The City of Mankato is in the process of gathering input for their transit development plan which will set the direction for the system for the next four to five years. The city would like to have business input during this process and is hosting two opportunities for business leaders to provide feedback.
Doing business overseas that requires a Certificate of Origin stamp? As a member business of Greater Mankato Growth, that service is included in your membership. A Certificate of Origin is an important international trade document that certifies goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country. GMG will certify your paperwork at no cost ($100 value per certificate). Non-GMG members pay a premium of $10 per stamp. Contact our Director of Member Relations & Office Operations, Karen Toft.
After several years of gridlock, the Legislature and Governor came to an agreement this year on a transportation bill that injects much needed funding into our state's transportation network. The bottom line for Highway 14: there is funding to keep working on the four-lane expansion from Rochester to New Ulm, but not enough to finish all of the remaining two-lane segments. More than seventy businesses in our area over the past three years have been targeted with abusive lawsuits alleging accessibility violations. To help prevent these lawsuits, Greater Mankato Growth has been pursuing a two-prong strategy. First, we've worked to ensure our businesses have the information and resources they need to be compliant with the law (be sure to check out our blog post on how you can self-audit your business). Second, we've partnered with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to pursue legislation to reduce or eliminate the abusive lawsuits.This year, new legislation was passed that provides new protections for businesses and builds upon legislation passed last year. Specifically, the legislation signed into law this year changes the Minnesota Human Rights Act by requiring that a person seeking to sue a business for removal of an accessibility barrier first give notice of the barrier. Governor Dayton took action Tuesday on all the major bills sent to him - signing all the budget bills and tax bills to avoid a government shutdown. The Governor did veto a bill that would have preempted local governments from setting their own labor standards.However, negotiations may not be done as Gov. Dayton line-item vetoed the House and Senate legislative budgets in an attempt to force them back to the table to negotiate some issues he has concerns with. Legislative leadership already has indicated that it will likely go to court to challenge Dayton’s line-item veto of the legislative appropriations as unconstitutional due to the separation of powers.Governor Mark Dayton last week signed a bill that will finally bring Minnesota into compliance with the federal law known as REAL ID and allow the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to begin the process of making these new IDs available. The new law requires the state to begin issuing REAL ID licenses by Oct. 1, 2018.Here's what you need to know as the state moves forward with implementation: 
Greater Mankato Growth Inc. recently announced a new web platform, Kato X, for talent recruitment and tourism. The image above shows the draft prototype of the platform.The virtual reality software highlights area amenities and shows potential residents or visitors unique attractions our region has to offer...
Join Greater Mankato Growth and your fellow colleagues for our June Public Affairs Forum breakfast as we recap the 2017 legislative session.Friday, June 2
7:30 - 9:00 am
Greater Mankato Growth, Sakatah Trail RoomRegister hereHit 'read more' for additional information
As you may be aware, hundreds of abusive lawsuits have been filed in the past two years both in federal and state court targeting Minnesota small businesses over alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the MN Human Rights Act. In the Greater Mankato region, more than 70 businesses have had suits filed against them. This continues to be an ongoing issue as several local businesses were served lawsuits just recently.While Greater Mankato Growth is partnering with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to enact legislation that would help prevent these abusive lawsuits, the best protection that a business can have against these suits is being in compliance with the law.
Four times a year Greater Mankato Growth distributes a survey to area businesses regarding multiple metrics in order to gather how the economy performed during previous quarter and what businesses project for the upcoming quarter. Additionally, a unique inquiry is posed in each quarter to gain topical insight to the local economy.
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