Launching economic imperative for growth in Minnesota

By Doug Loon
President and CEO
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

 I’m excited to share that the Chamber is launching a major new initiative called economic imperative for growth.

This effort is part of our latest strategic plan, where the Chamber’s Board of Directors took a hard look at our state’s economy and challenged us to lead an urgent, statewide effort to spark an economic turnaround for Minnesota. The Chamber is uniquely positioned to bring together business leaders, policymakers and experts from across the state to chart that path forward.

This initiative recognizes a critical truth: Minnesota’s competitive edge is slipping. Rising costs, heavy regulations, and workplace challenges are making it harder for businesses to grow and compete. Our goal is to reverse that trend and restore Minnesota’s reputation as a leader in economic performance, innovation and opportunity.

Through the economic imperative, we’re putting the private sector at the forefront of driving solutions. This isn’t just a conversation about what’s wrong – it’s a call to action for business leaders, innovators and policymakers to work together and reignite our state’s economic momentum.

We’ll be diving deeper into this initiative at the Minnesota Chamber’s 2025 Economic Summit: Minnesota’s Economic Imperative on Wednesday, November 19, at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel in Eagan. The Summit will bring together some of the brightest minds in business and research to explore how innovation, R&D investments and private-sector leadership can accelerate growth in our state.

Highlights include a fireside chat between me and Chris Galvin, Chairman and CEO of Andersen Corporation. We’ll discuss how Andersen is innovating for the future while navigating real challenges Minnesota businesses face every day.

We’ll also unveil the redesigned 2026 Business Benchmarks Report – a  comprehensive new tool to measure Minnesota’s progress and set goals to guide our state’s economic comeback.

In addition, attendees will hear from industry leaders and experts from companies like Mortenson, Veterra Energy, and General Mills, who will share how they’re investing in research, development and innovation to drive vitality in Minnesota’s economy.

I encourage every business leader to join us for this important launch – and I invite other business organizations to align their efforts with ours so we can work together toward renewed growth, innovation, and prosperity. Minnesota still has strong fundamentals, and I’m optimistic about our future. By working together, we can accomplish great things.

So, join us on November 19 for the Economic Summit, and of course, we’ll keep the conversation going here on the Minnesota Business Podcast. Thanks for listening, and we’ll catch up again next week.