Minnsights Blog

When Phil Johnson, CFO of Green Valley Greenhouse, connected with the Energy Smart program in March 2025, he was looking for help with one project. A year later, his 28-acre operation has implemented several sustainability upgrades that are saving the business real money.

Now that the 2026 legislative session is officially behind us, the Chamber team has been out on the road for our annual statewide policy tour. As we do every year, we are traveling across the state to share key outcomes from the session and, more importantly, to listen to feedback from businesses like yours.

What happens to a plastic bottle after you put it in the recycling bin? There is plenty of speculation about where our plastics end up after the blue bin - being shipped overseas, ending up in the ocean or simply being thrown away as trash. While there can be some truth to these claims globally, it’s important to understand that recycling is largely a regional system.

Finding skilled workers is one of the toughest challenges facing our members today. The Business Education Network is an employer-led initiative of the Minnesota Chamber Foundation designed to address Minnesota's workforce shortages. Earlier this spring, Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual Career Exploration Day. Their career expo is not your average career fair.

Coming to you as we are near the end of the 2026 legislative session. I want to give you an update regarding what is happening at the Capitol but also share a little personal news today.