[Minnesota Rising Dispatch] December 2014

[#mnrising Dispatch] December 2014 On the last day of this year, we are proud to look back at and review all that happened during this last trip around the sun! In 2014, Minnesota Rising hosted all four modules of our Collaborative Competence Learning Labs series (including a rapid-pace Fail Lab at #bushCON14), completed a second tour and round of analysis of the "Our Minnesota" Cascading Conversations Tour, and hosted our fifth annual Un/Conference after celebrating our fifth anniversary with a "Why Minnesota Rising Matters" blog series. We are grateful for your partnership and support and hope you'll join us in 2015 as we continue working to navigate and shape our shared emerging future! Here's how: Help us kick off 2015 with a Minnesota Rising Sounding Board Strategy Session on Thursday, January 15 from 6pm - 8pm at Grassroots Solutions. RSVP to minnesotarising[at]gmail.com. Join us at "Our Story, Our Future: Recognizing and Valuing Diversity" at the Hamline School of Business on February 5 (register by January 30) Save-the-Date for May 4 for #bushCON15 at the Guthrie Theater, where Minnesota Rising is proud to be a programming partner! Thanks again for being a part of our community in 2014, and Happy New Year to you and yours!  TCB 100 Twin Cities Business Magazine It's been a mixed year: Productivity is at a near-record high, unemployment is low. But finding qualified labor is getting tougher and tougher, and spending remains modest. With these kinds of challenges, it's important to know who's got the insight, experience and smarts that you'll want to seek out in the year ahead, whether you meet with them in person or learn by their example. It is with this in mind that the editors of Twin Cities Business present the 100 People to Know in 2015. [Read more.] Elect Her University of Minnesota Elect Her - Campus Women Win is a 4.5 hour training that is held on campuses and that teaches college women how to run for and win student government positions at their institutions such as the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The training covers skills such as how to mobilize a constituency, how to craft a message, and how to speak confidently and present oneself as a candidate. Outside experts and current and former student government officials speak to participants about their experiences and what they have learned from running for office. [Read more.] Innove Deux Colonial Church As you may remember, in 2012, we gave away $250,000 to groups or individuals looking to grow, launch and serve our community in a well-developed, sustainable way. With over 140 applicants, the Innove judges awarded 5 incredible Proteges with varying financial awards who were able to begin or continue their missions as social entrepreneurs.  As a result of the vitality around the first round, we are doing it again in 2014 and we humbly request that you consider applying. Applications are due by January 5, 2015, and once again, $250,000 plus individual mentoring is at stake! [Read more.] [Open Space] (N) icebreakers Matt Lewis It's hard to break in here. Whether you're an immigrant from halfway around the world, a transplant from halfway across the country, or a first-generation graduate from halfway across the city, it's not easy to penetrate the invisible networks and constructs that exist in our professional and social environment. It's not a challenges that's unique to Minneapolis-Saint Paul. But if we want this to be the place we all hope that it can be we need to acknowledge this reality and recognize the implications. [Read more.] Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend News from the Network Updates and events with our esteemed partners and collaborators! Second Annual Be Heard MN Youth Poetry Slam Series TruArtSpeaks Begins January 2015 2015 Session Line-Up MCN Friday, January 9 10:00am - 12:00pm Best Western Kelly Inn Accepting Applications: MinneDemo19 Submissions due EOD Friday, January 9 Tempo Happy Hour & Behind the Curtain: Elixir of Love Monday, January 12 5:00pm - 8:30pm Parlour Second Tuesday Networking Event YPOTC Tuesday, January 13 5:30pm - 9:00pm Coup d'Etat SMBMSP#74 - Video and Social Media Friday, January 23 8:00am - 10:00am 514 Studios Path to Power Training MN AFL-CIO January 24-25 8:00am - 5:00pm Education MN YPᴺ = Panoramic Happy Hour Thursday, January 29 5:00pm - 7:00pm LPM Apartments YPOTC Gives Back: Volunteering Saturday, January 31 12:30pm - 2:30pm Second Harvest Heartland   Making Our #MNRising Mark! Don't forget to tag your upcoming emerging leader events, thoughts, musings, and more,#mnrising, on Twitter and Facebook. Let's aggregate and organize ourselves for increased interaction and potential for collaboration!

Copyright © 2014 Minnesota Rising, All rights reserved.

Accepting Applications: MinneDemo19 on February 5th!

MinneDemo19 is on its way, and organizers have sent the latest details to save the date, volunteer, and solicit presenters. Got a real, working technology product made in MN to contribute to so-called "Geek Show and Tell?" Submit online by January 9th for your 7 minutes of fame!

MinneDemo19 February 5th at Guthrie Theater Doors open at 6pm, Show starts at 7pm The next MinneDemo is right around the corner, so get ready! Tickets will be released on: Tuesday, January 27th at 2:30pm Monday, February 2nd at 10:30am Demo at MinneDemo19 MinneDemo's only as great as the presenters we get. We're looking for people who have real, working technology made in Minnesota to present. Demos are 7 minutes long, and PowerPoint is NOT ALLOWED. Some have described it as geek show and tell.  Submit your submission by end of day Friday, January 9th.  Think you've got what it takes?  Sign Up to Present at MinneDemo                               Save the Date MinneHour Tuesday, January 13th Community Supporters & Sponsors Pre MinneBar10 Party Friday, April 10th Location TBD MinneBar10 Saturday, April 11th Best Buy Headquarters MinneDemo20 July 2015 Location TBD No-Hassle Tickets As always, Community Supporters get priority registration for all of our events. Become a Community Supporter with a donation of $100 or more, and you'll get this awesome benefit and other great minne✱ extras (like access to Happy Hours).  AND it's a great way to show your support for our tech community because that's a really important and good thing to do. Volunteer at MinneDemo19 As a 100% volunteer-run organization, we rely heavily on the community pitching in to make our events happen.  Sign up now to help with MinneDemo19 by emailing volunteers@minnestar.org. See you soon! Adrienne, Alex, Casey, Justin, and the whole team at minne✱ SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:                   CODE42 Our focus is on creating extraordinary solutions to everyday problems. Code 42 Software is the creator of CrashPlan, the award-winning backup solutions for consumers and businesses. We're located in RiverPlace in Northeast Minneapolis, the epicenter of the Twin Cities' growing technology industry. We're currently looking for top-notch software engineers, finance and accounting pros, and graphics design wizards to join our team. If you're interested, resumes@code42.com is the place. ANNUAL SPONSORING PARTNERS

Copyright © 2014 Minnestar, All rights reserved.

Grow in rest

Copyright: chenhawnan / 123RF Stock Photo

“Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.” 

-Mark Buchanan

Place in the pattern

Copyright: vvvita / 123RF Stock Photo

“Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you. Thinking of you this holiday season!” 

 -T.A. Barron

Anniversaries of the heart

Copyright: suprunvitaly / 123RF Stock Photo

“The holiest of holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart; The secret anniversaries of the heart.” 

 -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The TCB 100: "100 People to Know in 2015"

I was honored to be included in Twin Cities Business Magazine's list of "100 People to Know in 2015," which makes helpful mention of Minnesota Rising. Check out the list below of Next-Gen Leaders: individuals who are leading organizations and causes to help improve the world that we, as well as future generations, will live in. Hats off to all those who are doing just that, regardless of whether they or their organizations are mentioned below!

Next-Gen Leaders

Individuals who are leading organizations and causes to help improve the world that we, as well as future generations, will live in.

November 14, 2014

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Abou Amara
Committee administrator
DFL Caucus, Minnesota House of Representatives

Abou Amara only completed his master of public policy degree a few years ago, but he has already served on advisory boards, advocacy groups and as a committee administrator for the Minnesota House of Representatives. His keen interest in politics has landed him on several DFL political campaigns. In many ways, Amara represents the new face of the party: young, a person of color, and steeped in social justice. He just finished a stint as deputy political director for Al Franken’s reelection campaign against Mike McFadden.

Alberto Monserrate
CEO and co-founder
Latino Communications Network

Puerto Rican by birth, Alberto Monserrate is deeply passionate about the Latino community. His Latino Communications Network is a tour de force in marketing to Spanish and bilingual speakers across print, radio and other formats. He’s working on diversity and equity issues at Hiawatha Leadership Academy and is the first Latino on the Minneapolis School Board.

Dan Buettner
Founder and CEO
Blue Zones

Dan Buettner works to transform the health of America. The Minnesota native coined the concept of “blue zones,” areas where residents live incredibly long lives. In 2009, he helped Albert Lea apply blue-zone principles that slashed city worker health claims. Since then, he’s taken that model to other cities, written a best-selling book and been featured in a TED talk. Buettner clearly won’t stop until everyone is living longer.

Diane Tran
Senior project manager
Grassroots Solutions

Besides her work at Grassroots Solutions, a consulting firm that works with grassroots organizations, Tran directs Minnesota field activities for the Pew Charitable Trust’s program to advance federal clean energy policies, and serves on several nonprofit boards. In addition, the self-described “practical optimist” founded Minnesota Rising, an emerging-leader network. In short, she’s one of those high-energy people who don’t seem to need much sleep.

Dr. Tara Watson
Owner
Watson Chiropractic, Exceptional Home Health

Tara Watson’s career can be summed up in a simple formula: boldness + resilience = brilliance. Few chiropractors have had to make so many adjustments. A month after purchasing a building on West Broadway to house her chiropractic and home health care business, a flood ruined it; with no insurance, she rebuilt. A year later, a tornado wrecked it; again she rebuilt, opening an Anytime Fitness franchise in the process. Why? It’s elementary, says Watson: “When everything’s been taken away, you might as well keep going, because there’s at least some hope in that.

Jamie Millard
Co-executive director
Pollen

One might wonder when Jamie Millard has time to breathe: Just five years out of college, she has launched and runs the literary magazine Paper Darts, doles out social media advice at conferences, engages social sector workers through the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network and sits at the helm of Pollen, an online community of more than 4,000 that shares civic-minded ideas and opportunities in Minnesota. Millard has plenty on her plate, but she keeps taking on more. Her next challenge? Building better-connected communities through sharing stories, opportunities and events.

Jennifer Ford Reedy
President
Bush Foundation

Since arriving in 2012, Reedy has been an energetic innovator who has raised the profile of the Bush Foundation, which supports organizations and individuals developing new ideas to improve their communities. Before 2012, Reedy worked for Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, where she led the creation of innovative giving programs GiveMN.org and Give to the Max Day, as well as the development of the Minnesota Idea Open.

Jonathan Weinhagen
Vice president
St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce

Once a rather sleepy group, the St. Paul Area Chamber seems far more energetic these days. Weinhagen’s a big reason why. He loves his city, loves what he does and he’s well-connected. He has served on scads of boards (education is one of his big interests), and built a reputation as a dynamic communicator and consensus. You’ll be seeing him around.

Karl Florida
Managing director of small law firms and consumer
Thomson Reuters

Under Karl Florida’s watch, FindLaw—an Eagan-based consumer legal website and attorney directory—extended its lead on the competition. Florida was promoted to president of FindLaw in 2010 after serving as the business’ vice president of strategy and development. A Thomson Reuters subsidiary, FindLaw reached a milestone of 8 million monthly visitors in 2014. Florida continued climbing the ladder in 2012, when Thomson Reuters named him managing director of the company’s business segment for small law firms.

Kristin Pardue and Brad von Bank
Co-founders
Rêve Consulting / Rêve Academy

Kristin Pardue left corporate America to found Rêve Consulting, a business strategy consulting firm, in 2009. Brad von Bank joined a year later after leaving Target Corp. In 2012, the husband-and-wife team launched Rêve Academy and have been drawing rave reviews. The program, offered after school or in the summer, teaches kids digital marketing skills. Rêve is based in north Minneapolis, a corner of the city in need of fresh energy and revitalization. In a sign of the interest, funding partners for Rêve Academy include big names: the Pohlad Family Foundation, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Carlson Family Foundation, Best Buy Children’s Foundation and the General Mills Foundation.

Mohamud Noor
Director
Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education

Mohamud Noor demonstrated his ability to marshal the electoral power of the Somali community in his DFL primary contest against Rep. Phyllis Kahn. Although he lost the August election, it was competitive, drew statewide attention and gave him an opportunity to raise Somali concerns to a broad audience. As a member of the Minneapolis school board, Noor is in a pivotal position to advocate for policies and approaches to improve educational outcomes of Somalis and other minorities in a district with a serious racial achievement gap.

Scott Litman
Co-founder
Magnet 360, Minnesota Cup

Scott Litman knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship. Alongside longtime business partner Dan Mallin, Litman co-founded Imaginet in the early 1990s and St. Louis Park-based Magnet 360 in 2008. His marketing technology consultancy has a 95 percent retention rate since 2012 and has been named one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies, with $28 million in revenue expected for 2014. Litman is also a founder of the Minnesota Cup, which has become the largest statewide contest for business startups in the country.

Sondra Samuels
CEO / President
Northside Achievement Zone

Samuels wants to craft better futures. Samuels aims to replicate the success of the Harlem Children’s Zone, but on Minneapolis’s North Side, working with a $28 million federal grant and schools, parents, and partners such as the University of Minnesota’s Center for Early Education and Development. The Newark, N.J., native’s goal: to prepare 2,500 low-income North Minneapolis children to graduate from high school ready for college. What drives her? In part, the loss of many friends and family to neighborhood violence.

Steve Flagg
President
Quality Bicycle Products

Flagg didn’t turn the Twin Cities into one of the top bicycling regions in the country on his own, of course. But he’s certainly been one of the big wheels. QBP is one of the country’s biggest suppliers of parts; it’s also home to innovative bicycle brands Surly, Salsa, All-City and Civia. Locally, Flagg’s longtime work advocating for bicycling has encouraged more trails and easier bike commuting. At age 63, he’s taking more time out from his workload to take some cycling trips.