Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce head weighs in on Non-Disclosure Agreements
Matthew Baumgartner
(Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce)
DULUTH, Minn. – Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) discussions have been making headlines in the St. Louis County Commission and Hermantown City Council.
Matt Baumgartner, the President and CEO of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, released a statement saying NDAs are a common and needed thing in business.
Baumgartner wrote NDAs, “simply provides the space to explore the facts—costs, infrastructure needs, and potential impacts—without compromising competitiveness or sensitive business information.”
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Baumgartner’s Full Statement:
In economic development, non-disclosure agreements are a normal and responsible part of the process. They allow developers, investors, and local governments to share detailed, often proprietary information that helps determine whether a project is even viable. These early conversations require confidentiality so that both sides can do their due diligence before entering the public arena.
It’s important to emphasize that an NDA does not mean a decision has been made. It simply provides the space to explore the facts—costs, infrastructure needs, and potential impacts—without compromising competitiveness or sensitive business information.
If a project advances to the point where public investment, incentives, or infrastructure support are being considered, that’s when it transitions into the public process. At that stage, transparency, community engagement, and open discussion become essential and expected.
This is standard practice across Minnesota and the country, helping communities remain competitive in attracting investment while still upholding the principles of transparency and accountability that our public institutions are built upon.
That’s why it’s important to keep perspective. Creating much ado about nothing doesn’t serve the public good—it only heightens the temperature in an already tense social and political climate. We’re better served by steady, fact-based dialogue that respects both confidentiality in due diligence and transparency in decision-making.
At the Chamber, our mission is to foster economic development, improved business conditions, and community progress. That means supporting processes that both attract investment and ensure that, when the time comes for public engagement, it’s done openly, thoughtfully, and in the best interest of the region we all share.
