I think you are right that there are a lot of developer worker bees in MN who are not excellent.
However, there is a somewhat tight-knit subpopulation of developers that are forward thinking, talented and excellent at CS. You will find them at various tech meetups or at events like minnedemo. A lot of them are alums or connected to alums of some of the startups here (yes we do have them!). I'm thinking of Bloom Health, SmartThings, HomeSpotter, Code42, Gravie and a few others I'm forgetting.
The key to finding talent in MN is a little bit of networking, it is definitely out there.
However, there is a somewhat tight-knit subpopulation of developers that are forward thinking, talented and excellent at CS. You will find them at various tech meetups or at events like minnedemo. A lot of them are alums or connected to alums of some of the startups here (yes we do have them!). I'm thinking of Bloom Health, SmartThings, HomeSpotter, Code42, Gravie and a few others I'm forgetting.
The key to finding talent in MN is a little bit of networking, it is definitely out there.