Eagan Businesses to Feel Impact of Shutdown

Eagan businesses who have contracts with the state and offer services, such as record-keeping or telephone management, are hit by the state shutdown, said Ruthe Batulis, president of Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

At Chamber meetings, membership commented to Batulis that a shutdown would be devastating to their businesses. Time will show the scope of the impact, she said.

“It's kind of a snowball rolling down the hill,” she said. “We don't know what the impact's going to be.”

Among Minnesota’s nearly 164,000 businesses-from retailers and real estate agents to corporations and cosmetologists- the impact of a state government shutdown will be difficult to measure “due to the diverse landscape of businesses,” said Tom Hesse, an executive at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

Hesse predicted most businesses will feel only a minimal impact from a short-term shutdown.

Brian Steinhoff, president of the Minnesota Retailers Association, said he has not heard an outcry from his membership. He said if the shutdown lasts two weeks, that may not have much of an impact on retailers and local economies. But if it lasts two months, for example, that could be another story.

“We’re in uncharted territory here,” Steinhoff said.