This week we have part 2 of our conversation with Steve Wenzel on funding for MnSCU schools and its impact on Greater Minnesota. The history of tuition, for vocational schools in particular, lends some context to present-day funding issues. Steve is a longtime state legislator, former state director for USDA, and currently a professor at Central Lakes College in Brainerd.

A conversation with Steve Wenzel, part 2

Steve Wenzel, long-time legislator from Little Falls, past state director for USDA, and now an instructor at Central Lakes College in Brainerd, joined us this week for the first of a two-part conversation on state funding for MnSCU schools and their importance to Greater Minnesota.

A conversation with Steve Wenzel, part 1

When a business locates in one community, the benefits radiate out across the region, says Lisa Hughes, the southwest regional economic developer for the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development. This week, in the last part of our conversation with Lisa, we talk about how people like the idea of regionalism in their economic development, but the instinct for competition is still strong.

What businesses want, part 3

Lisa Hughes, the southwest regional economic developer for the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development, is our guest again this week on Rural MN Radio as we continue our conversation on what businesses are looking for when they consider moving to Greater Minnesota. These businesses are increasingly sophisticated, so there is definitely a role for the technical colleges and universities to turn out skilled workers, says Hughes. Companies with proprietary practices are also looking more at training in house. The jobs–and pay–are there, ready and waiting.

What businesses want, part 2

This week on Rural MN Radio we have the first part of a three-part interview with Lisa Hughes, the southwest regional economic developer for the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development. Lisa’s job is to be something of an economic matchmaker, working with businesses that want to locate or expand in Minnesota and the communities that would like to have these businesses call them home. In this first part, Lisa gives us some insight into what businesses are looking for in a host community. It’s very different from what it used to be.

What businesses want, part 1

Two weeks ago we talked with author Jay Walljasper, who is writing a series of articles for the McKnight Foundation’s “Food for Thought” series on what makes communities livable. In this second part, Walljasper tells us how, in his travels around the state looking at rural communities, he has found that the sense of community and the energy to get things done are real determining factors in what makes a livable place.

What makes a community livable? Part 2