Caribou Coffee CEO and local property owner engaged with COVID-19 talks at state level

Discussions at the state and local levels continue regarding safeguards that could allow more businesses to reopen while keeping their employees and customers safe. These talks continue as the month of May and the peak of the tourism season are soon to arrive on the North Shore.

Gov. Tim Walz’s current stay-at-home order is due to run until May 4. As of Aprill 22, the governor hasn’t decided if a new one will replace it.

Meanwhile, Walz and his administration have been engaged with some of the top business leaders from across Minnesota. On Monday, April 20, the governor held a conference call with some of these business leaders.

One of the participants in the Monday phone call with the governor was John Butcher, the president of Minnesota based Caribou Coffee who also happens to own property in Cook County.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Butcher about the ongoing conversations he and others in the business community are having with the governor and his staff. In the interview, Butcher also shares his thoughts on how Cook County is handling the COVID-19 pandemic and why he and his wife opted to stay away from the North Shore at this time.

Joe Friedrichs April 22, 2020