Gov. Dayton visits Worthington

• Mark Dayton visits Worthington

Wayne Freese (from left), president of Prairie Holdings Group, speaks with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson at a forum Friday morning at the Bioscience Advancement Center in Worthington.

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton facilitated a roundtable discussion with area business leaders and citizens Friday morning at the Biotechnology Advancement Center.

Topics centered on agriculture, jobs, the economy and education. Primary concerns focused on attracting skilled workers to the region, creating housing opportunities and educating the area’s diverse population.

Attracting qualified employees

Local officials agreed that it’s been a struggle to attract educated employees to the area.

Jeff Williamson, Worthington Regional Economic Development Corp. (WREDC) board chairman, said many skilled workers are moving to North Dakota, which creates job vacancies here.

Instead of trying to bring others into the area, Williamson said the focus should be on keeping residents in this area.

“We need to train the people in our area that are committed to southwest Minnesota,” Williamson said.

Dayton admitted North Dakota is fortunate to have oil reserves, and can pay higher wages.

One solution the governor offered was to bring technical colleges up to date with adequate training needed for future jobs.

Taryl Enderson, general manager of Minnesota Soybean Processors, said it’s a struggle to attract skilled workers to the area, adding that it took more than a year for his company to fill an engineer position.

“We need more funds to develop the region,” Enderson said. “(We need) something to draw people in to make things look better.”

Brian Larsen, president of Bedford Technologies, reiterated the common issues brought up throughout the session.

“Technical people are very important,” Larsen said, adding they are hard to find.

“It’s a common problem,” Dayton said. “We need to bring the training programs up to date with the kind of jobs needed.”

Bob Krebs, general manager of the Worthington JBS plant, agreed that more educated employees are needed.

The lack of available housing was another concern. Of the 2,300 JBS employees, about 200 commute from Sioux Falls, S.D., Krebs said.

“We’re open-minded to take advantage of any new housing opportunities,” Worthington Mayor Alan Oberloh told the governor.

Education issues

Juan Palma, owner of Palma Customs and Auto Sales, said the local Hispanic population can’t be ignored.

“We need to invest more in education,” Palma said. “(We need to) find a way to help the parents so they can help their kids.”

Palma added that it’s difficult for him to help his daughter with homework, since he’s still learning English himself.

“We’ve made great strides in closing the achievement gap at a higher rate than the state average,” District 518 Superintendent John Landgaard said. “We’re the second most diverse school district in the state.”

Dayton said dealing with increasing diversity rates in schools can be a challenge. He noted that the funds allotted per pupil have recently increased, meaning more resources for schools.

Randy Simonson, a director at Newport Laboratories, said his company is very involved in technology education and research.

Simonson would like to see more independent research funds provided to universities, instead of private companies funding the research.

Worthington City Administrator Craig Clark said he would like to keep growth and development focused on Greater Minnesota.

“We want to see all of Minnesota do well, not just the metro area,” Clark said.

Glenn Thuringer, president of Bioverse, said he would like to see expanded investments from out-of-state companies into area businesses. He also suggested making it easier for students to get a four-year education close to home, so they don’t have to leave the area.

Wayne Freese, president of Prairie Holdings, said he wants to see more accelerated tax benefits, and tax credits for research and internships.

Moving forward

“(Dayton’s) focus is on jobs for all of Minnesota,” said Dave Frederickson, commissioner of the state’s Department of Agriculture. “Agriculture is such a bright shining star and a big issue for all of us.”

The governor said he’s bringing the state education and housing commissioners to town next month to work on the issues.

He also provided his home phone number to the panel and said, “I welcome those calls to get a real world insight into what’s happening in Minnesota.”

Daily Globe Reporter Kayla Strayer may be reached at 376-7322.

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