MN Chamber President & CEO Doug Loon gives a speech during the Statewide Policy Tour in Marshall, MN
MARSHALL, MN (KMHL) — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Doug Loon, was at the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce as part of their Statewide Policy Tour Wednesday afternoon. This was his 2nd stop of the tour, and 3rd overall for the Chamber.
The most common talking point was the need for workforce development. Loon says, “We got to do better with what we have, meaning we got to attract and retain our talent here in the state. We got to train it correctly so that it meets the needs of local economies of the future, like communities like Marshall and its surrounding communities.”
With another projected budget surplus in the state, Loon thinks it’s time to join other states in making fundamental tax reform. According to Loon, “Around the country, 27 states have done fundamental tax reform, and these are red and blue states. States that are held by Democrats, states that are held by Republicans, have done structural tax reform because they want to be more affordable, to hold onto their population, and to make sure investments are held in their state and not somewhere else.”
Loon says the business community is cautiously optimistic about 2023. “They’re very optimistic about their future, but they do also see some hesitancy as it relates to what’s coming at them in terms of potential new regulations, new burdens on their business, at a time when they’re trying to figure out how to fully recover from the pandemic-caused recession.”
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Statewide Policy Tour is in St. Cloud and the Hibbing Area today. Then they’ll go to Eden Prairie on Friday, Lakeville on Monday, and Detroit Lakes next Thursday.
