LEADING FIGURE IN ST. PAUL’S RENAISSANCE
OPENS ST. SCHOLASTICA’S 27th ANNUAL
MINNESOTA DIALOGUE BUSINESS BREAKFAST SERIES

DEC. 21, 2004 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT BOB ASHENMACHER (218) 723-6075
 

DULUTH, MN – John Labosky, president of Capital City Partnership of St. Paul, a national model of public-private cooperative development, will be the kickoff speaker of The College of St. Scholastica’s 27th annual Minnesota Dialogue business breakfast series. He will speak at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, in Somers Lounge on the St. Scholastica campus.

Capital City Partnership organizes and channels resources of the Twin Cities business community to form a public/private partnership with the mayor of St. Paul to plan and promote downtown St. Paul. The partnership, formed in 1996, is made up of 52 of the metropolitan area’s largest corporations, whose CEOs are committed to revitalizing the urban core of the state’s Capital City.

Minnesota Dialogue brings key leaders of Midwest business to Duluth. Over breakfast, they describe the strategies and vision that have brought them success. They discuss their companies’ roles in our region and plans for the future. Each breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. Ticket prices are $10 per breakfast. To reserve tickets by phone, call (218) 723-7000. This year’s Minnesota Dialogue series will also feature leaders of banking, insurance and health care organizations (see below).

Capital City Partnership’s priorities include office tenant retention and recruitment, development of downtown housing, and growth of the city’s entertainment, arts and cultural offerings.

The effort has led to strong investments in the city and expansion of its tax base. St. Paul has experienced nearly $3 billion of new investment in downtown since 1998. In 2001 St. Paul for the first time received Standard & Poor’s AAA bond rating indicating the highest level of confidence in the city’s financial health. That was reaffirmed in 2002, 2003, and earlier this year.

The city is ahead of projections in its five-year plan for increasing new housing  downtown, and earlier this year won an “America’s Most Livable Communities” award from the Partners for Livable Communities, national nonprofit in Washington DC.

Visitors to St. Paul’s arts, cultural and entertainment venues have nearly doubled since 1996, from 3.5 million to almost 7 million.

The rest of the Minnesota Dialogue 2005 lineup:
 

Feb. 17, 2005
James Thompson
Senior Vice President, State Farm Insurance
James Thompson is responsible for the Midwest operations of State Farm Insurance, one of the world's largest financial institutions. State Farm has 79,200 employees, and is America's largest insurers of homes and cars. State Farm insures 28 million households and has 73 million policies in force.
 

March 17, 2005
Carrie Tolstedt
Group Executive Vice President, Regional Banking, Wells Fargo & Company
Carrie Tolstedt is responsible for Wells Fargo’s Regional Banking Group: 23 states, $170 billion in assets, 42,500 employees, 3,000 banking stores, and 10 million retail banking customers, including 1.1 million small business and business banking households.
 

April 21, 2005
Mary Brainerd
President and CEO, HealthPartners
HealthPartners, a family of nonprofit Minnesota health care organizations headquartered in Minneapolis, is one of the largest health care organizations in the country. HealthPartners is comprised of a diverse group of organizations, including a 630,000 member, consumer-governed health plan. More than 600 physicians and 9,600 total employees serve patients and members at 52 locations.
 

Visit the Minnesota Dialogue Web site