Dayton kicks off jobs summit

Gov. Mark Dayton kicked off his first-ever jobs summit Tuesday, calling on civic and business leaders to put aside ideological differences to reignite the entrepreneurial spirit in the state.

"We may disagree on the politics," Dayton told 800 participants at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront hotel in downtown St. Paul. But the day should be about "ideas not ideologies."

Dayton convened the summit after nine regional jobs meetings around the state where he asked local officials and business leaders what could be done to boost the state economy. The summit's agenda reflects those conversations, with a focus on helping businesses access capitol, boosting demand for Minnesota goods and closing the gap between jobs available and the skills of those looking for work.

"This is a great place to grow a business," said Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic.

George highlighted Minnesota's skilled and devoted workers as chief assets.

"Costs seem to be on the high side, but you get something for it," George said. "Now we need to build on our strengths, which are considerable."

George called on participants to take leadership roles in their fields. "Each of needs to step up to our own responsibilities and lead," he said.

"We cannot be searching for the savior," George said.

Neil Crocker, president of Schaefer Ventilation Equipment, encouraged participants to focus on a few initiatives from the summit and hold those ideas to a tough test. He said it can be easy to come away with hundreds of ideas, but that makes it more likely nothing will ever get done.