Enterprise Minnesota’s CEO Mark O’Leary visited Seacole and other manufacturers across the state this spring to learn what factories are doing, the challenges they face, and the support they need.
Last month, the Minnesota Star Tribune published an article about Enterprise Minnesota CEO Mark O’Leary’s experience meeting with manufacturers across the state. Seacole was grateful for the opportunity to host O’Leary at our facility in Plymouth, Minnesota. Our CEO Gregg Elliott is actively involved in many Enterprise Minnesota endeavors, including the annual State of Manufacturing® event. Here’s a sneak peek of the Minnesota Star Tribune article, including phenomenal images of our world-class facility.
The following is excerpted from the Minnesota Star Tribune‘s June 3 article “Enterprise Minnesota CEO’s Road Trip Revealed Pain Points for State’s Factories by Dee DePass.
Mark O’Leary has spent the spring traveling Minnesota, learning what factories are doing and what they need from organizations like Enterprise Minnesota.
O’Leary took over in March as president and CEO after Bob Kill, who led the organization for 18 years, retired.
It’s a tumultuous time, both for the nonprofit’s clients and the organization itself. Nearly half of its budget comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce, and that is iffy. The funding program was cut and then restored for one year instead of the normal 10.
At the same time, clients are stretched, facing inflation and the need for automation. They are also exploring new markets and investigating possible uses for AI. Enterprise Minnesota acts as a consultant to help factory heads grow, enhance profits and operate more efficiently.
The road trips are a return to his time at Taylor Communications. As he worked his way up to president of the division of Taylor Corp. in North Mankato, he traveled all over to meet with clients.
“That kind of stoked my fascination with manufacturing,” he said. “I am just blown away every time I visit a manufacturer and see how they innovate.”
That curiosity hasn’t gone away and led him to apply for the Enterprise Minnesota opening when he heard Kill was retiring. The Nebraska native, who earned degrees from Creighton University in Omaha and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, spent the six years before moving to Enterprise Minnesota as chief marketing officer of Minneapolis-based SPS Commerce.
O’Leary sat down to talk about the state of manufacturing in Minnesota and Enterprise Minnesota.
Read the interview at startribune.com.
