Off-The-Cuff
We have much to share. So rather than dawdle about the weather or something inconsequential, I want to get right at this issue’s pertinent potpourri of thought and information.
Buckle your seat belts and away we go….
On May 16, New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce will usher in new president Audra Shaneman. In a Connect Business Magazine telephone interview, the Chamber’s interim president/vice president of business affairs, Jenny Eckstein, said, “Audra has a strong marketing background. She is from Gibbon and is moving here from Florida, where she was working for a golf course community with more than 700 members—so she is used to working with a large organization and a board of directors.” Former Chamber President Sharon Weinkauf retired not long ago and will relocate to the Twin Cities, where her hubby works as a university professor, said Eckstein…..
KEYC-TV reported late March that Jones Metal Products, which we featured this issue, had been affected by Japan’s earthquake/tsunami disaster. The company had a key piece of automation equipment literally sitting on a Japanese dock for shipment to Mankato when all hell broke loose. According to KEYC-TV, “Jones Metal Products Company said it’s going to take another two to three months before they figure out where they can find another plant to make a replica.”….
Something special has been happening through Greater Mankato Young Professionals, a Greater Mankato Growth-initiated group helping 21- to 39-year-olds find their way in the business community. Barb Embacher, Greater Mankato Growth vice president, helped design and organize it. In a telephone interview, Embacher said, “We started almost three years ago and now have 80 young professionals involved. we have two events every month: an evening social event, which could be a Moondogs game, ice skating or progressive dinner; and a morning professional growth activity right before work. When exiting the organization at age 40, we encourage former members to become involved with a civic organization to serve the community.” See greatermankato.com for more.
The Editor stumbled upon this: A fourth quarter 2010 Tax Foundation report using IRS data revealed that the top one percent of taxpayers paid 38 percent of all federal individual income taxes in 2008. Here was an even bigger surprise: the top five percent—with an adjusted gross income of more than $159,619—paid 59 percent of all federal individual income taxes. This means the top five percent paid more than the bottom 95 percent….More to digest: The bottom 50 percent paid about 2.6 percent and the top one percent 23.27 percent of income on average in federal individual income taxes. Said the Tax Foundation on its website: “With the possible exception of the estate tax, the federal income tax is the most progressive tax in the United States, and these numbers show why.”….
A Fordham Foundation report titled “American Achievement in International Perspective” reviewed the annual Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) findings that compare 15-year-olds in various nations in reading and math. America usually performs in the middle of the pack, said the Fordham Foundation, which touts itself as the nation’s leader in advancing educational excellence. But being “middle of the pack” only tells half the story….Per capita, America is in the middle, but in sheer numbers, it has a huge advantage over other industrialized nations due to being the world’s third largest nation. For example, the U.S. has more PISA high achievers in reading and math than France, the United Kingdom, and Germany combined. Said Fordham Foundation, “These numbers are key to understanding why an average-performing country like the United States can still dominate international job placements, admissions to prestigious universities, and scientific prizes.”…Of course, the flip side is also true. The U.S. has more PISA low achievers than France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom combined….
Finally, we received an interesting email—to say the least—from Rapidan resident Jack Madsen, who was perusing the January/February Connect Business Magazine right before being called in to a doctor’s appointment. He wrote the following: “The other day I was in Mankato Clinic Urgent Care having them check out my sore throat. I got called in before I could finish reading the lobby copy of your (Off-The-Cuff) column, so I whipped out my Canon Sure Shot point and shoot camera and snapped a couple frames for future reading.” Below and left is the shot he took home and later emailed to us.
As always, thanks for reading—even from a Canon Sure Shot—south-central Minnesota’s first and only locally owned business magazine. This issue marks the start of our seventeenth year. You can join our Connect Business Magazine Facebook page for more.
