Journey to GrowthInvestors

Pacesetter Investors:

Core Investors:

Sustaining Investors:

Minnesota Energy Resources, People’s Energy

Cooperative, Post-Bulletin Co., U.S. Bank

Supporting Investors:

Alvin E. Benike, Bremer Bank, City of Byron, City of

Chatfield, City of Pine Island, City of Spring Valley,

City of Stewartville, Dunlap & Seeger, P.A., Express

Employment Professionals, West Bank

Contributing Investors:

C.O. Brown Agency, Clements Chevrolet Cadillac

Subaru, Custom Alarm/Custom Communications, Inc.,

Merchants Bank, Olmsted National Bank, Premier

Bank, RSM US LLP, Wendland Utz

300 Club Investors:

City Auto Glass, F&M Community Bank, KTTC

Television, Inc.

Journey to GrowthBoard MembersJohn Wade, ( Chair) Clements Chevrolet Cadillac Subaru

Scott Hoss, (Secretary/Treasurer) Paramark Real Estate Services

Mary Blair-Hoeft, City of Byron

Melissa Brinkman, Custom Alarm/Custom Communications

Mark Hayford, C.O. Brown Agency

Scott Heck, RBC Wealth Management

Jenny Hosfeld, Think Bank

Jennifer Libby, Daikin Applied Americas, Inc.

Rob Miller, Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce

Jody Millerbernd, The Boys & Girls Club of Rochester

Sue Reinke Walch, U.S. Bank

Natalie Siderius, Winona County

Gary Smith, Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc.

Staff Representatives

Heather Holmes, Journey to Growth

Paul Richardson, Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce

Journey to GrowthCo-ChairsMarketing Journey Committee

Al Mannino & Sheryl Barlow

Economic Journey Committee

Walt Ling & Elaine J. Garry

Entrepreneurship Journey Committee

Al Berning & Jim Rogers

Governing Journey Committee

Leigh J. Johnson & Randy Demmer

Early Childhood Journey Committee

Jeff Elstad & Jerome Ferson

Workforce Journey Committee

Jessica Ihrke & Aaron Benike

Talent Journey Committee

Norm Doty, Jeff Jensen & Tessa Leung

Diversity & Inclusion Journey Committee

Barbara Jordan & Duane Sauke

Regional Journey Committee

Gwen Stevens & Dan Christianson

Transportation & Communications Journey Committee

Doug Eaton & John Reed

Implementation Partners:

Albert Lea Economic Development Agency

Development Corporation of Austin

Community & Economic Development Associates (CEDA)

Owatonna Chamber of Commerce & Tourism

Red Wing Port Authority

Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce

Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc.

Winona Port Authority

For more information visit www.j2gmn.com

To schedule a presentation contact: info@j2gmn.com

One Journey. One Region. One Voice.

Implementation Summary >> September 2014-September 2016

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2014September Implementation BeginsOctober Formation of Ten J2G CommitteesNovember Des Moines Capital Crossroads Retreat IRAVE (Recognize, Award, Value Entrepreneurs)

Journey toGrowth Workat a Glance >>

2015February Journey to Growth Leadership MixerApril First Quarterly Meeting, RochesterMay Regional Asset Inventory – Early Childhood CommitteeJune CTECH Endorsement – Workforce CommitteeJuly Quarterly Meeting, Byron I Collection of a Regional List of LegislativePriorities – Governing CommitteeSeptember Familiarization Tour - Economic CommitteeOctober Fly Local Program Endorsement – Transportation Committee IQuarterly Meeting, ChatfieldNovember Southeast Minnesota Capital Fund Conceived – EntrepreneurshipCommittee I RAVE (Recognize, Award, Value Entrepreneurs) I ImplementationPartners Initial MeetingDecember Leadership Planning Retreat I Rochester Area Builders/CTECHMentorship Program – Workforce Committee

2016February Regional Community Video Project – Regional CommitteeMarch Endorses Youth Startup Weekend – Entrepreneurship Committee I Regional YoungProfessional Network (RYPN) – Talent Committee I Branding Request for Information (RFI)Distributed – Marketing Committee I Industry Roundtable - Economic CommitteeMay Endorses TEDxZumbroRiver – Entrepreneurship Committee I We Are More (WAM) ProjectPlanning - Diversity & Inclusion Committee I Industry Roundtable - Economic CommitteeSpring 2016 - Spring 2017 11th Grade Job Shadow Program Endorsed - Workforce & Talent CommitteesJuly Regional Development Tour - Regional CommitteeSeptember Industry Roundtable - Economic Committee I Regional Transportation Priorities –Transportation & Communications CommitteeOctoberFirst Annual Meeting I Industry Roundtable - Economic Committee I Talent IntegrationEngagement Retention (TIER) – Talent CommitteeNovember STEAM Summit Endorsement - Workforce & Talent Committees

And beyond

>>

Regional Community Video ProjectRegional Committee

The Regional Community Video Project (RCVP) is acollaboration between J2G and SE MN Together. Theproject was designed specifically to involve our regionalyouth. Schools from across the J2G region can create anintroduction community video and have the chance towin a $1,000 scholarship and internship at a localtelevision station.

Regional Transportation PrioritiesTransportation & Communications Committee

The J2G Transportation & Communications Committeehas identified the following regional priorities:

• Completion of Highway 14 Improvements• Maximize Capacity of the Rochester International Airport• Local Bridge Bonding Program Funding• U.S. Highway 52 Safety/Surface Improvements

between Marion & Harmony• Regional Transit Service Growth & Transit Funding

Increases

The committee will work with the Governing Committeeto secure local business and government support as wellas to secure passage of any legislation needed.

Familiarization Tour 2015Economic Committee

In September 2015, J2G and four of its implementationpartners, CEDA, RAEDI, Red Wing Port Authority andWinona Port Authority, hosted a regional familiarizationtour through DEED for a national site selector from ThePrager Company out of Chicago. During the two-dayregional tour, the consultant toured the area and attendeda regional reception that included the hosts, J2Grepresentatives and several regional businesses includingHarmony Enterprises, Inc., Bowman Tool & Machining,AcenTek, IBM and WinCraft.

Industry RoundtablesEconomic Committee

The Economic Committee has held a series of industryroundtables throughout 2016 at People’s EnergyCooperative, Oronoco. They included food and dairy,manufacturing, technology, and tourism. The goal was toassemble a small sample of regional industry leaders tolearn the challenges and opportunities they faced as abusiness and industry and how J2G can best serve andsupport their ability to thrive here. More than 25businesses from Austin, Albert Lea, Dodge Center,Harmony, Houston, Owatonna, Plainview, Rochester,Stewartville and Winona participated.

Regional Development Tour (RDT)Regional Committee

Nearly 40 attendees boarded a chartered bus on Thursday,July 21, 2016, for the first ever Regional Development Tour.Partners, CEDA and J2G, developed a pilot project tour thatvisited four communities: Blooming Prairie, Byron, DodgeCenter and Stewartville. The group learned about economicactivity, opportunities and interesting facts about eachcommunity. Following the tour, a reception was held atGround Round Restaurant for further networking. Due to thesuccess of the first RDT, plans are being made for RDT 2017.

We Are More (WAM) ExhibitionDiversity and Inclusion Committee

The WAM Exhibition is a touring photography exhibitshowcasing, celebrating, and creating conversationsabout the benefits of diversity and inclusion insoutheastern Minnesota’s regional economy. WAM is thecreation of Journey to Growth’s Diversity and InclusionCommittee and highlights local people and their stories.The exhibit will kick off in the spring of 2017 and movelocations regularly throughout select southeasternMinnesota communities.

J2G Endorses Workforce in the RegionWorkforce Committee

Rochester Chamber of Commerce Foundation (RCCF) isan implementation partner for J2G’s WorkforceDevelopment and Talent Committees and has a numberof initiatives.

Hubworks.mn is an online tool created to connect peopleto the resources, employers, and jobs available in SE MN.It is in the prototype phase and looks to fall 2017 for afull launch.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) is inresponse to research that indicates art training improvescognition skills. Over 2000 regional 7-12 grade studentswill attend the STEAM Summit in November 2016.

Job Shadow Program is a partnership between ByronHigh School and RCCF. Over 300 11th grade students willexperience a “day in the life” of a professional in one ofthe fields the students are interested in. After taking theirMinnesota Career Inventory Survey (MCIS), studentsresearch and rank their top three professions based onthe results of the assessment.

Building a Cohesive & Connected Region

1,200+jobs created

$324M+invested

75+presentations

30+J2G projects &

endorsed initiatives

25+communities

involved

150volunteers

5regional public meetings

(Byron, Chatfield, Pine Island,

Rochester, Spring Valley)

35financial partners

and growing

18communities*

70+projects

$

JOURNEY TO GROWTH AT A GLANCE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN J2G REGION

*Data compiledfrom reportsreceived fromDEED & J2GImplementationPartners.

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