The Minnesota Business Partnership today announced the launch of its new “HQExperience” program, a coordinated initiative that connects legislators directly with Minnesota’s headquarters companies to demonstrate how policy decisions translate into economic impact. The program kicked off Monday, September 15 with a hosted visit to Great River Energy’s Maple Grove headquarters facility, attended by seven legislators including Representative Mike Wiener, Representative Kristin Robbins, Representative Kristin Bahner, Representative Paul Torkelson, Representative Kaohly Vang Her, Representative Danny Nadeau, and Representative Tom Sexton.
Great River Energy Visit Highlights
The inaugural HQExperience visit to Great River Energy’s Maple Grove facility provided legislators with an in-depth look at how one of Minnesota’s largest electric utilities operates as a strategic command center for clean energy across Minnesota.
Legislators toured the LEED Platinum-certified headquarters building, the highest designation for energy efficiency, and witnessed the company’s integrated approach to renewable energy with solar panels and wind turbines visible from the facility.
Key insights emerged during the visit, including Great River Energy’s role serving 1.7 million people through 26 member-owner cooperatives across two-thirds of Minnesota geographically. The cooperative operates the single largest load control program in the United States and generates $1.046 billion in annual revenues, demonstrating Minnesota’s leadership in energy innovation.
“The cheapest megawatt hour is the one you don’t have to make,” said Dave Saggau, CEO of Great River Energy. “We can’t risk reliability for technology. The industry must make investments reliably.”
The visit demonstrated the direct connection between legislative energy policy and practical implementation, with legislators seeing firsthand how regulatory frameworks enable Great River Energy to balance renewable energy integration with grid reliability.
Program Impact and Objectives
The HQExperience program addresses the critical connection between Minnesota’s policy environment and its competitive advantage as a headquarters state. Minnesota’s competitive advantage stems from a diverse business ecosystem that includes more Fortune 500 company headquarters per capita than any other state, plus privately-owned enterprises, innovative startups, multi-generational family businesses, cutting-edge manufacturers, and tech companies—thousands of enterprises that collectively create high-value jobs, generate substantial tax revenues, and drive economic multiplier effects throughout the state.
Building on this foundation, the program will expand to include visits with additional headquarters companies through November 2025, including Cargill, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Medtronic.
“Minnesota’s headquarters economy is our competitive advantage, but it requires thoughtful protection through smart policy,” said Kurt Zellers, CEO of the Minnesota Business Partnership. “The HQExperience program creates direct connections between our lawmakers and the companies that generate billions in economic activity from Minnesota. When legislators see firsthand how their decisions impact a company’s ability to compete globally while maintaining operations here, it transforms abstract policy discussions into concrete economic reality.”
Each HQExperience visit is tailored to demonstrate how specific policy areas, from energy and environmental regulations to workforce development and innovation incentives, directly impact these companies’ ability to compete globally while maintaining their Minnesota headquarters advantage.