Economic Club of Minnesota Economic Club of Minnesota

Devry Boughner Vorwerk presented Senator Pat Toomey with the 2023 Bill Frenzel Champion of Free Trade award on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The audience was treated to a lively conversation between former Senator Toomey and former Congressman Mark Kennedy. Toomey aptly explained how protectionism and nativism will ultimately undermine prosperity in the United States.  
The award recognizes national and international leaders who have made significant contributions to the expansion of international trade. The award highlights the importance of free trade for global prosperity and security. 
Pat Toomey was chosen due to his consistent advocacy and leadership in advancing policies that promote free trade and economic growth. 

On February 12th, the Economic Club of Minnesota was fortunate to hear Ginni Rometty in conversation with Neel Kashkari. Ginni shared wisdom on life, career, leadership, and business. Neel and Ginni covered multiple topics, including workforce development, work from home, addressing conflict, and the subject of generative AI. The audience was fascinated. Her book, Good Power, is worth reading. 

Hundreds of members, sponsors and guests of the Economic Club of Minnesota gathered Friday, December 15th to listen to a crucial discussion regarding U.S.- China Strategic Competition. Experts Zongyuan Zoe Liu and Sahra English were joined by former Congressman, Mark Kennedy to discuss the dynamic situation in China regarding the economy, supply chain changes, and trade. The audience was rapt with attention as the trio navigated this challenging yet important subject. We look forward to discussing a number of the topics in further detail in the future.

On Friday, November 3rd, the Economic Club of Minnesota welcomed Bill George and Neel Kashkari in conversation with CNN’s Poppy Harlow. Harlow moderated a discussion on Leadership in Uncertain Times with Bill and Neel. The large audience were treated to lessons and stories about leaders who have gone astray as well as how to maintain one’s “True North”, a nod to Bill’s book by the same name. Poppy also dug into why leaders become leaders and their decisions to get involved in social matters. There were some great audience questions and Poppy concluded the event with a few questions for Neel on the recent jobs report and asked his thoughts on the comments made by Stan Druckenmiller about the U.S. Treasury leader, Janet Yellen.

The Economic Club of Minnesota hosted industry experts on October 18th to discuss the balance between returning to in-person and remote work. The panel was moderated by Jeanne Crain, President & CEO, Bremer Financial Corporation. Steve Cramer, President & CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, Doug Fulton, Principal at Avison Young, and Kelly Baker, CHRO at Thrivent, had a lively discussion about the current state of commercial real estate, how companies are managing back to the office mandates, and the mental health considerations of employees. The conversation touched on several factors regarding full-time return to the office and the future of work.

On September 22nd, the Economic Club of Minnesota kicked off the 2023-2024 season with a fireside chat between Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy and Neel Kashkari, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Over 200 audience members got an inside glimpse of various topics; from how Best Buy handled the pandemic to the economy, to Corie’s path to leadership. A large percentage of the audience were college students. Corie’s message was inspiring for all levels of leaders and students alike.