Two local television stations covered the economic summitwhich was attended by around 300 people. KTTC put together a broad overview in Economic Teamwork; there's a video clip on the page as well:
More jobs, more money in your wallet and more shopping choices. That's the goal of a large gathering today in Austin. Olmsted county is booming, but other places like Austin are not.
No matter where they live and no matter how successful or big their business is.
Today's economic summit is giving people of all income and success levels a change to put their heads together. And many are finding out that these economic challenges are something they all need to face together.
83 year old Robert Knauer has been slinging groceries for more than 70 years. He is a success story during a time where they're getting harder to come buy.
Robert Knauer says, "We're not interested in the first sale. We're interested in the return sale."
Knauer says patience is the key to keeping his downtown Austin market afloat through years of economic ups and downs. This era of big box stores and booming cities like Rochester right next store present their own set of challenges.
Robert Knauer says, "If you're buying on price only you've got a problem."
The problems seem to be far reaching and leaders from all over the area are meeting them head on at this economic summit.
Congressman Tim Walz says, "We're fostering an atmosphere where solutions are where we're after. Not just complaining about it."
Nasty gas prices, an ongoing health care crisis, and the small businesses struggle are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to looking at this changing economy.
It's a battle everyone is fighting whether big business or small.
Tim Walz says, "When whole region does better then of course we all do do better from that."
Even the states largest private employer isn't immune to the struggles.
Mayo CEO Glen Forbes says, "It's critical also because it's part of the growth. So trying to match the health care changes with the growth of the communities, that's what's on our mind."
As Robert Knauer would say, maybe the key is simply being patient.
Congressman Walz brought this summit together and says the ultimate goal is to get people together and to give him a better idea what people want to see done at the national level.
KAAL focused on the health care panel in Walz Hosts Brainstorming Summit:
Today in Austin, a variety of experts were in town for a one-day economic summit hosted by representative Tim Walz.
The summit covered several subjects from transportation to health care.
The American health system is arguably the best in the world when it comes to innovative procedures.
But it's not without its problems.
Tens of millions of people are not covered.
We spend twice as much as any other country on healthcare.
But in terms of overall health, we rank about 12th in the world according to an expert at today's economic summit.
"The cost of insurance providers for stop-loss coverage is astronomical; we can only find a couple providers,” says Accentra C.E.O Lon Kruger.
Experts say one way to lower costs is to do better at preventing illness.
"Trying to prevent things from happening rather than waiting and dealing with them when they occur -- that's where we think we can have a huge impact by saving the whole society and all of our patients a lot of money,” says Mark Matthias, Chief Medical Officer at Mankato Clinic.
On another front, experts say rural areas are and will continue to see doctor shortages because a very small percentage of primary care physicians want to work in small communities.
There's a strong video feature on the station's web site.
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