General Mills Corporate Communications

The governor of Minnesota visited General Mills for a firsthand look at how the company is streamlining its operations. Gov. Mark Dayton's intent was to learn how some of these strategies could be used to make state government more efficient. 
 
Gov. Dayton toured the James Ford Bell Technical Center - a General Mills property - and listened to several General Mills employees give overviews of company initiatives that target efficiency, learning and continuous improvement initiatives.

The governor also:

• Observed a General Mills long-distance online class – taught by a community college instructor in Ohio – called “workplace physics.”
• Received a brief overview the company's Connect software tool to promote collaboration between employees across department and geographic boundaries, and another tool to connect with scientists and engineers around the world.   
• Saw how the flexible work program FUSE (Flexible User Shared Environment) is transforming our workplace – and saving money.

In addition, the governor received an update from Neal Simon of General Mills on a two-year-old partnership with the state through which General Mills shares Continuous Improvement expertise with state employees.

“Thanks for getting involved and helping us out,” Dayton told Simon.

General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Powell veered into largely uncharted territory about two years ago when he offered the company’s help to the state of Minnesota.

The state of Iowa also shares continuous improvement training and best practices strategies with General Mills.

The tour is one of several efforts General Mills has to build strong relationships with government leaders.

Gov. Dayton – who was elected this past November – is a member of the Dayton family that started what is now known as the Target Corporation, a nationwide U.S. retailer.

His family was instrumental in the formation of the Minnesota Keystone Program more than 30 years ago. The program was started by companies that give more than 2 percent of their pretax dollars back to the community. General Mills has long been a member of the Keystone organization.