Governor Tim Walz and I just returned from a business development mission through Denmark, Sweden and Iceland with the Minnesota Trade Office. I look forward to sharing highlights from all three countries, but today I'll spotlight our time in Denmark.

The business, educational and innovation parallels between Denmark and our state are strong – not to mention the social and cultural ties – and we had many important conversations that deepened our cooperation and grew opportunities for business and foreign direct investment.

Denmark is an integral trading partner for our state. One of the goals of the trip was to reaffirm Minnesota's commitment to international cooperation and to nurture relationships tied to Denmark's innovation, medtech, advanced manufacturing and life sciences sectors. About a dozen companies based in Denmark – including Siteimprove, Coloplast, Columbus and GN ReSound – operate at business locations in our state. And roughly a dozen Minnesota companies operate at nearly 20 locations in Denmark, including 3M, Cargill, Ecolab and Solventum. Minnesota's exports to Denmark were valued at $76 million in 2025 – up 8% since 2024 – and Denmark was Minnesota's 17th largest source of imports in 2025.

In Copenhagen, we started by heading to Coloplast to learn about the company's empathy-driven innovation in supporting patient health through user-centered medical device technologies. Headquartered in Denmark, Coloplast has its state-of-the-art regional headquarters in Minneapolis plus a sales and distribution facility in North Mankato. Coloplast's investment in Minnesota and partnership with our state support high-quality jobs, advanced manufacturing, and opportunities for continued collaboration in workforce development.

Commissioner Varilek and Governor Walz join Coloplast leaders on a tour of its advanced manufacturing site.

We spent time with the GN Group to learn about the company's excellence in advanced manufacturing and automation tied to medtech and audio engineering. It was impressive to learn about GN's advances in hearing aids and other technological innovations during our visit. We also discussed our shared priorities, interests and values – all factors that led to GN establishing its North American headquarters in Shakopee, MN. On a related note, GN leaders shared some of the factors contributing to the company's success in Minnesota – including accessible housing, a talented workforce, and strong infrastructure including roads, airports and connections to keep people and goods moving – and many of us in the room noted we practically could have written those ourselves!

Commissioner Varilek, Gabrielle Gerbaud (executive director of the Trade Office) and Governor Walz learn about GN's medical-grade hearing aids.

Governor Walz, Commissioner Varilek, GN leaders and partners from Minnesota gather at GN to discuss the company's North American presence and advances in manufacturing.

We closed out our time in Denmark with a powerful Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) event at Dansk Industri. Governor Walz and I both promoted Minnesota as the leading U.S. business destination, specifically in the medtech, cleantech and life sciences ecosystems, and invited Danish companies to continue conversations following the business development mission.

Commissioner Varilek speaks to a large Foreign Direct Investment audience in Denmark.

Beyond some of our business visits, we met with other Danish leaders, and Governor Walz spoke at the Nordic Health Innovation Fair and participated in a fireside chat hosted by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and Rasmussen Global. Governor Walz and I invited Danish leaders and elected officials to connect further with the Minnesota Trade Office and our business development team at DEED to learn more about our state and establishing or expanding a business in Minnesota.

I'm grateful to our partners who participated in some of these events, too: Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Medical Alley; Clean Energy Economy Minnesota; GreaterMSP; Mayo Clinic; Destination Medical Center; APEX; Minnesota Farmers Union; Minnesota Soybean Growers Association; Minnesota Farm Bureau; and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

It was an exciting and productive start to our Nordics business development mission in Denmark. It's an honor to represent Minnesota and our businesses and workers, and I look forward to sharing additional details about the trip soon.