From top left: Women's Leadership Forum selfie; Ribbon Cutting at Farmers Insurance - Tim Jordan Agency; Ribbon Cutting at TechMate; Ambassador Business Visit at Three Rivers Fitness; Ribbon Cutting at Minne's Diner; Ribbon Cutting at Maximum Recycling

Top Row: Tom Gregor, Hamel Rodeo, recipient of the Non-Profit Business Excellence Award, with Kelly Eull of Award Sponsor Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd; Kriss Mills of Cabela's, recipient of the President's Award for Excellence in Community Service with DJ Hartley, President, I-94 West Chamber of Commerce; Lori Johnson, City of Otsego, recipient of the Excellence in Local Government Award, with Nick Shultz of Emerald Sponsor First American Bank; 

Middle Row: Dan Dixon of Guardian Angels, keynote speaker;  

Bottom Row: Catherine Reller and Kim Van Winkle of Country Inn & Suites - Albertville, recipients of the Small/Medium Business Excellence Award, with Nate Allen of Award Sponsor Gries Lenhardt Michenfelder Allen; Jaimie Larson, Jet Edge, recipient of the Manufacturing Excellence Award, with Jeff Mueller of Award Sponsor 21st Century Bank; and Michael Patterson, King Solutions, recipient of the Large Business Excellence Award, with Craig Dokken of Award Sponsor Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.  Not pictured: Paul Ederer, recipient of the Chuck Christian Lifetime Excellence Award sponsored by Cabela's, who was not present. 

The Interchange is the bi-monthly newsletter of the I-94 West Chamber of Commerce, mailed to 700+ businesses in the chamber service area and posted on our website.

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A practical approach to strategic, sustained transportation funding

By Bill Blazar

Minnesota businesses have a keen interest in the transportation investment debate at the Capitol. We depend on a solid system of roads, bridges and transit to move people and goods safely and efficiently.

Three transportation proposals are before lawmakers. Gov. Mark Dayton and the Senate DFL have proposed spending roughly $11 billion over 10 years, relying heavily on new and higher taxes and fees. The House GOP has recommended $7 billion; its proposal does not raise taxes and recommends using some permanent funding from the general fund. All three proposals call for a portion of additional dollars to be achieved through increased efficiencies in the Department of Transportation.

The Minnesota Chamber and our local chamber partners appreciate the House GOP's efforts to identify sustained and strategic transportation funding without raising taxes. Our state already ranks in the top 10 for taxes in multiple categories for individuals and employers. The projected state surplus of nearly $2 billion makes another tax increase unnecessary.

The current debate presents a perfect opportunity to broaden the source of funding. That's essential if Minnesota is to keep pace with transportation needs. Constitutionally dedicated revenues will remain the backbone of funding, but the buying power of the gas tax is diminishing as cars become more efficient.

It's logical to ask: If it's appropriate to use the general fund for other essential government services such as health care, then why not consider transportation, too? Most Minnesotans see transportation infrastructure every bit as basic as education, public safety and health care. The idea may be new to Minnesota, but 33 other states use the general fund to supplement financing for state roads and bridges. At present, Minnesota's general fund does not contribute one dollar to our state roads and bridges.

Virginia, with a budget the size of Minnesota's, supplements its transportation funding with $315 million annually from the general fund. The impact would be minimal both in terms of the projected $2 billion budget surplus and against the backdrop of a $41 billion general fund - yet meaningful for our roads and bridges.

For those who worry about subjecting transportation funding to economic downturns, remember that dedicated receipts are not immune from the economy - or from policy-makers, for that matter. Witness 1999 when Gov. Jesse Ventura recommended and the Legislature lowered vehicle registration fees.

The detractors instead are pushing for a new "gross receipts" tax on fuel, which would start with a 16-cent per-gallon increase and increase as the price of fuel rises. Let's not forget that whatever money the Legislature allocates this year is on top of the approximately $2.5 billion per year that's already dedicated to transportation through the fuel tax, motor vehicle sales tax and tab fees.

We must invest in a way that does not make our cost of doing business any less competitive than it is today. Minnesota last increased its gas tax in July 2012. We also raised significant sales, income and corporate taxes to the tune of $2.1 billion less than two years ago.  

Our goal is a transportation system that facilitates a changing and growing economy.  Minnesota needs an investment and funding strategy that's up to this task and forward-looking.

Bill Blazar is interim president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce - www.mnchamber.com.

Henningson & Snoxell is a general practice law firm founded upon the principles of honesty, integrity, professionalism, and service. Our firm is large enough to serve all of your legal needs, yet small enough to maintain   first-name personal relationships with our clients.

Our lawyers are dedicated to understanding the needs and protecting the rights of our clients. Henningson & Snoxell - your full service law firm - serving Maple Grove and surrounding communities since 1981.

Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd. 

6900 Wedgwood Road, Suite 200

Maple Grove, MN 55311

(763) 560-5700

www.hennsnoxlaw.com  

In 1961, Dick Cabela discovered a vendor selling bulk fishing flies while he and his father were attending a furniture trade show in Chicago. A lifelong hunter and fisherman, Cabela purchased a couple thousand flies, thinking he would be able to sell them in the family furniture store in tiny Chappell, Nebraska. But that plan didn't work, so Cabela placed a classified ad in a Casper, Wyoming newspaper that read, "12 hand tied flies, for only $1...." The ad generated one response. Undeterred, Cabela revised the ad to read, "FREE introductory offer!!! 5 popular Grade A hand tied flies. Send 25 cents for postage and handling to...." and placed it in national hunting and fishing magazines. Orders began flooding in almost immediately.

Dick and his wife, Mary, filled each fly order at their kitchen table. They used the money from the first wave of orders to buy a small collection of assorted fishing gear. Cabela placed ads in sporting magazines, and when new orders came in, the flies were shipped with several mimeographed pages offering other products for sale. The Cabelas' list of customers grew steadily over the next couple years and in 1963 Dick and Mary persuaded Dick's younger brother Jim to join the company. That same year, the Cabela brothers produced and mailed their first catalog.  

Hard work, dedication to superior customer service, and a commitment to quality drove the Cabelas in the early years. Those same ideals became the foundation upon which they built the company that would carry their name, the company that was destined to become revered by hunters and anglers all around the globe: Cabela's, the World's Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing, and outdoor gear.  

More than 50 years later, Cabela's is a $3-plus billion a year company, with thriving catalog, Internet, and retail businesses, and more than 17,000 employees who are passionately upholding the values established by their company founders. And it all happened because Dick Cabela serendipitously discovered a vendor selling fishing flies at a furniture show.

Cabela's is as passionate about the communities in which they do business as they are about preserving our outdoor environment.  

The Cabela's family lost an important member when co-founder and chairman emeritus, Richard "Dick" Cabela passed away at his home in Sidney Nebraska, on February 17, 2014.

Cabela's of Rogers is honored to be a co-title sponsor of the Second Annual First Responders Luncheon, an important opportunity to recognize and thank our local First Responders.

Cabela's

20200 Rogers Drive

Rogers, MN  55374

(763) 493-8600   

www.cabelas.com