Overheard

“The best thing we have going (for us in Minnesota) is our work force, but a lot of that work force is retiring in the next decade, so we need to be mindful of how to replace them. I think if we didn’t have such a great work force some of these other issues like the fact that maybe our electricity rates may be going up faster than they should or our property taxes are as high as they are, I think without that really great work force these other issues would become much more troubling and hurtful in terms of job creation.

“The other thing I think we’re all really good at (in Minnesota) is solving a particular problem for a particular business or industry.

“So, that work force combined with our ability to innovate and create unique solutions: that’s really what Minnesota has. That’s what develops and grows our economy.”

Bill Blazar, the Minnesota Chamber’s senior vice president for public affairs, commenting at a forum Tuesday morning in Duluth

Tags: opinion, politics, minnesota, business, money