Featured Stories

Four Craft Coffee Roasters Building Buzz in MSP

Brian Martucci Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Who are the local players behind MSP’s craft coffee scene? These four local roasters are undeniably at the movement’s fore, sparking a revolution in how we talk about roasting and experience tasting.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Sustainability

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Highland Park, Northeast

So Artists Can Celebrate Themselves: Artspace's Remarkable Work with Cultural Communities

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Artspace enjoys a long history of working with culturally distinct groups in the development of affordable artist live/work housing and community spaces. From El Barrio in NY to Honolulu, HI, these projects allow artists to celebrate themselves.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Talent Dividend

August Arts: A Few of Our Favorite Things

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Not-to-miss Fringe shows, a neighborhood happy hour, beer and bikes…a few of our favorite things for August arts and culture.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Talent Dividend, Transit Oriented Development

University, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Calhoun - Isles, Downtown/Lowertown

Flower Plots and Food Forests: Community Gardens as Living Examples of Neighborhood Commitment

Loren Green Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Bancroft Meridian Garden, founded in 1996 on a lot along 38th Street in South Minneapolis, began as a flower garden. But communities change. So do their gardens. Now it's a food forest for the neighborhood.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Sustainability

Saint Anthony Park, Southwest

A Dingy Foursquare in St. Paul Finds New Life as a Modern Urban Farmhouse

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Designer David Strand looked beyond the brown asphalt shingles on a drab St. Paul foursquare and found an urban farmhouse ready for a light and airy modernization.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild

Summit - University

July Arts and Culture: Floating, Reading, Feasting and Exploration

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Farm-fresh produce, handmade books on a floating library, historic walking tours along the Green Line and feasting locally are our top picks for July arts and culture in MSP.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Payne - Phalen, Powderhorn

Max Boeke (left) & Jordan Standish from Clutch

Microbrewing's Breakneck Growth Continues: 7 of the Coolest New Craft-Beer Concepts in MSP

Brian Martucci Tuesday, June 28, 2016

You don’t need a stats pack to accept the obvious: craft beer is big business in The North, particularly in MSP’s hottest neighborhoods. Here are seven new craft-beer concepts coming soon.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Riverfront/Mill District, North Side, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Forging an Arts Tradition: Metalsmithing in MSP

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, June 21, 2016

MSP boasts a cultural milieu in which diverse art forms, architecture and design take root and flourish. Metalsmithing, which includes jewelry design, is an integral part of the culture.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Southwest, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Calhoun - Isles, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill, Northeast

June Arts and Culture: Food for the Mind, Body and Soul

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Festivals galore during the month of June, just a few of them listed here. There's the big one--Northern Spark 2016--as well as smaller neighborhood gatherings and opportunities to make new friends over food and brews.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Philanthropy, Sustainability

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown

Hmong American Farmers Association Cultivates Profits, Productivity, Community

Amy Goetzman Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Since they began farming in Vermillion Township in 2014, HAFA's members have introduced Minnesotan palates to new flavors, seen production and profits increase exponentially, and cultivated a greater sense of community.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Sustainability

Mayor Chris Coleman (center) w Solomon Parham (left) and Spencer Christensen (right)

Sounds True: St. Paul Celebrates All Genres During Year of Music

Loren Green Tuesday, May 10, 2016

In declaring 2016 the Year of Music, the City of St. Paul showcases all of the music genres, schools, initiatives and venues thriving throughout the city as economic drivers and cultural amenities.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Greater East Side, Como Park, Macalester - Groveland, Midway, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill, Summit - University

May Arts and Culture: MSP Makers

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Makers—the artists, entrepreneurs, innovators (aren’t they all the same?) who brighten lives with their joy of creativity and aesthetic panache—highlight May’s selections. Art-A-Whirl, of course. But the MSP Maker Faire is big news, too.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Como Park, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Nokomis, Northeast

Why St. Paul's Historic Heart is Home Base to These Four Businesses

Brian Martucci Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Lowertown boasts a growing roster of relocated and expanded businesses—some from the suburbs, others spun out of Lowertown’s COCO, and some born and bred in the district’s office lofts and storefronts.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown

Attendees at the American Craft Council Show

April Arts and Culture: Transformations

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, April 05, 2016

This month we include the nationally recognized American Crafts Council Show, a bonanza of handcrafted items; a tour of a transformed warehouse in the North Loop; an all-women record release and cultural revision; and a good way to celebrate Earth Month.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Midway, North Side, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop

MSP's Theater Community Then and Now: From the Old Log to the Legacy Amendment

Peg Guilfoyle Tuesday, April 05, 2016

We introduce the first in a two-part series about how MSP became the second-largest theater region after New York, as well as mobile, inventive and idiosyncratic.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Nightlife

Riverfront/Mill District, University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown, Powderhorn, Warehouse/North Loop

Cohorts, Capacity Building, Creative Communities: The Evolution of Artspace's Geographic Approach

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The arts real-estate nonprofit Artspace is re-scaling its work to take a more geographic approach that includes consulting with a cohort of art organizations in Detroit and developing creative districts in rural Colorado.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Shopping, Transit Oriented Development

March Arts and Culture: States of Being

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, March 08, 2016

This month's arts and culture branches out to include a new brew from the women-owned Urban Growler. That's not only the reason St. Paul is the place to be. Right: St. Patrick's Day.

Arts and Culture, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Transit Oriented Development

University, Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Downtown/Lowertown

Witt Siasoco uses art to create home

Nicole Rupersburg Tuesday, February 16, 2016

The multidisciplinary artist, designer, and arts educator has created a number of projects inspired by issues facing his community. Through art, he explores themes of collective community ownership, transportation and land use, and underrepresented populations.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship

Downtown, Southwest, Calhoun - Isles

Where To Take Winter Visitors in MSP: 14 Time-Tested Activities

Brian Martucci Tuesday, February 09, 2016

As anyone who’s spent a winter in MSP knows, the pace of life here doesn’t drop with the temperature or the snow. Show your visitors a great time this month with these classic MSP winter activities.

Arts and Culture, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Shopping, Transit Oriented Development

Riverfront/Mill District, Como Park, Downtown, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, West Seventh, Calhoun - Isles, Downtown/Lowertown, Summit - University

February Arts and Culture: Feasts for the Mind and the Mouth

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, February 02, 2016

A Hmong pop-up dinner, electrifying art exhibition, architecture tour of an already iconic brewery and the opportunity to laugh out loud with the nation's funniest Native American author are on our to-do list for arts and culture in February.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Greater East Side, University, Southwest

A More Gentle Density: The Potential of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Minneapolis

Kjersti Monson Tuesday, February 02, 2016

What exactly are accessory dwelling units and what does the City of Minneapolis hope to achieve with them?

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

10 Redevelopment Projects Transforming MSP in 2016

Amy Goetzman Tuesday, January 12, 2016

MSP is in the midst of a redevelopment boom that has touched nearly every part of the Twin Cities. Here are 10 projects opening in 2016 that will further transform our neighborhoods and communities.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Reuse / Rebuild, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Greater East Side, Dayton's Bluff, Downtown, North Side, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Is Affordable Artist Live/Work Housing the New Normal?

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Since Artspace pioneered affordable artist live/work housing in the 1990s, disrupting the SoHo Effect in communities across the U.S., demand for such projects has grown. Which begs the question: Is affordable artist live/work housing becoming the new normal?

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Riverfront/Mill District, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Northeast

Make the Switch from Car to Bike Commute This Winter: Here's How

Brian Martucci Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Imagine a day in a bike commuter’s boots. How does he or she prepare before walking out the door? How do they stay comfortable behind Arctic fronts and snow curtains — even the dreaded polar vortex. Here's how.

Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Sustainability, Transportation

December in the Cities: Art and Culture To Go

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, December 08, 2015

It's culture to go this month in our feature highlighting arts, entertainment and culture not to be missed in MSP. Stop into City Center for an on-the-fly dance performance. Check out--on your laptop, phone or tablet--Greycoats' music video shot in architect Ralph Rapson's Glass Cube. Catch District Energy's plume in the night sky in downtown St. Paul.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown

Scandinavian Light Trick: Time-Tested Design Solutions Find Modern Expression in a St. Paul House

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, November 24, 2015

In the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul, near University Grove's enclave of mid-century architecture, architect John Dwyer designed an award-winning modern home on a tiny infill lot that deploys an ancient Scandinavian light trick.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education

Saint Anthony Park

Holiday Shopping on the Green Line: A Selection of Locally Owned Shops by Stop

Brian Martucci Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Now that the holiday shopping season is upon us, Metro Transit riders in search of the perfect gifts can ride the 11-mile-long Green Line for an adventurous day that includes stops at dozens of locally owned stores. Here's a guide to get you started.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Warehouse/North Loop

Nostalgia in November: Our Monthly Arts/Culture Picks

David Rue Tuesday, November 17, 2015

This month’s feature highlighting arts, entertainment and culture not to be missed in MSP brings into focus the region’s most notable dance company, photographic visions of Minneapolis’ past and an art sale for all to enjoy.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship

Greater East Side, Macalester - Groveland, Midway, Saint Anthony Park

Scale and Context: Redefining Residential Modernism in Minneapolis

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, October 13, 2015

In many areas of South Minneapolis, an epidemic has taken hold: small traditional houses are being bulldozed for McMansions. In Linden Hills however, homeowners and their architect took a different approach.

Design, Entrepreneurship

Calhoun - Isles

The Buzz on MSP's Growing Pro-Pollinator Community

Brian Martucci Tuesday, September 01, 2015

MSP's increasing public awareness about the plight of pollinators has mobilized beekeepers and gardeners, social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, educational institutions and government representatives to create new initiatives on behalf of bees and butterflies.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Life Sciences, Shopping, Sustainability

Como Park, University, Downtown, Northeast

The Line and Creative Exchange Present "Creating Community" on September 16

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The Line and Creative Exchange Present “Creating Community,” a dynamic, participatory event featuring community builders and creative producers from fine art, technology, design and nonprofits.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Talent Dividend

Northeast

Urban Agriculture in MSP: Growing, Diversifying, Sustainable

Brian Martucci Tuesday, August 18, 2015

As the rapid proliferation of urban farms, CSAs, community gardens, hyper-local farmers’ market stalls and farm-to-fork restaurants shows, MSP’s urban agriculture ecosystem is only getting stronger.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Greater East Side, Midway, North Side, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

Is Craft Beer Peaking in MSP? Not Yet, As These Five New Breweries and a Community Tap House Show

Brian Martucci Tuesday, August 11, 2015

These days, MSP seems to have more independent craft beer producers than adults of legal drinking age. And yet the brewery announcements, grand openings and expansions keep coming. Are we reaching peak craft beer?

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Southwest, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

The Sounds of Summer: August Arts and Culture In MSP

David Rue Tuesday, August 11, 2015

In this month’s feature highlights arts, entertainment and culture not to be missed in MSP by focusing on music, festivals and fashion.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Shopping

Riverfront/Mill District, Como Park, Midway

Pedals and Pints: A Guide to Your Own Bike Friendly Brewery Tour

Brian Martucci Tuesday, July 14, 2015

All of these homegrown breweries are located on or near major bikeways, making for convenient — and safe — access. String two or three of these bike-friendly breweries together for a pedal-powered, DIY brewery tour.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Greater East Side, West Side, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Nokomis, Downtown/Lowertown, Payne - Phalen, Northeast

Jump Into July with Makers, ArtCars, Movement and Beer

David Rue Tuesday, July 14, 2015

July arts, entertainment and culture highlights not to be missed in MSP, with a focus on makers of all sorts — of art, crafts, dance and beer.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Phillips, Macalester - Groveland, Southwest, Calhoun - Isles, Warehouse/North Loop

June in MSP: Outdoor Arts Festivals that Give Back

David Rue Tuesday, June 02, 2015

In this month’s feature highlighting arts, entertainment and culture not to be missed in MSP, the focus is on community events that inspire, entertain, invite participation —and give back.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

University, Downtown, Lake Street, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Living the Life: Seven Members of MSP's Growing Coastal-Transplant Community

Brian Martucci Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Strike up a conversation at an art opening, microbrewery, maker event, co-working space, tech-entrepreneur gathering, placemaking conference or food truck, and chances are that person is a coastal transplant living the life they’ve always wanted.

Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Uptown/Lyn Lake, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Northeast

Funding, Policy, Persuasion, Need: How Artspace Gets Affordable Artist Live/Work Housing Done

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Artspace’s residential projects fill a critical niche in a city’s ecosystem of affordable housing, particularly for artists. But making the case for public policies and resources to realize these transformative projects is challenging.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy

Downtown/Lowertown, Northeast

spring veggies,courtesy Bill GourmetFoods, MIll City.jpg

Eat Up! 7 Transit-Friendly Farmers Markets in MSP

Brian Martucci Tuesday, May 05, 2015

Looking to sample the region’s freshest produce without braving traffic? In celebration of the Green Line’s first full farmers market season, here are seven MSP markets within walking distance of a major transit line (in many cases, the Green Line itself).

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, University, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown

Why MSP is the Once, Current and Future Internet of Things (IoT) Alley

Brian Martucci Tuesday, April 14, 2015

There’s a movement afoot to rebrand MSP as “IoT Alley” in recognition of its historical and current innovations in the field of Internet to cloud devices. MSP startups, in fact, are leading current growth in the field.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy

University, Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Takin' It To the Streets: New Food Trucks Coming to a Corner Near You

Brian Martucci Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Birds are chirping, patios are open and soon food truck season begins in earnest. These new additions to our burgeoning mobile foodie scene show off MSP’s evolving restaurant culture, stimulate street life and generate community.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy

Dayton's Bluff, Phillips, Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown, Powderhorn, Northeast

The City as Your Living Room: Will Micro-Apts Go Macro in MSP?

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Interest in micro-apartments is growing in MSP because of their affordability and design, the community spaces within the building and the city itself as the living room.

Affordable Housing, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Transit Oriented Development

University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Warehouse/North Loop

Community Developers Create Room to Mingle

Gayle Thorsen Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Twin Cities community developers aim to create more public spaces in lower-income neighborhoods as common assets for all to enjoy.

Affordable Housing, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Greater East Side, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, North Side, Nokomis, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

The Centennial Chromagraph, fabricated in the DigiFab Lab to celebrate the U of M School of Architecture's history

Why MSP is Leading the New DigiFab (Third Industrial) Revolution

Brian Martucci Tuesday, February 24, 2015

We're experiencing the third industrial revolution in which MSP’s digital fabricators are innovatively building the future, one pixel at a time.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Higher Education, Strong Local Economy

University, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Southwest, Powderhorn, Northeast

Still from the Coen brothers' film "A Serious Man"

Cultivating a Cinema of The North

Kevin Obsatz Tuesday, February 10, 2015

In this essay, reprinted from MinnesotaPlaylist.com, Kevin Obsatz puts forward bold proposals for how filmmakers based in The North could create a body of signature, lasting work.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy

10 Independent Bookstores To Get Cozy With This Winter

Gina Dewink Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Searching for a book to get lost in? Ditch your computer and mobile devices, and plan a day trip exploring these distinct and community-minded local bookstores, many of which are celebrating decade birthdays in 2015.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Shopping, Strong Local Economy

Macalester - Groveland, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Lake Street, Southwest, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill

Cultivating Youth As Agents of Change Through Urban Agriculture

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Youth programs with a focus on urban agriculture cultivate good health, leadership skills, community development and economic independence.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Healthcare, Philanthropy, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Greater East Side, Phillips, North Side, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Battle Creek

Mill City Winter Farmers Market, photo courtesy Mill City Times

Local Doesn't End With Summer: Meet 4 Food Entrepreneurs at 5 Winter Markets in MSP

Brian Martucci Tuesday, January 13, 2015

A merry band of farmers market managers and vendors are braving the cold and dark to keep us supplied with locally grown food, locally made food products and locally sourced crafts. Here's where you can find them this winter!

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown

Light Blox at work, courtesy Laser Classroom

An (Almost) One-Woman STEM Revolution Brings Photonics to Light

Brian Martucci Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Colette DeHarpporte is on a mission. The CEO of Laser Classroom designs, builds and markets educational light, laser and optics tools for schoolchildren.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Life Sciences, Strong Local Economy

Northeast

From Ken's forthcoming graphic novel, Bicyclopolis

Embracing the Creative Nexus of Bikes, Transit and Art

Brian Martucci Sunday, December 14, 2014

Ken and Roberta Avidor have been car-free since 2010. Union Depot is their jumping-off point for bike, bus and train trips around the Twin Cities—and beyond. They're also making a name for themselves in the Twin Cities’ urban-sketching movement.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Transportation

Downtown/Lowertown

The crowd for the Replacements at Midway stadium, photo by Nate Ryan, MPR

We On Some Nonstop! Why We're the Cities of Music

Ira Brooker Wednesday, December 03, 2014

From a fan's perspective, the Minnesota music scene feels like a uniquely supportive community. But he wanted to see if that's a viewpoint shared by artists who have come here from other environs. It is, despite the cold.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Midway, Downtown

A performer at Little Africa's launch party, courtesy AEDS

Small Business Development Equals Big Growth in Three TC Neighborhoods

Gayle Thorsen Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Creative collaborations on St. Paul’s East Side, throughout Little Africa in St. Paul and along West Broadway in North Minneapolis are helping small businesses thrive while sparking economic vitality and community pride.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend, Transit Oriented Development

Greater East Side, Midway, North Side

TC Solar Entrepreneurship Powers Economic Development

Lee Egerstrom Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Minnesota's rapid spread and development of solar energy generation is sparking Twin Cities entrepreneurship.

Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs

Longfellow, Summit - University

Cycling in the Cities: Seven New Local Inventions for Bike Enthusiasts Here and Around the Globe

Brian Martucci Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Twin Cities is a leader in bicycle use and a major innovator in bicycle design and technology. The seven inventions profiled here have, or will have, an impact on the local and global cycling industry. And the pace of innovation shows no sign of slowing down.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transportation

Equity, Empowerment: How Community-Driven TOD is Transforming Green Line Neighborhoods

Brian Martucci Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Four neighborhood initiatives along the Green Line demonstrate how the Central Corridor is becoming a local and national model for equitable and empowering community-driven transit-oriented development (TOD).

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

Outsell's Post-It note wall of achievements, photo by Jasper Sanidad

Modern Office Designs for Fast-Growing Creative Companies That (Super)Power Their Work Cultures

Camille LeFevre and Joel Hoekstra Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Creative employers--like these two fast-paced, fast-growing Minneapolis companies--are collaborating with architecture firms on modern office makeovers that (super)power their brands and work processes.

Coordination/Collaboration, Design, Entrepreneurship, High Technology

Downtown, Uptown/Lyn Lake

Gluten-Free Beer, Women-Only Ridesharing, Wellness Apps: 10 New Startups That Will Change Your Life

Brian Martucci Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Driven by the seemingly boundless energy of local creatives, community leaders and entrepreneurs, Minneapolis-St. Paul’s burgeoning startup culture shows no signs of slowing down. Here are 10 compelling, life-changing startups to know about now.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, High Technology, Higher Education, Life Sciences, Strong Local Economy

University, Downtown, Southwest, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Calhoun - Isles

No Braking in Sight: Six New Twin Cities' Food Trucks You Need To Try

Kyle Mianulli Wednesday, August 20, 2014

During these coveted warm months, wherever the people go, an army of gourmet and artisan food trucks are sure to follow. Here are six new food trucks hitting Twin Cities' streets that you might have missed. Get out and try something delicious.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

Central Avenue, Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Small Scale, Big Deal: An Innovative Idea Exchange at UIX

Matthew Lewis & Claire Nelson Wednesday, August 13, 2014

"What's next for your city?" That the question Urban Innovation Exchange (UIX) will explore at its first national convening this September 24-26, 2014 in Detroit.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Talent Dividend, Transit Oriented Development

Urban Organics produce at the Lund's Penfield, courtesy Urban Organics

Urban Farm to Urban Table: Growing and Sourcing Hyper-Local Food in the Twin Cities

Brian Martucci Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Twin Cities is emerging as a hotbed of innovative agricultural activity. An ambitious group of producers and retailers aims to redefine what it means to be local, and give retaurants and consumers more control over what they eat and drink.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Riverfront/Mill District, Midway, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, Seward, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Northeast

Chris Andrejka training vines in the hops garden, courtesy Star Tribune

How Local is Your Beer? The Rise of Regional Ingredients

Issue Media Group Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Despite our love of micro-brews, many of the ingredients in our favorite beers haven't been sourced locally. That's changing as brewers tap into the local farming movement in their communities to add more fresh flavors and ingredients.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Nightlife

Como Park, West Seventh

The Power of Co-Working: Why MSP's Tech Startups Are Pooling Resources and Talents

Brian Martucci Wednesday, August 06, 2014

MSP isn't usually mentioned in the same breath as Silicon Valley and Austin. But our local tech startup scene is leaping forward due to homegrown co-working companies, which lower barriers to success, growth and profitability through collaboration.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

University, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown

10 Local Apps for Mobilizing Summer in the Cities

Dan Heilman Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Summer in Minneapolis-St. Paul is all about getting out and about. Here are 10 homegrown apps to help you make the most of your summer in the cities.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Central Avenue, Downtown, Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake, West Seventh, Longfellow, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Ward with one of her KidWind projects, Bucket Charger Race Cars, photo by Bre McGee

Artist/Educator Asia Ward: Creating the Unexpected Through a Singular Blend of Art and Science

Ann Klefstad Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The third in our series on Twin Cities artists who build community: Asia Ward integrates the arts and sciences in her public workshops, classes, interactive installations, presentations and artwork, to create the unexpected.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Downtown/Lowertown

One of Seeyond's innovative enclosures, courtesy Seeyond

Design Tech: Why MSP is a Hotbed of Manufacturing and Fabrication Innovation

John Comazzi Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Twin Cities metro is a hotbed of manufacturers and fabricators innovating and growing their businesses to provide easier, faster, less expensive solutions for design and construction challenges.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

Downtown, Southwest, Northeast

Garvis and Wiese lead a cohort at the Hill Library, courtesy Studio/E

Studio/E: Exploring the Meaning and Mindset of Entrepreneurship

Chris Dall Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Navigation and exploration are at the heart of Studio/E, a Twin Cities-based entrepreneurial experience. In collaboration with the James J. Hill Library and Babson College, Studio/E brings 24 participants together for four days of exploration into the meaning and the mindset of entrepreneurship.

Coordination/Collaboration, Entrepreneurship

Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown

Food trucks line Mears Park in St. Paul, courtesy Visit St. Paul

Moveable Feasts: MSP's Food Truck Boom Inspires Appetites, Community, Culinary Startups

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, June 04, 2014

What turns a pint at the local microbrewery into a feast? Transforms ho-hum lunch hours into culinary adventures? Generates curbside communities? Tests an entrepreneur's appetite for a new business? Twin Cities food trucks!

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Central Avenue, Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Lake Street, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop

Installing the Boyces' array, courtesy EcoMetro Tour

Solar Twin Cities: Where Urban Farming, Social Justice, Green Tech and Sustainable Living Meet

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, May 21, 2014

A sneak peek at the solar initiatives of a Twin Cities homeowner, nonprofit and entrepreneurial restaurant/farm featured during the EcoMetro Sustainable Living Tour on May 31 sponsored by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development

University, Saint Anthony Park, Southwest, North Side, Downtown/Lowertown

Revelers do the brew at Dangerous Man, courtesy Dangerous Man Brewing

Twin Cities Brew Boom Taps Into Placemaking, Entrepreneurship, Neighborhood Synergies

Brian Martucci Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Since the passage of the Surly Bill 2012, craft-beer entrepreneurs have rapidly opened breweries with taprooms in neighborhoods throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul. All are doing their part to turn neighborhoods into top-of-mind destinations.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Central Avenue, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Lake Street, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

The young women of Little Mekong, courtesy Little Mekong

Cultural Districts + LRT Stops: A Guide to the Central Corridor's Arts and Culture Hotspots

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The Central Corridor is becoming the Twin Cities' new cultural hotspot showcasing local diversity, bringing communities closer together, and boosting economic opportunities.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Union Park, University, Midway, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Saint Anthony Park, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

Heidi Skoog, maker of Serious Jam, Courtesy Kern Nickerson

Cooking Up Entrepreneurship in Twin Cities Incubator Kitchens

Anne Jin Soo Preston Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Incubator or community kitchens have been gaining momentum in the Twin Cities, bringing together food entrepreneurs, ingredients, and innovation.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy

Como Park, Phillips, Midway, Lake Street, North Side, Seward, Powderhorn

Club E: Networking Group Supports Twin Cities' Startups

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, March 12, 2014

From beer sampling to wearable tech to Pecha Kucha, Club Entrepreneur is cultivating new business relationships and startups by supporting Twin Cities' innovators with actionable content and connections.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

All are welcome at the Beer Dabbler, courtesy Beer Dabbler

New Brews and Gastro-preneurs: Find Them At The Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival

Brian Martucci Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Few organizations have done more to connect locally minded craft-beer enthusiasts with the startups that drive Minnesota’s resurgent brewing industry than the Beer Dabbler, which holds its Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival on January 25.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

Midway

Osage dancers, courtesy College of Design

The Endangered Osage Language Gets a Unicode-Friendly Alphabet

Brian Martucci Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Jessica Harjo, a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Design MA program and a current PhD candidate, has sketched out a novel orthography for the Osage language.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education

University

Beer, Breweries, Bees, Bikes: The Line's Top Stories of 2013

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, January 08, 2014

The Line buzzed in 2013 with articles—many of them in the top 10 most-read of the year—on topics starting with a “b”: beer and architect-designed breweries, beekeeping and bike entrepreneurs among them.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Greater East Side, University, Payne - Phalen, Warehouse/North Loop

Alexis Ohanian, courtesy WAC and Tanya Kechician

Q+A: Alexis Ohanian, Creative Entrepreneurship, and Giving Lots of Damns

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, January 08, 2014

The Line asked Alexis Ohanian, who is speaking at the Walker Art Center and is best known as the cofounder of the social news site reddit, about how to create community on the Internet and his advice for startups.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

The collective perspective from Fair State Brewing

Looking for Financing? Research Paper Provides Insights for Social and Co-op Startups

Lee Egerstrom Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The report, “Financing Worker Cooperative Start-Ups in Minnesota,” produced in a Master’s of Public Affairs course at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School, focuses on the unique funding challenges of cooperative startups and social enterprises.

Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Freewheel's Winter Expo--Courtesy Freewheel

Getting in Gear: Local Innovations--From Knobbies to Pogies to Rims--for Winter Biking

Brian Martucci Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The burgeoning winter-biking scene wouldn’t be possible without the bike designers, entrepreneurs, co-ops, fests, expos, zines, and coffee shops that give the community its innovative edge and vitality.

Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transportation

Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake

NEIC and 3Bs--Bikes, Beer, Bread--Are Reinvigorating Northeast Minneapolis' Central Avenue

Anna Pratt Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Northeast Investment Cooperative is a for-profit group that enables people to collectively buy, renovate, and manage commercial and residential property. NEIC's first project is reinvigorating Central Avenue with tenants that focus on bikes, bread, and beer.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Northeast

Preserve and Protect: How Minneapolis' Somali Immigrants Are Keeping Their Artistic Traditions Alive

Alexandra N. Katz Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Lake Street

Boutique Guitar Gear: Local Inventors Help Musicians Achieve the Holy Grail of Sound

Dan Heilman Wednesday, December 04, 2013

In the world of handmade guitar gear, Twin Cities inventors are known by guitarists the world over for bringing a range of experience and creativity to products that for decades were mass-produced.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Nightlife

Architect Scott Ervin Launches Norseman: Minneapolis' First Micro-Distillery

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Scott Ervin has opened the first micro-distillery in Minneapolis, Norseman Distillery.

Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

Payne - Phalen, Northeast

Bogobrush: A Bamboo Objet d'Art for Social Good

Anna Pratt Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Heather and John McDougall, who are siblings, have designed the bamboo Bogobrush, a "buy one, give one" product that provides toothbrushes to people in need.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Healthcare, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Downtown/Lowertown

Barking Up New Businesses: Four Women Unleash Their Creativity for Canines

Anne Jin Soo Preston Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Philanthropy, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

Northeast

CoCo's co-working space in the Grain Exchange

The Sharing Economy: Sharing Isn't Just Nice To Do, It's Changing How We Do Business

Allyson Jacob Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Strong Local Economy, Transportation

Downtown, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown

The Dish on Heritage Restaurants: Food, Families, Neighborhoods

Susan Klemond Wednesday, November 06, 2013

A look at four heritage restaurants in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, their origin stories, their participation in their neighborhoods, and why their loyal patrons—and new generations of diners—keep coming back.

diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

West Side, West Seventh, Northeast

Hank and His Bus: Catalysts for Changing Architectural Education?

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Higher Education, Reuse / Rebuild, Talent Dividend, Transportation

University, Northeast

CogCubed conference, with Kurt Roots (second from left) and Monika Heller

Technology Meets Psychiatry with Local Startup CogCubed

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, September 25, 2013

A husband-wife team (he's a techie, she's a psychiatrist) are developing fun-to-play (but scientifically sound) game-style apps that can help diagnose ADHD and other psychiatric problems in kids.

Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, High Technology, Life Sciences

Jacie Knight (center) and members of YPC

Youth Performance Company: The Twin Cities' Serious-Minded Starmaker

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, September 18, 2013

What do Black Hawk Down star Josh Hartnett, Tony award nominee Laura Osnes, and Comedy Central writers Charlie Sanders and Colton Dunn have in common? They all once belonged to this stellar Minneapolis youth theater company.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Talent Dividend

University

Turning Trash into Treasure, Creative Reuse Movement Boosts Urban Economies

Lee Chilcote Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Across America, creative reuse organizations are popping up to "upcycle" and sell stuff that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Artisans and artists are, in turn, turning this would-be detritus into artworks and products.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Summit Hill and Crocus Hill

Digital view of the exterior of the Urban Growler brewery

Brewers and Architects Spark the Next Brewpub Boom--Along the Green Line

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Three about-to-open brewpubs and a new facility for a well established fourth are turning the Central Corridor area in Saint Paul and Minneapolis into the newest brewpub hot zone. And the architecture is as ambitous as the beer.

Central Corridor, Design, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

University, Midway, Saint Anthony Park

Creative Placemaking: Reframing How We See Cities

Sheena Lyonnais Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

West Seventh

Art and Business Connect at a "Pop-Up Think Tank"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy

Downtown

Judy Gerdts and Becky Masterman of the Bee Squad atop the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Hive Minds: Urban Beekeeping in High Places

Meleah Maynard Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The rooftops of some prestigious locations are buzzing as local institutions hop aboard the global urban beekeeping bandwagon. The idea is to play a role in restoring declining bee populations, with the help of the U of M and some intrepid honey-oriented entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Life Sciences, Sustainability

University, Downtown, Powderhorn

These entrepreneurs chose the Green Line

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, June 19, 2013

It's been an article of faith since Central Corridor light rail (Green Line) construction began that, despite all the disruption and traffic chaos of the building stage, the line would eventually become a magnet for local entrepreneurs. That scenario appears to be playing out; here are three entrepreneurial ventures that were lured to the line by light rail's promise.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Strong Local Economy, Transportation

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

A Line or Two: Beer U

Jon Spayde Wednesday, June 19, 2013

This week: a heads-up about a July class in the University of Minnesota's extension division that will fill you in on the local craft beer revolution--it's origins, its economics, its varied business models, and more. Requirements include the actual consumption of product.

Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

University, West Seventh, Northeast

Regina Vong's family business

Dan Heilman Wednesday, June 12, 2013

The young entrepreneur's Royal Bangkok Restaurant is just one of the Vong family businesses at 315 University Avenue--a building that enshrines the enterprise and hope of a clan whose patriarch fled Cambodia in the wake of the Khmer Rouge.

Central Corridor, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

The Board onstage. From left, Molly Chase, Nels Lennes, Jill Bernard, and Butch Roy

Minnesota's funniest nonprofit board

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, June 12, 2013

If you're on the board of directors of HUGE Theater in Minneapolis, you have to improvise. That is, you have to actually go onstage and do improv in a three-evening run that is also an official series of board meetings.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Uptown/Lyn Lake

Garages For Art's Sake

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, June 05, 2013

For artist/gallerist Pete Driessen and the theater artists of Off-Leash Area, turning their garages into art spaces provided opportunities for innovation, experimentation, and freedom, very close to home. And the neighbors don't mind a bit.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild

Southwest, Longfellow

Mike Smieja and We Can Grow: Building Urban Gardens, Helping Urban Gardeners Thrive

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The onetime marketing professional made a career u-turn when he discovered how gardening--and cooking and eating healthy produce right from the soil--could change lives. Now his nonprofit startup helps inner-city newcomers to gardening make healthy foods part of their lives.

Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Sustainability

Travis Peebles and James Rychak of Blazing Saddle Cycle--photo by Bob Perkoski

The Two-Wheel Entrepreneurs: Bike culture spawns businesses nationwide

Lee Chilcote Wednesday, May 22, 2013

While the Twin Cities duke it out with Portland over which metropolis sets the gold standard of bike culture, other cities--some of them unlikely--are becoming serious players in the boom. Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, DC, and Tampa are among the places where ingenious entrepreneurs are "riding" the new bike culture,

Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transportation

A Line or Two: Minneapolis' Creative Economy by the Numbers

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 22, 2013

It came into my mailbox the other day--Minneapolis' first-ever study of the impact of the creative sector on the city's bottom line, in terms of sales and employment. There were points of pride, surprises, and caveats, along with ample proof that the arts pull more than their weight in bringing prosperity to the city.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

"A Very Feminine, Very Driven Business Incubator": The WBDC

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, May 08, 2013

The local office of the Chicago-based Women's Business Development Center gives majority-women-owned ventures here support and connections they might not otherwise have--as long as they can pass a rigorous qualifying process. It's women helping women to shatter the glass ceiling.

Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

North Side

The Big Picture: Laura Zabel on Art's New Roles in the Community

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 01, 2013

The nonprofit Springboard for the Arts used to concentrate solely on career development for artists. Now, under the leadership of Laura Zabel, it's become a powerful force in redefining the whole relationship between artists and the communities they live in--and in marshaling artistic creativity to improve those communities.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown

A Line or Two: Urbanist Katherine Loflin Coming to town to talk placemaking and "talent magnetism"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, April 24, 2013

She was the key consultant on the Knight Foundation/Gallup Soul of the Community project, which looked at why people love where they live and how that attachment can drive economic development. The in-demand placemaker is the star attraction at a weeklong series of discussions next week, cosponsored by The Line.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy

The Rise of the Rest: Tech Hubs Bloom Far from Silicon Valley

Eric Peterson Wednesday, April 17, 2013

From Greenville, North Carolina to Baltimore, from Tampa to Denver to Cleveland to the Twin Cities, tech savvy, entrepreneurship, and investment are coming together to create bright clusters of digital innovation.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy

A Line or Two: Jambo Africa!

Jon Spayde Wednesday, April 17, 2013

This week: A new incarnation for what may be the only pan-African restaurant in the Twin Cities--and a fan of West African cuisine has a delicious lunch of Jolof rice and chicken.

diversity, Entrepreneurship

Nick Rosener and Jackie Menne cowork in Joule's Atrium conference room

Joule: The Little Coworking Space that Could

Holly Dolezalek Wednesday, April 10, 2013

While the dynamic CoCo garners the headlines, a quiet coworking space at the edge of downtown Minneapolis welcomes solo entrepreneurs in search of a more serene scene. Owner Jackie Menne understands the needs of one-person, payroll-less microbusinesses--after all, Joule is a microbusiness itself.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

Downtown

Honeybee Mobile Market: A Farmers Market on Wheels

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, April 10, 2013

What if, instead of you going to a farmers market, the market came to you? That's the vision of an entrepreneurial couple who want to create a fleet of truck-drawn trailers full of food from local farms. They're calling on Kickstarter for help and betting that the market for fresh, local food can only, well, grow.

Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Mike Hatzis, owner of the Best Steak House on University Avenue

Relief--and optimism--as light rail construction winds down

Dan Heilman Wednesday, March 27, 2013

As the building phase of the Central Corridor line finishes up, it's becoming clear that--thankfully--the direst predictions of business disruption didn't materialize. Now enterprises up and down the corridor are getting used to the new normal.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Midway, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

Our next hot neighborhood? Put your money on Payne Avenue

Anna Pratt Wednesday, March 20, 2013

It's weathered industry exoduses and foreclosure--but now the proud old East Side Saint Paul neighborhood is home to a hot new bar/restaurant, Ward 6, that's both a sign of, and a force in, a wider renewal.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Greater East Side

A Line or Two: The "Glitter Knitter" to Perform

Jon Spayde Wednesday, March 20, 2013

This week: You've heard of "yarn bombing," knitting as a kind of graffiti (knitted cozies around trees and phone poles, yarn symbols strung through the links of chain-link fences, etc.). But how about knitting as out-there performance art? Our most fabulous local yarnmeister, StevenBe, will be doing just that on March 23rd. How will he turn knitting into performance? By weaving in stories--yarns?--from his glamorous life.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship

Phillips

Mayor Rybak, Google's Steve Grove, and CoCo cofounder Kyle Coolbroth

The Google/CoCo partnership: a new era for local tech?

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Last Wednesday's kickoff event for the linkup between the search-engine giant and the local coworking space was full of energy, ambition, and promise for local entrepreneurs, some of whom think Silicon Prairie's ready to bloom.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

At St. Thomas, the Hottest Tech Incubator You've Never Heard Of

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The University of St. Thomas's Minneapolis campus is home to a quiet program that's incubated and helped fund some of the Twin Cities' most prominent (and promising) tech startups--including several run by women. It's a place where professors turn into business advisors and colleagues and the help just keeps on coming.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Higher Education

Downtown

A Line or Two: Saymoukda Vongsay's "When Poets Found Bass"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 20, 2013

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: A multi-everything hip-hop/spoken word extravaganza organized by our coolest Lao-American diva and sponsored by the lovable Saint Paul Almanac.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Downtown/Lowertown

A Line or Two: Chez Arnaud, Parisian Patisserie in St. Paul

Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 13, 2013

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: A design-y, extremely Parisian patisserie on Saint Paul's Grand Avenue serves up traditonal pastries--and a Franco-Minnesotan hybrid.

Design, Entrepreneurship

Summit Hill and Crocus Hill

The TU Dance Center: Movement in the Neighborhood

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, February 06, 2013

When globetrotting dancers and choreographers Uri Sands and Toni Pierce-Sands, formerly of the Alvin Ailey company, decided to establish a new kind of multicultural dance school in Saint Paul, they knew where they wanted it to be: along the Central Corridor in the heart of the city.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Creative Economy, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Transit Oriented Development

Saint Anthony Park

The New North Loop: Both Cool and Comfortable

Anna Pratt Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The bars and restaurants in this uber-trendy corner of downtown Minneapolis draw national attention. Meanwhile, developers, community groups, and residents are turning the surrounding neighborhood into a pleasantly dense, lively, and livable urban village.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development

Warehouse/North Loop

Emily Torgrimson, founder of Eat for Equity

Emily's Feasts: Eating well and doing good with Eat for Equity

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, January 09, 2013

As a college student, Emily Torgrimson wanted to help with Hurricane Katrina relief. She cooked dinner for friends and collected donations. Seven years later, she's got a national nonprofit on her hands, with coverage on the Today show and plans for a nationwide trailer tour.

Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy

VideoLine: Intercultural Opportunities

Minnesota 2020 Wednesday, January 09, 2013

From our friends at Minnesota 2020, a video about how immigrants and their needs and preferences are helping Minnesota farmers develop new crops and new markets.

diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Seward

No Coast Craft-o-Rama: A Slide Show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, December 12, 2012

On December 7 and 8, Minneapolis' Midtown Global Market turned hyper-crafty as 96 hand-makers of beautiful, funny, and freaky objects gathered to sell their wares. It was more than a holiday craft fair--it was a celebration of the Twin Cities as a leader in the new crafts movement. Our photographer, Bill Kelley, was there.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy

Phillips

Purple Rice and Papaya Salad at Palace's Pizza

A Line or Two: The Hmong Pizzerias

Jon Spayde Wednesday, December 12, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: Papaya salad, purple rice, or pho with your pizza?

diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Payne - Phalen, Summit - University

Microlending and More for Women's Business Dreams: WomenVenture

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Saint Paul's WomenVenture helps woman-run startups get off the ground with a potent mix of feminist spirit, microlending, and business incubation. But as its clients testify, it's the group's commitment to ongoing support that sets it apart.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Saint Anthony Park

Coffee with your Tattoos? Tattoos with Your Coffee? A Slide Show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Shops that pair high-end coffee with edgy, adrenaline-boosting activities are becoming a Twin Cities hallmark. We've got coffee and motorcycles (Bob's Java Hut), coffee and serious biking (Angry Catfish), and now coffee and that artistic test of pain-endurance called getting serious tattoos.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake

Kerry Muse, Chief Education Officer of Venture Academy, at the school's proposed site

Venture Academy: Toward a Whole New Level of Learning

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The education innovators behind this charter school are hoping to create a 21st-century fusion of classroom and digital space, where kids' fascination with technology helps them learn--at their own pace.

Creative Leadership, diversity, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Talent Dividend

A Line or Two: Joyface!

Jon Spayde Wednesday, November 28, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: a venturesome group of artists and poets have created a pop-up gallery in a vacant storefront at 38th and Chicago. This weekend, you're invited to join the Joyface Poetry and Arts Collective as they fill the space with experimental beauty--and plan the future of their project.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

Phillips

M.anifest (Kwame Tsikata) and Susan Campion leading Giant Steps

The Giant Steppers: Susan Campion and M.anifest

Michelle Bruch Wednesday, November 14, 2012

He's an up-and-coming rapper who divides his time between Ghana and the Twin Cities. She's a globetrotting business consultant who trained as a classical musician and an engineer. Together they created Giant Steps, a sort of Startup Weekend for creative types. The idea: business and art can (and should) find common ground.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

From Grain Exchange to "Brain Exchange"

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The historic Minneapolis building, once given over entirely to commodities like wheat and rye, is turning into one of the major hubs for high-tech in the Twin Cities. Credit an ambitious coworking space as catalyst, an ideal downtown location, and (surprise!) the continuing need for techies to actually inhabit the same physical space.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

A Line or Two: A Sushi Rescue

Jon Spayde Wednesday, October 24, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: The frightening challenge of not messing up sushi-making at a new, hands-on cooking school.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship

Bruno Bornsztein in conversation with Jon Spayde

Curbly's Bruno Bornsztein talks about entrepreneurship, persistence, and the passion for balance

Jon Spayde Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Web journalist, Ruby on Rails geek, entrepreneur, and DIY maven Bruno Bornsztein, founder of Curbly.com and a handful of other sites, typifies the tech-savvy business guy circa 2012. But his most intriguing characteristic might be the limit he's put on his ambition.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship

A Line or Two: China in the Morning

Jon Spayde Wednesday, October 10, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities.Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: The ever-deeper Minnesota-China connection, over breakfast.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

A Tale of Three Kickstarts

Michelle Bruch Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Crowdfunding powerhouse Kickstarter is becoming the go-to support system for a wider and wider variety of business ventures locally and nationally. Here are three Twin Cities success stories: a wallet, a home-security device, a restaurant--that illustrate how Kickstarter fuses funding, marketing, R and D, and even a kind of before-the-fact customer support.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Uptown/Lyn Lake

Solera Chef Jorge Guzman with Gunnar Liden of the Youth Farm and Market Project

Farm in the Cities: A Slide Show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The two groups that anchor the Twin Cities' food and restaurant renaissance--the growers and the chefs--came together in impressive numbers Sunday night for Farm in the Cities, the second annual celebration of furrow-to-table hyperlocal food culture, held at our preeminent Spanish restaurant, Solera. And Managing Photographer Bill Kelley was there.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Downtown

Victoria, Paul, and Bill: Northbound Smokehouse

A Line or Two: Northbound Smokehouse and Paul's Ball

Jon Spayde Wednesday, September 26, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: A lively lunch at Minneapolis' newest brewpub on its first day--and a first look at Paul's Ball.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Longfellow

Issue Media Update: Crowdfunding to the Rescue

Lee Chilcote Wednesday, September 19, 2012

If you've got a startup ready or revving, but don't happen to live in the investment hotbeds on the East or West coasts, it can be a challenge to fund your dreams. Enter crowd-sourced funding. Once pretty much limited to artistic projects like new bands, Kickstarter and its cousins are becoming the recourse of choice for a wider and wider array of baby businesses.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

VideoLine: Broken Crow's Mural Menagerie

Springboard for the Arts Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Mike Fitzsimmons and John Grider, AKA Broken Crow, explain how the Irrigate initiative helped get their intense, stylish animal images up on a University Avenue business--helping that business to stand out during light rail construction.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Saint Anthony Park

Chris Coleman's Saint Paul: A City with a Scene

Jon Spayde Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Saint Paul's music-loving mayor wants a city with a scene--a dynamic downtown with the special energy that only art and music provide. Last Thursday he shared some successes, some hopes, and some rock-concert memories with The Line.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown

A Line or Two: Of Cold Ramen and Rice Balls

Jon Spayde Wednesday, August 08, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: a lunchtime celebration of local Japanese food.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

Riverfront/Mill District, University, Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill, Warehouse/North Loop

The Green and Global Signmakers

Michelle Bruch Wednesday, August 01, 2012

As new export niches open up, Minnesota companies are selling some unconventional products overseas. Case in point: an inventive, environmentally aware North Minneapolis outfit that creates ADA-compliant interior signage for public buildings--and markets it in China, Brazil, and the Middle East.

Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

North Side

Rondo Days Grand Parade and Festival: A Slide Show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It's Saint Paul's--and Minnesota's--biggest celebration of African American life, commemorating the Rondo neighborhood, which was largely bulldozed away to make room for Interstate 94 in the 1960s. This year, lensman Bill Kelley followed all the festivities.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship

Summit - University

A Line or Two: SubText's Mysterious Literary Mural

Jon Spayde Wednesday, July 18, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: A wild chalkboard mural full of literary allusions enlivens the SubText bookstore's subterranean Saint Paul space.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship

Summit - University

Issue Media Update: The City as a Startup

Tracy Certo Wednesday, July 11, 2012

"The ingredients for a successful startup and a successful city are remarkably similar," wrote Jon Bischke, a guest blogger on TechCrunch. A group of urban leaders recently met in Cincinnati to explore the implications of that statement--and came up with a cluster of surprising ideas for urban vitality.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

A Line or Two: 48-Hour Films at the Crooked Pint

Jon Spayde Wednesday, July 11, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: Watch the local entries in the 48-Hour Film Project--and quaff a microbrew or two.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Riverfront/Mill District

The Big Picture 13: Jennifer Kane on the Hard Lessons of Social Media

Jon Spayde Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Every organization that wants to make a buck wants a social-media presence. But do you have any idea what the Facebook fan page, the Twitter feed, the Foursquare ID really imply for your business? Pioneer social-media onsultant Jennifer Kane knows, and she compares it to parenthood.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

A Line or Two: Find the Food Trucks

Jon Spayde Wednesday, June 27, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: Online tools for zeroing in on mobile eats.

Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Farmers' Market confidential

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The debut of a new market in Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood underlines the exciting upsides--and a few lesser-known downsides--of the farmers' market boom.

Coordination/Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Southwest

The gorilla yogis: instant philanthropy on a mat

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, June 06, 2012

They show up in unlikely places around town--scores of yoga practitioners practicing their poses and tossing charitable contributions into a kitty. It's rogue yoga and grassroots philanthropy, and as it grows in popularity, the three women who started it want to keep it unpredictable.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy

The Big Picture 12: Dessa of Doomtree

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 23, 2012

We check in with the literate, stylistically adventurous singer, rapper, writer, and Doomtree hip-hop collective member to get her take on the Twin Cities as a creative community and a nurturer of bold DIY music.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

The Odd (Retail) Couple

Susan Klemond Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Need a kicky pair of high heels or an affordable, eco-friendly coffin? Two shops sharing a building on Saint Paul's evolving Smith Avenue are ready to help with fashion or funerals.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

West Side

Issue Media Update: The Crafty Ones

Douglas Trattner Wednesday, April 25, 2012

They've all ditched a "regular" job to work with their hands, creating beautiful and useful things. Their stories show what it takes: a vision, courage, a willingness to watch your pennies, and a lot of love.

Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship

Connecting two continents with teeshirts

Nancy Crotti Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The teeshirts bearing the brand Forgotten are articles of faith as well as articles of clothing. The fledgling company was created to help the Ugandan farmers and cotton spinners who create the shirts and the inner-city Minneapolis teens who screen-print them. Now a major rock tour is set to take Forgotten gear to a new level.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Philanthropy

Tech bloggers weigh in on Minnebar 2012

Graeme Thickins and Mark Gritter Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Minnebar, our annual, semi-structured geek get-together, is becoming a tradition and a real force in the local tech community. This year's conference happened on Saturday, April 7--and two experienced tech bloggers gave their views of the confab soon after. Here are some excerpts.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy

Mike Derheim, Mark Malmberg, and Mark Hurlburt

Geeks Doing Good: The Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Fueled by ice cream, pizza, and rivers of Red Bull, hundreds of nerds recently gathered at the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus to help “good nonprofits with not-so-good websites.”

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Philanthropy

Midway

Karen Washington tells local urban gardeners: to go permanent, get political

Susan Klemond Wednesday, April 04, 2012

What do you do when the urban garden you've struggled to create gets sold out from under you? At the recent Community Garden Spring Resource Fair, New York gardening advocate Karen Washington told local growers that if they want their gardens to be really sustainable--i.e., permanent--they'd better get savvy about the political system.

Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Regionalism, Sustainability

West Side

A Conversation with Katie Eggers: Chronicling the New Twin Cities with a Global Eye

Jon Spayde Wednesday, March 28, 2012

German-born Katharina (Katie) Eggers has studied politics in Paris, taught in Thailand, and worked as a UN-EU liaison in Brussels. Now this young, internationally connected overachiever is preparing to launch a print magazine that will highlight the Twin Cities' connections to the nation and the world. And she has some pointed things to say about what it's like to be a newcomer in our towns.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Regionalism

Videoline: Dinkytown: Food, Music, and Books

Izak Leon and Adam Jacobs Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Izak Leon and Adam Jacobs' video "Dinkytown: Food Music Books" is a a lively look at the semi-legendary neighborhood of cafes, bars, clubs, and bookstores adjacent to the University of Minnesota campus. The two Perpich Center for Arts Education students portray a neighborhood that's moving toward the mainstream while still holding on to many of the values of its countercultural past.

Arts and Culture, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Shopping, Strong Local Economy

University

Where the U of M and the Northside Meet

Dan Heilman Wednesday, March 14, 2012

When the economic downturn derailed plans for a U of M North Minneapolis campus, university and civic visionaries created a unique alternative: a Northside research and outreach center that's the hub for a whole galaxy of town-gown partnerships in economic development and social betterment.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

North Side

Got Ideas? The Minnesota Idea Open Wants Them

Holly Dolezalek Wednesday, March 07, 2012

This concept-contest, with a deadline later this month, not only rewards great ideas for a better Minnesota--it helps make them happen. This year's theme: connecting across cultures and faiths as the state becomes less white, less Lutheran, less Lake Wobegon.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy

Gordon Bellaver, co-owner of Bull Run Roasting Co

Serious Java: The Twin Cities' new generation of artisan coffee shops

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A handful of local coffee shops are redefining the coffee experience as an art form. From sourcing to roasting, grinding to "latte art," their watchword is quality. If you're looking for quick joe to grab and go, you may need to adjust your expectations upward.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Phillips, Union Park, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Longfellow, Highland Park, Calhoun - Isles, Powderhorn

An "artist co-op" for urban farmers

Meleah Maynard Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The founders of Grow! Twin Cities are building a place where urban farmers can come, plant, share green wisdom, start businesses, and thrive together. And they're telling success stories.

Coordination/Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Verdict: The "Buy Local" Campaign Helped Central Corridor Businesses Stay Healthy

Dan Heilman Wednesday, February 01, 2012

An aggressive, and unconventional, marketing campaign to keep people coming to Central Corridor businesses during light rail construction in 2011 appears to have paid off in less business decline than expected--and a mood of cautious optimism about the future.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Midway, Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

A Line or Two: Back to Filfillah

Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 01, 2012

In A Line or Two, I'll be sharing some of my discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities--an intriguing upcoming event, a great restaurant meal, a new art gallery, a conversation with a forward thinker, or a web site you should know about. Call it an editor's-note-as-blog-entry. (And I take the photos--Bill Kelley is guiltless.) This time: a return to the marvelous, and still undiscovered, restaurant Filfillah, where you get the lunch your mom made for you if you grew up in Ankara.

Arts and Culture, diversity, Entrepreneurship

The Bike Boom by the Numbers

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Thanks to Bike Walk Twin Cities' intrepid bicycle and pedestrian observers, says urbanist Jay Walljasper, we now have a good idea just how big a deal two-wheeled transit is in our towns. And would you believe Minneapolis is in the top ten of walkable cities nationwide?

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Transportation

Big Table's Big Ideas

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, January 18, 2012

It's a hip hybrid of retail poster shop, design studio, and coworking space where some of Saint Paul's most entrepreneurial artists gather around--yes!--a big table. And it's a bold move to help build up downtown, too.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship

Downtown

Big Table Posters: A Slide Show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Twin Cities poster scene is flourishing, and one of its epicenters is Big Table Studio in Saint Paul, which Camille LeFevre profiled a couple of weeks ago. Herewith are Managing Photographer Bill Kelley's images of some of his favorite posters on display and for sale at Big Table, by various local artists, celebrating love, evil, beer, bikes, bands, and other exciting facts of life.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship

Downtown

Revisiting Lunalux: Where fine printing is hip, funny, and fashionable

Jon Spayde Wednesday, January 18, 2012

One of the major influences on Big Table Studio (see feature above) has been Jenni Undis' Lunalux print shop and paper-goods store in Minneapolis. So we thought it would be opportune to re-run our Lunalux feature from 2011, in which we describe how Undis combines charm and cool, tradition and innovation. (By the way, the other major influence on Big Table is the CoCo coworking space--check out our Big Picture feature below for more on that.)

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Downtown/Lowertown

The Big Picture 11: Jeff Heegaard on the Next Economy

Jon Spayde Wednesday, January 11, 2012

In a season of economic gloom and doom, the veteran business developer and partner in the CoCo coworking spaces sees a hopeful future in the bright eyes and collaborative ethics of young entrepreneurs.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown

The Musical, Multitasking Microbrewers

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Qiuxia and Kevin Welch are professional musicians, playing the French horn in many major local ensembles. Qiuxia teaches the Chinese language and Chinese cooking. Kevin is a certified tungsten inert gas welder. So why not become microbrewers too, bringing authentic Belgian-style beer to thirsty locals?

Arts and Culture, Entrepreneurship

Warehouse/North Loop

2011: The year of "coopetition"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, December 21, 2011

"Coopetition"--cooperation among competitors or potential competitors--was a force to be reckoned with in the Twin Cities during 2011. Our politics may be gridlocked in partisanship, but the smartest entrepreneurs and civic officials locally are embracing a wider vision than the zero-sum game.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism

Kindred Kitchen serves up entrepreneurship in north minneapolis

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, December 14, 2011

For hopeful food entrepreneurs, it can be a long, hard road from cooking a tasty treat to creating a viable business around it. That's where the North Side's innovative food-business incubator comes in.

Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

North Side

I'll drink to that: the making of the twin cities microbrew revolution

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Changing regulations and evolving tastes are sparking a craft-beer and microbrewing revolution across the country, and nowhere is the quirky, über-entrepreneurial, nouveau-beer buzz louder than in the Twin Cities. Are you ready for Angry Planet Pale Ale and Masala Mama IPA?

Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Downtown, Southwest, Longfellow, Downtown/Lowertown, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Microbrewing Revealed: A slide show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Managing Photographer Bill Kelley--a knowledgeable home-brewer himself--explored some of our local microbrew establishments to see just how these alchemists turn grain into drinkable gold. Here's his visual record of the process.

Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

West Seventh, Warehouse/North Loop

The gift of conscience

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The local-and-sustainable ethic that's everywhere in the Twin Cities food world is spreading to the holiday gift-shopping scene here--and two unique Minneapolis shops are leading the way.

Arts and Culture, Design, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Southwest

The Big Picture 10: Craig and Patricia Neal on Transformative Conversations

Jon Spayde Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What's the purpose of meetings, meetups, networking? New ideas, new opportunities, certainly. But for Craig and Patricia Neal, face-to-face gatherings can have a deeper purpose: the transformation of consciousness and, ultimately, of the way we live and do business. Their Heartland company was founded to prove the point.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Sustainability

The Rebirth of Rachel Swardson

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, November 09, 2011

When her husband left her, her innovative postnatal-care company, her finances, and her hope for the future hit the skids. But then, with courage, savvy, and some high-powered help, she came back, big time.

Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare

Vikas Narula probing the networks - Bill Kelley

Who really runs your company? Keyhubs can help you find out

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Vikas Narula learned early that informal networks of power and influence may be more important to a business than its official org chart. So he started a consultancy to help companies identify their unofficial movers and shakers.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

Southwest

Bruce Corrie Talks with Jon Spayde - Bill Kelley

The Big Picture 9: Bruce Corrie on the power of "ethnic capital"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Often, says Concordia University economist and biz-school dean Bruce Corrie, our minority and immigrant communities are seen solely through the "problem" lens. Their struggles are real, but their contributions to our prosperity and potential for growth are greater than most majority Minnesotans realize. And Corrie's got the figures to prove it.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

North End, Greater East Side, Dayton's Bluff, Central Avenue, Phillips, Midway, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, West Side, Lake Street, North Side, Seward, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Payne - Phalen, Powderhorn, Summit - University

The New Philanthropy: Corporate-style savvy to make altruism sustainable

Dan Heilman Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tough times and public deficits are forcing nonprofits to step up to the plate in new ways. At Social Venture Partners' national convention in Minneapolis, two keynoters let our reporter in on some of the things that smart do-gooders are learning from the pinstripe crowd.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy

Downtown

Anna Bonavita's "chocolate revolution"

Susan Klemond Wednesday, October 05, 2011

The Twin Cities-based importer of hard-to-find European chocolate sees it as much, much more than a confection. For her, the finest chocolate, like the best wine, has the power to change our lives for the better. That's why she's passionate about issues like cacao percentages, and why she pairs yoga and tai chi classes with chocolate tastings.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability

Kerrik Wessel wants to plug your car into the sun

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Inspired by his kids' toy building set, he designed a colorful modular carport that incorporates solar panels--and may soon become nothing but solar panels. Is this how we'll recharge the electric vehicles of the future?

Design, Emerging Technology, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Sustainability, Transportation

Symphonies are playing a new tune to lure younger audiences

Don Lee Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The classical-music audience is graying, and the executives of the League of American Orchestras, who met here in early June, are nervously sharing ways to reverse the trend. Can Facebook, DJ dance nights, and Ben Folds save Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms?

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Big Picture 4: Dan Grigsby on why we don't need to be Silicon Prairie

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 25, 2011

For many observers, our high-tech sector is in crisis. There aren't enough angel investors and we've lost our edge. Dan Grigsby, one of the most successful software entrepreneurs in Minnesota, doesn't buy it. In a conversation with The Line, he explains why we don't need to be Silicon Prairie, create the next Facebook, or even worry about venture capital.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, Strong Local Economy

The Bight Club at the Red Stag Block Party

Hey! The Line is a Year Old Today!

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 25, 2011

On The Line's first birthday, managing editor Jon Spayde takes a moment to reflect on what he's learned about his adopted hometowns in a year. Like the amazing depth of our talent pool, the spirit behind our entrepreneurial energy, and our shyness about self-promotion.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Owners, chamber join forces to keep Corridor businesses healthy

Michelle Bruch Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Nobody expected Central Corridor light-rail construction to be easy on the small businesses along the route. But now that the challenges of access and parking are hitting, business owners, the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations are working to keep the Corridor as customer-friendly as possible.

Central Corridor, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Summit - University, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, University

The South Saint Anthony Park Creative Enterprise Zone

Dan Heilman Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Where Raymond Avenue meets University, artists and innovators have been living and working for decades, lured by cheap rents and a friendly, funky vibe. What will happen to them as light rail comes through, bringing construction disruption now--and an unpredictable development pattern later? The newly formed South Saint Anthony Park Creative Enterprise Zone aims to keep the neighborhood weird--and welcoming.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Saint Anthony Park

Ying Xiong, General Manager Hmongtown Market

VideoLine: Hmongtown Marketplace, A place Like Home

Kevin Obsatz Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A re-run of one of our most popular videos--a trip through Saint Paul's colorful Hmongtown Marketplace with Ying Xiong, its general manager.

Entrepreneurship

North End

Editor's Pick: The Minneapolis LOHAS Forum

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 11, 2011

LOHAS means "Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability"--people concerned with health, the environment, social justice, and personal growth who buy $290 billion worth of goods and services in support of these ideals. The first regional LOHAS conference kicks off tomorrow at the U of M, for merchants, marketers, and others who want to reach these consumers.

Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

University

The bar-meets-bike business called pedalpub is on a roll

Lori Storm Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Al Boyce and Eric Olson's fleet of human-powered saloons are wheeling their way through the Twin Cities again as the weather warms up. And their business is hot too, with booming local bookings and a Chicago branch launched.

Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

The immigrant soul of Central Avenue: A slide show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The stretch of Minneapolis' Central Avenue Northeast that runs from around 18th Avenue to a little past Lowry is a colorful collage of immigrant businesses: Hispanic, Arab, Afghan, Indian, Southeast Asian. Bill Kelley's images capture a neighborhood that feels both faraway and very close to home.

Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Central Avenue, Northeast

The natural-pet-foods movement is growing, and Woody's is its Twin Cites headquarters

Meleah Maynard Wednesday, March 09, 2011

We love our pets, and we're coming to realize that over-processed foods are no better for them than they are for us. Hence the natural-pet-food movement, and new businesses like Enrique and Michelle Palma's Woody's Pet Food Deli, where "human-grade" pet food is for sale. For the Palmas and their customers, feeding pets better isn't sentiment or anthropomorphism--it's good science and good sense.

Entrepreneurship, Life Sciences

Highland Park, Southwest

Four-way entrepreneur Don Smithmier: they told him to "focus," and luckily, he didn't listen

Michelle Bruch Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Don Smithmier starts companies without worrying about crafting a single image for himself. In fact, he calls the Minneapolis office of Matter Worldwide, his umbrella company, "the physical manifestation of my weird brain." It contains four companies he founded or in which he's a partner: a music studio, a web design firm, a web news aggregator, and a bold new venture in online learning. And then there's his country-and-western band...

Arts and Culture, Cooperation/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

Lunalux: Where fine printing is hip, funny, and fashionable

Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Lunalux, Jenni Undis' hip printing shop and paper-goods boutique on Minneapolis' Loring Park, pioneered in the crafting of "indie" greeting cards--cleverly conceived fine-press alternatives to Hallmark. Some of the most design-savvy people and organizations in town have gone to Undis for their printing needs--and her retail shop is full of offbeat paper goods you won't find anywhere else.

Arts and Culture, Design, Entrepreneurship

Downtown

The new corporate hybrids: socially conscious local companies bridge the profit/nonprofit divide

Dan Haugen Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Plenty of companies in the Twin Cities and around the country want to do good as well as make a buck. In order to make that easier in a time of shrinking resources, new forms of corporate structure are evolving, including the L3C--the low-profit limited liability company. At least one Twin Cities company has opted for that new status, and others are looking into it and other ways to combine the best of the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. But there are those who wonder of these highly experimental new structures are anything more than good PR.

Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy

Dale Connelly, Resident Tourist, visits Trylon Microcinema, the biggest little theater in town

Dale Connelly Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Dale Connelly--disc jockey, wit, culture maven, and for many years the co-host of Minnesota Public Radio's Morning Show, is back, and we've got him. As the Resident Tourist, he'll drop into The Line from time to time to share some of his favorite Twin Cities phenomena. This week: the tiny, elegant Trylon Microcinema, a cineaste's labor of love that lets fifty people at a time watch classic films in plush red seats. Does it have a chance against the multiplexes? Or is it playing an entirely different game?

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Longfellow

In bike-culture cafes, java meets pedal power--and art

Molly Priesmeyer Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Twin Cities' newest bike cafe, Angry Catfish Bicycles and Coffee, joins two predecessors, One on One Bicycle Studio and Cars R Coffins Coffee Bar/Cykel Garage in catering to the caffeination needs, and gear lust, of serious bike riders. These coffee house/bike shop/art gallery hybrids are celebrations of two-wheel culture in a town that's getting prouder and prouder of it.

Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Strong Local Economy

Powderhorn, Warehouse/North Loop

El Nuevo Rodeo: The restaurant/dance club with something for everybody in the Latino community

Alyssa Ford Wednesday, October 20, 2010

El Nuevo Rodeo is a a large, cheerful Mexican restaurant on Lake Street. It's also a gigantic, pretty sensational dance club upstairs, drawing huge crowds to hear the biggest names in Latin music, from Mexican banda and norte�o groups to pop and salsa superstars. For co-founder and owner Maya Santamaria, a music promoter who used to be an anthropologist, it's also a cultural and community center for the whole local Latino population--straight and gay--and a symbol of Latino entrepreneurship and enterprise in the Cities.

diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Lake Street

Does coworking work? A colleague-craving freelancer gives the non-office office a try

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Our intrepid, and maybe just a little lonesome, freelancer Elizabeth Millard decided to road-test Saint Paul's two coworking spaces--offices where people like her, who would normally toil at home or in coffee shops, gather for mutual support, idea swapping, and random chitchat in between bouts of work. This is office life without managers, a dress code, or water-cooler grousing. And there are pancakes.

Coordination/Collaboration, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship

Downtown/Lowertown, Saint Anthony Park

South African wines are winners--meet the couple who are putting them on Twin Cities tables

Lori Storm Wednesday, August 04, 2010

When South Africans Roy Goslin and Diane Ferrandi were hired by an American firm and offered their pick of US locations, the couple chose Minneapolis/St. Paul because it's about the size of Cape Town. Within a few years they were working for themselves, importing wine from their homeland. But thanks to the bad rep that cheap South African wines had garnered, and their unfamiliarity with the Twin Cities food scene, they had an uphill climb. Today, after the World Cup, South Africa is trendy, Goslin and Ferrandi are old hands, and metro Minnesotans are getting a taste for fine vintages from the land of the springbok.

Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

I Like You, the colorful shop that gives hip crafters a home

Alyssa Ford Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Twin Cities teem with cool crafters whose edgy and beautiful creations go miles beyond hand-painted "Bless This Mess" signs and laser-cut rocks that bid us "Imagine." For a long time these artists' main outlets were occasional crafts fairs and web sites. Then along came Sarah Sweet and Angela Lessman, who crafted the big, colorful, funky consignment store in Northeast Minneapolis with the disarming name. All it took for the shop to succeed was a dream, a near-failure, and a work ethic that borders on insanity.

Arts and Culture, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Northeast

Fashion from scratch: four local designers who started small and are getting noticed

Lori Storm Wednesday, July 14, 2010

They started with not much more than a sewing machine and an idea and, far from global fashion centers, they set out to turn their dreams into beautiful things to use and wear. And lo and behold, these Minnesotans made it happen. Laura Nelli's chic handbags, Rapport's leather bags and whimsical accessories, and Gillian Gabriel's beautiful, flattering-to-any-form swimsuits are made-in-Minnesota fashion phenomena that are making their mark in the wider world.

Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

For designer/marketer Garrio Harrison, social media aren't a tool--they're a revolution

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Garrio Harrison believes that social media like Facebook and Twitter aren't just the latest slick marketing strategy--they've fundamentally changed the way we do business by making everything, including buying and selling, more personal, more connected, and more human. And he's founded the all-social-media-all-the-time marketing firm Doublethink to prove his point.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

Downtown/Lowertown

Putting art in touch with life: A conversation with Jack Becker of Forecast Public Art

Jon Spayde Wednesday, June 23, 2010

It's not a statue plopped in a park any more. Public art is a complex, dynamic new way of looking at the relationship between creativity and community. And Jack Becker, director of Saint Paul's Forecast Public Art, knows as much about that relationship as anybody in America. He led the effort to build up Forecast from a failing art gallery into a multitasking go-to organization for public artists around the Twin Cities and around the country, helping public art become a major public resource as well as a public delight.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Can Minnesota be another Silicon Valley? Techies meet at MinneBar conference to mull it over

Holly Dolezalek Wednesday, June 02, 2010

What can we do to do leverage the abundant high-tech talent in Minnesota into more startups? At the MinneBar 2010 conference, geeks and investors gathered to grapple with that question--among others--and to assess the state of the tech biz in the Gopher State. The verdict: More risk-taking, more mentoring, more connectivity are needed here--but everybody can keep their cabins.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy

Super subcultures, great neighborhoods: 14 experts on what makes the Twin Cities special

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What's the special sauce that makes so many bright people who come here stay here--and a lot people who go away, come back? (And what do we need to make that sauce even richer?) Some local creative types weigh in.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown, North Side, Downtown, Seward, West Side, Northeast

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