First off, St. Paul’s election results now are final: we are poised to have our first all-female city council, making history on a national scale. Sincere congratulations to all; we look forward to new partnerships as we move forward. Top of mind, of course, is the newly approved sales tax. We will continue to advocate for transparency and accountability as the City moves forward with much-needed infrastructure investments.
Today I also wanted to share the key takeaways from the 2nd of a 3-year public safety survey, wrapped up in Q3. The survey measures public perception of crime and public safety in St. Paul. Again, we conducted a residential phone survey and asked our members with physical locations in St. Paul to share an email survey with their employees. Results this year show both improving and evolving perceptions. It is good news that most respondents no longer think that crime is the top issue facing St. Paul. There was also a significant drop in residents who think crime is an increasing problem in St. Paul (from 65% in 2022 to 30% in 2023). While these are positive trends, the data also shows that the decisions residents most concerned about crime make on where to visit, shop, or dine out are impacted by public safety perceptions. Respondents most frequently cited the lack of police, panhandling and harassment, encampments, trash and graffiti and news about crime as the factors that make them feel unsafe. Right now, we have the opportunity to learn from this data and improve the public's confidence in the safety of St. Paul by paying attention to the impact our surroundings have on our perceptions of safety. The Chamber will advocate for action in three key areas:
Read more and dive into the survey methodology, data, and results HERE. See you in the trenches!
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Last week I talked about the importance of taking the time to vote. It is, indeed, democracy at work. I’m hoping you’ll take the time today, if you haven’t already, to show up in this way! Last week, several media reached out to the Chamber asking for our comments on the City of St. Paul’s sales tax proposal. I reiterated our member’s concern, the negative economic outcomes to be considered, and other ways to address this long-standing disinvestment of city infrastructure.
As we look ahead through to the end of the year, we see so much to engage in and celebrate! Last week we also received extraordinary news from the GroundBreak Coalition: they have announced investments of nearly $1 billion to expand wealth building opportunities in the Greater MSP region. This is a significant step toward the coalition’s goal of mobilizing $5.3 billion over the decade to expand equitable wealth-building through an innovative approach shaped by community members. Also: the St. Paul Downtown Alliance and Visit Saint Paul have partnered on a really fun video campaign, Your Place. If you haven’t seen the series yet, check it out, and share, here on LinkedIn! Great events are ahead as well: First, our regular Lunch With Leaders – Economic Development update is this Wednesday, Nov 8, at the University of St. Thomas. Great projects are underway! We will hear from Dr. Bill McGuire on United Village and Chris Sherman, Sherman Associates, on Landmark Towers and The Heights. Second, from our friends at Visit Saint Paul and the St. Paul Downtown Alliance: this Friday is the official kickoff and return of the “Saint Paulidays” in downtown! Please join us all on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. in Rice Park as we throw the giant switch on hundreds of thousands of twinkle lights in downtown. Partners at the Salvation Army are back again this year with the 40-foot-tall tree, and for this year's event they're bringing Vikings legend Cris Carter with them. There will be music, treats and more, and we hope to see you and all your families there. The park lighting marks the start of the festivities and holiday season which is shaping up to be another absolutely magical one in downtown Saint Paul. The GLOW Holiday lights show is back and better than ever at CHS Field and opening its gates a week earlier this year. Beginning Nov. 16 you'll be able to spend an evening completely immersed in the incredible interactive displays in Lowertown. Third, our 6th Annual Equity Summit VI: Transformation, presented by Wells Fargo, is fast approaching on Nov. 14. Please join us, as we explore what it takes to truly transform ourselves, our organizations, and our communities. Finally, mark your calendars for our annual Holiday Chamber Connect, presented by the MN Timberwolves and SPIRE Credit Union, on Tuesday, Dec 5, at Landmark Center. This event is a partnership between the St. Paul Area Chamber, MN Black Chamber of Commerce, and MN Hmong Chamber of Commerce. Come experience fun food, beverages from local restaurants, caterers, breweries and more, and fabulous people! Feel free to come dressed for the season! See you in the trenches! Make sure you mark your calendars for our Annual Meeting on February 29 (Leap Day!) at RiverCentre. We're already making plans to create a fantastic evening of making connections that count with you.
Before we get to my thoughts for the week, I wanted to send two shout-outs: first of all, congratulations are in order to us! Greater MSP region wins designation as U.S. Tech Hub! Announcement came through last week that the region has been designated as one of 31 tech hubs across the country. More than 20 organizations collaborated through the GREATER MSP Partnership to develop a shared strategy that will enhance U.S. economic and national security by advancing the country’s global leadership in medical device technology. The “Minnesota MedTech 3.0” effort builds on existing strengths to create a medical device ecosystem that is nation-leading. We have a real opportunity here; thanks to Greater MSP’s leadership on this effort! My second shout-out is to our partner, Midway Chamber of Commerce, and to our Government Affairs team here at the Chamber. On Monday we published a joint op ed in the Pioneer Press outlining our concerns with the proposed sales tax. It’s worth a read. This second note is really the genesis of my thoughts for today: informed thinking as it related to voting – democracy at work. I agree with Tip O’Neill that all politics are local, and I’m not being hyperbolic to say that this year is of historic importance for the future of the City of Saint Paul. The majority of our City Council will be new, we will have a new Council President, and we have key issues at stake – among them, potential additional local sales tax, and the future of rent control. I was interviewed last week on the issue of the sales tax, and I’ll say to you what I said to WCCO: what we all owe to this great city and to one another is informed voting. Learn the issues, think through potential consequences of various policy decisions, and vote. We don’t have to agree; we must, however, agree to take this responsibility seriously. Voting is your opportunity to have a say in the future of your city. As it relates to the various East Metro races, our East Metro Voter Guide will introduce you to various candidates’ policy positions. The Pioneer Press has run some great articles diving into more detail on the Saint Paul races (School Board, Ward 1, and overview). Our PAC has endorsed several candidates. All this information can inform your thinking. In a discussion about the upcoming election last week, a good friend suggested that we use rank choice voting to our advantage. You can look at the candidates in the different races, rank them according to the priorities you consider most important, and then select those who, to you, are “acceptable” vs “unacceptable.” And you can vote accordingly. You don’t have to pick just one. I encourage you to show up and, as always, I’ll see you in the trenches! B The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of a key business tenet: be prepared for the unexpected. Even before the pandemic, however, we already were in the midst of a critical shift: from one generation to the next. And the speed of this transition will only increase in the decades ahead. Leaders are transitioning, job hunting is becoming ever more competitive, and labor shortages will continue. It is critical, therefore, to get your brand in front of tomorrow’s leaders. Your Chamber is working hard to provide you opportunities to get in front of students and current job seekers alike, all with the intent of introducing them to you.
Last week was our 2nd annual Career Connect Day at RiverCentre. We welcomed approximately 2000 students in the day’s first half of programming, and close to 200 job seekers walking through in the afternoon. Career exploration for most, dozens of interviews – and job offers! We are SO proud of our team and volunteers who ran the program, our sponsors and partners, and – most especially – the school leaders who are 100% invested in growing their partnership with the business community. We have big plans for our Career Connect Day/job fair next year, to be larger and inclusive of more schools/employers. We have a vision of making this opportunity available to every business, student, job seeker in the metro. THANK YOU, to all of you who are taking a chance on this opportunity. We had a wait list for employers this year. If you'd like to hold your spot for next year, please contact Kevion. You can also view photos of this year's Career Connect here. See you in the trenches, B If you know me at all, you know I track economic trends. This year has been really unpredictable for most of us.... and the one question you ask me is: "What are you anticipating for 2024?" Candidly, trend points are still forming and are inconsistent; we have both positive and negative indicators such that the picture is still unclear. But I’ll tell you what I’m thinking. Brace yourselves for some data.
First, let’s look at 2023 so far. The Manufacturing, Services, and Composite PMIs all have been at or below 50 all year (which, if you remember, translates to an indication of business slowing rather than growing); business confidence, too, has clocked in at similar percentage points. The Minneapolis Fed just published a working paper on the "Global Flight to Safety, Business Cycles, and the Dollar." Global Consult just published its October 2023 Global Consumer Confidence Charts. The Minnesota Chamber Foundation publishes a very informative quarterly Economic Snapshot. This research and more, together with the intel I get from you, translates to what I’m anticipating in 2024. It's been a ride this year, to be sure. For 2024, we’ve got some strong positive trends alongside notable headwinds. Overall, I feel positive about 2024. I anticipate a slow start, but I am betting on that economic “soft landing.” Keep reading if you want to dig into the details with me. The trends I’m seeing and watching:
So, there you go. Lots of data. Certainly, some personal “sense” of things. To my mind, 2023 has been the hardest year of this COVID “season.” But our economy’s resiliency has surpassed expectations, and – again – I anticipate that 2024 will be steady but slow. See you in the trenches, B |
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