 Left: Dwight Alexander, Smoke in the Pit co-owner; Right (top to bottom): Smoke in the Pit famous Mac and Cheese and Brisket and Wings. (Photo Credit: Smoke in the Pit)
In 1998, husband-wife duo Dwight and Ivy Alexander first
opened doors to their barbeque restaurant, Smoke
in the Pit. Famous for their smoked ribs and wings, the restaurant was a
hit in the community. Unfortunately, after just two years in business, the
Alexanders lost the lease to their restaurant space and decided to close.
This didn’t curb the Alexanders' interest in making
delicious barbeque. While Dwight was running a catering business on the side,
he built up a large enough clientele that made the Alexanders reconsider going
back into the restaurant business. Ivy began researching small business funding
programs and wrote a new-and-improved business plan for Smoke in the Pit. They
discovered the Metropolitan Consortium of
Community Developers (MCCD) program, Open to Business,
which connected them to Two percent loans
from MCCD and the City’s department of Community Planning and Economic
Development (CPED). This assistance allowed the couple to reopen Smoke in
the Pit in April 2013 on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.
Smoke in the Pit hit yet another road bump when the owner of
their new building put it up for sale. This time around, MCCD and CPED stepped
in to jointly fund the real estate purchase, which closed in March of 2016. With
the stability of owning the restaurant space, the Alexanders plan to bottle and
sell their barbeque sauce, reestablish their catering business and potentially
add a second location.
 May is National Historic Preservation Month! The City of
Minneapolis department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) is
calling all photographers to participate in a photo contest to celebrate the
historic resources that make our city a special place to live. Minneapolis has
170 locally designated landmarks and 15 historic districts. Capture the
characteristics of these places for a chance to be featured in the City of
Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission’s annual report, the City’s
Heritage Preservation website, and other CPED websites. Rule alert, all
photos should not contain identifiable people.
To enter the contest, post your photo on Instagram, Twitter,
or Facebook with the hashtag #MPLSpresevation by Tuesday, May 31. By entering,
submissions may be used by the City of Minneapolis in future prints and digital
publications, with proper credit to the photographer. Winners will be announced
in early June.
View map of
Minneapolis Landmarks and Districts
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 Gene Gelgelu, Executive Director, AEDS
African Economic Development
Solutions (AEDS) opened its doors in 2008 with goals to support economic
development for African immigrants in the Twin Cities and Metro area. The organization
does so by helping break down the cultural and language barriers that many
African immigrants face through business development training, loan access, homeownership,
and creative place making through art and culture. By doing so, the
organization hopes to achieve their ultimate mission of building wealth within
African immigrant communities, namely the Oromo and Somali populations, in the
Twin Cities and Metro area.
AEDS also acts as a link between their clients and outside
resources. They’ve helped individuals and businesses connect with City of
Minneapolis – Community Planning and Economic Development programs including the
Homeownership
Opportunity Minneapolis Program (HOM) and the Business Technical
Assistance Program (B-TAP).
In addition to technical and financial assistance, AEDS
supports marketing and creative place making through an initiative called Little Africa. This initiative
encompasses a façade improvement program, public art initiatives, and
sponsorship of community events. The ultimate goal of Little Africa is to highlight
the diverse businesses and cultural assets and art of African immigrant
populations.
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On Thursday, April 28th, Kraus-Anderson staff, partners, future
building tenants and special guests like Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges joined
together to celebrate the groundbreaking for its new headquarters in downtown
Minneapolis. The five-story, 100,000 square-foot building will be located on 8th Street and 5th Avenue and will host approximately 300 employees. Designed
by Pope Architects, the project has three development components – the corporate
home office building, a residential apartment tower, and a Brewtel (Hotel,
Microbrewery, and Event Center). Planned
amenities include a fitness center, educational training center, rooftop deck,
cafeteria, formal and informal meeting areas, and an appealing, well-landscaped
exterior. The City of Minneapolis
provides grant management service for the $761,106 pass-through DEED
Contamination Cleanup Grant Program (CCGP) awarded to the Kraus-Anderson Block project.
Kraus-Anderson has been headquartered in downtown
Minneapolis since 1897. During the new construction, Kraus-Anderson staff will
be moving into a temporary facility located at 3433 Broadway Street
Northeast. Occupancy of the new building
is expected in late 2017.
On Wednesday, May 10,
Wells Fargo committed $5 million to expand NeighborWorks America’s
NeighborhoodLIFT program to help boost homeownership in the Twin Cities. First
launched in 2012, NeighborhoodLIFT offers homebuyer education and down payment
assistance grants up to $7,500 for eligible homebuyers. The 2016 program is
expected to create 450 additional homeowners with goals to make homeownership
more affordable and to strengthen Twin Cities’ neighborhoods.
To be eligible for a
grant, annual incomes must not exceed 80 percent of the local area median
income (around $68,650 for a family of four). Approved homebuyers have up to 60
days to finalize a contract to purchase a home in Minneapolis or St. Paul, and must
commit to live in the home for three years to reserve the full grant amount.
Prospective homebuyers
can attend the free homebuyer event on June 10-11, 10 am – 7 pm at Minneapolis
Hyatt Regency at 1300 Nicollet Mall. Those interested can register at www.neighborhoodLIFT.com or call 866-858-2151. Pre-registration is
recommended for an opportunity to reserve a grant, but walk-ins will be welcome
while funds are available.
 May 5 launched the season’s first Downtown Farmers Market,
themed: Bring your Produce to Work. Opening day featured
14 vendors, sun and rain, with scores of people around the Government Center
South Plaza, nibbling on cinnamon nuts, taking giant bites of even giant-er
T-Rex cookies, buying garden plants and baskets of hanging flowers, stocking up
on supplies like breads, local honey and homemade soaps, and purchasing fresh
produce for dinner.
More vendors will come to the market every week, as the
freshest, best foods are plucked from farms just down local roads and brought
smack into the center of the city. Every Thursday will bring something
new, beautiful and delicious, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine.
Share your Farmers Market photos at #MplsFarmMarket on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Discover
all Minneapolis Farmers Markets!
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 On Wednesday, April 20, more than 50 people attended the
City of Minneapolis’ presentation announcing the expansion of its Business Technical
Assistance Program (B-TAP) to include services aimed at supporting the
development of new Minneapolis co-operatives through the new Co-operative Technical
Assistance Program (C-TAP). C-TAP
was officially launched during a “State of Co-ops in Minneapolis” event hosted
by City staff at Open Book.
The "State of Co-ops in Minneapolis" presentation provided
information and resources to current co-ops and those interested in developing
one. C-TAP has a goal to use the co-op model for maximum community benefits and
to do so C-TAP will offer assistance to groups interested in forming new
co-ops in Minneapolis including feasibility classes, technical assistance to
redefine feasibility, board member and organizational design, and technical
assistance for co-op retention and expansion.
On Wednesday, May 11, the first C-TAP feasibility class focused on introducing participants to the co-op business model. Over the course of the next seven classes
attendees will develop a business plan, learn financials, governance, and the
co-op legal framework. They will also be
introduced to the building community and graduate in a better position to
evaluate or refine their co-op model.
 Minneapolis
2040, the three-year process to update the City’s comprehensive plan, is
officially up and running! Minneapolis 2040 is an opportunity to shape the
future of our city, guiding changes to the built, natural, and economic
development.
At
the April 2 Community Connections Conference, and in a message posted on the project web site, Mayor Betsy Hodges extended an invitation
for everyone to get involved. The mayor said, “Your engagement is a truly
crucial part of this process. To build a stronger, more sustainable, more
equitable Minneapolis, we need to hear from Minneapolis. Whether you are a
resident, a business owner, a developer, or anyone else with an interest in
growing our city the right way, you will have an opportunity to provide your
input. Please take that opportunity.”
To
get involved, please visit minneapolis2040.com, where you can
engage interactively on the future of Minneapolis, including an initial survey about how you would
like to be engaged and a chance to post your big ideas for growth
in Minneapolis.
You can also learn about in-person opportunities to make your voice heard. Be
sure to also sign up
for email updates
and follow @mpls2040 on Twitter. We look
forward to hearing from you!
On Saturday, April 30, over 500 teens, many with parents in
tow, descended on the Minneapolis Central Library for the
10th annual Minneapolis Teen Job and Opportunity Fair.
The teens, dressed in their best, took advantage of the
opportunity to connect with 40 exhibitors
offering training, employment, and volunteer experiences.
One hundred teens attended one or more of the workshops
offered at the fair. In the ‘Get a Job Now’ workshop teens learned how to
conduct a job search and land a job from Minneapolis North WorkForce Center and
EMERGE Community Development staff. The ‘Who We Hire’ session that was
conducted by the Minneapolis Youth Congress featured a panel of employers who gave
advice on how young people can leave a positive impression when applying for a
job. Attendees also learned how to dress professionally at two ‘Pro Up to Glow
Up’ fashion shows created and coordinated by Aveda Institute and the
Minneapolis Youth Congress.
Hennepin County librarians were on hand to help teens fill
out online resumes and with resources for their employment searches.
The Teen Job Fair was produced by City of Minneapolis
Community Planning and Economic Development , Hennepin County, Hennepin County
Library, AchieveMpls, Minneapolis WorkForce Centers, Lunds and Byerlys,
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Youth Congress, Minneapolis
Youth Coordinating Board, EMERGE, East Side Neighborhood Services, and Aveda
Institute.
City of Minneapolis Employment and Training, using funds
from the state of Minnesota targeted toward career advising, is partnering with
the Minneapolis Workforce Centers to deliver career advising workshops to high
school students.
On April 23, 20
students attended the first set of workshops. The students in this group were
youth who had applied for the STEP-UP summer
employment program but were unable to attend the required work readiness
training.
Using the Career EdVenture curriculum, the workshops
provided a second chance for students to explore career interests using current
assessment tools and coaching. In addition, the three-hour sessions allowed the
participants to learn effective job search and networking strategies, interview
techniques and update or develop a resume that highlights their skills. All
workshop participants received individualized coaching and feedback and left
the session with three current job leads that fit their skills and interests.
Additional workshops are scheduled in June.
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