What's the best present you can gift?....

(scroll to bottom)

We welcomed Sonja to her bright an beautiful space last week. Innovative piano lessons from Farmhouse Music Studio are different. Their recipe for success is full hour classes offering time to actually grow in skills, surrounding students with a supportive community, and leveraging technology for at-home engaged practices students look forward to. Their lessons are designed for all ages and they would love to connect with our active senior community!

Congratulation to Katherine and Obed for this adorable new space in Lakeville! Check out idioma's website for coffee flavors and delivery options and follow them on social media for special events at the roastery throughout the month!

Thank you to Jin and the entire Beehive family for expanding to a second location in Lakeville. These beautiful memory care homes are just that – HOME. Their common living spaces are bright, warm, and inviting and their units are clean, spacious and easy to navigate. If a loved one in your life is in need of special care – you should schedule a tour. And, check out their social media to see all of the fun activities that their staff and residents participate in each week – so fun!

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has created a sample ESST employee notice employers can use or model their employee notices after.

Employers must provide employees with a notice by Jan. 1, 2024, or at the start of employment, whichever is later. The notice must be provided in English and in an employee’s primary language if that is not English. The sample notice is available in English and will be translated to Chinese, Hmong, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese and additional languages. DLI has also created an ESST workplace poster. Find the ESST employee notice, poster and other resources at dli.mn.gov/sick-leave. 

For more information, you can also watch this video from Dakota Scott Workforce Board.

The 2nd annual career conference, held on December 6 at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club, kicked off with a panel focused on interview preparations and general tips. Following the panel, students split into two groups–one group practiced interview questions with volunteers from the business world, while the other group had a chance to network with local businesses and ask questions about their industries and career paths. Later on in the event, the groups switched so that students could participate in both activities.

The DECA senior students wanted to pick up where their peers left off and expand the conference to concentrate on interviewing skills and networking. They wanted students to leave the conference with diverse interview tips and skills to ace a job/internship interview. Lakeville North DECA Advisor Meggan Malone was impressed with the students’ professionalism and organization of a project with many moving parts. “The Career Conference was so well-planned that they did not encounter any issues the day of the event–that’s amazing!” said Malone. “The thing we found most rewarding about the event was the many students that came up to us with positive feedback and mentioned that they all learned something new that they were looking forward to using in the future,” said Zweber. “Along with that, we had companies making connections with students.”

Thank you to these Chamber member exhibitors.

Thank you to our panelists.

If you follow the Chamber on social media you have been seeing CHIPPY, the Chamber Elf, all around town reminding you where to sop local this holiday season! A special shout out and thank you to our "Elf" - Aria Sabers, the daughter of our very own Kim Sabers. Aria has done such a great job helping us highlight some of our local retailers. If you are still in need of those last minute gifts - check out Facebook for some ideas where to go look. Happy shopping!

The Annual Dinner is the most impactful event we host each year. We celebrate our scope of work, look ahead to the coming year’s priorities, and celebrate individuals and businesses who invest their time and talent in our Lakeville community. Join us for this special night to kick off the new year!

Open to Business is a FREE RESOURCE for local businesses. Natalie Mouilso is our Dakota County rep and she is awesome. Check out their website, and reach out to her with questions you may have about your business!

With over 90 places to grab a bite or bevie, Lakeville restaurant gift cards make great stocking stuffers. For a list of area restaurants and fast food, click here. 

Thank you for your support!