MIDWEST FORUM ON FAIR MARKETS
What the New Antimonopoly Vision Means for Main Street
WITH KEYNOTES BY:
Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General
Alvaro Bedoya, FTC Commissioner
September 22nd 10am - 2pm CT
Minneapolis, MN
And streaming on these platforms:
After several decades in which government policy actively encouraged corporate concentration, Americans are suffering the consequences. From stagnant wages to sky-high prices, struggling family farms to shuttered local businesses, communities across the country are squeezed as a few giant corporations consolidate control over our economy and political process. Monopoly power has become a leading issue at the kitchen table and along Main Street.
Join us on Thursday, September 22nd, for a half-day forum* that will explore new federal and state action to reinvigorate our antitrust policies and support small businesses, family farms, working people, and communities.
The forum will feature keynotes by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, along with panel discussions by people on the frontlines fighting for antimonopoly reform in Minnesota and nationally. The forum will help lay out a path for creating an economy in which power and prosperity are widely distributed and progress is easier to achieve.
Co-hosted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Open Markets Institute, this is the antimonopoly, pro-democracy event you don't want to miss!
*Lunch will be provided.
Welcome Remarks:
- Barry Lynn, Open Markets Institute
- Stacy Mitchell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Keynotes:
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
- FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya
Panel Discussions:
Retail and Buyer Power - Remedies that state and federal policymakers have to level the playing field in the retail sector where mega corporations abuse their power to control prices and product availability. Featuring:
- Shawn Phetteplace - Midwest Regional Manager, Main Street Alliance, a coalition of small businesses advocating for a level playing field
- RF Buche - President, GF Buche Co – Independent Grocer in South Dakota
- Angela Schwesnedl - Owner, Moon Palace – Independent Bookstore
- Khali Jama - Ambassador of New Hire Training, The Awood Center
Food Systems - How corporate consolidation harms farmers, food chain workers, and the families that depend on them, and how regulators can foster resilient and equitable food systems. Featuring:
- Stu Lourey - Government Relations Director, Minnesota Farmers Union
- Elizabeth Odette - Minnesota Assistant Attorney General
- Diana Tastad-Damer - Director/Legislative-Political Affairs and Union Representative, UFCW Local 1189
- Hannah Bernhardt - Owner, Medicine Creek Farm
Healthcare and Hospitals - How antitrust policy can reverse the concentration in healthcare and hospital systems that has led to poorer health outcomes and care for midwesterners. Featuring:
- Sarah Greenfield - Policy Advocate, Organizer and Strategist, O'Connell Consulting, LLC, formerly with SEIU
- Tracy Jones - Executive Director, AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and National Director of Mobilization Campaigns, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
- John Farina - Associate Director of Advocacy, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
- Jessica Astrup Ehret - Owner of Minnesota-based independent pharmacy, Astrup Companies
- Steve Simenson - Treasurer and Managing Partner, Goodrich Pharmacy
- Rose Roach - Executive Director, Minnesota Nurses Association
Schedule of Events:
10:00am Welcome and Opening Remarks from OMI & ILSR
10:05am Keynote FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya
10:25am Break
10:30am Panel 1: Retail and Buyer Power
11:15am Break
11:20am Panel 2: Farming and Food Systems
12:05pm Lunch Break
12:35pm Panel 3: Hospital and Healthcare
1:30pm Keynote AG Keith Ellison
1:50pm Closing Remarks
