In preparation for the 2024 legislative session, Greater Mankato Growth Board of Directors has adopted a set of policy priorities to help guide our advocacy work. GMG continues to work tirelessly advocating for the specific needs of businesses and on issues that impact the Greater Mankato region. We are proud to be the voice of the Greater Mankato business community in the halls of the Minnesota Capitol as well as the US Capitol in Washington D.C. We represent incredible companies, non-profit organizations, and public partners in our advocacy efforts.

The 2024 policy priorities are the result of a lengthy process that included several opportunities for input: a membership survey, the Advocacy Committee, and hundreds of conversations with members. The priorities are comprised of many of the most important issues that affect our members.

Greater Mankato Growth will focus our advocacy efforts in these areas:

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In addition to these areas of focus, GMG supports the advocacy priorities of a number of organizations that are aligned with GMG’s mission. Those organizations include:

Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Federation. The Chamber Federation is a coalition of 40+ local and regional chambers of commerce from across the state of Minnesota. The Federation advocates on a few key issues, which in 2024 include: cost of doing business, environmental regulations/permitting, workplace mandates, and regional leadership in new voter laws.

US Chamber of Commerce. The US Chamber of Commerce is the premier business advocacy organization at the federal level. GMG joins with the US Chamber’s advocacy efforts with an “a la carte” approach with issues that are most important to our members and regional marketplace.

Greater Minnesota Partnership (GMNP). GMG is a founding member of GMNP. GMNP is made up of businesses, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and cities that advocate exclusively for economic development initiatives that benefit Greater Minnesota.

Highway 14 Partnership. GMG has been a long-standing member of the Hwy 14 Partnership. Their primary policy objective is to secure four lanes from Rochester to New Ulm, primarily through funding for the Corridors of Commerce Program. There is continued work through this partnership as the final stretch of highway is completed and additional safety improvements are proposed.

Highway 169 Corridor Coalition. GMG has also been a long-standing member of the Hwy 169 Coalition, which works to improve the highway between Mankato and the Metro.

AgriGrowth. GreenSeam is a member of AgriGrowth, a member organization serving as a convener, advocate, and thought leader by creating common ground solutions that move the food and agriculture industry forward. Aligning with AgriGrowth positions us well to partner on key policy issues that typically have a agricultural focus.

Minnesota Tourism Growth Coalition (MTGC). The MTGC focuses exclusively on advocating for adequate funding of Explore Minnesota Tourism and raising awareness and importance of the tourism industry throughout Minnesota. This mission aligns well with Visit Mankato, which has been involved with MTGC for many years.

Minnesota Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (MACVB). Visit Mankato is heavily involved with MACVB. They advocate on a number of tourism-related issues that have an impact on the Greater Mankato tourism economy.

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One important item that continues to be a priority to our members is for public officials to find ways to work together and find common ground. The 2022 legislative session ended in disappointment, as very little got accomplished. Whereas, the 2023 session, with the new trifecta, did not adequately take into account the spectrum of policy views across the state. As we look to 2024 and future years, we challenge our elected leaders to focus on finding common ground in order to solve big problems with a full spectrum of voices.

The success of our state relies on community and political leaders coming together to find common ground on issues that impact the daily lives of residents and businesses. When partisanship gets in the way of progress, everybody loses. We encourage public officials at all levels to work to overcome partisanship in order to get work done. Our future depends on it.

Download the 2024 GMG Policy Priorities here.

Andy Wilke,

Executive Vice President