Speak Up!

We kick off the State of Manufacturing® (SOM) survey this month, and before we get to the details, a quick word about one of the best parts of the process: our regional focus groups. As always, we’ll be conducting eight regional focus groups with manufacturing executives across Minnesota. These gatherings dig deeper into the survey questions, offering more context and insight into manufacturers’ experiences during the past year and their predictions for doing business in 2027.

I’ve facilitated countless focus groups over the years, and I cannot overstate how each one is an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I could talk one-on-one with 10 manufacturers from a region of Minnesota and never glean the insight I do when they’re all in the room together. The energy, the conversation, the give and take, and the shared experiences add color and depth to the data gathered in the survey.

Focus group participants also report that the hour (and never more, since we know how valuable your time is) they’ve spent is both insightful and enjoyable. I agree. They are a highlight of our year.

Of course, the focus groups complement, and depend on, the survey itself. Our pollster is making calls and surveying some people via email now through the end of September, and we need manufacturers to share their concerns, challenges, and expectations for the future. The quality of the data we publish each year is unparalleled because manufacturing leaders take the time to answer the call, or email, and offer thoughtful input.

A key focus of this year’s survey is gauging how executives are navigating an uncertain economic climate, from interest rates to inflation to consumer and business spending. We’ll gauge how leaders feel about the state of the overall economy and their expectations, particularly when it comes to profitability and capital expenditures for the year ahead, a critical data point for industry observers.

Since starting the survey in 2008, we have published objective data that manufacturers, business leaders, and policymakers use to assess a foundational component of Minnesota’s economy. Meeting Street Insights, a nationally recognized polling firm, has conducted every survey since the SOM’s inception. Founded by pollster Rob Autry, the firm enjoys a sterling reputation built on its 25-year career in political and business polling. Since Rob has been with us for all 18 years of the State of Manufacturing, he knows Minnesota manufacturing and recognizes the meaning behind shifts in attitudes and concerns.

We’re counting on participation from over 500 executives of small- and medium-sized manufacturers statewide. And Meeting Street will break out the data by each of the state’s six McKnight Initiative Foundation regions in Greater Minnesota.

We’ll release the results of the SOM survey and publish anonymous comments from the focus groups in the November issue of Enterprise Minnesota magazine, which will be available at our annual kickoff event on November 11. Please mark your calendar and register now, and in the meantime, please take our pollster’s call or email and register for one of our upcoming focus groups.

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