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NEW ULM -- A delegation from Aachen, Germany, visited New Ulm Tuesday afternoon to exchange ideas and jumpstart future cross collaboration between the two regions.
Organized by Region Nine, which promotes economic development in the area through cross-collaboration, the gathering created a space for participants to share information from their fields of expertise.
Delegates from Aachen, Germany, have an interest in partnering with Mankato State University and Mayo Clinic. The region specializes in medical technology, research, and development.
County Commissioner and Chief of Police David Borchert opened the day with a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) presentation about rural Minnesota. He talked about the strength of communication between area first responders.
With that being said, Borchert said the demographic shift in the rural communities has been challenging, especially with the closing of area ambulance services and rural hospitals.
These closings are in part due to labor and volunteer shortages, which have been creating ambulance deserts.
"In some areas you might be waiting quite a while because they don't have the coverage they might have had ten years ago," Borchert said. "Some areas might be waiting 30 to 45 minutes."
Members of the delegation said that in Germany it is law that ambulances must respond to rural areas in 12 minutes.
Borchert concluded with the opportunities, citing technology as a recent area of development that has benefitted the community.
He pointed to the use of drones, which has greatly benefited tactical entries and search and rescue. With tactical entries, first responders are able to get visuals on threat areas before physically entering the area.
New Ulm Police Department Investigator Tara Martin gave a drone presentation of their Avata 2, which specializes in confined spaces and clearing houses.
University of Minnesota Professor of Health Policy and Management Stuart Grande followed Borchert's presentation by sharing data collected regarding possible solutions to rural issues.
Following Grande's portion, a vehicle fair took place outside of Goosetown Fire Station where members of the delegation were able to see the equipment and vehicles used by New Ulm first responders.
Aachen Economic Developer Frank Liesten found the presentation and vehicle fair beneficial.
"The Aachen region also has rural areas so we just want to learn how things are organized," Listen said.
He appreciated being able to better understand the challenges with health issues in the rural areas, how to solve that, and how to finance it.
Stephen Jockenhoevel, a professor in Biomedical engineering said that he valued seeing how New Ulm deals with issues.
"For me it’s interesting to learn how other regions work and deal with the same challenges we have too in Germany," Jockenhoevel said. "Joining our ideas and solutions makes us all stronger."
Following Goosetown’s portion, the group headed to Black Frost Distilling, where CEO Jace Marti gave a tour of their operations and talked about the importance of sustainability.
He said that Black Frost bases their work around the French term terroir.
"Terroir is how everything around you affects the flavor you produce," Marti said.
For Marti, whiskey making at Black Frost has a Minnesota-focused terroir.
All of the grains are grown on co-founder Nate Gieseke's 6th generation family farm North of New Ulm. All of the grain, wheat, rye, and barley is malted in Minnesota. Barrels used are all made in Minnesota.
"We keep it hyperlocal," Marti said.
After the Black Frost tour, the group's long day of idea sharing and collaboration concluded with a visit to Schell's Brewery.
"When you're thinking about how things should work, this is the way things should work," Borchert said, "learning from each other and then looking at investment opportunities.