The Importance of Elected Official Shop Tours

by Sam Richie & Shannon K. Mitchell, AASP-MN Lobbyists

Shop tours with elected officials have been a longstanding tradition for AASP-MN. They provide individual members an opportunity to connect with lawmakers in a friendly environment and help establish and strengthen relationships that can pay dividends for the Alliance down the road.

With all 134 seats of the Minnesota House of Representatives on the ballot in November, incumbents and candidates alike are highly motivated to connect with their local businesses and constituents in the lead up to the election this fall. 

Why AASP-MN Prioritizes Tours

Following the most recent redrawing of legislative districts (occurring in 2022), many incumbent lawmakers chose to retire rather than run for reelection in a new district. This spike in legislative retirements resulted in many fresh faces running for and being elected to office in 2022. As a result, nearly 30 percent of legislators were freshmen during the most recent legislative biennium. 

While legislators largely took a break after a long and abnormally active biennium, in-district events and appearances have picked up again. The July 4 holiday is normally the unofficial  kickoff of campaign, so now is the time to connect with your elected officials to set up shop tours and begin developing or strengthening personal connections with lawmakers in your area. Legislators will be anxious to hit the ground running in the 2025 legislative session, as they will be tasked with establishing a new two-year state budget without the benefit of a historic budget surplus like last biennium. 

As legislators look to champion impactful legislation, they source ideas from their constituents to decide which legislative solutions are most needed. This is a prime opportunity for shop owners to showcase the amazing work occurring in our industry, while also highlighting the challenges and obstacles of operating a shop in Minnesota. It is critical that AASP-MN continue to build relationships with legislators of both parties and in both chambers as we seek to build coalitions across party lines to build support for our legislative goals. 

What Tours Look Like

Shop tours are an opportunity for AASP-MN members to showcase their businesses, including highlighting unique challenges. They also serve as a critical pathway for introducing legislators to the variety of issues AASP-MN members face, as well as framing potential solutions. Tours provide a low-pressure way to connect with your elected officials and begin developing a personal relationship. 

Prior to the tour, AASP-MN leadership will work to prepare you to host your lawmaker by providing talking points and walking through the process. AASP-MN leadership will also attend the tour as appropriate. 

Tours typically start out with introductions where members can share about themselves and their business and learn about the legislator’s interests and background. From here, your tour may showcase the high-level technology legislators may not be familiar with (such as paint booths, diagnostic computers, etc). This helps legislators understand the level of skill involved with some repairs and that the businesses provide high-wage job opportunities in their districts. 

As the tour progresses, AASP-MN members should share their unique experiences and concerns with the elected official. AASP-MN leadership can help share broader industry issues and proposed solutions. Tours will typically end by asking the legislator to support proposed legislation, or be open to meeting closer to session to review draft legislation. 

These tours are relatively painless and can pay huge dividends for AASP-MN in the future. Lawmakers who develop personal connections with local businesses are much more likely to be responsive and helpful in enacting legislation in the future. 

Where to Start 

Tours can be set up by contacting the AASP-MN Executive Director Linden Wicklund (linden@aaspmn.org), Aaron Swanson (aswanson@lamettrys.com), or Sam Richie (srichie@fryberger.com) with a list of available dates for the tour. AASP-MN leadership and the Government Relations team will coordinate with the legislators to secure a time for the shop visit and confirm with you. We will help you prepare by outlining the basics of the tour, tailored to your specific legislator, as well as provide relevant talking points and join in the meeting as appropriate. 

Want more? Check out the August 2024 issue of AASP-MN News!