Thirsty? There will be 70 new brews and specialty beverages debuting at the Minnesota State Fair. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3IALEFb
Steve Miller Band canceled its State Fair show along with its entire tour because of extreme weather. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IAcVrt
The U.S. Senate early this morning approved cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kNgKqC
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4lYzZhQ
Excerpted from the Minnesota Business Partnerships NYSE bell ringing last week, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry and Medtronic CEO Geoff Martha discussed the Minnesota Headquarters’ Economy on Sunday Take. LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/469gEpE
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
CANNABIS: Fluence Advisory is hosting a virtual forum featuring an interview with Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management Director Eric Taubel and other industry experts on Monday, July 28th. The event is in partnership with Stinson and Sota Cann.
Other panels included:
· Municipal and Tribal Governments featuring Aarik Robertson of Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures and Kevin Morelli of the City of Anoka Moderated by Will Blauvelt of Stinson
· Cannabis Industry Update featuring Josh Wilken-Simon of Legacy Cannabis, Shaun Tetreault of Kind Bud, and Mark Matejcek of Kria Botanicals Moderated by Carol Moss of Hellmuth & Johnson
· THC Beverages Rapid Growth featuring Elizabeth Anderson Schmidt of Flying Cloud THC and Fat Pants Brewing, and Glenn McElfresh of Plift Beverages Moderated by Bruce Nustad of the Minnesota Retailers
REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/CannabisForum
JOBS: Via DEED, VERBATIM: “Minnesota lost 800 jobs in June, effectively flat, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.3%. More than 2,100 Minnesotans joined the labor force – continuing the state's strong streak of labor force gains in 10 out of the last 12 months – and the labor force participation rate was also unchanged at 68.2%. Both figures continue to compare favorably to the United States as a whole: the nation's unemployment rate is 4.1% and the labor force participation rate is 62.3%.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4f5sH9V
LAYOFFS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis-based software company Jamf Holding Co. will lay off about 166 employees as it boosts investment in artificial intelligence. Jamf, which helps companies and schools use and secure Apple products, announced in a news release Tuesday that it expects to lay off 6.4% of its 2,595 employees by the end of the year. The news was paired with an announcement that Jamf will make further investments in AI technologies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46bg6zC
US BANK: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “U.S. Bancorp beat second-quarter profit estimates on Thursday, as the bank set aside less money to cover potential loan defaults. Shares of the lender fell 3.7% in premarket trading due to a third-quarter interest income forecast that fell short of expectations. Resilient credit quality and steady consumer spending have helped stave off a sharp increase in bad loan provisions across the banking sector. The Minnesota-based bank's provisions for credit losses declined 12% to $501 million in the quarter, driven by improved credit quality and loan portfolio sales, beating analysts' average expectation of $610.3 million in bad loan provisions, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45gnec3
GOVERNOR: Via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “Republican Scott Jensen officially announced his candidacy for governor in 2026 on Thursday, July 17. Jensen, a family physician and former state senator, unsuccessfully ran against Gov. Tim Walz in 2022 when he took 44% of the vote. He is the second high-profile Republican to announce a bid for the governorship in 2026, alongside Republican Kendall Qualls, who also ran in 2022.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IxaiXs
MORE: Via YouTube, Jensen’s campaign launch video. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3TLrBqc
SENATE: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “U.S. Rep. Angie Craig has twice as much cash to spend as her closest competitor in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Tina Smith. Why it matters: The DFL primary battle between Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, still over a year away, is expected to be one of the state's top watched races in 2026, as the DFL's moderate and progressive wings spar over a rare open Senate seat.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46gN69E
MORE: Rep. Craig talked about her campaign this morning on WCCO-Radio’s The Morning News. CRAIG: “We’re seeing a lot of the folks in Minnesota, the donor community as well as the grassroots community say, look, we know that Minnesota’s becoming a little more red every single cycle. We’ve had a couple of statewide races four years ago that were close. And we want to make sure the strongest general election candidate is at the finish line to make sure that we don’t lose this senate seat.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40oQ48t
HOME PRICES: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The typical cost to buy a home in the Twin Cities surpassed $400,000 for the first time ever, according to June Minnesota Realtors numbers. The big picture: The 2.8% increase in the median metro home sale price — to $401,000 — comes as falling prices in some cities have prompted fears of a downturn in the housing market.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eYAdDx
IMMIGRATION: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “President Trump’s aggressive deportation policies are spawning a new GOP-led policy push in Congress: Specific immigration-law changes to help protect the workforce in the agriculture industry, which relies heavily on unauthorized laborers. A small but growing group of House Republican lawmakers is encouraging the Trump administration and other factions of their party to pivot toward addressing immigration policy inside the country now that Trump has brought illegal border crossings to effectively zero. The lawmakers argue the party should focus on changing immigration law to allow some workers to gain temporary legal status and make sure people can remain on the job . . . ‘I think what it does is it exposes the overall need for this immigration reform because a lot of the ag workers, in a lot of cases, have been here for years, years upon years,’ said Rep. Brad Finstad (R., Minn.), a fourth-generation farmer who runs an agriculture business in the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kLR11Y
BELTRAMI CTY: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “Beltrami County Emergency Management Director Chris Muller says a Preliminary Damage Assessment has confirmed the county has exceeded the threshold to qualify for disaster assistance. The county is now in the process of requesting a disaster declaration to receive financial assistance for public infrastructure damages and costs associated with debris removal.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44CbmSy
TRAIL: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “The state closed the Willard Munger State Trail between Duluth and Jay Cooke State Park. The closure Wednesday is due to the toll recent heavy rains have taken on this culvert, causing it to fail.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3TH1KzD
PRODUCING THE FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers of transportation fuels is hiring! With openings in IT, accounting, engineering, operations, procurement and asset management, Flint Hills Resources’ goal is to match talented individuals with their passions and interests to truly shine. APPLY TODAY: Flint Hills jobs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
MITCHELL: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The felony burglary trial of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, has revealed police missteps in the investigation into the alleged April 22, 2024, break-in of her stepmother’s home . . . Police failed to seize several pieces of evidence from Mitchell and mishandled a crowbar that’s the source of one of the felony charges. These mistakes may not amount to much for some jurors, but they only need to find reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s narrative of what happened to find Mitchell not guilty.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eSvnrg
MORE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell took the witness stand in her burglary trial Thursday morning in self defense to explain why she allegedly broke into her stepmother’s home at 4 a.m. last April wearing all black and equipped with flashlights and a crowbar to enter through a basement window . . . Nicole Mitchell took the stand, initially introducing herself and discussing her family, including her two sons. She said she is a single parent who does foster care, both full time and respite. She described her work as a state senator, and before that was a meteorologist and served in the Minnesota National Guard.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lZguWA
CRYSTAL: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The city of Crystal swore in a new police chief this week. Chief Brian Hubbard took the oath of office at Tuesday’s city council meeting. He replaces former chief Stephanie Revering, who retired last month.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44LwuWB
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
SHOREVIEW: Via news release from Binks, VERBATIM: “Binks, formerly known as Carlisle Fluid Technologies, celebrated a major milestone with the official ribbon-cutting of its new 120,000-square-foot global headquarters in Shoreview, Minnesota, on July 15. The event marked the culmination of an extensive transformation, including the company's rebrand and facility consolidation, ushering in a bold new era of innovation, growth, and customer-focused manufacturing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40rfVN0
UPTOWN: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Uptown is getting an infusion of burritos. Chef Miguel Hernandez has announced that his Chicano burrito shop, Lito's Burritos, will take up residence in the former Lake Street home of Union Hmong Kitchen.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eVkapR
AD CAMPAIGN: Via news release from Haberman, VERBATIM: “Following a competitive review, Dole Packaged Foods LLC has named Haberman, a Minneapolis-based modern storytelling agency, as creative and media strategic lead for the new Dole Whip fruit-first frozen treat now available in select grocery stores nationwide. Haberman will lead an integrated summer campaign spanning creative, paid media, public relations, influencer partnerships and full-funnel strategy rooted in the brand’s legacy and joyful storytelling.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eUquy1
ALGAE: Via news release from Moleaer, VERBATIM: “As harmful algal blooms continue to threaten Minnesota's lakes each summer, one community is taking action. The Pokegama Lake Association (PLA), together with local community members and Moleaer, are deploying the state's largest nanobubble technology treatment to date, a chemical-free solution to restore lake health without harsh treatments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lZe7Da
THIS WEEKEND: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “The St. George Middle Eastern Festival is this weekend, July 19 and 20, and will include Lebanese street food, song and dance performances, a bake sale, a silent auction, church tours and even camel rides.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44z0THs
NEXT WEEK: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis’s official civic celebration returns July 23-26. Celebrate the city with favorites like the Aquatennial Torchlight Parade and Fireworks over the Stone Arch Bridge.” SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4nS6G2b
NEXT WEEK: Via news release from Eden Prairie-based NVE, VERBATIM: “NVE Corporation (Nasdaq: NVEC) announced that it plans to release its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 after the close of the Nasdaq Regular Market.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m0yqjF
THIS MONTH: Via news release from Minneapolis-based SPS, VERBATIM: “SPS Commerce, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPSC), a leader in retail supply chain cloud services, today announced that it will issue its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025, after the market close on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IAYHXb
THIS MONTH: Via news release from New Brighton-based APi, VERBATIM: “APi Group Corporation (NYSE: APG) announced today that it intends to release its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, before the market opens on Thursday, July 31, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lBiMeM
NEXT MONTH: Via news release from Bloomington-based SkyWater, VERBATIM: “SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT), the trusted technology realization partner, today announced that it will report its fiscal second quarter 2025 financial results following the close of the market on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lzU26J
BROADHEAD: Via Minneapolis-based Broadhead, VERBATIM: “Broadhead, a leading independent marketing agency, today announced the addition of Tony Booth as senior vice president, creative operations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44BJE8r
CM: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “On the heels of its twentieth anniversary, Collective Measures prepares for its next phase of growth by adding veteran talent to the employee-owned media agency’s leadership team. Jamie Moran joins the agency as its new vice president of client service, and Michael Kahn is the newest member of the agency’s board of directors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IAF3dT
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
THIS WEEK: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Summer Restaurant Week is back in full swing, with over 60 participating restaurants lined up for lunching, brunching, and dining out on the town. Sixty restaurants is an abundance of riches, of course, so we've teased out some highlights to guide your palate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40Wbjyt
BDAYS: Thrifty Traveler’s Kyle Potter, media guy Alberto Monseratte, Sen. Cal Bahr, UST’s Phil Esten, MPR’s Duchesne Drew, professor David Sturrock, civic leader Bonnie Marshall
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