In September 2025, Littus partnered with Greater Mankato Growth to deliver a four-day mission blending business and culture, with Travelooza and Gateway to Ireland facilitating the travel and leisure elements. Starting in Sligo, with a stop at the National Ploughing Championships and two days in Dublin, the programme focused on strengthening ties between Minnesota and Ireland.

For Littus, this mission reflected years of relationship-building. After meeting Greater Mankato Growth at SelectUSA in May 2024, Littus was invited as keynote speaker at the REDA (Regional Economic Development Alliance) annual dinner in Mankato that October. This Ireland mission was a natural next step, reinforcing the importance of multiple touchpoints in developing lasting international business relationships.

We were honoured to support the Greater Mankato and REDA delegation during their visit and look forward to the follow-up that will turn these connections into meaningful partnerships.

The delegation included Ryan Vesey (Greater Mankato Growth), Tim Huebsch (Mankato Area Foundation Board & Minnesota State Colleges & Universities), Tara Cadenhead (Gustavus Adolphus College) , Julie Ligday (Nurse Practitioner), Tom Lambrecht (Great River Energy), Jenny Crowe (Public Health Nurse), Hannah Bretz (Small Business Development Center/Raiven Marketing), Keri Johnson (City of St. Peter), Kelcey Woods-Nord (South Central College), and John Fritz (John Fritz Construction).

Working with trusted partners in Sligo and Dublin, Littus curated a schedule showcasing opportunities in trade, education, and innovation—while also deepening the cultural and economic links that connect our two regions. We thank our partners in facilitating the quality of meetings and introductions, as well as the delegates for their investment and participation in the mission.

A Strong Start in Sligo

The mission began in Sligo, where delegates met with the Sligo Chamber of Commerce, Local Enterprise Office Sligo, and the Advancing Innovation in Manufacturing (AIM) Centre. In the afternoon, the group continued on to the MSLETB Training Centre and Atlantic Technological University.

(L-R: Tracy Ferguson, Liam Kiely, Tom Lambrecht, Tara Cadenhead, John Fritz, Julie Dowling, Keri Johnson, Cathaoirleach Donal Gilroy, Hannah Bretz, Ryan Vesey, Liz Maguire, Kelcey Woods-Nord, Julie Ligday, Tim Huebsch, Martin Lydon)

Despite the wet weather, the day was a showcase of regional innovation, workforce development, and collaboration in action. Delegates shared insights about the Greater Mankato region while also gathering best practices from their Irish counterparts—ranging from how industry and education work hand in hand, to the role of applied research and training in supporting local economies. These exchanges sparked valuable ideas to bring back home and opened doors for continued conversations between the two regions.

Showcasing Innovation at the Ploughing Championships

The timing of the mission was deliberate, coinciding with one of Ireland’s most important annual events: the National Ploughing Championships on Tuesday September 15th in County Offaly. For the delegation, the Ploughing offered a natural meeting point to explore opportunities in agri-innovation, food production, and the future of sustainable farming—areas where Minnesota and Ireland share both challenges and potential for collaboration.

 

(L-R: Keri Johnson, Ryan Vesey, Rory Power, Liz Maguire)

Agriculture is central to both economies. In Ireland, the agri-food sector is worth over €18 billion and supports more than 160,000 jobs nationwide. In Minnesota, the industry contributes over $112 billion annually, with the state ranking among the top U.S. producers of corn, soybeans, and livestock.

With such strong agricultural identities on both sides of the Atlantic, the Ploughing gave delegates the chance to experience Ireland’s agriculture first-hand and reflect on the many similarities with Minnesota’s own farming traditions and innovations.

Industry and Education Connections in Dublin

Later in the week, the delegation’s focus shifted to Dublin. Two days of meetings in the capital began with a breakfast hosted by Clark Hill Law, attended by representatives from The Mill Enterprise Hub in Drogheda, WorkIQ, Dogpatch Labs, The Entrepreneurs Academy, the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Irish business owners.

Next stop was the ADAPT Centre at Trinity College Dublin, where delegates engaged with a series of presentations on innovation and digital research. The session concluded with a roundtable designed to spark connections between Minnesota and Irish higher education and industry leaders.

(L-R, front: Ruth Clinton, Keri Johnson, Kelcey Woods-Nord, Ryan Vesey, Olivia Waters, Tara Cadenhead, Liz Maguire, Tim Huebsch, Julie Ligday, Tom Lambrecht, Conor McNally, Peter McGrane, Ronan Whitty)

The afternoon was spent at TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus, where the group toured facilities and explored programmes in trades and apprenticeships. A follow-up roundtable continued the theme of partnership, with both sides identifying opportunities for collaboration.

Before wrapping up, the delegation also visited University College Dublin’s NOVA Innovation Centre, where start-ups, researchers, and entrepreneurs come together to develop new ideas and scale them globally—an inspiring stop that reinforced the mission’s focus on innovation and knowledge exchange.

The mission concluded with a visit to Leinster House courtesy of James Geoghegan TD. Delegates listened to remarks from the chamber floor before gathering over tea and coffee to discuss similarities and differences between Irish and U.S. systems.

More than the politics on display, what stood out from the two days in Dublin was the strength of Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem—rooted in a national commitment to practical higher education, industry collaboration, and innovation that extends from research labs to start-up hubs.

Ongoing Conversations

The similarities in spirit and dedication to human-first innovation between Minnesota and Ireland were strong and will certainly spark fascinating international conversations in the weeks and years to come.

In Sligo, the delegation saw how regional collaboration between business, education, and training centres can drive economic growth—lessons that resonated with their own work back home. At the Ploughing Championships, they experienced Ireland’s agricultural culture first-hand and reflected on the deep parallels with Minnesota’s farming traditions and innovation. And in Dublin, they witnessed how Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is fuelled by a commitment to practical higher education, research, and industry partnerships, capped with an eye-opening visit to the Dáil and conversations on shared governance and values.

Together, these moments underscored the value of continued dialogue, multiple touchpoints, and the potential for lasting partnerships between Minnesota and Ireland.

Back To Top