Description

The Wayzata West Metro Chamber is excited to bring a dynamic panel of business and civic leaders to dig into the 2026 Business Benchmarks Report, recently released by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, along with other data and economic indicators focused on the MSP region and Minnesota.  

According to the Minnesota Chamber: The State's economy is at a crossroads and employers across the state are feeling the impact. The Economic Imperative for Growth is a new initiative to confront these challenges and restore our competitiveness by strengthening growth, workforce and migration. For generations, Minnesota’s private sector has powered a remarkable story of innovation, productivity and prosperity. Our diverse industries, global companies and highly skilled workforce have long positioned us among the top states for quality of life and economic strength. But we cannot rely on an idea of our success from 50 years ago to carry us into the future. 

Sean O'Neil, Senior Director of Economic Development & Research at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, will be presenting an overview on the 2026 Business Benchmark Report.

Following that, we are excited to feature Dirk DeYoung, Editor-in-Chief at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as our panel moderator.

Panelists include:
 - Doug Loon, President & CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce (confirmed)
 - Kurt Zellers, CEO of the Minnesota Business Partnership (confirmed)
 - Peter Frosch, CEO of GREATER MSP - Regional Economic Development Partnership (invited/tentative)
 - Matt Varilek, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development (invited/tentative) 

Members - don't forget to login to your Chamber member profile when you register to receive the discounted member pricing for this program. Nonmembers are welcome, as well.

Reserve your spot today!