Spotlight On: B Kyle, President & CEO, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
August 2024 — In an interview with Invest:, B Kyle, president and CEO of the St. Paul Area Chamber, talked about how the chamber works with the economic development entity GREATER MSP and with other chambers to promote economic growth in the region. She also discussed the chamber’s talent development initiatives, and the importance of generating added value to members.
How is the St. Paul Area Chamber working to support the local business community?
We invest in partnerships with great intentionality around business, talent, and economic development. One such partner is GREATER MSP, a regional economic development entity funded and supported by the largest companies in the state. A second is our neighboring regional chamber, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. We also do all we can to partner with 20 more chambers and business associations, each with unique geographic or culturally-specific priorities.
The way we see it, our purpose is to drive a diverse economy for inclusive economic growth and opportunity moving forward. As GREATER MSP drives economic research, global business development, and a cluster strategy around business sectors, the St. Paul Area and the Minneapolis Regional chambers aim to activate on those priorities within the region. Both chambers spend a lot of time with business development on the ground and with companies already in the region as they expand, move, and shift. We also are regionalizing our work on talent development, focusing on a diverse labor force and skills based learning. At the core, of course, is our ability to create connections that count to drive opportunity in the region.
How does the St. Paul Area Chamber contribute to talent development in the region?
We do that by amplifying what already is being done and coordinating our work. The intent is that, on a regional level, anyone who enters the workforce space or wants to retrain themselves, hire, or learn how to hire culturally diverse people can connect to a regional hub and get the resources they need. Talent development is tricky. What we have seen historically in this region is that we tend to be hyper-local. In that sense, our regional approach is relatively new, intentional, and critical.
Minnesota has a historically low unemployment rate of 2.7%. Because of that, talent development is more critical than ever as it requires that we explore non-traditional thinking: Skills-based learning tracks, career exploration opportunities, retraining, and even “job quality” measures for employers. Our workforce participation rate is among the nation’s highest, but we also need to re-engage people who are under-employed or who have stepped away from the workforce altogether. That latter group absolutely includes an intentionally diverse workforce in terms of racial and intellectual diversity.
What initiatives is the chamber implementing to promote a regional approach to talent development?
In partnership with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber and our counties, the St. Paul Area Chamber is executing on a grant awarded to us by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. These grants, awarded to over 20 entities across the state, are intended to fund training as well as job placement within five key sectors of Minnesota’s economy. Included in our grant specifically is employer readiness in DEI principles, job quality, inclusive company culture, and candidate placement. For us to grow our workforce, we need to ensure that our employers are ready for a workforce that is different in many ways.
Our program, Elevate Futures – MSP, is intended to be funded by the grant and then become operationalized for the long term. Between now and the end of June 2025, we will focus on building out the program, building both training and interested employer partners. Where possible, we can capitalize on work already underway and amplify that. We do not need to recreate the wheel – we can organize, connect, and broaden exposure.
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What is the role of and how do you envision the chamber of commerce of the future?
This is a big question. We are seeing continued constriction and burdens placed on employers, whether in terms of taxes or in the increased socialization of government. Following the pandemic, people want to work differently as well, holding on to a newly rediscovered quality of life around personal priorities. To adapt, employers are making ever more strategic choices about where they invest their resources, time, and talent. In this shifting landscape, chambers are increasingly important as unifiers and catalytic leaders. We must ensure that our work provides measurable impact to our members. We have the opportunity to expand our relevance, provided we continue to add value – and communicate it well.
One adaptation for our organization has been the creation of a professional services division. We capitalize on our size and reach to support other mission aligned organizations in their own operations. Each of us can do anything; but we can’t do everything. In supporting other organizations and sharing operational resources, we all can do a little more in service to the employer community.
How does the St. Paul Area Chamber support local economic development policies?
Our regional economic development entity, GREATER MSP, was created so that we can have one voice, a unified regional identity, to compete internationally for business and to amplify the economic strengths of our region. We have over 17 Fortune 500 companies in this state, including several Fortune 50 companies. The chambers tap into that work, finding ways to amplify and connect on the ground where it impacts employers already here.
On a municipal level, we also work closely with our city and county partners. Where possible, we support and advocate for economic development priorities. And sometimes we wrestle – always with an eye towards what priorities can best support economic growth moving forward.
How does the chamber advocate for policies that support the interests of its members?
That is a challenging body of work given the diversity of our membership. We represent employers who show up on opposite sides of various issues. So it requires a lot of nuance. Each year we develop a priorities platform that we share broadly, and that grounds our work. We spend a lot of time at the state level during our legislative session, meeting with representatives and communicating those priorities. We also partner closely with cities and counties throughout the year, both advancing our priorities and providing our input on various initiatives being considered. And, finally, we invest significant time in the election process, providing information on candidates, interviewing, and supporting where appropriate. The theme of partnerships remains critical here as well. We align where possible with other business voices at all levels of advocacy.
Included in this advocacy is our support for bonding priorities related to big infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and the rebuilding of sporting facilities. We also spend a lot of time on initiatives in support of the unsheltered, as well as public safety and juvenile justice.
Ultimately, we prioritize relationship building to help mitigate the polarization that we see in politics. We invite conversations that can be difficult, around issues such as environmental permitting, rent control, sales tax, landlord and tenants’ rights, etc. We absolutely believe that, though this work is hard, it’s critical that we work together with great purpose for a more economically prosperous future.
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