We have four priority areas: Education, Job Growth, Transportation and Socioeconomic disparities & quality of life. Our engagement on each of our priority areas is dynamic; every year we evaluate our activities and focus within each priority area and assess our commitments. We work in partnership with a variety of regional partners -- every effort described here is the result of regional collaboration. Below is an overview of our priorities and how we have worked on them over time.

Our engagement on each of our priority areas is dynamic; every year we evaluate our activities and focus within each priority area and assess our commitments. Below is an overview of our priorities and how we have worked on them over time.

Education

Our work on education supports both our work on job growth and on closing socioeconomic disparities, and we have, at various points, examined nearly every stage of the education process, from pre-K all the way up to higher education.

Improving Higher Education (2011-present)

The Itasca Project launched a task force to identify strategies for higher education in Minnesota to drive long-term, sustainable economic growth and prosperity. The work is being led by a team of 12 leaders from business, nonprofit, and higher education institutions. An advisory group of 40 business and community leaders provided input and guidance. With the help of this group, we completed a Higher Ed Strategy for Minnesota then launched three resulting initiatives: Workforce Alignment (ensuring we have the skilled workers we need to meet the future economic needs), Collaboration (developing collaborations within higher education to optimize system-wide assets and efficiency) and Research & Innovation (establish partnerships to foster and strengthen an ecosystem of research and innovation). Read: Higher Education Partnerships for Prosperity.

Minnesota's Future: World Class Schools World Class Jobs (2008)

The Itasca Project joined with the Minnesota Business Partnership to examine the best practices of world-class education systems, benchmark Minnesota against those systems, and identify initiatives that the business community could support to elevate Minnesota’s school system to world-class. Read the report here.

Supporting the Strategic Re-direction of Minneapolis Public Schools (2007)

A new superintendent and an invigorated school board received pro bono support from McKinsey & Company consultants to build a plan to transform the district. Itasca Project sponsored this work and continues its involvement as part of its commitment to closing socioeconomic disparities and workforce development gaps. Read a copy of the resulting 2007-2012 strategic plan here.

Improving Early Childhood Education (2005)

Itasca provided Minnesota’s Governor the services of a consulting team from McKinsey & Company to examine the current programs, develop a common fact base, and identify opportunities for improvement. The outcome of the study was the basis of the Governor's legislative agenda. Itasca has also played a brokering role among a group of the critical players in early childhood to identify and address gaps and overlaps and to develop a common change agenda. Read the report here.

Job Growth

A strong employment economy is fundamental to the region’s success in the long run. Our work promotes the retention, attraction and growth of local employers, as well as seeks to ensure our workforce has the skills needed to prosper .

Generating Quality Job Growth (2009)

Itasca launched a task force to assess our job growth position and develop strategies and policies to promote the retention, creation, and attraction of quality jobs in the Twin Cities region. Read Charting a New Course: Restoring Job Growth in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Region.

Two new efforts were begun as a result of this work:

- GREATER MSP: A separate organization from Itasca, this regional economic development partnership was initiated to drive a coordinated strategy for the region, including retaining and attracting more quality jobs. As a public-private partnership funded by member investments, its vision is to be a value-added resource to all economic development organizations in the Greater Minneapolis St. Paul region.

- Business Bridge: The Itasca Job Growth Task Force initiated the "Business Bridge" concept to more effectively facilitate purchasing connections between the region's small and growing companies to larger, more established organizations.

Minnesota Grow! (2004)

Expanded reach and impact of Grow MN efforts (with MN Chamber), enabling more companies to expand in MN.

Building a Stronger University-Business Partnership (2004)

Using a team of loaned executives, Itasca worked with the University of Minnesota to create a “front door” to the U that would facilitate stronger cooperation with business, improve the process to commercialize intellectual property, and strengthen the University as a talent magnet .

Transportation

Promoting a comprehensive and aligned transportation system was one of Itasca’s earliest areas of focus, and continues to maintain relevance as the region contemplates a projected population increase of 30% by 2040 and considers investment in roads, light rail, and other transportation infrastructure.

The ROI of Transit Investment (2010)

This task force sought to understand "what is the expected economic return on regional transit investments?" in order to inform the regional conversation on transit expansion. The task force's regional Transit ROI study is available here. A PowerPoint presentation summarizing the study is available here. This work formed a model for a similar analysis undertaken by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in late 2013, which examined the return on investment in the state highway system. Read that full report here.

Transportation Task Force (2004-2008)

As one member of a large coalition of business, community, and philanthropic partners, this effort helped secure stable funding for transportation and transit through a 2006 constitutional amendment and the 2008 transportation bill.

Socioeconomic disparities and quality of life

Itasca is committed to eliminating the socioeconomic disparities that occur throughout our region. We bring a lens of equity to all our work, and will occasionally convene taskforces with disparities as the main focus.

Socioeconomic Disparities: Employers’ role in closing the gaps (2012)

This taskforce build on our previous work in this area, and brings together private, public and non-profit sector leaders, to identify specific, near-term steps employers can take to close the employment and labor force participation gaps between whites and people of color in the region. The group’s focus is on defining the regional "business case" for addressing disparities, catalyzing broad regional leadership commitment and elevating best practices.

Financially Fit Minnesota (2007)

A task force researched the best ways to improve the long-term economic stability of the Minneapolis-St Paul region by increasing the financial fitness of individuals and families in our community. Employees, especially those who are minorities, young and earn lower incomes, are often not getting the full advantage of their benefits and are struggling with financial issues. In response, the task force launched Financially Fit Minnesota, which worked with Minnesota employers to promote practical, focused actions to increase savings and banking among employees and close gaps between employee groups.

Setting Regional Performance Indicators (2007)

This effort sought to measure disparities and other important regional characteristics. In conjunction with regional partners, it helped catalyze the launch of the Twin Cities Compass (www.MNcompass.org)

Mind the Gap (2005)

This effort raised regional awareness of the socioeconomic disparities that exist in our region, impacted organizational strategic planning and reframed Itasca’s focus on disparities through a speakers’ bureau, Employer Toolkit, tpt documentary “Close the Gap”, and more.