 Some of Wholesoul's menu. Left: Wings and More; Top Right: Fried Mac and Cheese Balls; Bottom Right: Soultadas
Wholesoul Eatery started
in 2014 from Kathleen Johnson’s family long time mission to better health and
eating habits. She and her two
daughters cook and serve soulful recipes for all cultures and ages, such as
Veggie Mac & 8 cheeses, Wholesoulified chopped house salad, Wings That’ll
Make You Sing, and their signature Katfish menu items.
Kathleen’s knowledge of the music industry translated to Wholesoul
Eatery by bringing her food to Live music events and artists. Thanks to the Northside Economic Opportunity
Network (NEON), a provider of the City of
Minneapolis’ Business Technical Assistance Program (B-TAP), Wholesoul received assistance via an entrepreneurs
training course, securing a small business start-up loan from the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), and
partnering with the Black Chamber of
Commerce (BCC) to cover half the amount of the mobile unit.
Among her notable accomplishments, Kathleen was a back up
vocalist at Paisley Park and on tour with opening act for Prince who was respected
and impressed by her talent and Wholesoul.
In return he also allowed Wholesoul
as the official cooks for ‘Paisley Park after dark” and VIP caterers for his
sold-out release performances of “Piano and a mic” at Paisley Park.
 STEP-UP interns at their worksites
STEP-UP kicked off its 13th summer on June 20 with 1,700 Minneapolis
youth and young adults ages 14-21 starting their paid summer internships at
over 230 participating government agencies, nonprofits, and corporations
throughout the Twin Cities metro area.
“Today the City of Minneapolis gained a whole lot of genius,” said
Mayor Betsy Hodges. “Each and every one of our new interns has unique talents
they bring to the table; we are so excited to have them join our team.”
Created in 2004, STEP-UP has provided nearly 21,000 internship
opportunities for Minneapolis youth and young adults who face some of the
greatest barriers to employment including youth from families of lower economic
backgrounds, youth of color, and youth with disabilities.
A graduation celebration will be held on August 18 for all interns,
supervisors and other program supporters at the Guthrie Theater. To learn more
about STEP-UP visit here.
 Program participants asking many questions during a class session. Photo credit: Jorge Amerigo
The City of Minneapolis’ Business Technical
Assistance Program (B-TAP) added Comunidades
Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) as a new service provider in April 2016
to keep up with the demand for business assistance in the Latino Community. Since
then, many entrepreneurs have stepped forward seeking assistance from CLUES in
owning, maintaining or expanding a Minneapolis business.
CLUES opened their Lake Street location in 1991 and have
been continuously expanding to benefit the local Latino community. Through
B-TAP, CLUES offers one-on-one technical assistance including business
knowledge assessments, financial coaching, budgeting and credit building.
CLUES has given thousands
inside and outside of the Twin Cities’ Latino community access to countless
resources for economic sustainability, personal enhancement, and community
engagement since they first opened with a Mental Health Services Center in West
St. Paul in 1981. Since then, CLUES has expanded services to provide assistance
in financial empowerment, job search, employment and education, and senior and
youth services among many others.
 Amazing Place: Six Cities Using the New Recipe for Economic Development is a new report by Smart Growth America detailing six US cities, including Minneapolis, which are changing the way they recruit companies and residents to live and work. Not using a model of tax breaks and subsidies to strictly gain employers, these cities are investing in neighborhoods where coffee shops, restaurants, nightlife, culture centers, public transit, affordable living places, and gathering spaces are all within walking distance.
Many businesses from new startups and manufacturers to Fortune 500 companies are moving towards places that can enhance quality of life for their employees. In turn, they locate to cities with potential for high-quality employees in high-quality living places.
Other cities following this strategy are Boise, ID; Pittsburgh, PA; Greenville, SC; Nashville, TN; and Denver, CO. These smart growth strategies have worked in bigger cities such as New York City and San Francisco.
|
The City of Minneapolis has completed an analysis of its foreclosure
recovery investments made from 2008-2014. The Foreclosure Recovery Analysis was
completed by Corporate F.A.C.T.S., a national consultant to the Local
Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and funded by National LISC. In that
period, the City of Minneapolis invested approximately $115 million to support
its foreclosure recovery efforts.
The results from Minneapolis investments were impressive. Over 1,620
homeowners received home improvement loans, 429 housing units were created, 710
homeowners received down payment assistance, 266 new homeowners received first
mortgage financing, and 477 vacant or abandoned residential properties were acquired
for redevelopment.
“The foreclosure crisis was devastating for so many Minneapolis
residents, especially those living on the Northside who were hit the hardest
and who had matters complicated by the 2011 tornado,” said Council President
Barbara Johnson. “I am so proud of the work we did as a City to assist
thousands of residents to keep their homes and become homeowners during these
difficult years.”
To see the full report, visit the City of Minneapolis website.
 The women only IT Ready cohort graduated from EMERGE
EMERGE, a Minneapolis Employment and Training service provider since
1986, provides individual job coaching and a suite of services to youth and
adults at its North Minneapolis and Cedar Riverside locations. Seven job
counselors help those seeking employment and/or training by removing barriers,
matching job seekers with employers, work readiness training, career
exploration, mock interviewing, retention maintenance, transportation
assistance, and provision of interview and work clothes. Minneapolis Employment
and Training also funds individualized train-to-career programs, and an IT
Ready training at EMERGE (part of MSP TechHire).
EMERGE’s approach meets people where they are, partners with them, and
ensures that their job search matches their goals and priorities. It has
recently adopted a “rolling” cohort model for HIRE Ground, a
self-exploration/work readiness workshop which is flexible and responsive,
allowing a participant to join the class any day of the week. The curriculum is
project based and participants can work on projects at their own pace.
EMERGE is proud of its culturally appropriate job readiness workshops
for the East African population served in Cedar Riverside and of the success of
its recent IT Ready women only cohort that 19 women finished.
This year, Minneapolis Employment and Training selected EMERGE as a
BUILD Leaders program partner to train disenfranchised young adults, ages
18-24, to teach youth violence prevention skills to children in North
Minneapolis.
Results of EMERGE’s Minneapolis Employment and Training programs from
June 2015 – June 2016:
- 473 clients were served.
- 206 were placed in jobs.
- 39 successfully completed training.
- 27 received industry-recognized credentials or
certificates.
- 161 attended work readiness classes.
- 64% of placements are making $12.00 an hour or
above.
Read more about EMERGE’s successes in the 2015
Annual Report.
 Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, Minneapolis Downtown Council President and CEO Steve Cramer, President and CEO of Meet Minneapolis Melvin Tennant, City Council President Barbara Johnson, City Council Member Lisa Goodman, and City Council Member Jacob Frey attending Nicollet Mall press conference on June 15.
At a press conference on June 15, Minneapolis Mayor, Betsy Hodges;
Minneapolis Downtown Council President and CEO, Steve Cramer; President and CEO
of Meet Minneapolis, Melvin Tennant; City Council President Barbara Johnson; and
City Council Members Lisa Goodman and Jacob Frey along with members of the Nicollet Mall Implementation Committee announced a three-phase
process by which Nicollet Mall will be finished, with substantial completion by
the end of 2017 and finishing touches in spring/summer of 2018.
“With Nicollet Mall serving as a centerpiece, we continue to
create a highly attractive, world-class, 21st-century city,” said Mayor Hodges.
In addition, Cramer announced the launch of The Minneapolis Big Build,
a development campaign led by the Minneapolis Downtown Council, Minneapolis
Downtown Improvement District and Meet Minneapolis. This campaign showcases the
more than a dozen major projects that are transforming the city and represent a
total investment of approximately $2 billion.
For more details, visit the Minneapolis
Big Build website. For more information on the Nicollet Mall Project, click
here.
The City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and Minnesota’s Department of
Employment and Economic Development, in collaboration with our community
partners, invite you to a conversation on inclusive hiring. Leaders whose
specialties encompass diversity and organizational development will share their
experience, challenges, and vision through dialogue with business services
professionals.
Wednesday, July 13, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
South Minneapolis Workforce Center, 777 East Lake Street, Minneapolis
A light breakfast will be provided.
Free parking is available in the Workforce Center surface lot. Please
check in at the main floor reception desk. Meeting will take place on the second level, in
Room 207.
 City of Minneapolis Employment and
Training recently developed a Guide to Inclusive Hiring for employers
interested in exploring and evolving their hiring systems. Employers use the
guide to proactively plan for talent acquisition by tapping into proven
strategies and tactics.
Inclusive hiring is powered by
diverse approaches to talent acquisition. Today’s successful organizations
expand networks and design customized approaches to cultivate inclusion. The
Guide offers employers a template for building on successful tactics, while
also analyzing critical, higher-level factors. It serves as a hands-on
tool for evaluating organizational performance along a spectrum, with leading
practices clearly defined. The hiring cycle is broken into five components:
planning, sourcing, evaluating, hiring and retaining.
The Guide may be viewed, downloaded and
printed here.
|
|
