FACC Minnesota: Newsletter
Fall 2018
From the Presidents,
The Finnish American Chamber of Commerce is mixing things up a little. Risto Sivula, FACC president is passing on the torch to not one, but two new presidents. Please take time to learn a little more about us, Mindas Juska and Rao Konidena in the presentations below.
Best Regards,
Mindas Juska and Rao Konidena
Presidents, FACC-MN
MEET FACC PRESIDENTS
MINDAS JUSKA
Joined FACC: 2017
Area of expertise: Law & international business consulting
Mindas is an attorney and business consultant with deep European connections, living and practicing law out of Minnesota. Significant part of Mindas' business affairs is connected to Europe. Although he is not from Finland and does not have Finnish roots, Mindas hails from one of Finland's neighboring countries. He also enjoys personal and business relationships with quite a few Finnish background people in Minnesota. He intends to bring his energy, enterprise, and experience to FACC-MN in ways that would strengthen and focus
this organization.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindas-j-39131a29/
RAO KONIDENA
Joined FACC: 2016
Area of expertise: nearly two decades of experience in manufacturing, consulting and ISO/RTO environments, recognized as an expert on all things energy storage and distributed energy resources from an economic transmission planning perspective.
Rao's first contacts with Finland started with an International Residency program visit to Helsinki as part of his Executive MBA studies at Carlson School of Management, UoM. The program included visiting leading Finnish companies: Fortum, Kone, Neste oil, and Nokia - all visits arranged by FACC-MN.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raokonidena/
FACC- MN Fall After Business Networking
November 12, 5-7 pm
program at 6pm
Faegre Baker Daniels
2200 Wells Fargo Center
90 S. Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
The Impact of U.S. Mid-Term Elections and November 4th Iran Sanctions Deadline on U.S. – EU Relations
This program will analyze the current state of US-European relations. Policy disagreements on Iran and on trade policy, including tariffs and "non-market" economies, may enter a more acute phase after the November 4 deadline for Iran sanctions and as the US turns to address trade imbalances with the EU.
Speaker: Tom Hanson
Tom is a worldwide speaker on the state of the world. He is a 25-year veteran of Foreign service, having served in East Germany, France, Norway, the Soviet Union, Sweden and Mongolia. He also served on the Foreign Relations Committees in both the U.S. House and Senate and was director for NATO and the European Affairs and the Atlantic Council of the United States.
COST: $20 Follow this link to Sign up
Seating is limited.
Refreshments will be served.
Email FACC-MN at info@facc-mn.com
Sponsored by
Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce | French-American Chamber of Commerce | German-American Chamber of Commerce | Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce | Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce
OUT AND ABOUT
In September a delegation of Salo city officials visited their sister city St Andrews and during their visit also spent one day in Minneapolis to share the story of The functional former Nokia facilities turned into an ICT hub at Salo IoT Campus.
Also a panel discussion was held, moderated by FACC on how to retain talent, attract investors, and kick-start a new cycle of innovation and growth with Salo representatives
Mr. Lauri Inna | Mayor
Ms. Saija Karnisto-Toivonen | Chairman of City Board
Mr. Juhani Nummentalo | Chairman of City Council
and Ms. Terhikki Lehtonen | International Relations Officer
Read about the project or visit the website for Innovation hub for future technology
MINNESOTA HIGHLIGHTS
MINNESOTA #2 ON LIST OF BEST STATES
OVERALL RANK OUT OF 50 #2
QUALITY OF LIFE #2
OPPORTUNITY #3
INFRASTRUCTURE #6
HEALTH CARE #7
CRIME & CORRECTIONS #10
EDUCATION #13
ECONOMY #20
FISCAL STABILITY #24
The overall Best State ranking from U.S. News & World Report shows how each of the 50 U.S. states ranks in 77 metrics across eight categories. The data behind the rankings were based on McKinsey & Company’s Leading States Index. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/minnesota
in the first quarter of 2018, Minnesota’s economic growth lagged that of the nation Data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that Minnesota’s economic growth lagged that of the United States as a whole in the first three months of the year. While the United States grew at a rate of 1.8%, Minnesota’s GDP grew at 1.6%. This marked the third straight quarter, and the fourth out of the last five, in which our state’s economy has grown at a slower rate than that of the United States. Minnesota’s growth rate ranked it 26th among the states and the District of Columbia. (July 24, 2018)
MN improves to 8th in 2018 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard
Minnesota improved to 8th in the nation (from 9th in 2017) in the 2018 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, released Oct. 4 by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The scorecard assesses state policies and programs that improve energy efficiency and ranked Minnesota in the top 10 for the 11th time in the 12 years of the scorecard. Massachusetts and California were the top two states for the third straight year. Minnesota scored 32 points out of a possible 50 and was the only Midwest state to crack the top 10. Read more.
FINLAND HIGHLIGHTS
The fall of Nokia: How this Finnish city fought back When Nokia's handset business collapsed, many thought that spelt the end for the Finnish city of Oulu where Nokia was the main employer. But locals weren't prepared to let their city go under. Here's how they fought back. BBC news https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-45727841/the-fall-of-nokia-how-this-finnish-city-fought-back
30-year Low Grain Harvest Forecast for 2018 in Finland The hot summer with low precipitation reduced the volumes of all crops. The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) has estimated the grain harvest in the country for this year at 2.7 million tons.
If the estimate proves right, the harvest will be the lowest since the year of crop failures in 1987, said Luke in a recent press release. http://www.dailyfinland.fi/business/6849/30-year-low-grain-harvest-forecast-for-2018
Returnable shopping bag at Academic Bookstores in Finland The Academic Bookstore rejuvenates its packaging material for its 125th anniversary year and introduces a new type of shopping bag to its customers.
"Our jubilee year we are taking a clear step towards sustainable development, and offer an alternative product to customers to replace the traditional plastic bag. With a € 3 ($ 2,5) deposit you can take home a sturdy shopping bag. The same money will be refunded when the bag returns to the store, and the bag will be sent to cleaners for wash and repair.
Why connect with FACC
FACC-MN promotes business, financial, professional and trade relations between Finland and Minnesota.
Our mission is to:
Provide information and advice to Minnesota business people about business opportunities in Finland;
Foster relationships between companies and people who are interested in Finnish‐Minnesota trade;
Encourage direct trade between Finland and Minnesota;
Develop new opportunities for Finnish‐related businesses in Minnesota.
Finland is:
among the top 25 international trading partners with Minnesota
recognized as a gateway to 150M+ consumers market in Russia and the Baltics
home to several leading global key players within their industries
Finland's areas of strength include
Biotechnology | Consumer Electronics | Design | Education | Energy | Environmental Technology | Food | Forestry and Paper Products | Information Technology | Manufacturing
Upcoming Events
FACC- MN Fall After Business Networking
November 12, 5-7 pm
program at 6pm
Faegre Baker Daniels
2200 Wells Fargo Center
90 S. Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Purchase your ticket from this Sign up link
Finnish Independence Day Celebration
Reception
December 6, 5-7 pm
Norway House
913 E Franklin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Enjoy appetizers, desserts and range of beverages, spirited singing of the national anthem, video greetings from President Niinistö, and more.
Roof Top Sauna Party
December 6, 8-11 pm Sauna
Hewing Hotel
300 N Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
.
What better way is there to celebrate the anniversary of Finnish independence than to engage in that most quintessentially Finnish act of heading to the sauna?
Tickets available soon on Eventbrite for $25, ages 21+.
Visit http://finnsource.org to learn more
Book your calendar now
More information to come closer to the events
Magical Finnish Christmas
December 8
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Nordic Christmas Dinner - JULEFEST
November 29
CONTACT INFORMATION
www.facc-mn.com
info@facc-mn.com
Membership Information
Individual $50
Small Business $100
Corporate $300
CORPORATE MEMBERS
FACC MN Newsletter is published periodically. We welcome reader input. Please feel free to let us know if you have news to share. Click here to send us your stories.
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