 Middle, top to bottom: The Red Sea logo, people enjoying the outside patio area, sea of crowd listening to featured entertainment, one of many tasteful entrées, quiet sit-down area. (Source: The Red Sea Restaurant and Bar website)
As Minneapolis’ first Ethiopian restaurant, The Red Sea Restaurant and Bar has a
long history of serving delicious Ethiopian and Eritrea food; twenty eight
years to be exact. It doesn’t stop there. The dynamic environment of The Red
Sea also hosts live music events in a separate space, next door to the
restaurant. The two co-owners, Russom Solomon and Yohannes Zemedhin, bought The
Red Sea in 2002 and have been adapting to the growing and changing
demographics of Minneapolis ever since.
With the growing population and use of technology, Russom
and Yohannes knew they needed to take more action to meet the demand and get
the word out about their special cuisine and entertainment offerings. In 2016,
they reached out to City of Minneapolis Business
Technical Support Program (B-TAP) provider, Neighborhood
Development Center (NDC) for assistance
with their marketing strategy and kitchen updates, resulting in upgrading their
social media presence (The Red Sea website and Facebook page), logo, and kitchen
appliances.
Check out the events
coming up, such as The New Friday's Hip Hop - R&B - Neo Soul - Reggae on Friday, Feb. 9 at 10:00 p.m.
 David Ahlers, VP of Human Resources and Corporate Communications pledging to increase the number of STEP-UP interns at Graco in 2018. (Source: STEP-UP)
On the morning of Thursday, Feb. 8, there was an annual STEP-UP Partners Breakfast to celebrate the STEP-UP internship program and the
power of partnerships. Businesses and government leaders joined together to show their support for Minneapolis youth by committing to providing meaningful internships for
STEP-UP interns again this summer.
There were many special guest speakers, including 2018 Outstanding Alum winner, Representative Fue Lee; Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools, Ed Graff; STEP-UP alumna Jennifer Ramirez; Mayor Jacob Frey; and many more. Mayor Jacob Frey committed the City of Minneapolis to hiring more interns than the year before and encouraged other employers to do the same.
The deadline for students to apply for the 2018 cohort is Friday, Feb. 16. Applications can be found online here.
Minneapolis youth are eager to bring fresh ideas, energy and creativity to your workplace. Pledge to be a
STEP-UP employer here.
The
STEP-UP youth employment program is a program in partnership with the City of
Minneapolis, AchieveMpls, the Department of Employment and Economic Development
(DEED) and Project for Pride in Living.
 Dr. Verna Price presenting The Power of Collaboration. (Source: City of Minneapolis)
The 2018
Services-to-Adults Conference was held on January 25 at the Central
Library. The theme of this conference
was Sharing
Resources- Building Connections-Strengthening Our Community. Dr. Verna
Price gave the keynote presentation on “The Power of Collaboration: We are Stronger Together.” Breakout sessions included the topics of
Labor Market Information, Community Connections, Cultural Awareness, Human
Trafficking, Disabilities, Housing/Homeless Shelters, Working with Formerly
Justice Involved individuals and Transgender Equity. Approximately 130 workforce professionals
attended this all day event.
 Top left to right: Indoor bike storage room to encourage use of alternative transportation, outside the Hawthorne EcoVillage Apartments. Bottom left to right: Mayor Jacob Frey speaking at the Grand Opening, inside space of the three-bedroom unit. (Source: City of Minneapolis)
EcoVillage
Apartments is a four-story, newly completed development project from the
organization, Project for Pride in Living
(PPL), bringing 75 units of affordable housing to residents making no more than
50% of the area median income. The units range in size from studio to
three-bedroom, with rents from $670 - $995. Construction of EcoVillage Apartments
began in October 2016 and was supported by Associated Bank, the City of Minneapolis, Dougherty
Mortgage, Federal Home Loan Bank, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council, Home Depot
Foundation, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Metropolitan
Council, Hennepin County, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, Mississippi
Watershed Management Organization, and the National Equity Fund. It is part of the Hawthorne EcoVillage, a four-block neighborhood, and located at 617 Lowry Avenue North, Minneapolis.
EcoVillage
Apartments features a number of green elements: a state-of-the-art storm water
management system that includes a green roof, pervious pavers and rain garden;
energy-efficient mechanical systems and equipment throughout the building
and in individual rental units; and bicycle racks and storage to promote both
active living and alternative transportation. The property also features
numerous amenities, including a playground, patio with grills, underground
parking, a community room, and fitness room.
 Minneapolis Regional Chamber Annual Meeting (Source: Minneapolis Regional Chamber)
At the Minneapolis Regional Chamber’s Annual Meeting back in
January, it was announced that the organization would have a
new look and brand going forward. This re-brand would also include new
partnerships with other organizations and chambers throughout the region. The
Chamber believes that this will help to launch it into a new era, one that
showcases how great the Minneapolis-St. Paul region is and how it and its
partners can make it even better. This change will help the Chamber to better
serve not only its members, but the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, and represent
the area at all levels of government. Through partnerships and advocacy, the
Chamber wants to bring people together to improve the region and show everyone
why it is a great place to live. You can read more about how they have changed for
the better here.
Minneapolis becomes first perc-free city
Minneapolis has become the first major city to eliminate use of the solvent perchloroethylene, or perc, according to city officials.
City leaders celebrated the milestone at a press event Jan. 24 at Osman Cleaners on Hennepin Avenue. Mayor Jacob Frey and City Council President Lisa Bender said no longer using perc would help protect the environment, dry-cleaning workers and the broader community.
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A year in, Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center exceeds expectations for job placement
When Minneapolis’ Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center opened for business last March, Mohamed Ali wasn't totally sure how many jobseekers would come to the site for employment services, at least at first.
The Opportunity Center is a product of a public-private partnership that seeks to increase employment participation for residents of Cedar Riverside neighborhood, which has long boasted one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.
The partners include the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, EMERGE Community Development and Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC). Representatives from these partners are on-site each day to provide wrap-around services for unemployed and underemployed residents, connecting them to job opportunities and career training programs.
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More in Minnpost
Why A Small Minneapolis Fashion Brand Is Making Climate
Change Part Of Its Business
Menswear brand Askov Finlayson has committed to giving 110% of its environmental impact cost back to organizations fighting climate change.
“If we lose our winters, if we lose our cold, we’ll lose a lot of what the north means to me,” says Dayton. “So it’s a way of tying the business to a cause I feel passionate about, but also a natural fit. It also just happens to be one of the biggest, most pressing issues of our lifetime. So that helped too.”
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