Proven Performance Minnesota earned a spot on the Corporation for Enterprise Development 2007 national honor roll for performance, business vitality and develop ment capacity. Suffolk University ranked Minnesota ninth most competitive state in 2006 based on human resources, infrastructure, technology, and business incubation. Minneapolis-St. Paul ranked 13th among competitive knowledge economies in the world in 2005. The Twin Cities scored particularly high in economic activity (6), human capital (6), and patents registration per one million inhabitants (10).   Business Friendly Climate The Tax Foundation’s State Business Climate Index, 2007, ranks Minnesota 14th lowest nationwide in its property tax index. A 2004 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found that Minnesota ranks 41st in the ratio of taxes to total business profits, well below the national average. Site Selection magazine ranked Minnesota 14th in the nation for new corporate facilities and expansions in 2005. The Twin Cities ranks 10th among major metropolitan areas, and Minnesota ranks seventh in corporate activity in micropolitan areas throughout Greater Minnesota.   Renowned Work Ethic The Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, ranks Minnesota third nationwide in “Good Work Environment,” based on job opportunities, job quality and job fairness. Working Mother magazine cited three Minnesota-based companies—General Mills, Carlson Companies and RSM McGladrey, Inc.—among the best companies for working women. Ameriprise Financial and C.H. Robinson are among the best 55 companies in the country to launch a career, according to BusinessWeek (September, 2006).   Excellence in Education Quality Counts, 2007 ranks Minnesota third best at connecting education from birth to adulthood, based on parent education, parental employment, preschool enrollment, elementary reading, and high school graduation rates. Morgan Quitno Press ranks Minnesota 13th in its 2006-07 “Smartest State” awards, based on average public school class size, average teacher salary and the percentage of adults who graduated from high school. Based on high school, bachelor’s and graduate and professional degrees, Minneapolis ranks fifth in brainpower among America’s largest cities. In 2005, Minnesota had the nation’s third highest percentage of people 25 years and older (90.9 percent) who completed high school and the 11th highest (30.7 percent) with bachelor’s degrees and higher.   Fertile Ground for Innovation Digital River, Techne and Vital Images, are among CNNMoney.com 100 Fastest Tech Growing Companies for 2006, based on revenues, earnings, and job growth. Nine Minnesota companies are among the 500 largest software companies in the world. Five Minnesota businesses are among the “2006 Deloitte Fast 500 Technology Companies.” The University of Minnesota ranks second in industrial outreach and ninth in nanotechnology research with more than 500 research partnerships and industrial revenues of nearly $20 million. The University also ranks in the top 10 globally in several biotechnology transfer and commercialization categories.   Best in the Business Based on revenue growth in the last three years, ASV and Digital River ranked among Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in 2006. Twelve Minnesota companies were among Forbes “400 Best Companies in America,” including Target, Best Buy, Ecolab, Valspar, H.B. Fuller, Patterson Cos., Hormel Foods, Bemis, Toro, Imation, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, and 3M. With spectacular growth in revenues, ranging from 365 to 745 percent between 2000 and 2005, eight Minnesota companies are among Inc.’s “500 America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies, 2006.” Thralow, Inc. and Dynamic IT Solutions are among Entrepreneur “Hot 100 Companies” for 2006.   Foundations of Commerce Comparing 362 metropolitan areas in 10 transportation measures, Expansion Management (September-October, 2006) ranks Minneapolis-St. Paul third among the most logistics-friendly metros in the country, ranking particularly high in interstate highways (fifth), railroad service (seventh), transportation and warehousing industry (14th) and air cargo (16th). In 2005 the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport served 37.5 million people, ranking10th in the nation and 19th worldwide. With 57.5 million passengers in 2005, Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines ranked fourth among the world’s airlines.   Global Competitor Minnesota’s manufacturing, agricultural and services exports totaled $22 billion in 2005. Manufactured goods accounted for 62 percent ($13.8 billion), up 17 percent from 2004. The state’s exports of manufactured goods grew more than 60 percent faster than the nation’s 11 percent growth. Minnesota was the nation’s third largest exporter of soybeans and related products and the fourth largest exporter of feed grains and related products; and vegetables and preparations to world markets. With nearly 290,000 tons transported through the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP) in 2005, the Twin Cities main terminal ranks 24th among U.S. airports, according to AirCargoWorld.   Wealth of Resources In 2006, Minnesota companies received $321.5 million in venture capital investments, an increase of more than 40 percent from the previous year, ranking14th nationwide and second in the Midwest. Minnesota received $62 in venture capital investment per capita, highest in the Midwest and 13th nationwide. Minnesota’s Small Business Administration ranked 14th nationally, with $466 million in approved loans in 2006. Business Facilities ranks Minnesota second in financial services, based on growth in the number of businesses, payroll and employment; Minneapolis-St. Paul ranked fifth among metropolitan areas.   Quality of Life Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Cloud earned four stars in the Expansion Management “2006 Quality of Life Quotient.” The United Health Foundation ranks Minnesota first in health nationwide. Minnesota ranked seventh nationwide in the State Policy Report’s “Camelot Index”, which measure economic vitality, health, education, crime, society and government. Minneapolis was named one of the “Top Five International Hot Spots” for 2006 by Travel and Leisure, and was called the “Design City” by Newsweek because of four stunning new buildings: the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis Central Library, Walker Arts Center and Minneapolis Institute of Arts. In 2005,Minneapolis ranked first among cities with high population density in golf courses per 100,000 resident (1.9) and park acres per 1,000 residents (14.3), according to the Trust for Public Land.