 It was all business as the Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation held its annual meeting today at the Arrowwood Lodge in Baxter. The meeting is held every year to discuss the previous year's achievements in business development in the area and the new businesses opening up in the coming year including a new brewery and winery. Also discussed at the meeting was the current state of the Minnesota economy and what the future holds for the region and the state. Well the good news is we have a strong economy here right now and we've got a diverse economy so we've been able to weather some of the economic challenges. Going forward though we have to pay attention to the challenges. We were the former chief of staff for Governor Tim Palanti was the keynote speaker of the meeting and talked about keeping Minnesota competitive in the global market. We were said that while there are many challenges facing Minnesota in the coming years including the growing talent gap there are also areas where Minnesota is highly regarded the top one being the good quality public education system. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.