- Engage Leaders: GSDC’s 10th year anniversary celebration
- Grow Business: September Quarterly Business Report Review
- Expand Talent: Remote Work is Here to Stay – Express Employment Professionals
- Shape Tomorrow: MSP Airport Named Most Efficient in North America
- Insights and Inspirations: Music is for the soul – featuring local artist Jeff Engholm
Engage Leaders: GSDC’s 10 Year Anniversary Celebration
If I were to guess the word most often said during the GSDC’s 10-year anniversary celebration on August 26 it would be “family.” The first gathering of investors in almost 21 months meant we had a lot to catch up on: marriages, births, graduations, deaths, job changes, moves. But the conversations about family went well beyond how our own individual families had fared during the pandemic. Many of us have been “inside” the homes of our colleagues and employees in ways we could never have imagined a few years ago. And it was clear that we have a greater investment in creating a more equitable St. Cloud for all families. With our organizations responsible for protecting the most vulnerable among us, we looked to one another for guidance, support and expertise.
As the chair of the GSDC’s marketing committee, I have been a part of so many conversations with investors over the years about how to promote the region. I have heard from many of you about what you love about the region, and what inspired you to make greater St. Cloud your home, and how proud you are of what we have built here together. You want other business, leaders, students, and especially young families to choose greater St. Cloud to live, work and thrive. That was at the heart of what we wanted to share when we started St. Cloud Shines in 2019. It is what makes the announcement of Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. opening its new Upper Midwest Division facility in St. Cloud in 2022, and the 400 new jobs that come with it, so important. It is why the GSDC has supported initiatives that support workers with school-aged children like Around Cloud Tutors. From those founding members over 10 years ago who took time away from their families to get on the bus to Dubuque, to those new investors we celebrated on Thursday, you have all made these past 10 years of collective visioning and growth possible. Thank you!
Thank you to all of you who were able to join us as we celebrated not only the GSDC’s milestone, but also 100 years of Coborn’s Inc. – a fifth generation, family-owned company in the business of feeding the families of greater St. Cloud and beyond. A special thank you to our sponsors, Coborn’s and Inventure, for your generosity and support. A personal thank you to the event planning committee: GSDC board chair, Brian Myres, Tammy Campion, David Leapaldt, Steve Greenfield, and Dennis Host.
Above: Emily Coborn, Vice President of Operations at Coborn’s, and Brian Myres, GSDC Board Chair
– Heather Pieper-Olson, GSDC Board Member and Marketing Committee Chair | College of Saint Benedict Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Grow Business
September Quarterly Business Report Review
The Quarterly Business Report (QBR) Review will be presented both in-person at Resource Training & Solutions and virtually on September 16 (7:45 a.m. Welcome/Log-In 8:00 a.m. Presentation). King Banaian, Dean of the St. Cloud State University School of Public Affairs, will discuss the current and forecasted condition of the local economy. The survey results regarding the potential extent labor shortages are affecting area businesses will be discussed as well as concerns that recent rate increases for goods and services won’t be temporary.
The QBR Review is free to attend but registration is required.
GSDC is a proud sponsor of the QBR Review which presents a quarterly analysis of economic and business conditions in the greater St. Cloud region. Business leaders are encouraged to attend to better understand the state of our local economy and outlook for the future.
Expand Talent
Remote Work is Here to Stay – Express Employment Professionals
63% of Companies to Allow Current Employees to Work Remotely Once Pandemic Subsides
Remote work continues to play a big role in the future of our workforce as many organization’s battle workforce shortage challenges due to childcare challenges, health risks, and school starting back up for the year. Some individuals are also finding that their comfortability and desire to be physically in the workplace has changed since the beginning of the pandemic.
Read additional insights into remote work from Express Employment Professionals by clicking here to read the full article.
Shape Tomorrow
MSP Airport Named Most Efficient in North America
The Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) has once again named Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) the most efficient North American airport in its class.
MSP is one of only 12 airports globally, and one of four in North America, to receive the award this year. It marks the fourth time in five years that ATRS has named MSP the most efficient North America airport serving between 24 and 40 million passengers.
“It is a great honor to receive this recognition, which validates our long-standing commitment to safe, efficient operations,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP. “Operational efficiency and competitive airline fees are strategic components of our efforts to grow air service for the region and provide travelers’ the best airport experience.”
GSDC President, Patti Gartland, serves as Vice President for the MSP Metropolitan Airports Commission.
Insights & Inspirations
Music is for the soul – featuring local artist Jeff Engholm
Jeff Engholm has worn many hats as a bassist, singer, songwriter, actor, producer, recording engineer, conductor, and teacher. Instrumentally, he is primarily a jazz and rock bass player, and has played for 20 years in the George Maurer Jazz Group, which performs throughout the Midwest, including at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis.
His own band, the Collective Unconscious, is a conglomeration of four studio albums of their own original music and large productions performing classic albums in their entirety, including the Beatles’ Abbey Road, the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Band’s The Last Waltz, and CSNY’s Déjà vu.
After 20 years, Jeff Engholm has produced a new solo album. Little Big Things was released in June 2021. Jeff lays down a catchy, clever vibe with lyrical melodies and “non-Nashville” chord changes. From finger-picked folk, to jangly pop, to epic rock, “eclectic” only begins to describe the variety of styles. The album features some amazing guest artists, but Jeff performs most of the instrumentation and vocals himself. Lyrically, the songs explore the pitfalls of entrepreneurialism, life lessons learned from his recently passed mother, and “Flipped” topics like digging a hole to China. This is an album about riding life on worn tires.
“As the world keeps growing colder, we must protect what still remains of what is real, and good, and beautiful, and strange” – from “Gathering for Winter” on Little Big Things.
“Little Big Things is a twelve-song collection of uniquely different and personal material. Musically inclined listeners will notice that non-Nashville chord progressions abound throughout LBT. And it just feels right. Daring to be different yet having it all make perfect sense is the gift and artistry of an outstanding musician. If I had three hands, I would give Jeff Engholm’s Little Big Things three thumbs up.”
-Dennis Warner, grammy nominated singer/songwriter
Listen to Little Big Things on Spotify or Apple Music. See more of Jeff’s work at www.jeffengholm.com or go to his full Spotify page here.
Contact Our Staff Team
Patti Gartland, President
pgartland@greaterstcloud.com | 320-260-2442
Leslie Dingmann, Business Development Director
ldingmann@greaterstcloud.com | 320-493-9003
Gail Cruikshank, Talent Director
gcruikshank@greaterstcloud.com | 320-260-6775
Amelia Barkley, Communications & Program Specialist
abarkley@greaterstcloud.com | 320-292-9296