Extension is expanding its online education and resources to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions.
Sustaining your local economy in turbulent times
How are your community's businesses managing the COVID-19 pandemic? What can your community do to help them? Retaining local businesses is vital to maintain thriving communities.
Extension's community economics team is hosting a series of webinars designed to inspire and encourage you through stories of community economic resilience during this stressful time. These are 30-minute sessions. Learn more about upcoming sessions below and register in advance.
Upcoming webinars
Past webinars
Find information below on past sessions of our special webinar series.
Webinar series: Sustaining your local economy in turbulent times
Poor farm markets. Rising mental health concerns. A lack of resources and COVID-19 have shined a light on the stress being felt in rural communities across the state. The recently released 2020 Minnesota Farm Financial Report provides some reasons to be optimistic, but it isn’t the entire story.
Join us as we discuss the latest findings on farm financials, the impact of stress in our rural communities and ways to provide support.
Discussion host: Brigid Tuck, University of Minnesota Extension, senior economic impact analyst
Guest presenter: Emily Krekelberg, University of Minnesota Extension, farm safety and health educator
About our guest: Emily grew up on her family’s dairy farm near Le Sueur, Minnesota. She works for University of Minnesota Extension as the Extension educator for farm safety and health. She also served as the director of Extension's rural stress task force for two years. Her work focuses on grain bin safety, livestock safety, tractor safety, farmer mental health, and suicide prevention. A passion of Emily’s is advocating for wellness in agriculture. She has a Bachelor of Science in animal science and a Masters of Agricultural Education from the University of Minnesota.
Available on-demand
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Join us for a conversation about burnout. Even before the pandemic, it was prevalent, and now leaders and communities must address it. During this presentation, you will learn about:
- The drivers of burnout
- Factors that can increase your wellbeing
- The role organizations play
Discussion host: Jennifer Hawkins, University of Minnesota Extension, community economics educator
Presenter: Lori Rothstein, University of Minnesota Extension, leadership and civic engagement educator and co-creator of the Two for You video series that shares positive psychology research to help you live and lead with intention.
An on-demand version of this webinar will be added at a later date.
In response to the significant business impacts of COVID-19, cities and community development practitioners acted quickly to support local businesses. During this webinar, we'll review takeaways from two rural and two urban case studies of municipal responses to COVID-19 business distress.
Learn more about the case studies by reading Minnesota’s communities respond to the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Looking forward, we'll reflect on the transition to an economic recovery phase, and how community development strategies may be similar to — or different than — those that have sustained businesses during the past year.
Please be prepared to contribute to the strategic thinking conversation.
Discussion hosts:
- Rani Bhattacharyya, University of Minnesota Extension, community economics educator, Northwest
- Tom Leighton, Stantec, senior urban planner and economic development specialist
Available on-demand
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Congress has passed four major COVID-19 relief packages since March 2020. Most recently, December's Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 extended and expanded many programs applicable to small businesses. From the Paycheck Protection Program Round 2 to more funding for Economic Disaster Injury Disaster Loans and tax credits for providing paid sick leave, this law is applicable to many small businesses across Minnesota.
This session will provide a broad overview to help you understand which federal program might be the best option for businesses in your community.
Discussion host and guests: Brigid Tuck, Extension senior economic impact analyst, will interview guest expert Megan Roberts, Extension agricultural business management educator
More about our guest: Megan Roberts is a University of Minnesota Extension educator in agricultural business management. Since COVID-19 began, she has focused much of her work on federal and state financial relief policy and its effects on small businesses. She holds both a bachelor's and master's degree from University of Minnesota and a doctorate from a joint program from Texas Tech and Texas A&M Universities. She lives in rural southern Minnesota with her family.
Available on-demand
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University of Minnesota Extension and Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research (HACER) invite you to join a webinar about the impact of COVID-19 on Latino-owned firms in Minnesota. The webinar will provide insight into:
- The current situation Minnesota’s Latino business owners are facing.
- Their ability to weather the storm.
- How the pandemic’s impacts on Latino businesses ripple throughout the economy.
Discussion host and guests: Jennifer Hawkins, Extension community economics educator serving southeast Minnesota. She worked with HACER on the impact study that is the focus of this webinar and will host a conversation with guest experts Rodolfo Gutierrez and Juan Pablo Higuera Forero.
More about our guests: Rodolfo Gutierrez is the executive director of HACER, where he has served since May 2007. He has extensive professional experience in quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation. He has spoken in several forums and is committed to working with those interested in developing a state of Minnesota where disparities are eliminated and are no longer based on ethnic or cultural differences.
Juan Pablo Higuera Forero is a native of Colombia with an MBA from Minnesota State University, Mankato with an organizational development concentration. For the past two years, he has worked on promoting and connecting programs that benefit Minnesota's rural communities. Juan Pablo holds a post-baccalaureate degree in project evaluation and project development that has given him the tools to develop qualitative and quantitative research initiatives.
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COVID-19 seemed to bring an end to the workplace as we know it, as everyone retreated to their home offices during March and April. But following the lockdown this past spring, does this remain the case? Was it ever really the case?
Join us for a webinar where we'll present information about the early promise and impacts of the rapid deployment of telework, as well as discuss its potential long term implications. We'll share how not everyone is enjoying the same benefits, and while the "normal" we eventually return to may be different than anything we accepted before, what that actually looks like will depend on individual and policy considerations we make now.
Discussion host and guests: Neil Linscheid, Extension community economics educator, will host a conversation with University of Minnesota experts, Adeel Lari and Frank Douma.
More about our guests: Adeel Lari, MS, MBA, is director of innovative financing for the State and Local Policy Program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where he is responsible for developing mileage-based tax, MnPASS lanes, studying transportation financing options, self-driving vehicles and championing and studying telecommuting.
Frank Douma is director of the State and Local Policy Program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and a research scholar at the Center for Transportation Studies, both located at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on policy and legal issues related to transportation technologies, including telework, tolling and other transportation finance tools, safety, and self-driving vehicles.
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Join us for a conversation to hear how Visit Fairmont, the convention and visitors bureau of Fairmont, Minnesota, has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic while working to create a sustainable future. Stephanie Busiahn, executive director of Visit Fairmont, will talk about approaches she and her colleagues have been taking locally in the past eight months and the resources they have leveraged to retain travel and tourism businesses. She'll also share her thoughts about the types of resources travel and tourism businesses will need to recover.
Discussion host: Xinyi (Lisa) Qian, Extension tourism specialist
Guest: Stephanie Busiahn, executive director, Visit Fairmont
About our guest: Stephanie Busiahn has served as executive director of Visit Fairmont for fourteen years. She is a past president of the Minnesota Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus and the Southern Minnesota Tourism Association. She is a member of the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council as well as local boards and organizations in the Fairmont area.
Available on-demand
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Webinar series: Retaining businesses during the pandemic
COVID-19 has changed the way we work in many ways. It has required us to get creative in how we support businesses and entrepreneurs in our communities. During the process, many people are discovering that new ways of doing business can have unexpected benefits.
In this webinar, you'll hear from Jamie Sundsback, director of operations for the Collider Foundation. He will share lessons and insights from his experience taking the 1 Million Cups event online. The 1 Million Cups event is designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs.
Discussion host: Jennifer Hawkins, Extension educator, community economics
Guest: Jamie Sundsbak, Collider Foundation, director of operations; 1 Million Cups in Rochester, convener
More about our guest: Jamie Sundsbak co-founded Collider Coworking, a Rochester coworking space for startups, freelancers, remote workers and nonprofits in Rochester. Jamie has been instrumental in bringing many entrepreneurial events to Rochester, including Startup Weekend, 1 Million Cups Rochester and Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Available on-demand
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Join us when community economics educator Neil Linscheid chats with Cameron Macht from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). We’ll talk unemployment data and put Cameron on the spot with our first-ever lightning round set of questions. You will learn more about:
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Understanding the data. Unemployment data is a go-to daily or weekly indicator for tracking economic changes, and it’s available to the public faster than nearly any other economic indicator for every county in the U.S. The COVID-19 situation has increased demand for economic data, and unemployment data has been a focus of public attention.
DEED’s Labor Market Information Office publishes the state’s unemployment rate each month, and publishes a daily Unemployment Insurance applications tool. These are two separate datasets. Cameron will cover what each represents.
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Debunking the myths. In the past two months, headlines have talked about historically high levels of unemployment – the highest since the Great Depression. Yet, there are numerous myths and misunderstandings about the current unemployment dynamic.
Presenter: Neil Linscheid, Extension educator, community economics
Guest: Cameron Macht, DEED
More about our guest: Cameron Macht is the acting assistant director for DEED’s Labor Market Information Office. He is the person you want to call to learn more about labor market data. He is also the regional analysis and outreach manager for DEED, supervising a team of five regional analysts across the state who can provide local information and other resources for workforce and economic development.
Available on-demand
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Join us for a conversation to hear how the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA) is supporting minority-owned businesses in the Twin Cities. Minority-owned business enterprises have been significantly impacted by challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state shutdown and changes in consumer shopping patterns have magnified some of the inequities that exist throughout the Twin Cities and Minnesota.
In this webinar, MEDA business consultant Nick Wolff will discuss some of the experiences, challenges and opportunities he has faced over the past few months working to help businesses stay afloat and adapt to changes in consumer behavior.
Presenter: Eric King, Extension educator, community economics
Guest: Nick Wolff, MEDA business consultant
More about MEDA and our guest: MEDA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help minority entrepreneurs succeed. Their vision is to have thriving communities through equal economic participation. Nick Wolff has over 10 years of experience in business and economic development, focusing on money, markets and management.
Available on-demand
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Join us for a conversation to hear how First National Bank (FNB) of Osakis is supporting businesses in its region. FNB is the only bank located in a small, tourism-oriented town with a business community dominated by locally-owned enterprises.
Business owners have experienced significant psychological impact as they weather the state shutdown. To help alleviate some of this impact, FNB made the decision to buy $1,000 gift cards from each of their customer businesses. In the short term, the gift cards will help provide cash flow. Longer term, they can be used for marketing initiatives to generate new business in the community after reopening.
Presenters
- John Bennett, Extension educator, community economics
- DeeDee LeMier, Extension educator, community economics and tourism
Guest
- Justin Dahlheimer, president, First National Bank of Osakis; member, Osakis City Council and Economic Development Authority
More about our guest: Justin Dahlheimer is the fifth generation of the family that organized First National Bank of Osakis in 1903. Justin took over as president/CEO in 2016. Prior to working at FNB Osakis, Justin worked for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance as a research associate focused on local policies aimed at helping communities retain and develop small businesses. Justin's community involvement includes being a member of the Economic Development Authority, a liaison to the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission, a Councilman of the City of Osakis, the chairperson of the City of Osakis Planning Commission, and former VP of the Osakis Chamber of Commerce.
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Minnesota's economic outlook has been dramatically altered by the COVID-19 crisis. State Economist Laura Kalambokidis will describe current conditions and the forecast for the U.S. economy and for Minnesota, including possible timelines for recovery from the crisis.
The 20-minute discussion will be followed by a 10-minute question and answer period.
Presenters
- Laura Kalambokidis, University of Minnesota professor of applied economics and Minnesota State Economist
- Brigid Tuck, Extension senior economic impact analyst
Available on-demand
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Business retention and expansion (BRE) is job one for local economic developers in normal times. However, its importance is now magnified. In these uncertain times, one thing is certain for local economies: some businesses may not survive. So what are the implications for economic development officials? Gathering data from businesses is important for retention and recovery. Yet demonstrating human concern and empathy for business owners is likely even more critical.
In this session, we will consider some tools and suggestions for effective, empathic BRE. Business surveys from national and Minnesota entities will be presented and a sample interview guide provided for local use.
The brief webinar will include about twenty minutes of discussion and ten minutes for Q&A.
Presenters
- Michael Darger, Extension community economics specialist
- John Bennett, Extension community economics educator
Host
- Neil Linscheid, Extension community economics educator
Available on-demand
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Retail and Main Street have taken an economic hit in our current environment. Non-essential businesses have lost sales and workers, and community leaders and economic development professionals are concerned for the future of business districts.
In this session, Extension's Ryan Pesch will help participants consider data that describes the relative importance of retail in Minnesota economies. We will also interview Emily Kurash Casey from Rethos about how she is supporting Main Street businesses during this time.
Presenter
Ryan Pesch, Extension community economics educator
Guest
Emily Kurash Casey, Rethos rural programs coordinator
More about our guest: Emily provides support and services to Main Street communities. Currently, she is expanding the educational sessions, downtown assessments, and cultural asset mapping resources that Rethos has available for rural communities.
Available on-demand
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities in Minnesota are seeking new ways to support their businesses. Michelle Landsverk approached this task with an innovative and quick approach for retaining businesses in Thief River Falls.
During this session, Extension will interview Michelle on the strategies they are using in partnership with other community and state-level partners. Since mid-March, they have sponsored weekly Wednesday webinars for their businesses. You will learn more about their strategies in this webinar.
The 20-minute interview will be followed by a 10-minute Q&A period.
Presenter
- Rani Bhattacharyya, Extension community economics educator
Guest
- Michelle Landsverk, director of Advance Thief River Falls
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Communities in Minnesota are facing a hard time right now and trying to grasp the economic impacts of COVID-19. As communities navigate this unprecedented challenge, we'll consider some of the pandemic's most important economic effects.
This webinar will provide a brief overview of current economic thinking about the impact of COVID-19. It will also provide a framework for understanding how national trends may translate to your community. You will learn about:
- Big picture concepts on the impact of COVID-19
- Tools to help your community understand its impact on the local level
Presenters
- Brigid Tuck, senior economic impact analyst, Extension
- Neil Linscheid, Extension educator
Available on-demand
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