaboratingneedforcommunitiestoworkonaffordablehousingandtransit

• Betterutilizeexistingspace-ratherthanbuildingnew

• Forrenewableenergy-solar/wind• Transitsystemwithruralcommunities

• Lackofcommunityunderstandinghowimportantbroadbandis

• Lackofworkforcehousing • Lackofunderstandingofagriculturaldrainagesystems

• Unwillingnessoftaxpayerstopayforfutureimprovementsofinfrastructure

• Governmentmandateswithnofundingtohelpcitiescomply

• Lackoftransparencyforfundingofaffordablehousing

• Rightsizeofwastewatertreatmentfacility-ruralwatersystems

• Publicperceptionofagriculturesystems

Foundational AssetsStrengths Opportunities

ThreatsWeaknesses

• Arts • Parks,trailsystemsandathleticfacilities• Schools • Safeplacestolive • Naturalenvironment(scenic) • Newcompaniesfocusedonrecreation-MSU-Mcanalsoprovideprofessional/recreationopportunities

• CommunitieslikeNewUlmfocusedonculturalheritage• Numberoftheatreproductions,culturalandartevents,fairsandfestivals

• Lotsofwater• Highdegreeofparticipation-communitiespulltogether,e.g.Madelia

• Goodsystemsinplace-e.g.RegionNine,GreaterMankatoGrowth

• Manpowertomakedecisions• CommunityuseofwastewaterinMankatoarea(canbeaweaknessaswell)

• Communitysportteams• Excellentgolfcoursesanddisccourses• Wineries/breweries(craft)• Localfoods• Agri-tourism

• Advertisegreatplaceitis-beautyofnaturalenvironments,lakes

• Trails(regional)• Leveragepropertytaxes• Placemaking/branding• Promotetourism-brochure,lakes;canbedistributedatreststops

• Highlight“madelocal”-localbusinessesandsmallmanufacturing

• Goodconversationshappeningaboutwaterrelatedtotourism-numberofbridgesinBlueEarthCounty

• Betterfocusonregionalartsandtourism-communications

• Waterqualityanalysis-well-headprotectionplansmakescommunitiesmoreawareofcurrentgoals

• Lakeimprovementassociations• Landavailableforrecreationalactivities• Createmore“destinations”andmarketexistingdestinations

• Capitalizeonexistingassets • Continuetogrowlocalfoods,agri-tourism

• Financialstraintomeetstatemandatesimposedoncities-MPCAwaterquality

• Unfundedmandates• Impairedwatersimpacting-floodwaters,runoff,sewers/infrastructure

• Lackoftaxbase(andgrowing) • Competitionforstateandfederaldollars• Wantingtokeepourresourcestoourselves• Stayingthesame• Lackofconsistentenforcementofenvironmentalregulation

• Howtobeinclusivewhensofewculturalgroupsinourregion

• Shortageofprovidersandhealthcareprovidersinsmalltowns

• Overcompetitionofbigboxstores• Gap/lackofcivicleadershipcomingfromyoungergeneration

• Unwillingnessofcurrentleadershiptochangeormentorfutureleaders

• Communicationtechniquesbetweengenerations• Toomanywaterparks(orsimilaramenities)thatnegativelyaffectresourcesofexistingfacilities

• Waterquality• Drawofbigeventsandvenuesversuscommunity-basedactivities

Community ResourcesStrengths Opportunities

ThreatsWeaknesses

45 46

Hum

an C

apit

al A

ctio

n Pl

an

Stra

tegy

Part

ners

and

Sta

keho

lder

sTi

mel

ine

Prio

rity

Perf

orm

ance

Mea

sure

/ Ev

alua

tion

Enha

nce

and

capi

taliz

e on

the

qual

ity o

f life

am

eniti

es to

reta

in ta

lent

in th

e re

gion

. RN

DC

, citi

es, c

ount

ies,

loca

l cha

mbe

rs o

f co

mm

erce

, loc

al e

cono

mic

dev

elop

ers,

DEE

D,

SMIF

, U o

f M E

xten

sion,

SC

WC

, SBD

C,

DEE

D W

orkf

orce

Cen

ter

Long

term

2.88

Incr

ease

in la

bor f

orce

, inc

reas

e in

pop

ulat

ion

and

incr

ease

in th

e av

erag

e w

age

in th

e re

gion

.

Incr

ease

opp

ortu

nitie

s for

enc

ore

care

ers a

nd

retu

rnin

g gr

adua

tes t

o re

turn

to th

e re

gion

al

wor

kfor

ce.

Are

a em

ploy

ers,

SCW

C, D

EED

Wor

kfor

ce

Cen

ter

Long

term

2.71

Incr

ease

in th

e la

bor f

orce

and

an

incr

ease

in

the

aver

age

wag

e.

Part

ner w

ith u

nive

rsiti

es, t

echn

ical

colle

ges,

wor

kfor

ce co

unci

ls, lo

cal e

cono

mic

dev

elop

ers,

busin

ess d

evel

opm

ent c

ente

rs, w

orkf

orce

cent

ers

and

empl

oyer

s to

prom

ote

incu

mbe

nt w

orke

r up

skill

ing

to in

crea

se m

ento

rshi

ps a

nd p

oten

tially

el

evat

e w

ages

and

kno

wle

dge

acro

ss th

e re

gion

.

Uni

vers

ities

, tec

hnic

al co

llege

s, SC

WC

, lo

cal e

cono

mic

dev

elop

ers,

SBD

C, D

EED

W

orkf

orce

Cen

ter,

area

em

ploy

ers

Long

term

2.71

Incr

ease

in a

vera

ge w

age

acro

ss th

e re

gion

.

Con

nect

and

pro

mot

e an

d po

tent

ially

ince

ntiv

ize

busin

esse

s to

crea

te g

reat

pla

ces t

o w

ork.

RN

DC

, DEE

D, F

eder

al E

DA

, SM

IF,

S.C

.O.R

.E.,

USD

A R

ural

Dev

elop

men

tSh

ort t

erm

2.59

The

num

ber o

f bus

ines

ses w

ho a

re d

esig

nate

d as

gre

at p

lace

s to

wor

k in

the

regi

on.

Prom

ote

a qu

ality

, flex

ible

and

trai

ned

wor

kfor

ce to

ar

ea b

usin

esse

s.D

EED

Wor

kfor

ce C

ente

rs, S

CW

C, R

ND

C,

area

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

Shor

t ter

m

/ Lon

g te

rm2.

53In

crea

se in

labo

r for

ce a

nd a

n in

crea

se in

new

bu

sines

ses o

r bus

ines

s exp

ansio

n in

the

regi

on.

Gre

ater

colla

bora

tion

and

coor

dina

tion

of p

rogr

ams

amon

gst h

ighe

r edu

catio

n in

stitu

tions

and

maj

or

regi

onal

em

ploy

ers.

Hig

her e

duca

tion

inst

itutio

ns, r

egio

nal

empl

oyer

s, RN

DC

Shor

t ter

m2.

41In

crea

sed

num

ber o

f stu

dent

s in

care

er a

nd

tech

nica

l edu

catio

n pr

ogra

ms t

hat a

re li

nked

to

regi

onal

in-d

eman

d jo

bs.

Supp

ort a

nd co

nnec

t com

mun

ities

that

hav

e th

e hi

ghes

t con

cent

ratio

n of

min

ority

pop

ulat

ions

to

incl

usio

n op

port

uniti

es (e

.g. G

aylo

rd, M

adel

ia,

Man

kato

/Nor

th M

anka

to M

SA a

nd S

t. Ja

mes

). Th

ese

com

mun

ities

will

hav

e th

e op

port

unity

to

acce

ss th

ese

spec

ific t

alen

t poo

ls an

d m

arke

t the

co

mm

unity

as a

pla

ce o

f hig

h in

clus

ion.

RND

C, B

land

in F

ound

atio

n, S

MIF

, SBD

C,

DEE

D W

orkf

orce

Cen

ters

, SC

WC

, citi

es,

coun

ties,

Div

ersit

y C

ounc

il, L

EDC

, YW

CA

Shor

t ter

m2.

35In

crea

se in

pop

ulat

ion,

incr

ease

in n

ew o

r ex

pand

ing

busin

esse

s and

incr

ease

in la

bor

forc

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion.

Reta

in th

e 76

.6%

of w

orke

rs th

at p

rese

ntly

live

and

/or

wor

k in

RN

DC

and

com

mut

e to

RN

DC

for w

ork

and

capt

ure

the

near

ly 3

0,00

0 jo

bs th

at th

e re

gion

is

expo

rtin

g to

oth

er a

reas

of t

he st

ate.

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, lo

cal c

ham

bers

of

com

mer

ce, l

ocal

eco

nom

ic d

evel

oper

s, D

EED

, SM

IF, S

CW

C, S

BDC

, DEE

D W

orkf

orce

C

ente

r

Long

term

2.35

Incr

ease

the

perc

enta

ge o

f wor

kers

abo

ve 7

6.6%

th

at p

rese

ntly

live

and

wor

k in

the

regi

on a

nd

decr

ease

the

num

ber o

f job

s fro

m 3

0,00

0 th

at

the

regi

on is

exp

ortin

g to

oth

er a

reas

of t

he

stat

e.In

crea

se th

e aw

aren

ess a

mon

g st

uden

ts, p

aren

ts

and

educ

ator

s abo

ut th

e ed

ucat

iona

l req

uire

men

ts

for f

utur

e em

ploy

men

t opp

ortu

nitie

s spe

cific

to th

e re

gion

.

RND

C, s

choo

l dist

rict

s, ca

reer

coun

selo

rs,

loca

l cha

mbe

r of c

omm

erce

, citi

es, c

ount

ies,

high

er e

duca

tion

inst

itutio

ns

Long

term

2.35

Incr

ease

d nu

mbe

r of s

tude

nts i

n ca

reer

and

te

chni

cal e

duca

tion

prog

ram

s tha

t are

link

ed to

re

gion

al in

-dem

and

jobs

.

Appendix III: Action Plan

Specific dollar amounts are not attached to each goal or strategy item. The scope of the of this plan is five years with staff time as the anticipated greatest cost. Region Nine Development Commission plans to partner with other organizations and explore grant and cost sharing opportunities to reduce duplicated efforts and lower costs.

47 48

Econ

omic

Com

peti

tive

ness

Act

ion

Plan

Stra

tegy

Part

ners

and

Sta

keho

lder

sTi

mel

ine

Prio

rity

Perf

orm

ance

Mea

sure

/ Ev

alua

tion

Enco

urag

e pa

rtne

rshi

p be

twee

n lo

cal p

ublic

and

pr

ivat

e se

ctor

s for

ince

ntiv

es a

nd p

rogr

ams f

or a

rea

busin

esse

s, su

ch a

s tax

incr

emen

t fina

ncin

g, ta

x ab

atem

ent,

or D

EED

's Bu

sines

s Dev

elop

men

t Pub

lic

Infr

astr

uctu

re p

rogr

am to

attr

act e

ntre

pren

eurs

to th

e re

gion

and

alig

n th

e re

crui

ted

entr

epre

neur

s with

the

loca

l em

ploy

men

t nee

ds.

RND

C, D

EED

, SM

IF, D

EED

, Fed

eral

ED

A, W

orkf

orce

Cen

ter,

SCW

CLo

ng te

rm2.

53In

crea

sed

num

ber o

f bus

ines

s for

mat

ions

or

expa

nsio

ns in

the

regi

on a

nd a

n in

crea

se in

jobs

cr

eate

d or

reta

ined

.

Dire

ctly

conn

ect o

ur h

ighe

r edu

catio

n in

stitu

tions

, in

clud

ing

Min

neso

ta S

tate

Uni

vers

ity, M

anka

to,

Sout

h C

entr

al C

olle

ge, B

etha

ny L

uthe

ran

Col

lege

, Ra

smus

sen

Col

lege

, Gus

tavu

s Ado

lphu

s Col

lege

and

M

artin

Lut

her C

olle

ge d

irect

ly to

maj

or e

mpl

oyer

s for

po

tent

ial r

esea

rch

and

deve

lopm

ent c

olla

bora

tions

.

RND

C, M

SU-M

, Sou

th C

entr

al

Col

lege

, Bet

hany

Lut

hera

n C

olle

ge,

Rasm

usse

n C

olle

ge, G

usta

vus A

dolp

hus

Col

lege

and

Mar

tin L

uthe

r Col

lege

, ar

ea e

mpl

oyer

s, SC

WC

, DEE

D

Wor

kfor

ce C

ente

r

Shor

t ter

m2.

53In

crea

sed

num

ber o

f stu

dent

s in

care

er a

nd

tech

nica

l edu

catio

n pr

ogra

ms t

hat a

re li

nked

to

regi

onal

in-d

eman

d jo

bs.

Part

ner w

ith S

mal

l Bus

ines

s Dev

elop

men

t Cen

ter,

Sout

h C

entr

al M

N S

.C.O

.R.E

., Re

gion

al C

ente

r for

En

trep

rene

uria

l Fac

ilita

tion

and

Sout

hern

Min

neso

ta

Initi

ativ

e Fo

unda

tion

to h

elp

them

exp

and

and

funn

el

thei

r res

ourc

es in

to th

e m

ost r

ural

are

as in

sout

h ce

ntra

l Min

neso

ta.

RND

C, S

mal

l Bus

ines

s Dev

elop

men

t C

ente

r, So

uth

Cen

tral

MN

S.C

.O.R

.E.,

Regi

onal

Cen

ter f

or E

ntre

pren

euri

al

Faci

litat

ion

and

Sout

hern

Min

neso

ta

Initi

ativ

e Fo

unda

tion

Long

term

2.47

Incr

ease

d se

rvic

es to

rura

l SM

Es a

nd in

crea

se

in th

e nu

mbe

r of r

ural

bus

ines

s for

mat

ions

or

expa

nsio

ns.

Part

ner a

nd su

ppor

t leg

islat

ion,

util

izin

g st

atew

ide

supp

ort,

to e

xpan

d th

e Sm

all B

usin

ess D

evel

opm

ent

Cen

ters

, Sou

th C

entr

al M

N S

.C.O

.R.E

., Re

gion

al

Cen

ter f

or E

ntre

pren

euri

al F

acili

tatio

n an

d So

uthe

rn

Min

neso

ta In

itiat

ive

Foun

datio

n’s c

apac

ity to

bui

ld

out t

heir

netw

ork

and

incr

ease

reso

urce

s for

rura

l SM

Es.

RND

C, S

mal

l Bus

ines

s Dev

elop

men

t C

ente

r, So

uth

Cen

tral

MN

S.C

.O.R

.E.,

Regi

onal

Cen

ter f

or E

ntre

pren

euri

al

Faci

litat

ion

and

Sout

hern

Min

neso

ta

Initi

ativ

e Fo

unda

tion

Long

term

2.47

Incr

ease

d se

rvic

es to

rura

l SM

Es a

nd in

crea

se

in th

e nu

mbe

r of r

ural

bus

ines

s for

mat

ions

or

expa

nsio

ns.

Dev

elop

and

pro

mot

e a

regi

onal

mar

ketin

g st

rate

gy

with

a cl

ear a

nd co

ncise

mes

sage

to at

trac

t pot

entia

l ne

w re

siden

ts b

y le

vera

ging

regi

onal

reso

urce

s, su

ch

as th

e U

nive

rsity

of M

inne

sota

Ext

ensio

n, S

outh

ern

Min

neso

ta In

itiat

ive

Foun

datio

n, R

ND

C a

nd o

ther

re

gion

al p

artn

ers.

Uni

vers

ity o

f Min

neso

ta E

xten

sion,

SM

IF, R

ND

C, a

rea

cham

bers

of

com

mer

ce, D

EED

Long

term

2.47

Stre

ngth

ened

regi

onal

par

tner

ship

s, nu

mbe

r of

inve

stm

ents

in m

arke

ting

and

recr

uitm

ent,

num

ber o

f new

resid

ents

in th

e re

gion

.

Incr

ease

and

div

ersif

y ac

cess

to c

apita

l to

boos

t in

nova

tion

and

entr

epre

neur

ship

. RN

DC

, SM

IF, a

rea

finan

cial

inst

itutio

nsSh

ort t

erm

2.41

Incr

ease

d di

vers

ifica

tion

of jo

bs in

the

regi

on

and

an in

crea

se in

SM

E bu

sines

s len

ding

by

loca

l co

mm

unity

dev

elop

men

t fina

ncia

l ins

titut

ions

Incr

ease

and

offe

r the

ava

ilabi

lity

of c

ultu

ral

com

pete

ncy

educ

atio

n th

roug

hout

the

regi

on.

RND

C, B

land

in F

ound

atio

n, ci

ties,

coun

ties,

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

, YW

CA

, Bus

h Fo

unda

tion,

SM

IF

Shor

t ter

m2.

18In

crea

se th

e nu

mbe

r of c

ultu

ral c

ompe

tenc

y re

sour

ces a

nd e

duca

tiona

l opp

ortu

nitie

s in

the

regi

on.

Incr

ease

the

med

ian

wag

e ac

ross

all

occu

patio

ns

in so

uth

cent

ral M

inne

sota

from

$16

.39

per h

our

clos

er to

the

stat

e m

edia

n w

age

of $

18.8

8 pe

r hou

r by

focu

sing

on h

igh

wag

e an

d hi

gh e

mpl

oym

ent

occu

patio

ns

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, lo

cal c

ham

bers

of

com

mer

ce, l

ocal

eco

nom

ic d

evel

oper

s, D

EED

, SM

IF, S

CW

C, S

BDC

, DEE

D W

orkf

orce

C

ente

r, lo

cal e

mpl

oyer

s

Long

term

2.06

Incr

ease

in th

e m

edia

n w

age

clos

er to

$18

.88

per h

our.

Offe

r and

pro

mot

e in

cent

ives

, ups

killi

ng, j

ob

trai

ning

and

fast

trac

k ed

ucat

ion

oppo

rtun

ities

. A

rea

empl

oyer

s, ed

ucat

ion

inst

itutio

ns,

DEE

D W

orkf

orce

Cen

ter,

Wor

kfor

ce

Cou

ncil,

loca

l em

ploy

ers,

man

ufac

ture

s, R&

D, M

edTe

ch C

onne

ct, h

ighe

r edu

catio

n in

stitu

tions

,

Long

term

2.06

Num

ber o

f wor

kers

trai

ned,

pla

ced

or o

ther

wise

im

pact

ed b

y w

orkf

orce

sect

or e

duca

tion

oppo

rtun

ities

or i

nitia

tives

.

Part

ner w

ith a

rea

empl

oyer

s and

wor

kfor

ce p

artn

ers

to cr

eate

, eva

luat

e an

d pu

blish

a li

st o

f gre

at

wor

kpla

ces i

n th

e re

gion

.

Are

a em

ploy

ers,

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

, SB

DC

, SC

WC

, RN

DC

Shor

t ter

m1.

88Th

e nu

mbe

r of b

usin

esse

s who

par

ticip

ate,

the

amou

nt o

f com

mun

ity a

nd b

usin

ess s

uppo

rt o

f th

e gr

eat p

lace

s to

wor

k lis

t. Pu

rsue

add

ition

al fu

ndin

g to

secu

re a

dditi

onal

sc

hool

and

car

eer c

ouns

elor

s.RN

DC

, sch

ool d

istri

cts,

MN

Dep

artm

ent

of E

duca

tion,

DEE

D, h

ighe

r edu

catio

n in

stitu

tions

Long

term

1.71

Incr

ease

the

num

ber o

f sch

ool a

nd c

aree

r co

unse

lors

in th

e re

gion

.

49 50

Com

mun

ity

Reso

urce

s A

ctio

n Pl

an

Stra

tegy

Part

ners

and

Sta

keho

lder

sTi

mel

ine

Prio

rity

Perf

orm

ance

Mea

sure

/ Ev

alua

tion

Prom

ote

and

high

light

loca

l bus

ines

ses a

nd th

eir

loca

lly p

rodu

ced

prod

ucts

. RN

DC

, citi

es, c

ount

ies,

loca

l ch

ambe

rs o

f com

mer

ce, a

rea

com

mun

ity g

roup

s, fa

rmer

s mar

kets

, cr

aft m

arke

ts, l

ocal

eve

nts,

fest

ival

s

Shor

t Ter

m2.

59In

crea

se in

the

gros

s sal

es o

f loc

al b

usin

esse

s and

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f a p

orta

l/hub

that

cont

ains

the

regi

on's

mad

e lo

cal p

rodu

cts

Prot

ect v

alua

ble

natu

ral r

esou

rces

and

out

door

he

ritag

e th

roug

h ed

ucat

ion,

pre

serv

atio

n an

d co

nser

vatio

n eff

orts

.

MN

DN

R, M

inne

sota

Boa

rd o

f Wat

er

and

Soil

Reso

urce

s, ci

ties,

coun

ties,

area

env

ironm

enta

l gro

ups

Ong

oing

2.59

An

incr

ease

in e

duca

tiona

l eve

nts a

nd o

utre

ach

effor

ts

rela

ted

to th

e co

nser

vatio

n of

nat

ural

reso

urce

s, an

in

crea

se in

use

of s

tate

par

ks in

the

regi

on

Build

upo

n th

e st

rong

foun

datio

n of

com

mun

ity

part

icip

atio

n an

d su

ppor

t fou

nd in

loca

l co

mm

uniti

es.

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, ch

ambe

rs

of co

mm

erce

, loc

al co

mm

unity

vo

lunt

eer g

roup

s

Ong

oing

2.47

Incr

ease

d pu

blic

par

ticip

atio

n an

d vo

lunt

eers

in lo

cal

com

mun

ities

Prom

ote

agri

cultu

ral b

ased

tour

ism a

nd p

ursu

e po

tent

ial f

or to

urism

dev

elop

men

t sur

roun

ding

the

agri

cultu

re se

ctor

and

loca

l foo

ds.

RND

C, F

arm

amer

ica,

loca

l cha

mbe

rs

of co

mm

erce

, Gre

enSe

amLo

ng T

erm

2.41

Incr

ease

in to

urism

and

an

incr

ease

in g

ross

sale

s of

loca

l foo

ds re

late

d bu

sines

ses

Enfo

rce

Fede

ral C

lean

Wat

er A

ct st

anda

rds t

hat

pres

ume

a w

ater

bod

y sh

ould

sust

ain

heal

thy

aqua

tic

life,

recr

eatio

n an

d ad

ditio

nal u

ses,

such

as d

rink

ing

wat

er, i

ndus

try

and

agri

cultu

ral u

ses.

MPC

A, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, to

wns

hips

, la

ke a

ssoc

iatio

ns, M

inne

sota

Boa

rd o

f W

ater

and

Soi

l Res

ourc

es

Ong

oing

2.38

Incr

ease

in w

ater

qua

lity

in th

e re

gion

Supp

ort a

nd p

rom

ote

regi

onal

wat

er q

ualit

y pl

ans,

proj

ects

and

initi

ativ

es.

MPC

A, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, to

wns

hips

, la

ke a

ssoc

iatio

ns, M

inne

sota

Boa

rd o

f W

ater

and

Soi

l Res

ourc

es, R

ND

C

Ong

oing

2.38

Dev

elop

men

t of a

regi

onal

wat

er q

ualit

y pl

an a

nd a

n in

crea

se in

out

reac

h an

d aw

aren

ess o

f the

impo

rtan

ce

of w

ater

qua

lity

Supp

ort l

ocal

com

mun

ity le

ader

ship

pro

gram

s and

ne

twor

king

gro

ups.

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, Bl

andi

n Fo

unda

tion,

Bus

h Fo

unda

tion,

loca

l ch

ambe

rs o

f com

mer

ce, s

choo

l di

stri

cts

Ong

oing

2.35

Incr

ease

in n

umbe

r of p

artic

ipan

ts

Incr

ease

men

tors

hip

oppo

rtun

ities

for y

oung

er

gene

ratio

ns to

ass

ume

futu

re co

mm

unity

lead

ersh

ip

posit

ions

.

Cou

ntie

s, ci

ties,

area

em

ploy

ers,

scho

ol d

istri

cts,

SCW

CSh

ort T

erm

2.35

Incr

ease

in y

outh

par

ticip

atio

n in

com

mun

ity

activ

ities

Dev

elop

, im

plem

ent a

nd co

nsist

ently

enf

orce

land

us

e po

licie

s tha

t bal

ance

eco

nom

ic co

mpe

titiv

enes

s an

d re

silie

nce

with

hum

an w

ell-b

eing

and

nat

ural

am

eniti

es p

rese

rvat

ion.

MN

DN

R, M

inne

sota

Boa

rd o

f Wat

er

and

Soil

Reso

urce

s, ci

ties,

coun

ties

Ong

oing

2.35

An

incr

ease

in p

lann

ed a

nd o

rder

ly d

evel

opm

ent i

n co

mm

uniti

es

Ince

ntiv

ize

loca

l em

ploy

ers w

ith th

e re

sear

ch a

nd

deve

lopm

ent t

ax cr

edit

to e

ncou

rage

and

incr

ease

re

sear

ch a

nd d

evel

opm

ent i

n th

e re

gion

.

DEE

D, A

URI

, uni

vers

ities

and

colle

ges,

maj

or e

mpl

oyer

sLo

ng te

rm2.

35In

crea

sed

num

ber o

f res

earc

h an

d de

velo

pmen

t ta

x cr

edits

rece

ived

in th

e re

gion

.

Con

tinue

to g

row

and

supp

ort b

usin

esse

s with

glo

bal

conn

ectio

ns th

roug

h in

tern

et tr

ade.

RN

DC

, Sm

all B

usin

ess D

evel

opm

ent

Cen

ter,

Sout

h C

entr

al M

N S

.C.O

.R.E

., Re

gion

al C

ente

r for

Ent

repr

eneu

rial

Fa

cilit

atio

n, S

MIF

Long

term

2.24

Incr

ease

in th

e nu

mbe

r of i

nter

net b

ased

bu

sines

ses i

n th

e re

gion

.

Cre

ate

netw

orks

of i

ncub

ator

, co-

wor

king

, pro

of

of co

ncep

t, m

aker

spac

es, i

nnov

atio

n ce

nter

s an

d te

ch ce

nter

s in

the

regi

on a

nd co

nnec

ting

to

regi

onal

par

tner

s for

edu

catio

n, tr

aini

ng a

nd S

TEM

pr

ogra

mm

ing

to sp

ur in

nova

tion

thro

ugho

ut th

e re

gion

.

DEE

D, R

ND

C, F

eder

al E

DA

, SM

IFLo

ng te

rm2.

18In

crea

sed

num

ber o

f bus

ines

s for

mat

ions

or

expa

nsio

ns in

the

regi

on.

Prog

ress

rese

arch

and

dev

elop

men

t pro

ject

s int

o m

arke

tabl

e te

chno

logy

pro

duct

ion

that

will

ulti

mat

ely

incr

ease

STE

M in

dust

ries

that

will

spur

eco

nom

ic

deve

lopm

ent t

hrou

ghou

t the

regi

on.

DEE

D, A

URI

Long

term

2.12

Incr

ease

div

ersifi

catio

n of

jobs

in th

e re

gion

.

Expl

ore

ince

ntiv

es a

nd e

xpan

d re

new

able

ene

rgy

deve

lopm

ent.

RND

C R

enew

able

Ene

rgy

Task

For

ce,

MN

Cle

an E

nerg

y Re

sear

ch T

eam

s, AU

RI, S

even

Mile

Cre

ek W

ater

shed

Pr

ojec

t, G

usta

vus A

dolp

hus J

ohns

on

Cen

ter f

or E

nviro

nmen

tal I

nnov

atio

n,

DEE

D

Shor

t ter

m2.

12In

crea

se th

e nu

mbe

r of r

enew

able

ene

rgy

inve

stm

ents

and

inst

alla

tions

acr

oss t

he re

gion

.

51 52

Impl

emen

t art

s and

cul

ture

-bas

ed p

lace

mak

ing

to

impr

ove

dow

ntow

ns a

nd p

ublic

spac

es.

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, ec

onom

ic

deve

lopm

ent p

ract

ition

ers,

cham

bers

of

com

mer

ce, c

ultu

ral c

ente

rs, P

rair

ie

Lake

s Reg

iona

l Art

s Cou

ncil,

Tw

in

Rive

rs C

ounc

il fo

r the

Art

s

Long

Ter

m2.

06In

crea

se in

com

mun

ities

inte

rest

ed a

nd p

ursu

ing

com

mun

ity p

lace

mak

ing

and

bran

ding

Util

ize

soci

al m

edia

and

inno

vativ

e ci

vic e

ngag

emen

t te

chni

ques

to d

raw

per

spec

tives

from

you

th, w

eb

user

s and

peo

ple

from

long

dist

ance

s aw

ay to

incr

ease

en

gage

men

t and

inpu

t.

RND

C, M

inne

sota

Ass

ocia

tion

of

Gov

ernm

ent C

omm

unic

atio

ns,

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

, loc

al

econ

omic

dev

elop

men

t and

pla

nnin

g pr

actit

ione

rs

Shor

t Ter

m2

Incr

ease

in o

nlin

e pr

esen

ce a

nd in

tera

ctio

ns,

eval

uate

soci

al m

edia

met

rics

to m

onito

r aud

ienc

e de

mog

raph

ics

Wor

k w

ith lo

cal c

ham

bers

of c

omm

erce

and

bu

sines

ses t

o cr

eate

dow

ntow

n fe

stiv

als a

nd fa

irs in

co

mm

uniti

es w

here

dow

ntow

ns b

enefi

ts fr

om a

n in

flux

of p

edes

tria

ns a

nd c

usto

mer

s.

Loca

l cha

mbe

rs o

f com

mer

ce,

Expl

ore

Min

neso

ta, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, ar

ea b

usin

esse

s

Long

Ter

m2

Incr

ease

in th

e nu

mbe

r of c

omm

uniti

es th

at h

ost

dow

ntow

n fe

stiv

als a

nd fa

irs a

nd a

n in

crea

se in

do

wnt

own

busin

esse

s’ gr

oss s

ales

Cre

ate

and

prom

ote

“uni

que

nich

es” t

hrou

gh

plac

emak

ing,

com

preh

ensiv

e pl

anni

ng o

r cap

ital

impr

ovem

ent p

lann

ing

to m

ap o

ut a

com

mun

ity

bran

d an

d vi

sion

in sc

alab

le in

crem

ents

for t

he n

ext

thre

e, fi

ve a

nd te

n ye

ars i

n th

e fu

ture

.

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, lo

cal

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

, SH

PO,

MN

Mai

n St

reet

, MN

Des

ign

Team

, M

PCA

Long

Ter

m2

An

incr

ease

of c

omm

unity

bra

ndin

g an

d ou

trea

ch

and

an in

crea

se in

tour

ism in

thes

e co

mm

uniti

es

Incr

ease

the

capa

city

of c

omm

uter

bus

line

s, la

nd-

to-a

ir bu

ses,

taxi

serv

ices

and

ride

shar

ing

to e

xpan

d so

uth

cent

ral’s

tour

ism fr

om th

e M

inne

apol

is-St

. Pau

l In

tern

atio

nal A

irpo

rt. Th

e co

nnec

tions

coul

d lin

k to

st

ate

park

s, hi

stor

ical

des

tinat

ions

and

dow

ntow

ns –

e.

g. M

anka

to, H

ende

rson

, New

Ulm

as w

ell a

s lak

es

and

regi

onal

par

ks a

nd tr

ails.

RND

C, t

rans

it se

rvic

es, t

axi s

ervi

ces,

ride

shar

ing,

Lan

d to

Air

Expr

ess,

MnD

OT,

pot

entia

l reg

iona

l tra

nsit

coor

dina

tion

coun

cil,

loca

l cha

mbe

rs

of co

mm

erce

Long

Ter

m1.

94In

crea

se in

tour

ists/

trav

eler

s visi

ting

stat

e pa

rks a

nd

incr

ease

in d

ownt

own

busin

esse

s’ gr

oss s

ales

Retr

ofit a

nd co

nver

t ene

rgy

ineffi

cien

t bui

ldin

g’s

was

te in

to C

ombi

ned

Hea

t and

Pow

er (C

HP)

bu

ildin

gs to

del

iver

hot

wat

er, h

eat a

nd el

ectr

ic

gene

ratio

n us

es.

Min

neso

ta C

lean

Ene

rgy

Reso

urce

Te

ams,

area

bus

ines

ses,

RND

C

Rene

wab

le E

nerg

y Ta

sk F

orce

Ong

oing

1.94

An

incr

ease

in th

e nu

mbe

r of C

HP

build

ings

in th

e re

gion

Part

ner w

ith a

rea

univ

ersit

ies,

tech

nica

l col

lege

s an

d sc

hool

dist

rict

s to

prom

ote

art p

rogr

ams,

art

wal

ks a

nd a

rt-r

elat

ed e

vent

s and

cour

ses i

n ru

ral

com

mun

ities

.

RND

C, u

nive

rsiti

es, t

echn

ical

co

llege

s, sc

hool

dist

rict

s, ar

t cou

ncils

, C

hild

ren'

s Mus

eum

of S

outh

ern

Min

neso

ta, P

rair

ie L

akes

Reg

iona

l A

rts C

ounc

il, T

win

Riv

ers C

ounc

il fo

r the

Art

s

Shor

t Ter

m1.

76In

crea

se in

the

num

ber o

f art

pro

gram

s, ar

t wal

ks a

nd

art r

elat

ed e

vent

s in

the

regi

on

Org

aniz

e bo

th a

mat

eur a

nd p

rofe

ssio

nal a

thle

tics t

o dr

aw p

eopl

e to

par

k sy

stem

s or t

own

cent

ers.

Loca

l cha

mbe

rs o

f com

mer

ce, s

choo

l di

stri

cts

Shor

t Ter

m1.

71In

crea

se in

par

k an

d to

wn

cent

er u

sage

/res

erva

tions

Reus

e va

cant

stor

efro

nts,

war

ehou

ses,

etc.

to h

ost

new

and

em

ergi

ng a

rtist

s, ga

lleri

es a

nd e

xper

imen

tal

spac

es.

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, ec

onom

ic

deve

lopm

ent p

ract

ition

ers,

cham

bers

of

com

mer

ce, c

ultu

ral c

ente

rs, P

rair

ie

Lake

s Reg

iona

l Art

s Cou

ncil,

Tw

in

Rive

rs C

ounc

il fo

r the

Art

s

Long

Ter

m2.

29D

ecre

ase

in th

e nu

mbe

r of v

acan

t sto

refr

onts

, w

areh

ouse

s and

an

incr

ease

in g

alle

ries

and

ex

peri

men

tal s

pace

s in

the

regi

on

Prom

ote

inte

rgov

ernm

enta

l coo

pera

tion

and

part

ners

hips

rela

ted

to w

ater

qua

lity

plan

s, pr

ojec

ts

and

initi

ativ

es.

MPC

A, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, to

wns

hips

, la

ke a

ssoc

iatio

ns, M

inne

sota

Boa

rd o

f W

ater

and

Soi

l Res

ourc

es, R

ND

C

Ong

oing

2.25

Incr

ease

in th

e nu

mbe

r of o

rgan

izat

ions

supp

ortin

g,

cham

pion

ing

and

part

icip

atin

g in

wat

er q

ualit

y pl

anni

ng, p

roje

cts a

nd in

itiat

ives

Prom

ote

natu

re-b

ased

tour

ism a

nd p

ursu

e po

tent

ial

for d

evel

opm

ent o

f new

hos

pita

lity

and

natu

re a

cces

s ve

ntur

es.

Gre

ater

Min

neso

ta R

egio

nal P

arks

an

d Tr

ails

Com

miss

ion,

RN

DC

, Ex

plor

e M

inne

sota

, MN

DN

R, lo

cal

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

Long

Ter

m2.

24In

crea

se in

tour

ism a

nd in

crea

se in

pro

mot

ion

of th

e re

gion

’s na

tura

l res

ourc

es

Cap

italiz

e on

cur

rent

tour

ism d

estin

atio

ns a

nd fu

ture

de

velo

pmen

t of n

ew d

estin

atio

ns.

RND

C, c

ities

, cou

ntie

s, lo

cal

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

, are

a co

mm

unity

gro

ups

Shor

t Ter

m2.

18In

crea

se in

the

num

ber o

f atte

ndee

s to

area

tour

ist

dest

inat

ions

Act

ivel

y en

gage

the

publ

ic in

nat

ural

reso

urce

pl

anni

ng to

ach

ieve

gre

ater

com

mun

ity a

war

enes

s an

d su

ppor

t of r

educ

ing

over

all c

arbo

n fo

otpr

ints

.

MN

DN

R, M

inne

sota

Boa

rd o

f W

ater

and

Soi

l Res

ourc

es, M

inne

sota

Po

llutio

n C

ontr

ol A

genc

y, ci

ties,

coun

ties,

RND

C R

enew

able

Ene

rgy

Task

For

ce

Ong

oing

2.18

An

incr

ease

in e

duca

tiona

l eve

nts a

nd o

utre

ach

effor

ts

rela

ted

to th

e co

nser

vatio

n of

nat

ural

reso

urce

s, an

in

crea

se in

use

of s

tate

par

ks in

the

regi

on

Prom

ote

com

pact

and

infil

l dev

elop

men

t of c

ities

an

d ur

ban

area

s tha

t inc

lude

mix

ed co

mm

erci

al

and

mix

ed re

siden

tial z

onin

g to

redu

ce th

e nu

mbe

r of

veh

icle

s tra

vele

d an

d re

duce

cost

s ass

ocia

ted

with

hea

ting

and

cool

ing,

savi

ng co

mm

uniti

es a

nd

busin

esse

s on

land

-use

exp

ense

s.

Cou

ntie

s, ci

ties

Ong

oing

2.13

Dec

reas

e in

the

num

ber o

f ava

ilabl

e va

cant

lots

in

com

mun

ities

Enha

nce

soil

and

wat

er m

anag

emen

t by

incr

easin

g co

nser

vatio

n pr

actic

es, r

etai

ning

top

soil

and

agri

cultu

re p

rodu

ctiv

ity d

urin

g ex

trem

e ra

in, d

roug

ht

and

free

zing

eve

nts.

MPC

A, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, to

wns

hips

, la

ke a

ssoc

iatio

ns, M

inne

sota

Boa

rd o

f W

ater

and

Soi

l Res

ourc

es

Long

Ter

m2.

13In

crea

se in

agr

icul

tura

l pro

duct

ivity

in th

e re

gion

Incr

ease

coor

dina

ted

regi

onal

pro

mot

ion

of a

ll cu

ltura

l and

art

s rel

ated

eve

nts f

or g

reat

er re

ach

and

com

mun

ity su

ppor

t of t

hese

sect

ors.

RND

C, c

ham

bers

of c

omm

erce

, cu

ltura

l cen

ters

, Pra

irie

Lak

es

Regi

onal

Art

s Cou

ncil,

Tw

in R

iver

s C

ounc

il fo

r the

Art

s

Shor

t Ter

m2.

06In

crea

se p

artic

ipat

ion

and

awar

enes

s of c

ultu

ral a

nd

arts

rela

ted

even

ts in

the

area

53 54

Foun

dati

onal

Ass

ets

Act

ion

Plan

Stra

tegy

Part

ners

and

Sta

keho

lder

sTi

mel

ine

Prio

rity

Perf

orm

ance

Mea

sure

/ Ev

alua

tion

Incr

ease

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f wor

kfor

ce h

ousin

g.RN

DC

, citi

es, c

ount

ies,

area

em

ploy

ers,

Min

neso

ta H

ousin

g Fi

nanc

e A

genc

y, M

inne

sota

Hou

sing

Part

ners

hip,

SC

WC

Ong

oing

2.65

Incr

ease

of w

orkf

orce

hou

sing

avai

labl

e

Enco

urag

e st

ate

and

loca

l uni

ts o

f gov

ernm

ent

to su

ppor

t and

pur

sue

optio

ns th

at in

crea

se th

e av

aila

bilit

y of

tran

spor

tatio

n fu

ndin

g.

RND

C, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, lo

cal l

egisl

ator

s, M

nDO

TLo

ng T

erm

2.59

Incr

ease

in lo

cal t

rans

port

atio

n fu

ndin

g

Leve

rage

fede

ral p

rogr

am d

olla

rs, C

AF

II, a

nd

ARR

A to

mee

t nat

iona

l spe

ed g

oals

of 1

0/1

as

Phas

e I t

o im

plem

ent h

igh-

spee

d in

tern

et a

cces

s ac

ross

the

nine

coun

ties,

and

prov

ide

scal

able

in

fras

truc

ture

that

can

pro

vide

spee

ds in

exc

ess o

f 1:

1 gi

g sy

mm

etri

cal s

peed

s.

RND

C, B

land

in F

ound

atio

n, D

EED

Offi

ce o

f Br

oadb

and

Dev

elop

men

t, co

untie

s, ci

ties a

nd

area

pro

vide

rs

Long

Ter

m2.

56In

crea

se th

e nu

mbe

r of p

roje

cts f

unde

d by

the

fede

ral C

AF

II a

nd A

RRA

pro

gram

s in

the

regi

on

Dev

elop

appr

opri

ate

wat

er-w

aste

wat

er

infr

astr

uctu

re to

supp

ort e

xist

ing

and

new

bu

sines

s and

hou

sing

deve

lopm

ents

.

MPC

A, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, RN

DC

Long

Ter

m2.

53D

ecre

ase

the

num

ber o

f com

mun

ities

on

MPC

A's

PPL

Cre

ate

and

leve

rage

pub

lic a

nd p

rivat

e pa

rtne

rshi

ps, e

stab

lish

co-o

pera

tives

, and

wor

k w

ith a

ll w

irelin

e pro

vide

rs in

the r

egio

n to

impr

ove

acce

ss to

hig

h-sp

eed

inte

rnet

.

RND

C, B

land

in F

ound

atio

n, D

EED

Offi

ce o

f Br

oadb

and

Dev

elop

men

t and

co-o

pera

tives

Long

Ter

m2.

47In

crea

se in

the

num

ber o

f com

mun

ities

that

m

eet t

he M

inne

sota

spee

d go

als o

f 25

Mbp

s do

wnl

oad/

3 M

bps u

ploa

d.

Mai

ntai

n an

d/or

pro

mot

e m

ajor

tran

spor

tatio

n ro

utes

that

conn

ect r

egio

nal e

cono

mic

hub

s to

stim

ulat

e ec

onom

ic d

evel

opm

ent.

RND

C, l

ocal

coun

ties,

citie

s, M

nDO

TSh

ort T

erm

2.47

Incr

ease

in h

igh

capa

city

ave

rage

ann

ual

daily

traffi

c on

maj

or tr

ansp

orta

tion

rout

es,

impr

ove

the

ride

smoo

th in

dex

in th

e ar

ea

Prov

ide

mor

e co

ordi

nate

d ho

usin

g pl

anni

ng fo

r co

mm

uniti

es o

n a

loca

l and

regi

onal

scal

e.

RND

C, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, M

inne

sota

Hou

sing

Part

ners

hip

Ong

oing

2.47

Incr

ease

the

num

ber o

f hou

sing

plan

s in

the

regi

on

Wor

k w

ith a

ll co

mm

uniti

es w

ithin

the

regi

on,

to e

nsur

e th

at p

lans

are

in p

lace

to m

eet t

he

MN

Gov

erno

r’s B

road

band

Tas

k Fo

rce

2016

re

com

men

ded

spee

d go

als (

25M

bps d

ownl

oad/

3 M

bps u

ploa

d st

atew

ide

by 2

022;

100

/20

by 2

026)

.

RND

C, B

land

in F

ound

atio

n, D

EED

Offi

ce o

f Br

oadb

and

Dev

elop

men

t, co

untie

s, ci

ties a

nd

wire

line

prov

ider

s

Long

Ter

m2.

35In

crea

se th

e nu

mbe

r of c

omm

uniti

es th

at

mee

t the

MN

Gov

erno

r's B

road

band

Tas

k Fo

rce

spee

d go

als (

25M

bps d

ownl

oad/

3 M

bps

uplo

ad b

y 20

22).

Part

icip

ate

in re

gion

al h

ighw

ay co

rrid

or co

aliti

ons.

RND

C, c

ount

ies,

citie

sO

ngoi

ng2.

35In

crea

se in

loca

l tra

nspo

rtat

ion

fund

ing

Part

ner w

ith M

nDO

T to

hel

p id

entif

y po

tent

ial

frei

ght e

nhan

cem

ent p

roje

cts t

hat h

ave

good

po

tent

ial f

or a

pos

itive

retu

rn o

n in

vest

men

t.

RND

C, M

nDO

T, D

EED

, loc

al ch

ambe

rs o

f co

mm

erce

Ong

oing

2.35

Incr

ease

in p

roje

cts a

war

d Tr

ansp

orta

tion

Econ

omic

Dev

elop

men

t fun

ds

Cap

italiz

e on

com

mut

ers h

eadi

ng to

Roc

hest

er’s

Des

tinat

ion

Med

ical

Cen

ter a

nd th

e Tw

in C

ities

by

expa

ndin

g ac

cess

to b

usin

esse

s and

pro

mot

ing

tour

ist

dest

inat

ions

alo

ng m

ajor

tran

spor

tatio

n ro

utes

, e.g

. U

.S. H

ighw

ay 1

69 a

nd In

ters

tate

90.

RND

C, a

rea

busin

esse

s, lo

cal

cham

bers

of c

omm

erce

, citi

es,

coun

ties

Long

Ter

m1.

65In

crea

se in

the

num

ber o

f bus

ines

ses u

tiliz

ing

the

maj

or tr

ansp

orta

tion

rout

es a

nd in

crea

se in

the

gros

s sa

les o

f bus

ines

ses a

long

the

rout

es

Incr

ease

vot

er tu

rnou

t in

all n

ine

coun

ties t

o 67

.5%

so

that

eac

h co

unty

rank

s in

the

top

ten

vote

r tur

nout

of

all c

ount

ies a

cros

s the

stat

e.

Cou

ntie

s, ci

ties,

area

em

ploy

ers,

loca

l cha

mbe

rs o

f com

mer

ce, l

ocal

co

mm

unity

vol

unte

er g

roup

Long

Ter

m1.

59In

crea

se v

oter

turn

out a

bove

67.

5% in

eac

h of

the

nine

coun

ties.

App

ly a

nd re

ceiv

e de

signa

tion

as a

n A

rtsp

ace

com

mun

ity.

Art

spac

e, a

rtist

s, ci

ties,

coun

ties,

loca

l ec

onom

ic d

evel

oper

s and

pla

nner

sLo

ng T

erm

1.53

Incr

ease

in th

e nu

mbe

r of A

rtsp

ace

com

mun

ities

Esta

blish

a g

rant

or a

Rev

olvi

ng L

oan

Fund

op

port

unity

for a

rts c

ente

red

com

mer

ce.

RND

C, S

MIF

, Pra

irie

Lak

es R

egio

nal

Art

s Cou

ncil,

Tw

in R

iver

s Cou

ncil

for

the

Art

s, U

SDA

Rur

al D

evel

opm

ent

Long

Ter

m1.

53In

crea

se in

fund

ing

and

finan

cing

opp

ortu

nitie

s for

ar

ts re

late

d bu

sines

ses

Cre

ate

a tr

avel

ing

art s

how

case

that

pro

mot

es a

rt

educ

atio

n an

d ar

ea a

rtist

s tha

t wor

k in

the

field

, in

clud

ing

thea

ter a

rts,

phot

ogra

phy

and

digi

tal a

rt.

RND

C, u

nive

rsiti

es, t

echn

ical

co

llege

s, sc

hool

dist

rict

s, ar

t cou

ncils

, C

hild

ren'

s Mus

eum

of S

outh

ern

Min

neso

ta ,

410

Proj

ect

Long

Ter

m1.

41C

reat

ion

of th

e tr

avel

ing

art s

how

case

and

the

num

ber o

f com

mun

ities

that

are

eng

aged

55 56

Prom

ote

the

avai

labi

lity

and

bene

fits o

f tra

il sy

stem

s to

incr

ease

aw

aren

ess a

nd su

ppor

t fo

r inc

reas

ed a

ctiv

e liv

ing

in R

egio

n N

ine

com

mun

ities

.

SHIP

, loc

al ch

ambe

rs o

f com

mer

ce, s

choo

l di

stri

cts

Ong

oing

2.06

Incr

ease

the

num

ber o

f lin

ear m

iles r

elat

ed to

sid

ewal

ks, b

ike

lane

s and

trai

ls. A

sses

s tra

ffic

as d

ata

beco

mes

ava

ilabl

e

Coo

rdin

ate

tran

sit p

rovi

ders

acr

oss t

he re

gion

to

assis

t in

effici

ently

conn

ectin

g pe

ople

to jo

bs a

nd

serv

ices

.

RND

C, M

nDO

T, co

untie

s, po

tent

ial r

egio

nal

tran

sit co

ordi

natio

n co

unci

lLo

ng T

erm

2.06

Ass

ess c

usto

mer

and

pro

vide

r nee

ds

Con

tinue

par

tner

ing

with

the

Stat

ewid

e H

ealth

Im

prov

emen

t Par

tner

ship

to p

rom

ote

activ

e liv

ing

in co

mm

uniti

es.

RND

C, S

HIP

Ong

oing

2C

ontin

ue to

par

tner

in p

lann

ing

initi

ativ

es

and

invo

lvem

ent w

ith th

eir c

omm

unity

le

ader

ship

team

s

Wor

k w

ith O

ffice

of B

road

band

Dev

elop

men

t and

pr

ovid

ers t

o he

lp u

pdat

e th

e C

onne

ct M

inne

sota

se

rvic

e m

aps i

n th

e ni

ne co

untie

s in

RND

C

incl

ude

all p

rovi

ders

’ dat

a an

d en

sure

that

the

map

s are

as a

ccur

ate

as p

ossib

le.

RND

C, c

ount

ies,

citie

s, D

EED

Offi

ce o

f Br

oadb

and

Dev

elop

men

t and

are

a pr

ovid

ers

Shor

t Ter

m1.

94U

pdat

ed C

onne

ct M

inne

sota

serv

ices

map

for

the

regi

on

Eval

uate

fund

ing

and

serv

ice

optio

ns to

mee

t m

obili

ty a

nd a

cces

s nee

ds o

f ind

ivid

uals.

RN

DC

, MnD

OT,

coun

ties,

pote

ntia

l reg

iona

l tr

ansit

coor

dina

tion

coun

cil

Shor

t Ter

m1.

88A

sses

s cus

tom

er a

nd p

rovi

der n

eeds

Clo

sely

alig

n po

licy

deci

sions

and

fund

ing

avai

labi

lity

with

the

supp

ly a

nd d

eman

d of

tran

sit

serv

ices

in th

e re

gion

.

RND

C, M

nDO

T, co

untie

s, po

tent

ial r

egio

nal

tran

sit co

ordi

natio

n co

unci

lO

ngoi

ng1.

88A

sses

s cus

tom

er a

nd p

rovi

der n

eeds

DEE

D -

Min

neso

ta D

epar

tmen

t of E

mpl

oym

ent a

nd E

cono

mic

Dev

elop

men

tED

A -

Econ

omic

Dev

elop

men

t Adm

inist

ratio

nLE

DC

- La

tino

Econ

omic

Dev

elop

men

t Cen

ter

MN

DN

R - M

inne

sota

Dep

artm

ent o

f Nat

ural

Res

ourc

esM

nDO

T - M

inne

sota

Dep

artm

ent o

f Tra

nspo

rtat

ion

MPC

A -

Min

neso

ta P

ollu

tion

Con

trol

Age

ncy

MSU

-M -

Min

neso

ta S

tate

Uni

vers

ity, M

anka

to

RND

C -

Regi

on N

ine

Dev

elop

men

t Com

miss

ion

SBD

C -

Smal

l Bus

ines

s Dev

elop

men

t Cen

ter

SCW

C -

Sout

h C

entr

al W

orkf

orce

Cou

ncil

SHIP

- St

atew

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Hea

lth Im

prov

emen

t Par

tner

ship

SHPO

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ate

Hist

oric

Pre

serv

atio

n O

ffice

SMIF

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uthe

rn M

inne

sota

Initi

ativ

e Fo

unda

tion

U o

f M -

Uni

vers

ity o

f Min

neso

ta

Part

ners

and

Sta

keho

lder

s A

cron

yms

Dev

elop

pla

ns w

ith lo

cal p

artn

ers a

nd h

elp

conn

ect t

hem

with

fund

ing

sour

ces t

hat

will

dev

elop

, exp

and

and

mai

ntai

n ac

tive

tran

spor

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n ne

twor

ks.

MnD

OT,

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R an

d G

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Re

gion

al P

arks

and

Tra

ils C

omm

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ties,

coun

ties

Ong

oing

2.35

Incr

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the

num

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al p

lans

conn

ectin

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mm

uniti

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act

ive

tran

spor

tatio

n fu

nds,

e.g.

act

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livin

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AD

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ansit

ion

plan

s, sa

fe ro

utes

to sc

hool

pla

ns, t

rails

pla

nsC

olle

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nd sh

are

best

man

agem

ent p

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ar

ound

hou

sing

proj

ects

, pol

icie

s and

fina

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, Min

neso

ta H

ousin

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nanc

e A

genc

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inne

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hip

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t Ter

m

/ Ong

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the

num

ber o

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re

com

mun

ities

and

pra

ctiti

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s can

shar

e be

st

prac

tices

Enco

urag

e de

velo

pmen

t of t

rans

ition

al a

nd li

fe-

cycl

e ho

usin

g in

rura

l com

mun

ities

. RN

DC

, citi

es, c

ount

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Min

neso

ta H

ousin

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rtne

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p, S

CW

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the

deve

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lif

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cle

hous

ing

in th

e re

gion

Iden

tify

impo

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t fre

ight

rout

es w

hich

serv

e a

supp

lem

enta

ry ro

le to

the

Min

neso

ta tr

unk

high

way

syst

em to

pro

mot

e th

e sa

fe a

nd e

ffici

ent

mov

emen

t of g

oods

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RND

C, c

ities

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ntie

s loc

al e

cono

mic

de

velo

pers

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or e

mpl

oyer

s, D

EED

, M

inne

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artm

ent o

f Tra

nspo

rtat

ion

Long

Ter

m2.

29Re

duce

the

amou

nt o

f pro

blem

atic

bri

dges

th

roug

hout

the

regi

on

Faci

litat

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d ed

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cal c

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est

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stra

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ndin

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tions

to u

pdat

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tdat

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nder

sized

syst

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MPC

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ount

ies,

citie

s, RN

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gue

of

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neso

ta C

ities

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ocia

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of M

inne

sota

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ount

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oing

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Incr

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ques

ts a

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ore

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stat

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im

plem

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road

band

infr

astr

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re a

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lann

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in ru

ral M

inne

sota

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RND

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ount

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citie

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ffice

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road

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erm

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Prom

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how

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urn

on In

vest

men

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pub

lic in

put a

nd/o

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duct

a co

mm

unity

br

oadb

and

feas

ibili

ty st

udy.

RND

C, c

ount

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citie

s, ch

ambe

rs o

f com

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ffice

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road

band

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amou

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num

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Part

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over

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and

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For

ce to

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info

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the

reco

mm

enda

tions

mad

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the

Stat

e an

d en

sure

th

at th

e ch

alle

nges

of b

usin

esse

s, re

siden

ts, a

nd

com

mun

ity a

ncho

r ins

titut

ions

acr

oss R

ND

C a

re

wel

l rep

rese

nted

.

RND

C, B

land

in F

ound

atio

n, D

EED

Offi

ce o

f Br

oadb

and

Dev

elop

men

tSh

ort T

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Num

ber o

f inf

orm

ativ

e co

mm

unic

atio

ns

with

the

repr

esen

tativ

es o

f the

Gov

erno

r's

Broa

dban

d Ta

sk F

orce

Wor

k w

ith th

e co

untie

s of:

Blue

Ear

th, B

row

n,

Farib

ault,

Le

Sueu

r, N

icol

let,

Sibl

ey, W

asec

a, a

nd

Wat

onw

an a

nd th

e Bl

andi

n Fo

unda

tion

to e

nsur

e th

at e

ach

of th

e ni

ne co

untie

s in

RND

C b

ecom

e m

embe

rs in

the

Blan

din

Broa

dban

d C

ohor

t.

RND

C, B

land

in F

ound

atio

n, B

lue

Eart

h,

Brow

n, F

arib

ault,

Le

Sueu

r, N

icol

let,

Sibl

ey,

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eca

and

Wat

onw

an co

untie

s

Shor

t Ter

m2.

06Bl

ue E

arth

, Bro

wn,

Far

ibau

lt, L

e Su

eur,

Nic

olle

t, Si

bley

, Was

eca

and

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onw

an

beco

me

mem

bers

of t

he B

land

in B

road

band

C

ohor

t

57

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