By Todd Bornhauser, Lakeville Chamber President

What's all the cheering about? YEA!

Lakeville ISD# 194 Middle Schools and All Saints Catholic Middle School have partnered with the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce to welcome the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!)  into the classroom.

YEA! is an innovative program that guides students through the process of starting their own real business. Lakeville is excited to be the first community in Minnesota to be involved in this national program.  YEA! is the only pre-college program developed by an entrepreneur, at a university, with support from a major entrepreneurial foundation, the Kauffman Foundation and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Lakeville's program is already eight weeks underway and involves 23  area middle school students.  Classes are held Wednesdays for a nine month commitment period. In addition, the students have already toured businesses including BTD Manufacturing and Subway.

The classroom setting provides time for students to brainstorm and form their enterprises, make pitches to potential investors, obtain funding, register their companies with governmental agencies, and actually launch their own company or social movement! Business mentors, graphic designers, and local entrepreneurs support the students throughout the program and all of the learning is real and experiential. 

By the end of the class, students own and operate fully-formed and functioning businesses, which may be carried after their graduation from the program. YEA! aims at teaching students at an early age how to make a job, not just take a job.

Lakeville was specifically chosen because of its reputation for academic excellence by Gayle Jagel, the CEO and founder of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy.  By partnering with YEA!, both large and small businesses volunteer their time and services acting as business mentors, field trip hosts, guest lecturers, graphic designers, web developers, attorneys, etc. Community support strengthens the program, and the academy strengthens the community.

One of the most interesting components of the program is the actual behind the scenes knowledge the students are given from local business leaders, who were at one time, standing in their shoes!  The experience is something they will be able to apply to whatever field they choose to enter, thereby giving them the necessary skills to become future leaders of industry.

For more information on YEA, contact Todd Bornhauser at 952-469-2020 x1.

fall gala photos to download small files or purchase a large one!   

By Kathi Lindau, Ambassador Chair

Minnesota's economy has been receiving high marks lately. Unemployment is dropping, and tax collections were up in FY 2012-13. We moved to No. 8 on Forbes' annual list of Best States for Business, up markedly from last year.

If you missed these reports, no worries. The Dayton Administration and the majority party leadership are quick to reiterate the state's current economic successes - and take credit by holding high the 2013 Legislature's actions.

Witness a recent newspaper commentary by State Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans, who wrote, "This year, we worked with the DFL majority in the Legislature to pass a fair and balanced budget. ... The results have been good for Minnesota."

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and our local partners remain cautiously optimistic as we work to keep Minnesota 's economy moving forward. But we all must ask the question: "What's driving today's economic results - actions by the 2013 Legislature or previous Legislatures?" Of course, it's the latter. You don't need to sit on the Federal Reserve Board to understand the dynamics of an economy. Current successes - or failures, for that matter - are a product of decisions made years ago.  We won't know the actual impact of 2013 legislative decisions for at least five years.

However, we can report - and policy-makers should pay attention - to the immediate reactions of job-creators to actions taken in 2013. The annual Minnesota Business Barometer Survey, taken in July and August and sponsored by the Minnesota Chamber and Himle Rapp and Company, provided valuable insight.  Minnesota employers are more optimistic about the economy than they have been in recent years, but they are sending serious red flags about the state's business climate. Seventy-one percent of the respondents said the 2013 tax bill will have a somewhat or very significant impact on their operations. In addition, 37 percent believe Minnesota has a better business climate compared with other states, but 26 percent say it's worse - the lowest level of confidence in the 10 years of the survey.

Even more worrisome is that business owners have little confidence that current policy-makers will do the right thing to keep Minnesota competitive. Two-thirds say the Governor and Legislature do not understand the challenges of running a business. Of those, 78 percent say politicians may understand the basics of running a business, but they don't understand how government can get in the way of a business being successful.  The recent report from Minnesota Management and Budget also shows that Minnesota's tax collections are now negative and under performing expectations for the first quarter of FY 2014, which is the budget passed by the 2013 Legislature.  This is another troubling sign that all is not well for Minnesota's economic growth and fiscal stability.

Understanding and facilitating economic change is a long-term and never-ending process. Our approach must be balanced and focus on improving the overall business climate for the benefit of all sizes and types of businesses. Economic progress also requires a new mind-set among Democrats and Republicans alike. We must get beyond the outmoded strategy that raising taxes to spend more will result in better outcomes. And simply cutting spending won't produce the public service outcomes and infrastructure that are necessary to develop and grow our economy.

Redesigning services to deliver better value is the best strategy with promise for both short-term and long-term success. We've poked at the edges, but we've not stayed the course with a serious effort. It's hard work and requires creativity as well as political backbone. Minnesotans can do their collective part by giving policy-makers the license to promote change that capitalizes on today's evolving economy. Follow that course of action, and everyone can point with pride to a vibrant economy.