John,

This week, we’re celebrating the hardworking folks and families taking risks and pursuing the American Dream.

It’s National Small Business Week, an opportunity to recognize the oversized role our small businesses play to create jobs, drive innovation, and keep our economy growing!

Here in Minnesota, we have more than 500,000 small businesses. It’s a staggering number.

A majority of these business entities represent owner-operators. But nearly 115,000 are small businesses with employees – providing jobs for more than 1.2 million Minnesotans.

These are our family farms. They’re our local restaurants and shops. They’re our tradesman, service providers, and small manufacturers. They’re our hairdressers and local gyms.

They’re the folks who have been working hard to overcome unprecedented hurdles over the last year-plus, and who deserve special recognition as we celebrate National Small Business Week this year.

THANK YOU to all those who work hard every day to make western Minnesota the special place we’re fortunate to call “home”!

- Michelle