Minnesota's "headquarters economy" rings the NYSE bell

What they're saying: Several of Minnesota's top CEOs stressed the importance of the state's history of a well-educated workforce as a primary reason for its status as a "headquarters economy."

• "Minnesota's commitment to education created a pipeline of talent — of engineers, of marketers, of scientists, of data analysts, of designers (and) of health professionals — who didn't have to leave their hometown to pursue their careers," General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening said during the event.

On the topic of maintaining the Twin Cities' economic strength, U.S. Bank CEO Gunjan Kedia warned that taxes and regulations have "drained large companies" from other headquarters economies.

Between the lines: Not mentioned during the event were President Trump's tariffs, which have battered some of the state's largest companies, namely Best Buy (-13% stock price decline year-to-date) and Target (-21%).

• "That comes with being a global company," Minnesota Business Partnership CEO Kurt Zellers told Axios. "You can control what happens in your backyard, but sometimes outside of your circle of influence — like a tariff — that's going to be an impact."