Partner Profile: East Side Neighborhood Services
 East Side Neighborhood Service students tour a bike manufacturing plant for their forklift certification class.
East Side Neighborhood Services (ESNS), organized
in 1915, is a nonprofit human service agency that provides services to
individuals, families and the communities of primarily Northeast and Southeast
Minneapolis.
ESNS has partnered with Minneapolis Employment
and Training to provide personalized career guidance, skills training, and
job search services to adults since 1982, and to young people since 2006.
Adult employment services include:
- Soft skills development, job search services, and work readiness workshops
(computer basics, online job search, online application)
- Financial literacy workshops
- Free computer lab access for participants
- Technical training that yields industry-recognized credentials for Forklift/Bobcat,
ServSafe, and First Aid/CPR
- Career Pathways Training for Certified Nursing Assistant, Child
Development Associate, and Leadership in Hospitality
Thirty-four of the 69 adults served during the last program year found
employment and twelve earned industry recognized credentials.
ESNS assists youth and young adults ages 14-24 to identify their
strengths, cultivate their career interests, and secure employment with:
- Goal setting
- Work readiness training
- Linkages to credentialed training (ServSafe, CNA, CDA, Doula,
Forklift/Bobcat)
- Paid internships
- Career pathways exploration in IT and Hospitality
- One-on-one job placement/case management
Twenty-five of the 66 youth served during the last program year found
employment. Five youth received industry recognized credentials while others
entered post-secondary and advanced training.
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Jason Hernandez's career path has taken some twists and turns, most notably going from being a music teacher at a catholic school in Excelsior to a technical user support analyst at Medtronic. He was searching for a change of career when he saw an ad for IT-Ready -- a CompTIA A+ certification training program from the Creating IT Futures Foundation, a partner of the MSP TechHire Initiative. He applied immediately.
Once accepted, Jason’s prior computer knowledge of recording software and gaming computers was challenged and expanded. He found the collaborative environment stimulating and helpful in preparing for the CompTIA A+ certification exam.
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He also appreciated how the program immersed its students in the professional realm by requiring business casual dress. IT-Ready’s additional focus on soft skills such as interviewing and public speaking were especially helpful.
Upon graduation, Jason landed a job at Medtronic where he is constantly learning about new programs and is fixing everything from quick computer problems to software application errors.
To learn more about the MSP TechHire initiative and its partners click here.
Over 800 Attend End of Summer Celebration Event at the Guthrie Theater
 (Top) Employer of the Year award winners represented by Jennie Carlson of U.S. Bank and Matt Halley of Cookie Cart. (Bottom Left) Supervisor of the year presenters and winners from left to right: R.T. Rybak, President and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation; Christine Kim of Briggs and Morgan, Anthony Emmanuel of Hope Community; Meghann Gordon of Commonbond Communities; Allison Berg of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota; Richard Davis, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Bank. (Bottom Right) Mayor Betsy Hodges.
On Thursday, August 18, STEP-UP hosted its 13th annual End of Summer
Celebration at the Guthrie Theater. Over 800 STEP-UP interns,
supervisors, employers and supporters gathered and filled the room with
excitement as they celebrated nearly 1,700 internships.
At the event, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and STEP-UP co-chairs R.T. Rybak former Mayor and current President and CEO of The
Minneapolis Foundation; and Richard Davis,
Chairman and CEO of U.S. Bank; announced the 2016 Employer, Intern and
Supervisor of the Year awards.
The Employer of the Year award winners were Cookie Cart, a STEP-UP
partner since 2010, employing over 200 STEP-UP interns to date, and U.S. Bank,
a STEP-UP partner since the program’s founding in 2004, employing 346 interns
during this time.
Supervisor of the Year award winners were Anthony Emmanuel, Hope Community; Meghann Gordon, Commonbond Communities; Allison Berg, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota; and Christine Kim, Briggs and Morgan. Intern of the Year award winners were Mahamed Abdulahi, City of Lakes Community Land Trust; Sephania Coria, CLUES; Simon Rendon, University of Minnesota; and Ashley Yang, City of Minneapolis.
The event was hosted by a STEP-UP Alumnus Aajaze Davis with reflections
from two current STEP-UP interns. The celebration featured performances by
IntermediaArts and the Patrick Henry High School Elite Step Team.
Learn
more about STEP-UP
In August, the
City of Minneapolis announced they reached another milestone; surpassing the $1 billion mark for approved construction faster than any
previous year on record. This is the fifth consecutive year that Minneapolis
has had more than $1 billion in construction projects approved since 2000 based
on the value of permits issued for the year.
The construction activity derives from a
variety of sources demonstrating the strength and vibrancy of the city’s
economy. Housing development continues
to play a major role as the influx of people wanting to move into the city is
evident in the many multi-story apartment buildings currently underway
including the Lennar mix-use development at 315 1st
Avenue South and the new apartments and townhouses being built at 100 Hennepin
Avenue. Other large projects include
major new developments or remodels at institutions such as HCMC, the Veterans
Home, Target Center, and Mount Olivet Church.
The top 10 projects by permit valuation this
year include:
- Hennepin
County Outpatient Center at 715 8th Street South valued at $134,858,902
- Nordhaus at
315 1st Avenue NE valued at $74,935,127
- Veterans Home
Building at 5101 Minnehaha Avenue valued at $50,029,466
- Target Center
Remodel at 600 1st Avenue North
valued at $42,196,846
- Minneapolis
Regional Service Center at 3029 22nd Avenue South valued at $36,290,614
- Maverick at
100 Hennepin Avenue valued at $31,925,920
- Kraus Anderson
Block Parking Garage at 523 8th Street South valued at $24,500,000
- Mt. Olivet
Care View at 5517 Lyndale Avenue South valued at $23,820,654
- Augsburg
College, Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion at 700 21st
Avenue South valued at $23,500,000
- Baker Building
at 706 2nd Avenue South valued at $21,884,864
Read the full media advisory online.
Silicon North Stars Tour Top Tech Companies in California
 The
City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program partnered for a third year with the Silicon
North Stars, a nonprofit organization founded by Google directors Steve and
Mary Grove.
Silicon
North Stars is an experiential education program that gives a group
of high-potential incoming ninth-graders (eight from Minneapolis STEP-UP and
eight from St. Paul high schools) the opportunity to spend a week in
California's Silicon Valley, learning about technology from some of the top
tech companies and startups in the world.
Steve Grove, who
grew up in Northfield, Minnesota said, “We felt like we can make the biggest
impact with students who show a lot of promise but may not have as much
opportunity.”
The group spent the
week of July 31st visiting Google, Facebook, YouTube, GoPro, and a Venture
Capital Firm. They also toured Stanford University and met with industry
mentors who worked with them on goal setting. Mid-week the youth shifted
gears and learned about design thinking and created a tech solution to a
problem posed to them. At the end of the week they pitched their start-up ideas
to Silicon Valley tech leaders at an event in San Francisco. The youth will
continue to have quarterly meetings in the Twin Cities throughout high school.
Anna
Peterson, Director of STEP-UP chaperoned the trip. “The youth come out of
their shells and shift their thinking throughout the week. They begin to
focus on innovation and big dreams, and they start to believe in all
possibilities for their futures.”
 As Minneapolis grows, one of the most encouraging
transformations has been the emergence of active and productive uses where
parking lots once existed. Minneapolis’ growth strategy includes encouraging
robust investment in the core of the city. While Minneapolis can be proud of
its lively downtown, City policies and the Downtown
2025 Plan envision an even brighter future for those parts of downtown that
have been dominated by parking lots.
The City of Minneapolis restricted the establishment or
expansion of parking lots in the downtown area beginning in 1999. Since that time, the public, private, and
non-profit sectors have expanded the range of options for arriving downtown
without a personal automobile. Council Member Lisa Goodman, who authored the City’s
downtown surface parking ordinance, noted, “After much of our downtown fabric
suffered from years of buildings being torn down for surface parking, we said
‘enough is enough.’ People have been steadily repurposing existing buildings
and replacing parking lots with more productive uses. Our strategy has been
extremely effective, but more work remains.”
Council Member Jacob Frey also added, “We went to war on surface
parking lots, and I’m proud to say we’re winning! A previous ocean of
nothingness is being transformed to a vibrant urban paradise with mixed use
development, public realm improvement, and excitement. We promised a rocking
downtown, and we are delivering.”
CPED staff has mapped a 10-year snapshot of the
disappearance of downtown parking lots, from 2006 to 2016.
 Photo by Bordner Aerials, courtesy of the City of Minneapolis.
The City of
Minneapolis (City) and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) are seeking a creative and skilled real estate developer to partner in redevelopment
of the Upper Harbor Terminal (UHT) site, Phase 1. UHT is a 48-acre, former shipping
terminal property located on the west bank of the river between 33rd
Avenue N. and about 40th Avenue N., just a few miles from downtown.
Redevelopment
of the site is a high priority for the City and the MPRB because of its potential
to address some of the long-standing disparities faced in this area, plus there
is potential to create significant park and destination amenities to put the North
Side of Minneapolis on par with other areas of the city. Work along the upper
river follows upon the highly successful redevelopment of the central
riverfront near downtown Minneapolis, which has seen more than $2 billion in
private investment in the last few decades.
More
information about the site and development opportunity can be found here.
 DocuMNtary is a project developed by Nick Roseth and Eric Jenson to build awareness of technology in Minnesota by telling the story of tech through a documentary series. The project's objective is to help Minnesota become a top five tech community by retaining and attracting top technology talent.
The series consists of a 30-minute high-level story, and individual 5-10 minute stories from specific people, companies, industries, or other components of our ecosystem. The documentary format allows Nick and Eric to tell the world not only about our great community, innovation, and company stories, but also gives them the opportunity to talk about our great music scene, values, outdoor life, culinary wonders, and a booming craft beer industry to name just a few things that make Minnesota what it is.
The film premiere of DocuMNtary - The Story of Tech in Minnesota will be on Thursday, September 22 at 7:00pm as part of Twin Cities Startup Week following the 2016 MN Cup Final Awards Reception. To learn more about this project or to reserve tickets visit here.
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Minneapolis Urban League
2100 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis
Thursday, September 15
1-4pm
The Minneapolis Urban League will be holding a Hiring and Training Fair on Thursday, September 15 with employers hiring for health care, light and skilled industrial, customer service, and more. The event will also feature information on their training and certification programs.
Attendees should bring a government issued ID, multiple copies of their resume, and a list of professional resumes. Professional attire is required.
For more information visit their website or call 612-302-3123. The Minneapolis Urban League Hiring and Training Fair is supported by the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County.
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