Minnesota CEOs join together in response to recent tragedy

Executive leaders urge the community to address structural racism

(Eagan, Minnesota) May 29, 2020 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield President and CEO Craig Samitt is among 28 executive leaders from across the state who have joined together to release the following statement to stand united against acts of racism and violence.

As business leaders in Minnesota committed to the principles of greater equity, diversity and inclusion in our companies and in our community, we are deeply saddened and horrified by the recent death of Mr. George Floyd. We share our sincere condolences with his family and friends, and all those who mourn this tragic loss. His death while being restrained by Minneapolis police officers is yet another senseless loss of life — one that reflects deeply ingrained, long-standing injustice within our society.

We are encouraged by the quick response of the authorities in terminating the officers and launching an investigation. We anticipate that it will lead to justice and accountability. It is hard to watch the video of the event as it is clearly evident Mr. Floyd was not treated with the dignity and respect he was due as a human being. These acts are painful and traumatic for our entire community, especially our communities of color.

The repeated occurrence of racially charged events of this nature are contrary to the close-knit employment and residential communities we desire to have in Minnesota. We are committed to taking steps to eliminate the repeat of events like this in our society and committed to investing in substantive change in our organizations and the communities we serve to address racial inequities and social justice. Change has to start today, and it needs to start with us.

Penny Wheeler, MD
Allina Health

Jay Lund
Andersen Corporation

Corie Barry
Best Buy

Craig E. Samitt, MD
Blue Cross MN

David MacLennan
Cargill

Marc Gorelick, MD
Children's Minnesota

Bob Biesterfeld
C.H. Robinson

Doug Baker
Ecolab

Michael J. O'Leary
Ernst & Young LLP

Jeff Harmening
General Mills

Peter Frosch
Greater MSP

Andrea Walsh
HealthPartners

Beth E. Ford
Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Geoff Martha
Medtronic

Charlie Weaver
Minnesota Business Partnership

Craig Leipold
Minnesota Wild

Daniel L. Johnson
Mortenson Construction

David C. Mortenson
Mortenson Construction

Chad Abraham
Piper Sandler Companies

Mark Urdahl
Red Wing Shoes

Brian C. Murray
Ryan Companies US, Inc.

Lisa Brezonik
Salo, LLC

Christopher M. Hilger
Securian Financial Group, Inc.

Archie Black
SPS Commerce

Julie Sullivan
University of St. Thomas

Andrew Cecere
US Bank

Laurie Nordquist
Wells Fargo MN

Ben Fowke
Xcel Energy, Inc.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

For more than 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (bluecrossmn.com) has supported the health, wellbeing and peace of mind of our members by striving to ensure equitable access to high quality care at an affordable price. We are on a mission to inspire change, transform care and improve health for the people and communities we serve by reinventing both ourselves and the broader system. Our more than 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. As a proud nonprofit organization, we believe working to advance wellness for all Minnesotans is the greatest investment we can make. Our goal is nothing less than for everyone to be able to achieve their full health potential, regardless of race or other socially defined circumstances. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, which serves more than 107 million members across the U.S.