Gov. Dayton highlights Rochester startup during State of the State Address
Gov. Mark Dayton highlighted a Rochester-based startup company at his 2017 State of the State address in St. Paul — arguing that continued investments in education and workforce training are critical to ensuring Minnesota businesses can fill jobs in high-skill areas.
Here are the governor's remarks:
Already, growing businesses throughout Minnesota are experiencing shortages of people to fill their available jobs, especially in more highly skilled areas – making our continued investments in education and workforce training even more important.
A recent Minnesota Public Radio story highlighted one businesses' predicament, which has become common all over our state.
Mike Rolih founded and runs GoRout, a three-year-old technology company in Rochester. Mike couldn’t be with us tonight, but Lauren Scott, the company’s senior director, has joined us.
Mike says he's ready to increase sales dramatically this year, but he needs more trained staff to do so — and finding them in Rochester is proving difficult. If he can't add the skilled workers he needs, he worries that his financial backers will pressure him to move his business elsewhere.
If GoRout can grow successfully in Rochester, it will benefit not only the company and its employees, but also the entire city. One investor said Rochester needs only one or two success stories like GoRout, to make the city the magnet for innovators that it wants to be. Adding those businesses to the Destination Medical Center, being led so well by the Board's Chair, Lt. Governor Tina Smith, will multiply the benefits to our entire state.
You can read a transcript of Dayton's prepared remarks here.
Featured content:
(Cover graphic: GoRout logo)
