>> Mary:ING ME NOW THE NEW HEAD OF THE MEDICAL BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP AND FORMER REPUBLICAN SPEAKER, ARE YOU KIND OF POLITICALLY AGNOSTIC IN THIS NEW JOB?

>> I AM, YES IN THAT WE'LL WORK WITH NY LEGISLATOR THAT WILL TRY TO MAKE MINNESOTA MORE COMPETITIVE, MORE BUSINESS FRIENDLY AND MORE WORK FOR MORE MINNESOTANS.

>> Mary: HOW ARE THEY DOING SO GAR?

>> NOT GOOD.

>> Mary: TELL US YOUR BUSINESS BEER EXPECTATIVE.

>> THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION LAST TIME, THE PARTNERSHIP, SO WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IT SIMPLE.

IF FOLKS AT THE CAPITOL PROPOSE A BILL, A CHANGE, REGULATION THAT IS MAKING MINNESOTA MORE COMPETITIVE, WE'LL BE ALL FOR IT, BE HERE TO HELP.

BUT IF IT'S A HIGHER TAX BRACKET, IF IT'S MORE REGULATION, IF IT'S SICK AND SAFE ON TOP OF PAID LEAVE THAT NOW IS INTERRUPTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EMPLOYER AND THE EMPLOYEE, WE'RE GOING TO BE OPPOSED TO IT BECAUSE THIS ISN'T JUST A REGIONAL ECONOMY, THIS ISN'T JUST REGIONAL COMPETITION, IT'S GLOBAL AND OUR MEMBERS IN PARTICULAR LOOK AT IT FROM HERE'S OUR HOME BASE BUT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING ALL OVER THE WORLD.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR MEMBERS BECAUSE CEOs ARE REALLY THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE, WHAT IN PARTICULAR ARE YOU HEARING FROM THEM?

>> IT'S THOSE -- REALLY IS THE BREAD AND BUTTER THINGS, NOW THE HIGHEST BUSINESS TAX RATE IN THE COUNTRY.

NEW JERSEY BLINKED THEIR OFFS SO AT 9.8%, KLEIS TAX RATE IN THE COUNTRY.

>> Mary: THERE'S NOT A CHANCE THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE, THOUGH, IN THIS SESSION, IS THERE?

>> I'M NOT GOING TO HOLD MY BREATH.

>> Mary: GRATZ CONTROL BOTH CHAMBERS.

>> BUT PROPOSING A FIFTH TISH TAX BRACKET, WE'RE NUMBER 6 IN PERSONAL INCOME, FIFTH TAX BRACKET MAKES YOU WILL NUMBER ONE IN BOTH.

WE DON'T WANT TO BE IN COMPETITION WITH NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY, IT'S OKAY TO BE AVERAGE FOR THOSE TWO AND ALREADY IT'S SAFE AND SICK LEAVE, THE NONCOMPETES, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT 3M, OLARIS, JEN MIMS, ANY OF OUR MANUFACTURE AREAS OR ANY OF THAT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, YOU'RE GETTING IN-BETWEEN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT ENGINEER AND HER EMPLOYER -- >> AND THAT'S BEING TALKED ABOUT AGAIN, WE MIGHT GET SOME NEW LANGUAGE ON THAT.

[Overlapping Conversation].

>> IT'S NOT JUST THAT IT'S A BAD POLICY THAT WAS POORLY CRAFTED, IT IS THE R & D THAT COMES WITH IT.

IF YOU CAN TOP TOBACCO FROM TAKING A THUMB DRIVE OUT BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE OUTS THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT OVER FIVE YEARS THAT ENGINEER WORKING AT 3M AS DEVELOPED, SHE LEAVES AND GOES ACROSS THE STREET, SHE CAN TAKE THAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE WITH AND DEVISE THAT PROGRAM OR THAT NEW PRODUCT AND THAT REALLY -- THE R & D PART IS CRITICALLY MORE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE NEW MANUFACTURING COMES IN, WHICH IS MORE PEOPLE, A BICKER HEADQUARTERS SO THAT IT REALLY IS THE LIFE BLOOD.

>> Mary: YOU MENTIONED PEOPLE WHICH IS EMPLOYEES, AND WE HAVE BUDGET FORECAST WHEN I NERD OUT ON THE DETAILS, THAT'S ONE OF THE SCARY PARTS OF OUR ECONOMY IS THE WORKFORCE SHORTAGES.

>> YEAH.

>> Mary: FUN TO HAVE THE LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE COUNTRY BUT HOW CONCERNED IS BUSINESS ABOUT THE WORKFORCE SHORTAGES?

>> OUR SECOND ISSUE, COMPETITIVE SENATE FIRST AND THEN THE SHORTFALL.

SO LUCKILY WE'RE NOT JUST 25, IT'S REALLY ENCOURAGING, OUR MEMBERS INCLUDED WHEN IT COMES TO MANUFACTURING.

WE NEED SKILLED LABOR FORCE, AND ITS STARTS WITH NOT A TRADE SCHOOL, NOT, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO THREE GO AFTERWARDS, IT'S A DIPLOMA.

A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA IS THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN I HEAR FROM OUR MEMBERS.

WE NEED THEM JUST TO GET THROUGH HAT.

THEN WE'LL -- >> Mary: SO YOU NEED THEM NOT JUST TO STAY BUT COME HERE.

WE NEED PEOPLE TO MOVE HERE, RECRUIT, RIGHT, CAN THEY RECRUIT, DO PEOPLE ANT TO COME TO MINNESOTA?

>> IT'S GETTING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT -- >> Mary: BECAUSE -- >> BECAUSE OF OUR BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT.

SO MINNESOTA REALLY IS -- WE'RE AMERICA'S HEADQUARTERS ECONOMY, I KNOW THAT SOUNDS AWFULLY DANGEROUS AS MINNESOTANS, I CARED SO MUCH, I ALMOST TOLD SOMEBODY I LOVED THEM.

WE'RE AMERICA'S HEAD QUARTERS ECONOMY.

THERE'S NO OTHER PLACE IN THIS COUNTRY THAT HAS THIS MIX, MEDTECH, BANCKING, AGRICULTURE U ALL OF, THAT YOU DON'T FIND THAT IN NEW YORK, CHICAGO, L.A., IT'S VERY SPECIFIC.

>> Mary: HOUSING ANOTHER LAYER OF THAT BECAUSE THAT'S THE OTHER, NOT ONLY WORKFORCE SHORTAGE BUT IG HOUSING SHORTAGE.

>> >> IT'S NOT JUST HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES, IT'S IN GREATER MINNESOTA, SWALE.

[Overlapping Conversation].

>> Mary: DID YOU LIKE NY OF THE -- REPRESENTATIVE NASH WAS WITH HOWARD LAST WEEK WITH A NEW BILL.

>> ANY OF THOSE THINGS AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT STARTS WITH MAKING SURE THAT THOSE INTEREST RATES START COMING DOWN BECAUSE THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE THING.

A LOT OF US GEN RxERS HAVE A GREAT 3.

-- >> Mary: YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT HOW OLD WE ARE.

[Laughter] >> WE'RE ALSO CHEAP, I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP A 3% MORTGAGE TO GET A 5% SO EVEN IF WE'RE WILLING TO DOWNSIZE BUT THAT REALLY COMES WITH, WE'VE GOT A GREAT WORKFORCE BUT IT'S GREAT EXAMPLE, ONE OF OUR MEMBERS STARTED OFF WITH ANOTHER COMPANY, WENT IN FINANCE, THEN WENT TO BCFO FOR St. JUDE'S, NOW HE'S THE CEO OF ONE OF OUR OTHER MEMBER COMPANIES.

IN NORMAL AMERICA, YOU HAVE TO MAKE FOUR OR FIVE CORPORATE MOVES TO DO THAT.

HE'S LIVED OUT IN IN MINNETONKA THE ENTIRE YEAR.

>> Mary: REAL QUICK, DO YOU MISS IT?

>> A LITTLE BIT.

JUST -- >> YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE, HAVE A PRESENCE?

>> CANNOT' TAKE IT KIDS ON THE FLOOR NOW THAT I'M RAGE STEERED LOBBYIST -- >> Mary: BUT HE BROUGHT