If Minnesota is selected as host, it will be only the second time in NFL history and the first since 1992 when Super Bowl XXVI was held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Governor Mark Dayton announced today that an organized campaign is underway to pursue Super Bowl LII, happening February 4, 2018. Governor Dayton announced the following three Minneapolis-St. Paul business leaders to co-chair the effort:

Doug Baker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ecolab
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Carlson
Richard Davis, Chairman/President/Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Bancorp

"The Super Bowl is the most watched annual event in the world. In addition to game attendees, it brings over 100,000 people to the host community for a weeklong celebration," said Gov. Dayton. "Hosting the Super Bowl would bring enormous economic benefits to many Minnesota businesses, as well as provide a terrific opportunity to again showcase Minnesota to the world."

Baker, Carlson Nelson, and Davis, all known for their leadership and success in the business world and their philanthropic community involvement, will lead a Super Bowl bid committee comprised of business, labor and community leaders from Minnesota, as well as representatives from the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben and Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant.

The establishment of the committee follows the National Football League's (NFL) October announcement that Minnesota is one of three finalists (Indianapolis, New Orleans) to host the marquee sporting event in 2018. The group will be charged with developing a full proposal to bring the game to the new Vikings stadium scheduled to open in Minneapolis in 2016. The final selection for the location of the February 4, 2018, game will be announced in May 2014 following the NFL Owners Meetings in Atlanta.

An independent study on the Indianapolis 2012 Super Bowl stated the economic impact to the city was $324 million dollars. With an international audience of more than 100 million people, the game will cast a global spotlight on the Minneapolis-St. Paul region.

If Minnesota is selected as host, it will be only the second time in NFL history and the first since 1992 when Super Bowl XXVI was held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

"I am thrilled about the opportunity to bring the Super Bowl back to Minnesota," said Doug Baker, CEO of Ecolab. "Greater MSP has so much to offer and hosting the 2018 Super Bowl will shine another spotlight on our region and help us share our great story with the world."

Minneapolis-St. Paul has a robust business community and is home to 19 fortune 500 companies," said Richard Davis, CEO of U.S. Bancorp. "While the global spotlight is already on our region for all that we have to offer, the Super Bowl would highlight our ability to showcase our community and to welcome thousands of visitors to the state."

For more information about the state's effort to bring the Super Bowl to Minnesota in 2018, visit www.minneapolis.org/mnsuperbowl.

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Doug Baker is chairman and chief executive officer of Ecolab, a St. Paul-based provider of water, hygiene and energy technologies and services to the food, energy, health care, industrial and hospitality markets. He has been active in local civic activities, including chairing Greater MSP, serving on the executive committee of the Minnesota Business Partnership and chairing with his wife Julie the 2012 Twin Cities United Way fundraising campaign.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson is former chairman and chief executive officer of Carlson, a Minnetonka-based global travel and hospitality company with operations in more than 150 countries and more than 170,000 employees worldwide. She has appeared on the Forbes magazine list of "100 of the World's Most Powerful Women" and has served on numerous boards, including the Mayo Clinic, U.N. Global Compact, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Harvard Women Leaders Board.

Richard Davis is chairman, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Bancorp, a Minneapolis-based financial services company that is the fifth-largest bank in the country, with deposits of more than $245 billion and more than 64,000 employees. He serves on various boards, including the American Red Cross, Minnesota Orchestra, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Guthrie Theater.

Steering Committee Members: Lester Bagley, Minnesota Vikings; DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben; Michele Kelm-Helgen, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority; Rob Moor, Minnesota Timberwolves; and Melvin Tennant, Meet Minneapolis.