July’s Workforce Wednesday discussion highlighted strategies for growing and expanding a business in Minnesota with the help of DEED’s Economic Development team. 

DEED’s Office of Business Development Executive Director, Catalina Valencia, gave an overview of how her team can assist Minnesota businesses of any size and at every stage of their lifecycle, as well as the communities where they’re located. Some of the offices mentioned include: 

Small Business Development Office – Helps start-ups and small businesses by increasing capital, connectivity, and capacity. 

Minnesota Trade Office – Supports businesses looking to expand globally and foreign-owned businesses seeking to expand or establish a location in Minnesota. 

Business Development Office – Supports companies seeking to relocate, consolidate or expand in Minnesota. 

Business Finance Office – Provides or administers various business financing programs and grants to help companies and communities retain jobs and create new high-quality jobs. 

Community Finance Office – Provides financial assistance to communities for infrastructure projects that spur growth. 

Broadband Office – Connects stakeholders with each other and the resources they need to improve broadband access. 

• In addition, David Heyer, Foreign Trade Zone and Business Development Manager at DEED, spoke about expansion assistance.
• Danielle Kressin, Grant Coordinator for Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership at DEED, spoke about Training grants available with DEED.
• Employers, Charli Champagne, Workforce Development Manager at NFI Group and Linda Haensel, HR Director at Yanmar also were guest panelists, discussing their interaction with DEED’s grants and programs and the assistance they have received.

View a partial recording (only part of the session was recorded due to technical difficulties) of this session and recordings from other past sessions, plus find a full slate of downloadable resources mentioned during July's session on the Workforce Wednesday archive page. 

Access a schedule for upcoming Workforce Wednesday sessions on the Workforce Wednesday page on CareerForceMN.com.