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 August 2025
As I reflect on my first six month as the Executive Director of the Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County (WIB) and Ramsey County Workforce Solutions Director, I’m energized by the momentum across our workforce ecosystem. I am also excited to welcome the new leadership and members of the WIB. Their expertise and passion will help guide us as we expand access to quality jobs and responsive services across Ramsey County.
This month's newsletter brings well-deserved recognition to partners like Mississippi Market, and the reopening of Ramsey County's upgraded Downtown Service Center, a more accessible and welcoming space for residents. We continue to build momentum through initiatives like the Inclusive Workplaces Cohort and expanded tools to support skills-based hiring and training.
Thank you for your partnership as we work together to create a more connected and opportunity-rich workforce system for all.
- Catrice O'Neal, WIB Executive Director
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 The WIB begins a new membership term with new leadership and several new faces around the table. Yolanda McIntosh, Director of Organizational Wellbeing & Culture at Associated General Contractors of MN, will serve as WIB Chair. She is joined by incoming Chair-elect Jonathan Banks, President of NCXT and current Equity Committee Chair.
“Yolanda and Jonathan bring deep expertise and a shared commitment to building a more welcoming and responsive workforce system,” said Catrice O’Neal, Director of Workforce Solutions. “Their leadership comes at a critical time as we work to expand access to quality careers.”
The WIB also welcomes four new members: Matthew Bandstra (Grid Verify), Karen Gerdin (Saint Paul Public Schools Adult Basic Education), Ricardo Bennett Guzman (CLUES), and Traci Leffner (Crescent Career Center). In addition, 16 current members were reappointed for another term:
- Ismail Al, MnTech.
- Becky Degendorfer.
- Sara Garbe, DEED Job Service.
- Lisa Guetzkow, Ramsey County Workforce Solutions.
- Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim, Saint Paul City Council.
- Chad Kulas, Midway Chamber of Commerce.
- Bryan Kuzel, Mississippi Market Co-op.
- James McClean, Regions Hospital.
- Yolanda McIntosh, Associated General Contractors of MN.
- Commissioner Kelly Miller, Ramsey County Board of Commissioners.
- Donald Mullin, Saint Paul Building and Construction Trades Council.
- Koami Pedado, ElieSys Computer Services.
- Sheri Riemers, Ain Dah Yung Center.
- Aalayha Traub, Knutson Construction.
- Tanya Velishek, Vema Staffing Partners.
- Tracy Wilson, Saint Paul College.
 On July 22, Mississippi Market Co-op was honored with the 2025 Workplace Excellence Award at the St. Paul Area Chamber Charitable Foundation’s Annual Celebration. Presented by the WIB and Workforce Solutions, the award recognizes employers who demonstrate leadership in creating a supportive, inclusive, and forward-thinking workplace culture.
Mississippi Market is a valued business and employer in Ramsey County that not only provides high-quality organic, local, and sustainably raised foods to our community but is also an active workforce partner, participating in the Inclusive Workplaces Cohort, using the Job Connect job board, and attending county-sponsored job fairs and employer-focused events. Their Human Resources Director, Bryan Kuzel, is also a WIB member.
Congratulations to Mississippi Market Co-op for their outstanding contributions to Ramsey County’s workforce community!
 Ramsey County reopened its Downtown Service Center in a new, upgraded location just a few doors down from its former office in the Metro Square building. After seven months of renovations, the redesigned space now offers a more efficient, accessible, and welcoming experience for residents seeking essential county services.
What’s new:
- A modern, glass-walled entryway with natural light.
- 37 workstations, four offices, four focus rooms, and 12 service counters.
- Self check-in kiosks, clearer signage, and refreshed interiors.
- Over 12,000 square feet designed to enhance privacy and reduce wait times.
Expanded services now available:
- Navigator Services to connect residents with county programs and benefits.
- Financial Assistance Services, including SNAP, cash assistance, and emergency aid.
- Child Support Services, including case support, forms and genetic testing.
- Housing stability resources, including rent assistance and homelessness prevention.
- Community Career Lab / CareerForce, offering career services in Suite 2300.
The center now serves approximately 4,400 residents per month, with the upgraded layout better equipped to meet community needs.
For more information on hours and services at all Ramsey County Service Centers, visit the Service Centers webpage.
Inclusive Employer Toolkit: Building a hiring process that welcomes all
Workforce Solutions and the WIB are leading efforts to support employers to create a sense of welcoming for all employees within their organizations. One of these efforts is to provide an Inclusive Employer Toolkit. The toolkit aims to help employers provide a more welcoming environment for all by offering practices to build inclusion in the areas of employee recruitment, hiring, onboarding and retention.
The Onboarding section of the toolkit provides resources to help employers create a welcoming and supportive experience for new employees, setting the foundation for long-term success. It offers guidance on developing structured onboarding programs that foster connection, clarity, and confidence from day one. Key strategies include assigning mentors, providing clear communication about workplace expectations and resources, and ensuring all employees feel valued and included in workplace culture. By prioritizing an inclusive onboarding process, employers can enhance employee engagement, reduce turnover, and build a stronger, more connected workforce
View the toolkit.
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Workforce Solutions is grateful for the opportunity to have hosted two outstanding interns through the city of Saint Paul's Right Track program this summer. Right Track provides meaningful summer internship opportunities for youth ages 14-21. Samira Hussein and Yesenia Morseth brought their energy and curiosity as they learned about the the county and the local workforce landscape.
Samira is a soon-to-be senior at Highland Park who previously interned at the city of Saint Paul. Her goals for this summer included developing her networking and communication skills while learning more about the functions of the county.
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Yesenia is a recent graduate from Tartan High School who plans on studying sonography in college. She was most excited to learn how programs and projects are developed behind the scenes.
Thank you, Samira and Yesenia, for your meaningful contributions this summer. We wish you both continued success on your journeys ahead!
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 CEO Next Business Institute is accepting applicants for its upcoming cohort. The no-cost program supports second-stage companies, those with 10–99 employees and over $1 million in annual revenue.
Participants gain access to expert guidance, confidential peer roundtables and up to 30 hours of advanced technical research. The program is a partnership between Ramsey, Hennepin, Dakota and Scott counties, designed to help businesses scale regionally and nationally.
Find additional information and apply at ramseycounty.us/ceonext.
 We’re thrilled to launch the 2025 Inclusive Workplaces Cohort, a 9-month peer learning journey designed to help Ramsey County employers build more inclusive and supportive workplaces. Each month, we’ll spotlight one of the participating organizations that’s leaning into this important work. This month's spotlight is Backstory Coffee Roasters, a specialty coffee roaster whose mission is to cultivate deeper connections between people by sharing their love of delicious coffee. Follow along on social media and in future WIB newsletters to see how these employers are leading by example.
Visit Ramsey County's Workforce Training Dashboard to learn more about how the county is connecting residents to the training programs needed to get people started or advancing in a career.
Providers of free or low cost workforce training programs can submit their program information for inclusion on the training dashboard through an easy to use self-submission form. The training dashboard includes nearly 100 training programs in and near Ramsey County across a wide range of in-demand industry sectors.
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 Last month, we took a local look at the Metro Area's largest-employing industry sector: Health Care & Social Assistance. This month let's zoom into this industry's in-depth sectors and what they include.
The Health Care & Social Assistance industry is broken down into four main sectors: Ambulatory Health Care Services, Hospitals, Nursing & Residential Care Facilities and Social Assistance. Each of these sectors can be detailed even more. For example, Social Assistance is broken down into Individual & Family Services; Community Food & Housing, & Emergency & Other Relief Services; Vocational Rehabilitation Services; and Child Day Care Services. Zooming into these in-depth sectors allows for a greater understanding of what makes Health Care & Social Assistance unique in the Metro Area (Table 1).
Continue reading the article by Tim O'Neill, DEED Regional Analyst.
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Yolanda McIntosh
Director of Organizational Wellbeing & Culture, Associated General Contractors of Minnesota
WIB Chair, 2025-2027, Member since 2020
The WIB is thrilled to welcome Yolanda McIntosh as its new Chair. As a leader shaped by her local upbringing, Yolanda brings deep-rooted passion and vision to the role.
“Homegrown in the Rondo Community, Ramsey County was my beginning,” Yolanda shared. “Not only as my birthplace but the birthing of where my visions for who and what I could become came to fruition. My education, my first career, and my first business (at the age of 17) all have its roots in Ramsey County.”
As Chair, Yolanda aims to build on this strong foundation by championing innovation and collaboration. Her vision is for the board to “further foster innovative ways to bridge the gap between Community and all areas of workforce, education, and economic development while expanding on the existing rich culture and experience that Ramsey County, the most diverse county in the state, has to offer.”
We look forward to Yolanda’s leadership and the continued impact of the WIB under her guidance.
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Employer of the Day
Tuesdays, 3–5 p.m., at the Roseville Library
Looking for a new job? Every Tuesday, employers will visit the Ramsey County Library in Maplewood to talk about job opportunities in their organization. Bring your resumé and your best first impression to get hired.
Featured employers:
Trainer of the Day
Thursdays, 3–5 p.m., at the Roseville Library
Meet community based, no-cost skill training programs that are recruiting participants for upcoming classes. Participating in a community based training program is a way to build an up- to-date skill set. When training is complete, get introduced to employers looking for certified trainees and start a new and rewarding career. Courses range from Automotive to IT to Healthcare and much more. See list of possible training courses here.
Featured trainers:
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 Unlocking Workforce Insights: Navigating Labor Market Information for Employers
Aug. 6, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
August's Workforce Wednesday is designed to empower employers with the tools and knowledge needed for effective workforce planning. The presentation will guide participants through accessing key labor market information on DEED’s platforms, including Regional Profiles, Occupations in Demand and Wage Data, and will offer step-by-step instructions on navigating these resources and well as a discussion with actual employers and how they leverage these resources. Employers will learn to identify critical data points such as wage benchmarks, occupational trends and regional employment patterns to enhance hiring strategies, wage setting, skills development, and how they can leverage DEED data tools.
The session will also provide an overview of DEED’s comprehensive data offerings, from demographic and economic trends to sector-specific employment statistics, helping employers monitor market shifts, address skills gaps and make data-informed decisions to remain competitive in a dynamic labor market.
Featured speakers include:
- Carson Gorecki - Regional Labor Market Analyst, Northeast Minnesota, DEED
- Luke Greiner - Regional Labor Market Analyst, Central & Southwestern MN, DEED
- Kelly Hertling - Senior Manager and HR Business Partner, L&M Radiator, Inc.
- Dustin J. Goslin - Chief Talent Officer, Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures
To register.
 Business Succession Planning
Aug. 12, 2-3 p.m.
The is an opportunity for small business owners to have a conversation with business experts and their peers. Learn from the following experts as they each give a presentation regarding business succession planning.
- Katie Heppner, MPA, Regional Director, North Central SBDC.
- Mike Paulus, Executive Director, Cass County Economic Development Corp.
- Michael Darger, Extension Specialist, University of Minnesota Extension.
- Kirsten Hagen-Kennedy, Executive Director, MN Center for Employee Ownership.
Attendees can submit a question ahead of time by emailing smallbusiness@state.mn.us.
Join the conversation.
MN Skills-Based Hiring Accelerator Workshops
Aug. 26, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at MME Group in Vadnais Heights
The Twin Cities Metro Workforce Development Boards are establishing a new partnership with Goodwill Easter-Seals, the Saint Paul Area Chamber, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber and Twin Cities SHRM for the MN Skills-Based Hiring Accelerator program. Employers can participate in a half-day in-person workshop to receive in-depth learning on:
- Rebuilding an employer's hiring process with a skills and competency-based approach by focusing on candidates’ capabilities rather than credentials.
- Improving retention by rebuilding job descriptions, interview processes, onboarding and more.
- Increasing diversity among your workforce using data-driven tools that lead to more equitable hiring processes.
- Providing networking with talent-sourcing organizations.
Following participation in a workshop, employers have access to monthly Community of Practice calls where they can dive into questions about the skills-based hiring process and receive optional one-on-one coaching from facilitators.
Visit mnskillsbased to sign up and learn more
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Ramsey County serves as a central location for jobs, attracting workers from within its borders and nearby areas. Understanding who is moving in and out of Ramsey County - and why - can help local government, non-profit agencies, and businesses better tap into and retain local talent.
As of February 2025, more people travel into Ramsey County for daily work than leave. A total of 48,000 inbound commuters work within the county borders, an increase of 1,500 commuters from 2024.
These migration and commute patterns are pivotal in maximizing regional workforce opportunities. Ramsey County and its partners have invested significant time, funding and effort in building on these patterns to assist workforce development now and in the future.
Continue to the full article.
As Ramsey County’s workforce evolves, understanding key trends is crucial for fostering a thriving and resilient economy. Throughout 2025, these articles will explore the critical workforce trends shaping our communities. The trends were presented by Erin Olson, Senior Director of Strategic Research at RealTime Talent at the Top Trends to Watch in 2025 in Ramsey County’s Workforce Landscape webinar in February.
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