INSIDE THE DEED TOOLBOX
Feature
As Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Matt Varilek explained, DEED’s mission is to empower the growth of Minnesota’s economy, for everyone – operating over 50 programs to support that mission. “We are Minnesota’s primary economic and workforce development agency. To ensure our programs meet the needs of Minnesotans, we work with a network of community partners across the state,” Varilek says. “From local nonprofits to our own CareerForce offices, we work in communities to make sure DEED delivers on our promise of employment growth and economic development in every corner of Minnesota.” DEED’s work focuses on three main goals: • Equity in the economy – making transformative change to eliminate inequality. • Workforce and talent attraction – growing our labor force and connecting workers to jobs. • Economic dynamism – creating an environment where entrepreneurship can flourish and grow, from start-ups to well-established businesses. Varilek comes from a lower-income family, which is why he’s passionate about the work of the department, trying to help others advance in their careers as others once helped him. His earlier public service experience included several years as Economic Development Director and doing some speechwriting for U.S. Senators Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson of his birth state of South Dakota. Later Varilek worked in the federal Executive Branch at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), first as Regional Administrator of a multi-state region based in Denver, and later at the agency’s DC headquarters as Chief Operating Officer. “I’m a Minnesotan by choice: I spent my four college years in Northfield as a student at Carleton College. I also lived in Marshall for a time,” Varilek says. “And before I was appointed as DEED Commissioner, my family and I relocated to central Minnesota, where I served as the president of the Initiative Foundation in Little Falls. The Foundation supports regional economic and community development, and it gave me a firsthand look at how DEED operates in communities and works with community partners – because I was one!”
RAEDI partners with Commissioner Varilek and the DEED team to leverage key tools that help local businesses grow and prosper. DEED is a vital ally in supporting our region's economic vitality. Two examples include the Minnesota Job Creation Fund (JCF) which provides financial incentives to new and expanding businesses that meet job creation and capital investment targets. Another important program, the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF), is similar to JCF but focuses on industrial, manufacturing and technology-related industries that
will grow our tax base and improve economic vitality.
- John Wade, President, Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc.
6 | ROCHESTER AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE — JUNE 2025
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker