REDA Annual Review 2015-2016

Regional Economic Development ANNUAL REVIEW

ive Suc cess Collect

Indivi

dual S treng ths

2015 - 2016

“ S o m e o n e’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long t i m e a g o .”

- Wa r r e n Buffett

Regional Economic Development Alliance Annual Review

CONTENTS Regional Economic Development Alliance 2015-16 Annual Review Note: All information presented in this report is for the period of July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016 unless other wise noted.

INTRODUCTION LETTER

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

04/05

14/15

AB OUT REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

06/07

16/17

PA R T I C I PA N T S

SE RV IC E S & PRO G R A M S

08/09

18/19

S TA F F

MARKETING & C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

10/11

24/25

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

12/13

greatermankato.com/regional-alliance

LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

4

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."

- Henr y Ford

Pictured: Lake Crystal

The regional economic marketplace, referred to as Greater Mankato, continues to experience unprecedented and sustained growth, along with attention unlike any other time in our history. This is not by accident, but rather a result of smart, strategic business development decisions by our business leaders coupled with deliberate, supportive and cooperative activities by all of us involved in regional economic development. Our alliance represents that collective intentionality and has enabled us to be better together.

On the following pages of this Annual Review we have compiled a variety of information, data, examples and quotes that represent the breadth and impact of our regional economic development work. You’ll see: • Examples of Key Success ranging from enhanced interaction with site selectors to the role we play in providing critical business information • Community Portraits intended to provide only a few “examples” of the type of work engaged in during the year • Representation of our region at “tables” outside of the region, a list of new events/activities significantly elevating our regional awareness, data and metrics conveying the accessibility and utilization of online information about the marketplace and recent appearances our region has had in major regional and national publications • A modest and intentional shift to target additional financial resources toward Marketing & Communications that definitively resulted in

additional business development interest in the regional marketplace and a more efficient RFP request-to-submission ratio • Insights from our core professional staff providing a unique perspective on what it means to cultivate relationships, mobilize our marketplace assets and leverage our resources efficiently and effectively The resulting effect is one we’ve all come to appreciate, a continually balanced, vibrant and growing economic landscape. It remains an honor to be part of regional collaboration focused on offering the greatest potential for business development and related community prosperity. The Alliance is a testament to our rising regional center, and recent accolades heralding it as not only one of the most vibrant in the state but the upper Midwest.

Jim Beal Chair, Regional Economic Development Alliance

Jonathan Zierdt President & CEO, Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.

5

"Our regional success has come from our individual and collective growth and d e v e l o p m e n t . To g e t h e r, w e a r e s t r o n g e r. " - Jim

Beal

Chair of Regional Economic Development Alliance

Jim Beal Chair, Regional Economic Development Alliance

Jonathan Zierdt, President & CEO, Greater Mankato Growth

Regional Economic Development Alliance Annual Review

6

Indiv idual Streng ths.

Collective Success.

Pictured: Nicollet County Courthouse o n M i n n e s o t a Av e n u e i n S a i n t P e t e r.

7

OBJECTIVE To retain and grow the primary economic base of the Greater Mankato Regional Marketplace through business retention, new enterprise, emerging business development and new business development.

PURPOSE

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

It has become broadly accepted, embraced and understood that economic prosperity and activities do not stop at jurisdictional boundaries. Rather our economic and community prosperity lies in the success of our collective and immediate marketplace.

• Economic prosperity

For this reason, the parties wish to facilitate economic development of the communities that make up the greater Mankato regional marketplace.

This endeavor will offer a “forum to strategically facilitate regional assets and opportunities” for the purpose of business development, and will enable us to enhance and develop our future economic prosperity.

• Atmosphere of cooperation • Unique strengths and characteristics • Direct technical assistance • Efficient and effective delivery • Supportive

PA R T I C I PA N T S

8

Regional Economic Development Alliance has been comprised of seven cities and two counties with Greater Mankato Growth serving as the f a c i l i t a t o r. A l l p a r t n e r s a n d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s a r e c o m m i t t e d t o s e r v i n g e a c h of the communities in the Mankato - North Mankato MSA. Advisory Committee

CHAIR: Jim Beal | VICE CHAIR: Bob Broeder | President & CEO: Jonathan Zierdt

EAGLE LAKE Elected Official: Jim Beal, EDA Commissioner and REDA Chair Staff Representative: Brad Potter, City Administrator

L A K E C RY S TA L Elected Official: Brad Ahrenstorff, Mayor Staff Representative: Taylor Gronau, City Administrator

LE SUEUR Elected Official: Bob Broeder, Mayor Staff Representative: Ed Tschida, Consultant Affiliated Staff: Jenelle Teppen, City Administrator

MADISON LAKE Elected Official: Carolyn Hiniker, Council Member Staff Representative: Michael Hanson, City Administrator

M A N K AT O Elected Official: Eric Anderson, Mayor Staff Representative: Pat Hentges, City Manager Affiliated Staff: Paul Vogel, Director of Community Development Kristin Prososki, Economic Development Specialist

N O RT H M A N K AT O Elected Official: Mark Dehen, Mayor Staff Representative: John Harrenstein, City Administrator Affiliated Staff: Mike Fischer, City Planner

SAINT PETER Elected Official: John Kvamme, Council Member and REDA Vice Chair Staff Representative: Todd Prafke, City Administrator Affiliated Staff: Russ Wille, Director of Community Development

BLUE EARTH COUNT Y Elected Official: Mark Piepho, Commissioner Staff Representative: Bob Meyer, County Administrator

NICOLLET COUNTY Elected Official: Bruce Beatty, Commissioner Staff Representative: Ryan Krosch, County Administrator

REGION NINE

DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

Region Nine Development Commission ser ves as a regional liason.

“Understanding that one reason f o r E a g l e L a k e’s c o n t i n u e d growth is the connectedness of our region; partnering with Regional Economic Development Alliance has allowed the City to promote residential opportunities, development potential, and highlight the amenities that make o u r c o m m u n i t y g r e a t .�

- Ti m A u r i n g e r, Mayor of Eagle Lake

Pictured: Eagle Lake City Hall

9

10

“Greater Mankato Growth has been a great resource for connecting the regional business community. Whether it’s connecting me to city officials for the City of Madison Lake or convening roundtable discussion on business opportunities, I can count on GMG staff to assist in exploring and identifying potential business opportunities.”

– Pam Jagdfeld, Business Manager, Nifty Home Products

Photo credit: Chad Kraus Pictured: Aerial shot of southeast Madison Lake

THE TEAM

11 At Greater Mankato Growth, we work for all of the participating communities of the Regional Economic Development Alliance every day. Think of the staff listed here as an extension of the participating communities, additional staff that are experts in the niche of economic development. They work to provide data, connect resources and to retain and attract vital businesses across the region. Because the staff works with many communities, businesses and organizations, they have a pulse on what is happening across the marketplace and can leverage resources and knowledge for the benefit of all.

S TA F F

New Business Development Director

Jim Santori

Director of Regional Business Intelligence

John Considine III

Director of Marketing & Communications

Bridget Norland

A F F I L IAT E D S TA F F Affiliated staff members contribute to Regional Economic Development Allliance and participate on an as-needed basis with the group. *Other 2015-2016 team members not pictured: Tr u d i e G u s t a f s o n , re tire d E x e c utiv e Vi c e President

Director of Government & Institutional Affairs

Patrick Baker

Director of GreenSeam

Sam Ziegler

Amy Linde, former Marketing & Communications Director

12

PROFESSIONAL S TA F F I N S I G H T " We c o n t i n u e t o e v a l u a t e t h e l a t e s t t o o l s i n e c o n o m i c development and pursue the best return on investment. This y e a r w e i n c r e a s e d o u r n e w b u s i n e s s R F P e f f i c i e n c y, i n c r e a s e d our business intelligence capacity and bolstered outreach to c o n t a c t s i n r e a l e s t a t e a n d d e v e l o p m e n t . We w e r e a b l e t o d o this by changing our subscriptions to portals for potential projects, subscribing to a new economic modeling tool and purchasing distribution lists for realtors and developers.

The result is a higher caliber of projects coming to our regional partners, resources for making informed decisions a n d i n c r e a s e d To p o f M i n d Aw a r e n e s s ( T O M A ) o f o u r r e g i o n a m o n g n a t i o n a l d e c i s i o n m a k e r s . We w i l l c o n t i n u e t o n o t just look for the latest and greatest tools in economic development, but get every bit of value out of the tools we do have in order to pass that value along to our partners in the Regional Economic Development Alliance."

- John Considine III Director of Regional Business Intelligence Greater Mankato Growth

" E x t e r n a l l y, w e a r e m a k i n g c o nt a c t s t o b r e a k t h r o u g h t h e c l u t t e r of other messages by being unique and repetitive in messaging h o w g r e at t h e a r e a i s f o r b u s i n e s s o p p o r t u n i t i e s . Int e r n a l l y, we continue to connect the dots between businesses looking to expand or just needing some assistance in clearing a hurdle."

- Jim Santori New Business Development Director Greater Mankato Growth

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

13

KEY SUCCESSES from the past year

Hosted 9 Site Selectors Fufilled 60 requests for critical business information 69 existing business visits #1 MSA in the state for job growth at 2.06%, also reached highest job number on record for the MSA at 57,000+

Published 19 stories explaining the strengths and positively positioned the marketplace Advertising placed in Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reaching 12,766 subscribers Received 40 requests for proposals

$464 million in capital investment over the past three years across the region

Submitted 33 proposals

Auto-trigger email campaign s ent to 75+ site selectors and business development decision makers, with a 31% open rate

Advertising in SKY Delta Magazine reaching more than 5 million readers

Pic tured S eated: Br idget Norland L ef t: Jim S antor i; Right: John C onsidine III

"An online presence is essential to a successful marketing plan. The data behind website or social media traffic is a quick way to decipher if your tactics are engaging and holding steadfa st . With that b e ing s ai d , technology is a moving target. The Greater Mankato Growth Marketing Te a m c o n t i n u e s t o r e s e a r c h , l e a r n and apply new strategies to fit the e v e r c h a n g i n g n e e d s o f t e c h n o l o g y, a s well as our partners and members.

Increased online v iewership and reach of social media validates our website content and branding tactics, which aim to support the economic development of this region."

- Bridget Norland Director of Marketing & Communications Greater Mankato Growth

14

INVESTMENT BY PA R T I C I PA N T FOR 2015

How Investments are

C A L C U L AT E D

Investments from participants in the Regional Economic Development Alliance are calculated on a per capita basis which directly links the work to the growth of the community.

Per the Joint Service Agreement, the City of Mankato pays $4.38 per capita, while the other city participants in the Regional Economic Development Alliance pay $2.19 and counties pay .54.

T O TA L :

2012

2013 2014

2015

$317,428

$290, 349

$270,768

$251, 645

$250, 902

$233,196

$209,875

PUBLIC INVESTMENT PER YEAR

2010 2011

$6,359 $5,563 $8,852 $2,567 $183,945 $30,028 $26,016 $35,934 $18,114

EAGLE LAKE L A K E C RY S TA L LE SUEUR MADISON LAKE M A N K AT O N O RT H M A N K AT O SAINT PETER BLUE EARTH COUNT Y NICOLLET COUNTY

2016

$317,428

For every $1 invested by city and county participants, nearly another $1 is matched by Greater Mankato Growth in business development from private business investments.

Regional Economic Development Alliance Annual Review

YEAR IN REVIEW

15

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Each dollar invested by Regional Economic Development Alliance participants leveraged $315 of GMG impacted capital investment across the marketplace. These capital investments exceeded $500,000,000 over the last three years.

BUD GET SNAPSHOT

Services & Programs $328,729

Marketing & Communications $256,480

Operations $34,770

*Based on data in the Business Pipeline Report over a three year period.

51%

$616,385 T O TA L G M G B U S I N E S S DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT

$317,428 T O TA L R E G I O N A L E C O N O M I C DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT B Y PA R T I C I PA N T S (an additional $274,494 comes from private sector investments)

greatermankato.com/regional-alliance

ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

16 RURAL. URBAN. CENTER .

The key to the success of our region lies in its diverse industry make up, strong job grow th and a rising national prominence.

Growth this year has been substantial and includes investments in existing business, new business, housing, infrastructure and education facilities.

RECORD

A FA S T G R O W I N G

POPULATION

JOB GROWTH

The trend line for record job growth keeps climbing. For the first time in history, job numbers eclipsed 57,000. Job growth in the MSA was #1 in the state at 2.06% over the last 12 months. With several new construction projects in the works, growth is predicted to continue with the trend pointing towards smaller, stable growth in the near future.

Eagle Lake has the 2nd fastest growing population in the state among 853 incorporated places.

Madison Lake also came in 22nd on the list. Saint Peter ranks 42nd out of 97 when looking at cities in the state that have a population larger than 10,000 over the last five years (2010-2015). In fact, when looking outside the Minneapolis/ Saint Paul metro, Saint Peter ranks 6th in terms of growth in Greater Minnesota (cities larger than 10k).

POSITIVE

TAX IMPACTS

Percent change from 2014-15.

Municipality

Total Taxable Adjusted Net Market Value Tax Capacity

City of Eagle Lake

9.18%

12.47%

City of Lake Crystal

2.55%

0.43%

City of Le Sueur

4.46%

4.32%

City of Madison Lake

7.66%

10.13%

City of Mankato

9.83%

9.79%

City of North Mankato

3.05%

3.37%

City of Saint Peter

2.94%

3.35%

Blue Earth County

-6.07%

-2.48%

Nicollet County

-8.88%

-2.21%

*MN Department of Revenue

LOW COST OF

DOING BUSINESS The Mankato - North Mankato MSA maintained its low cost of doing business coming in with a 11% lower rate compared to the national average. The MSA also boasts the 5th lowest cost of doing business in the upper Midwest.

BOOMING

INVESTMENTS Driving through the region today, a person can easily get a feeling of the weight of the investments happening in the marketplace. Record investments have happened or are in the pipeline to start construction this year. More than $464 million of capital has been invested in the marketplace over the last three years.

NUMEROUS

AWARDS & ACCOLADES In 2015 the Mankato - North Mankato MSA was named #5 Best Small City in America from nerdwallet.com; based on economic health, affordability and quality of life. Niche ranked the city of North Mankato #9 on the 2015 list of Best Towns to Raise a Family in Minnesota.

Also making the list were the communities of Mankato and Saint Peter. Find other accolades for the region (including sources) at: greatermankato.com.

greatermankato.com/regional-alliance

17

18

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES “Greater Mankato Growth plays a vital role in supporting new businesses, retaining business and attracting new business w i t h i n o u r c o m m u n i t y. We a r e proud to align with a progressive organization that positions our region for further growth and p r o s p e r i t y. I t ’s a n e x c i t i n g t i m e for this region and GMG is at the forefront of a collaborative effort to continue growing and strengthening the Greater M a n k a t o m a r k e t p l a c e .”

- Jennifer Spaude Senior Director of Coporate Communications Consolidated Communications

COMMUNIT Y PORTRAITS

THE WORK Ever y community is comprised of diverse assets and no two are alike. Greater Mankato Growth is able to serve each community differently by customizing what we do to meet their individual needs. As you read the samples of work on these pages it should give you a feel for the scope of work that Regional Economic Development Alliance provides.

“ I c a n’ t s a y e n o u g h p o s i t i v e t h i n g s a b o u t o u r e x p e r i e n c e w i t h Greater Mankato Growth. Our partnership with GMG has been crucial to ensuring Lake Crystal is prepared and ready to respond when d e v e l o p m e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s a r i s e .”

– Ta y l o r G r o n a u , C i t y A d m i n i s t r a t o r, C i t y o f L a k e C r y s t a l

19

COMMUNITY PORTRAITS

20

EAGLE LAKE

L A K E C RY S TA L

LE SUEUR

Researched the demand and past sales of bare land within the marketplace through the Minnesota Commercial Real Estate Association (MNCAR)

Consulted on the recruitment of metal manufacturer that was interested in the relocating to the community

Convened area manufacturers for workforce resource luncheon including Minnesota State University, Mankato and South Central College

Promotion of the City's population growth (2nd fastest in the state) through press release, blogs, eBlasts, and general marketing material to national site selectors

Consulted on EDA incentive structure (jobs, wages, etc) for land prices

MADISON LAKE

Compiled economic development information for Comprehensive Plan

M A N K AT O

Researched community's labor shed and analyzed commuting patterns

Compiled numerous reports including comparable MSA information for Mankato's State of the City report

Hosted a Business Before Hours to promote the economic development opportunities within the community

Assisted in the landing of two businesses within the marketplace: Primp and Easy Automation Promoted city development programs to business community

NORTH M A N K AT O

SAINT PETER

Conducted a trade area analysis for the Belgrade Avenue Corridor

Researched and compiled potential procurement and supply chain connections for a manufacturer in the community.

Analyzed the community's laborforce to determine the labor market size, commuting pattern and the inflow/ outflow of labor Inventoried the available land for the manufacturing sector and it's tax base

Presented potential prospects for locating in the city's industrial park

BLUE EARTH & NICOLLET COUNTIES Conducted industry targeted recruitment of agri-business companies that require a rural development location Provided outreach to communities under 2,000 in population for available assistance of economic development services

Note: Items listed in each community on this page is a sample of a few projects, n o t a c o m p r e h e n s i v e l i s t , a n d t y p e s o f w o r k d o n e f o r e a c h c o m m u n i t y.

BU SI N E S S DEV E LOP M E N T SE RV IC E S

21 Representing the Region Over the last year staff represented and advocated for Regional Economic Development Alliance participants at or during these events and programs: • Enterprise MN State of Manufacturing • MN Marketing Partnership • Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM) • Minnesota State Univeristy, Mankato College of Science, Engineering and Technology Industry Advisory Board • Grow Minnesota! Annual Meeting (Minnesota Chamber of Commerce) • South Central Business Development Network meetings (hosted by DEED) • Organized and convened the Supply Chain Development Group on a quarterly basis

Grow Minnesota!

Business Retention & E x p ans i on Vis it s Lead by business development staff from Greater Mankato Growth (GMG), along with area officials from the Regional Economic Development Alliance (REDA), Business Retention & Expansion visits are done to communicate and coordinate efforts for the success of businesses and the marketplace. The program is lead through face-to-face visits with CEOs and top executives from regional businesses. The program prides itself on the strength of developing and maintaining strong relationships and the power of shared information in order to identify opportunities and strengthen both businesses and the entire marketplace.

Elevated the profile of manufacturing across the marketplace through the To u r o f Manufacturing event held in October in conjunction with Minnesota Manufacturing We e k .

98 visits were made in the last 12 months, which was the most visits in the state of MN.

60 REQUESTS FULFILLED F O R C R I T I C A L B U S I N E S S I N F O R M AT I O N

40

33

9

Received 40 requests for proposals

Submitted 33 proposals

Hosted 9 site selectors

*Proposals submitted were those with specifications able to be met within the Regional Economic Development Alliance region. Proposals not responded to were those which the region was not able to meet required specifications (for example: shipping port, available building space of 50,000+, etc.)

22

REGIONAL AWARENESS

To p o f M i n d A w a r e n e s s This past year, we employed a new strategy - to accelerate our outreach efforts beyond the MSA to increase the Top of Mind Awareness of decision makers to our region. Besides a multimedia campaign to the nation's site selectors, we have increased our face-to-face meetings.

This included: • Holding a "Greater Mankato Symposium" in the Twin Cities area specifically to encourage Realtors, site selectors and others to consider us for expansion. Regional Economic Development Alliance partners were represented on the panel • Attended the Food Security Summit in Minneapolis at the Economic Club to network with agribusiness representatives.

• Representing the area on the Minnesota Medical Manufacturing Partnership where we hold seats on the executive committee and workforce alliance committee and area businesses are on supplier network and infrastructure committees • Joined the Community Ventures Network to solicit RFIs for the region. Shared five of them upon completion of first meeting.

• Networking at Hamline University's session on Economic Development and foundations to improve livability • Presenting the regional potential of agribusiness to the state’s Foreign Direct Investment director and his South American staff • Providing feedback to Regional Economic Development Alliance partners following the Area Development Magazine’s annual meeting in Saint Louis where site selectors outlined what they look for in communities • Meeting the corporate executives of Coloplast Manufacturing in Minneapolis to thank them for their continued investment in Greater Mankato

BU SI N E S S DEV E LOP M E N T SE RV IC E S

23

A New Tool for the Toolbox The brand launch of GreenSeam on June 20, 2016 was a great success. Over 200 major employers and ag-related businesses participated in the event from across the GreenSeam region.

The Regional Economic Development Alliance is at the core of GreenSeam. We have a powerful message to share globally as it pertains to agribusiness and the GreenSeam brand provides us a mechanism to do so.

For instance, GreenSeam is a magnet for agribusinesses interested in locating in close proximity to agricultural production. How much and what types of production?

Billions. Live stock production has sales of more than $4.7 billion coming from 9,500 operations. Crop sales are at $7.1 billion from nearly 20,000 operations. This economic activity has an impact of $14.8 billion on other industry purchases in the GreenSeam region of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.

The GreenSeam brand provides a new tool for economic development recruitment and retention. Both private business and public partners are utilizing the brand in multiple ways ranging from radio ads to logo inclusion in their email signatures. GMG, on behalf of the Regional Economic Development Alliance, has utilized the brand for promotion of our region to both existing businesses and potential new businesses.

The brand was incorporated into content which is specific to our region and disseminated through email outreach to developers, site selectors and realtors. This effort can provide excellent return on investment because it is leveraging our existing economic industry strengths. Other utilization of the GreenSeam brand was included in cooperative efforts with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The messaging in these marketing efforts for the Regional Economic Development Alliance speak to our agribusiness supply chain opportunities, industry cluster, proximity to production and capacity for growth.

"Agriculture is currently the largest business industry segment within this region with more than $14.8 billion in sales annually; a place where groundbreaking means more than farming."

- Sam Ziegler Director of GreenSeam

24

MARKETING & C O M M U N I C AT I O N S " We s t r i v e t o k e e p o u r m a r k e t i n g messages concise and targeted towards the proper audiences to achieve the greatest impact.

Our collective efforts continue to help bring our key message to the forefront‌that this is a great region to live, work and play; with a deliberate focus on the economic vitality of and opportunity within the Greater Mankato marketplace."

- Bridget Norland Director of Marketing & Communications Greater Mankato Growth

M A R K E T I N G & C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

25

2 0 2 0 Ta l e n t F o r e c a s t f o r Ta s k f o r c e P r e s e n t a t i o n

Monthly Meeting Highlights eBlast to all Partners

In addition to continued website growth, one new media strategy we implemented was launching an Instagram account in early 2016. This social (media) outlet has allowed us to reach 235 users to date.

Online users depend on Greater Mankato Growth to coordinate and provide critical business and marketplace information in an efficient and timely manner.

Wa y To G r o w P u b l i c a t i o n

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

In the fall of 2015 the greatermankato.com website was redesigned. Since then the site traffic has increased by more than 18,000 page views (1,500+ per month). This tells us our website content is important, valid and highly sought after. As the website continues to gain in viewership and new users, it has also garnered 13,000 additional sessions and a substantial decrease in the bounce rate (9 percent).

Those numbers tell us decisively that the website users are finding the information they need, resulting in return visits and proving we've established a level of trust that must be maintained and elevated with every possibility.

W E B S I T E S TAT I S T I C S

26 The greatermankato.com website saw an increase in web traffic over the 2015 - 2016 time frame.

Website visitors from the United States alone make up for 97% of our visitors. The other 3% of visitors were mostly from India, Brazil, Canada, China and the United Kingdom.

62%

31 OUT OF THE TOP 50, OR 62% , OF THE TOP 50 VISITED WEBPAGE S WERE REL ATED TO BUSINE SS DE VELOPMENT

GRE ATER M ANK ATO GROW TH WEB STATS:

327,982 PAGE VIEWS UP 5.7%

1,654

COS T OF LIVING C ALCUL ATOR

PAGEVIEWS

BUILDING S & SITE S PAGE

627 PAGEVIEWS

148,358 SESSIONS UP 9.25%

87,261 USERS DOWN 2.6%

RECRUITMENT TOOLBOX PAGE

763

We a r e e x c i t e d t o i n v e s t i n t h e community and expand our company by developing the MDC warehouse project. The encouragement and support we have received from Greater Mankato Growth is a tangible benefit and reaffirms why we are members.

- Tr o y F. Z a b i n s k i CFO Met-Con Companies

P i c t u r e d : G r o u n d b r e a k i n g f o r M e t - C o n Wa r e h o u s e in Summer of 2015

27

C U R R E N T P U B L I C AT I O N S

28 Many print and digital marketing pieces are used to promote the region's assets.

These tools are utilized by area realtors, developers and businesses for everything from employee retention and recruitment to luring national retailers.

PRINT

INFOGRAPHICS In 2015, “10 Reasons Greater Mankato is the Way to Grow” and “Awards & Accolades” were published. These were the first infographics used at Greater Mankato Growth.

greater

MANKATO MINNESOTA

RURAL. URBAN. CENTER. YOUR PORTAL FOR

THE MIDWEST

Photo Credit: Rich Gemmill

2016 | A publication of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.

"Greater Mankato: The Way to Grow", a business, economic and livability piece was updated this year and released at Greater Mankato at the Capitol in March.

The Agricultural Snapshot was updated and refreshed this year in alignment with the launch of GreenSeam.

greatermankato.com

greater

MANKATO MINNESOTA

THE WAY TO

GROW

MANKATO A PORTAL FOR THE MIDWEST Greater Mankato is a multi-state gateway strategically located for access to and from Minnesota NORTH because of its strong DAKOTA MINNESOTA transportation grid fueling economic SOUTH activity in education, DAKOTA Greater Mankato health care, manufacturing, retail and agriculture.

WISCONSIN

IOWA

greatermankato.com/midwestportal

RURAL. URBAN. CENTER.

Front of postcard

Back of postcard A vibrant postcard was mailed out to more than 750 site selectors in May of 2016. The front of the postcard was in keeping with the message...Greater Mankato is a strategic location - a rural, urban center in which to grow.

For more information contact us at: 507.385.6640 | info@greatermankato.com | greatermankato.com

updated June 2015

ONLINE MARKETING

29

VIDEO

SO CIAL The marketplace positioning video, Way to Grow, was updated, enhanced and released in June of 2015. The video in only its first two months had 14,300+ views.

Greater Mankato Growth launched The Business Beat in April 2016. This new format replaced the video series previously known as JZTV. The new format features three five-minute segments. The first segment is a community spotlight with Jonathan sharing marketplace highlights, trending accolades and our region's economic barometer. The other two segments featured are called our Members 2 Remember series. Each episode of The Business Beat airs for one month on KTV and has been viewed more than 880 times since the launch.

Total page likes: 3,003 Organic Reach average: 685 Paid Reach Average: 849

Total Tweets: 666 Total Retweets: 318 Link Clicks: 928 Profile Visits: 5,933

Pictured: Jonathan Zierdt, President & CEO of Greater Mankato Grow th, Inc. in the KT V Studio during the first filming of The Business Beat.

ADVERTISING

30

SKY DELTA MAGAZINE

A Minnesota Regional Urban Center

Print ads were purchased in the September 2016 issue of the SKY Delta magazine. This issue will reach more than 5 million readers on Delta's worldwide airlines.

CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour

MANKATO ESCAPE

THE EVERYDAY Welcome to the youngest, fastest-growing Regional Urban Center in Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL BUSINESS JOURNAL Advertising was placed in the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal where 12,766 copies were circulated to paid subscribers. The feature was also promoted in their email newsletter to more than 42,000 subscribers.

Entrepreneur Eric Else of Kato Cable and E.I. Microcircuits

Located in South Central Minnesota, our five higher education institutions provide a talented labor pool of 26,000+ students.

Mankato Marathon, October 15 & 16, 2016

Our diversified economy and quality of life makes us a destination center for multi-state business. Agriculture, manufacturing, retail and services all thrive here. This diversity provides a solid and stable climate for business.

MINNESOTA

greatermankato.com/bizjournal

The ad for Delta and MN/SP Business Journal

BUSINESS CLIMATE DIGITAL AD A digital ad was purchased at the national level on BusinessClimate.com.

BUSINESS CLIMATE The State of Minnesota Economic Development Digital Magazine print ad was part of a BusinessClimate.com publication for DEED.

31

EMAIL MARKETING Email marketing continues to be a strong communication tool, both internally and externally.

Our average open rate for emails this year was 27% while the national average for email marketing in similar industries is approximately 21%.

Email 1

Email 2 Get the Labor you Need

Growing Your Potential.

The Greater Mankato area has done the work

Welcome to GreenSeam, the place for talent, business, innovation and education - all rooted in agriculture.

to find the talent needed to grow your business.

Southern Minnesota | Northern Iowa

What is a 'Top Five' concern for every business across the U.S. right now?

Workforce.

Business, educational and community leaders in the Greater Mankato region have a shared appreciation of the incredible resource that can be a key economic success factor: our people, or our "talent."

We have developed an inventory of available workforce as well as a whole tool box of resources to assist business in recruiting, training, and retaining employees. Our Talent Supply and Demand Report shows the pipeline of talent coming out of our higher education institutions.

For example, we have a surplus of "Business, Management and Administration" majors as seen in the table below:

We have continued our site selectors email campaign which was launched a year ago. This targets site selectors and business leaders who are prospects for relocation or expansion of their business in the marketplace. This campaign has seen a slight drop in open rate by about 10%. Pictured to the right are two of the emails in the monthly series.

Click for Talent & Demand Report

GreenSeam is a magnet for agribusinesses interested in locating in close proximity to agricultural production. How much and what types of production? Billions. Live stock production has sales of more than $4.7 billion coming from 9,500 operations. Crop sales are at $7.1 billion from nearly 20,000 operations. This economic activity has an impact of $14.8 billion on other industry purchases in the GreenSeam region.

Word is Beginning to Spread...

Star Tribune - Minnesota, Iowa Ag Heartland take on new Name

Talent Demand: The demand for workers in a particular occupation and region can be measured as both current and future demand.

Past and present employment data is reviewed on pages 3 - 16 of the report.

Current demand information is reported on page 16, Job Vacancies by Occupation.

Future demand is measured by the 2010 2020 occupational projections shown on pages 17 - 48.

Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal - Bidding to Boost Ag Rep, Mankato area Adopts "GreenSeam" Moniker

Agrinews - Mankato aims to become national agribusiness hub

Talent Supply: The supply of talented workers in a particular occupation and region is measured as the number of recent program graduates from related training programs in the region. This includes graduates from Bethany Lutheran College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Rasmussen College and South Central College.consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis euismod ultrices lacinia. Aenean eget urna ut diam hendrerit

We'd make a great team!

If you would like to learn more about our diverse and bustling economy and business environment, please don’t hesitate to contact:

accumsan.

Jim Santori, New Business Development Director, 507.385.6650 or John Considine, Director of Regional Business Intelligence, 507.385.6649.

Let us do the leg work.

Would you like us to gather and prepare the appropriate labor force information for you? Would you like an introduction to any of our five higher education

Visit Our Website

institutions or other resource provider? Contact us today!

JIM SANTORI New Business Development Director 507.385.6650 JOHN CONSIDINE Director of Regional Business Intelligence 507.385.6649

Visit Our Website

MARKETING & C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

A F F I L IAT E D B E N E F I T S

27%

3,127

OPEN RATE

AUDIENCE

12

12

AVERAGE

REDA REPORT ISSUES SENT

PEOPLE IN OUR

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

EBLASTS SENT

Because of the affiliation of the Regional Economic Development Alliance and Greater Mankato Growth Inc., these are some of the benefits partners may experience although they are not directly contributing to them. Some of these benefits included: • Marketplace Visibility – GMG heightens the awareness of our region’s economic vitality with state elected and appointed leaders through forums, electronic communications and extensive networking • GMG works to enhance the livability and vibrancy of the region (talent retainment and attraction) through its own marketing and events as well as those of its affiliate organizations, Visit Mankato and the City Center Partnership • Guide to Visiting & Living in Greater Mankato produced by Visit Mankato, 50,000+ guides were printed • Ongoing engagement with news organizations and on social media to raise the visibility and awareness of the marketplace.

• Continued engagement and promotion of the regional online events calendar, greatermankatoevents.com

Compiled and created by Greater Mankato Growth P u b l i s h e d : O c t o b e r, 2 0 1 6 greatermankato.com/regional-alliance