 Top Left: Newly remodeled second floor; Top Right: New employee kitchen/lounge; Bottom: DC Group located on 1977 West River Road North, Minneapolis, MN 55411
Since 1991, DC Group
has been providing uninterruptible power supply (UPS) service and maintenance
to clients, including government buildings, hospitals, and Fortune 500
companies, across the United States and Canada. The technology boom of the
1990s created a need for DC Group’s clients to constantly stay connected to a
power source – something that provided an ideal platform for the company’s
present growth. Over the past five years, DC Group has doubled their revenue in
addition to making Inc.’s 5000 2015 list of America’s
fastest-growing private companies eight years in a row.
DC Group’s growth (and drive for more) led to a nearly $9
million expansion that began in 2014. At the company’s North Minneapolis
headquarters, they added 25,000 square feet of office and warehouse space and
renovated the office’s exterior and interior. DC Group’s expansion couldn’t
have happened without support from the City. They were the first recipient of
the City of Minneapolis’ Grow
North funding, a financial incentive focused on bringing jobs and businesses to North Minneapolis. In addition, they were one of the first recipients of the
State
of Minnesota’s Job Creation Fund from the Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development (DEED). DEED also provided a contamination
cleanup grant. Additional financial assistance from the City included
Two-Percent and Business Development Fund loans and tax increment financing.
The new construction was completed in June 2015, and with
the larger and revamped office and warehouse space, DC Group expects to add over
30 new jobs in the next few years, increase the number of clients they are able
to serve, and looks to provide service to more regions of North America,
including Mexico.
 Top: The ground breaking of the Eastside Food Co-op took place on August 17, 2015; Bottom left: Community members at the Co-op ground breaking event; Bottom Right: The Co-op works with over 20 local farmers to provide fresh produce.
Eastside Food Co-op,
located at 2551 Central Avenue NE, has been bringing local, organic and
fair-trade groceries to the Audubon Park neighborhood since December 2003. In
produce alone, Eastside works with over 20 local farmers, including Featherstone Farm and Wisconsin Growers. In
addition, many of their dairy, meats, and bulk products come from local farms
and vendors, including Lone Grazer
Creamery, Thousand Hills
Beef and Pastures-A-Plenty.
With goals to provide access to healthy food, lessen
environmental impact, and strengthen the surrounding neighborhoods, for every $1.00
spent at Eastside Co-op, $1.60 is put back into the community. Currently,
Eastside has 5,200 member-owners. The co-op emphasizes participation in events
and programs, including the Northeast Farmer’s Market, the Cultivate Northeast
community garden, and Open-Streets in addition to providing support for 84
organizations last year.
Eastside has continued to grow annually since its opening, increasing
from $2 million in yearly sales in 2003 to $8 million in 2014. This growth led
Eastside to begin a $6.7 million expansion this year, which will include a full
deli, community room, coffee bar, and an improved produce and bulk section. They
purchased the adjacent property, which they received a Great
Streets Real Estate Gap Financing Loan for. The expansion is expected to be
completed by spring 2016, and Eastside expects a 30 percent sales increase in
addition to bringing an improved streetscape along Central Avenue.
Give us your feedback by taking the survey today!
 New wayfinding elements on the Midtown Greenway
Have you been on the Midtown
Greenway recently and seen any of the new wayfinding elements? Through October, a series of temporary street design experiments are installed along
the greenway. The project is the result
of a partnership between the City of Minneapolis Community Planning and
Economic Development, Urban Design team and Hennepin County Midtown Community
Works to analyze and examine placemaking strategies to better connect Greenway
Users with destinations on East Lake Street.
We invite you to take a ride or
walk on the greenway and check out the creative signage on fences, bridges and
walls; painted icons and other designs on the pavement; new bike racks; and seating
and games. Then tell us what you think by taking a short online survey here. Your
feedback is critical in supporting enhancements to the Midtown Greenway.
 Photo Source: Ajith George
September brought with it the last of the eight Open Streets Minneapolis events that
were attended by over 65,000 people throughout Minneapolis this summer. Open
Streets Minneapolis brings together community groups and local businesses to
temporarily close major thoroughfares to car traffic, and open them up for
people walking, biking, and skating. This community event is in its fifth year,
and is co-sponsored by the City of Minneapolis.
More than a street festival, Open Streets Minneapolis gives residents an
opportunity to explore their neighborhood and local businesses in a safe, fun,
and family-friendly way. It encourages the use of active transportation and
healthy living, and has a goal of giving residents an opportunity to rethink
our streets as public space.
Open Streets Minneapolis events took place this year in all quadrants of
Minneapolis, and in Downtown. Open Streets Minneapolis is an initiative of the
Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, presented by the Center for Prevention at Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), and is co-sponsored by the
City of Minneapolis.
Meet Catabriea White, Current PRIME Student
Current student of PRIME Digital Academy, Catabriea White
Launched by Twin Cities-based software company The Nerdery in March 2015, PRIME Digital Academy is an intensive
computer programming course that can turn those with minimal computer knowledge
into entry level software engineers through its 18-week program. The tech
industry is currently facing both an increasing need and a shortage of software
engineers - and PRIME’s main goal is to fix that. With a strong emphasis on
career skills as well as technical skills, PRIME partners with many Twin Cities-based
IT employers such as 3M, Olson, and GovDelivery
to host apprenticeships, provide feedback, mentor students, and hire PRIME
graduates.
PRIME also recognizes the need for more women in tech
careers, offering a $500 grant to each female student accepted to the program.
Catabriea White is a current female PRIME student and will graduate this month.
A mother of two from Ramsey, Minnesota, Catabriea saw PRIME as an ideal option
for getting her foot in the door of the technology field. Although at first she
was intimidated by the tech industry, she applied to the program knowing the
opportunities it would bring her. With her passion for learning, PRIME proved
to be a perfect fit, giving her a strong foundation in HTML/CSS, Javascript,
jQuery, AngularJS, and Node.js while increasing her confidence and providing
her with a supportive community.
Named a TechHire city by President Obama this March, the
City of Minneapolis is a supporter of PRIME as part of the initiative, offering
scholarships for low-income PRIME students. Applicants that are interested in
attending a future cohort must fill out the PRIME application and request
scholarship assistance, and if they qualify, will be connected to the City
through PRIME.
 Top Left: Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges congratulates West Broadway Farmers Market on 5 Years of Success; Top Right: Members of the community shopping at the farmers market; Bottom: (from left to right) Dr. Tara Watson, Mayor Hodges, and DeVon Nolen performing the ceremonial "tomato cutting."
With goals to grow social capital, public space in North
Minneapolis, and local food businesses, the West
Broadway Business and Area Coalition (WBC) began the West Broadway Farmers Market (WBFM)
five years ago as a strategy to increase access to healthy food options,
increase neighborhood vitality, and support the local food economy. Since its
beginning, the farmer’s market has experienced a notable
growth: the average number of vendors has increased from four to 14, and they
have already served 10,000 customers just this year.
On September 22, WBC recognized the farmer’s market five
years of success during a celebration with Mayor Betsy Hodges, WBC Board
President Dr. Tara Watson, and Project Manager DeVon Nolen. The celebration
also included a ceremonial “tomato cutting,” and a 30-minute program with drumming
from Voice of
Culture Drum and Dance and a cooking demonstration from Breaking Bread Cafe.
Because of the growth they’ve experienced, WBC is looking
for a permanent structure to for the farmer’s market in the future.
Friday, September 11 Named Sustainable Housing Day in Minneapolis
 Photo Source: Nneka Njoku.
On Friday, September 25, Aeon
Developers hosted a grand opening ceremony marking the completion of The Rose, a 90-unit mixed-income apartment
building in the Phillips neighborhood. Located in one of Minneapolis’ most
underserved areas, The Rose comes with a 10-year push by developers and the
City to revitalize the four corners at the intersection of Franklin and
Portland (also known as the South Quarter.)
In the early 2000s, the South Quarter was occupied by a gas
station and vacant lots, facing serious problems of drug trafficking and prostitution.
However, the community had a desire to transform the corner into something
useful and in 2003, when Hope
Community Inc. bought a plot of land and built 36 units of affordable
housing, a chain of new development began to take place with City investment. Following
that, Aeon and Hope formed a partnership to build two more apartments at the
intersection of Franklin and Portland: the Jourdain in 2005 (which contained 41
units of almost all affordable housing) and the Wellstone in 2007 (containing
49 units of both affordable and market-rate housing).
The completion of the Rose by Aeon and Hope marks the final
development of the South Quarter. Nationally recognized as an example for
ultra-sustainable housing, incorporating healthy materials and energy
efficiency into its design, the Rose provides a new standard for affordable living.
Over 100 WorkForce Professionals Attend
 Top: Community Planning and Economic Development Director D. Craig Taylor welcomes attendees.; Bottom: An exhibitor shares information with conference participants.
On September 29th, CPED Director D. Craig Taylor welcomed
attendees to the Minneapolis Services-to-Adults Conference. Minneapolis Employment and Training hosted
this first-ever conference for its large network of employment and training
service providers who work with adults (including young adults ages 18-24).
The daylong event held at the Minneapolis Central Library brought
together staff from the programs funded by Minneapolis Works, Minneapolis Youth
Works, Train-to-Career, Dislocated Worker and WIOA Adult. The 100+ participants also included those
from organizations that don’t have current contracts with Minneapolis
Employment and Training but have applied to become future providers.
The conference offered the participants an opportunity to network and to
learn through an inspiring keynote address and workshops on current and
emerging issues, best practices and the challenges facing employment and
training professionals.
Attendee Marlene Schoenberg from
Accent Wisdom said, “It was an inspirational day which
will filter down to our clients. I
learned a lot and felt energized!”
Exhibitors from Housing, Health, Training, Financial, Digital,
Re-Entry, and other sectors shared resources that conference goers can use to
assist their clients in many aspects of their lives.
The second annual North Minneapolis Job and Resource Fair, serving
Minneapolis area businesses and the north side community, attracted more than
200 jobseekers. The September 16th outdoor event was held from
3:00 p.m. to
7:00 p.m. at the Minneapolis North Workforce Center.
Exhibitor turnout more than doubled from last year. In total, 58 businesses and resource
providers engaged with local jobseekers while Workforce Center staff provided
event concierge services, including a booth for resume’ review and application
assistance.
The North Minneapolis Workforce Center provides jobseeker services
on-site each Monday- Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Services offered
include job search and resume’ help, computer and fax machine access, career
counselor assistance and workshops; all at no cost. A schedule is available here.
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