APEX Board & Investor-Member Meeting Highlights

APEX hosted its bi-monthly Board & Investor-Member Meeting virtually on May 6, 2021. Steve Licari, CPA with Licari, Larsen & Company, shared the results of APEX’s 2020 financial audit. The audit went well, due in large part to solid accounting practices, reasonable checks and balances, and oversight from Brian Hanson and the Finance Committee.

APEX has hosted several roundtable discussions this year, bringing regional leaders together to discuss and develop solutions for key challenges in specific areas. Ian Vincent, Senior Business Developer, and Matt Shermoen, Business Developer, shared updates on three recent discussions.

• Childcare - APEX continues to help with childcare attraction and expansion and recently created a Childcare Playbook, containing information on how to open a childcare center in the region, which will be finalized and distributed in the coming months.
• Manufacturing and Education - The regional manufacturing sector is facing workforce development challenges which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Education at the K-12 and higher-ed levels is critical to strengthening the manufacturing workforce and attracting diverse employees to the sector.
• Healthcare and Education - The recent discussion identified several key areas for improvement, including education, clinical space availability and clear career pathways. For more detail, please read Diversifying the Healthcare Workforce later in this newsletter.

APEX also shared an overview of the APEX Deal Sheet. The team was working on ten exciting projects with great potential to drive economic development throughout the region. Projects included qualified leads in aviation, back office, manufacturing, forest products and retail/tourism. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about any of the projects on the Deal Sheet, please contact the APEX office and they will be happy to connect you with the appropriate project lead.

Lastly, Jana Kayser, Duluth Airport Authority Business Development Manager and Visit Duluth board member, provided an overview of APEX partner, Visit Duluth. Visit Duluth markets Duluth as a vacation destination but also taps into other revenue streams such as business conventions and sporting events, both of which bring prospective businesses to the area. Visit Duluth welcomes the opportunity to work with APEX investor-members to nurture potential business relocation leads.

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