Phil GwokeWinona State University College of Business and Winona Area Chamber of Commerce will host the 2016 Economic Summit, Future Growth Demands Response to Workforce Challenge, from 7:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Tau Center on WSU’s West Campus.

The summit will feature “When Generations Connect” by Phil Gwoke of BridgeWorks. Gwoke is a passionate generational expert and internationally recognized speaker. He will discuss the importance of connecting different generations in the workforce to improve how they communicate and collaborate with each other.

The summit will also feature Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, with “State of MN Economy,” along with a variety of speakers on topics such as “A New Approach to Workforce Shortage,” “Department of Labor New Over Time Rules,” and “State Demographics & Impacts on Workforce.”

Della Schmidt, president of Winona Area Chamber of Commerce, said the purpose of the Economic Summit is to learn and discuss creative responses to trends in workforce challenges.

The Economic Summit will help attendees gain insight and ability to lead by understanding the workforce challenges taking place and how to overcome them, Schmidt added.

Tickets are $40 for chamber members and $60 for non-chamber members.

The fee includes breakfast, refreshments and conference materials.

Merchants Bank is the main sponsor of this event.

Hawkins and Ash CPAs, Winona National Bank, Bremer Bank, Express Employment Professionals and Peerless are also sponsoring this event.

For more information, email the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce at info@winonachamber.com or call 507-452-2272.