MCCD's Senior Policy Advisor, Kari Johnson, advocates on behalf of MCCD and its members throughout the legislative session, while also acting as one of the policy co-chairs for the Homes for All Coalition and helping to lead

MCCD is excited to welcome two new business advisors, Noah Her and Carrie Mikkonen, to the team! Noah is the Business Advisor for Ramsey County, a new area for our Open to Business program, and Carrie is taking over for Anoka County after Kathleen's retirement earlier this summer. 

Meet Noah

I’m excited to get started working through the Open to Business

Da Fizz Biz Franchise Relaunches Under New Ownership

Entrepreneur achieves passive income dream with help from Open to Business

Kyle Kisch is the rare case of an entrepreneur who walked into Open to Business with one business idea, but ended up investing in an entirely different business. Kisch is happy to finally achieve his goal of developing

Surprisingly, the systems that help us get housed and the systems that build housing don’t always talk to each other. In fact, through the decades, they’ve mostly operated independently. Meanwhile, the policies that shape those systems have shifted with the perspectives of lawmakers and political landscape through the decades, giving rise to new outlooks on how best to ensure people can get — and keep — an affordable place to live.

That’s what I

Meet Sean and Justin, two members of the ELCD Steering Committee!

• Sean Mock is a Project Funding Manager at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity where he oversees the organization’s government grants.
• Justin Eilers is a Senior Project Manager at CommonBond Communities where he leads

Join MCCD members and partners for the second event in our 30th Anniversary CD Conversation series! Register online to reserve your seat. 

Introduction

In the early 2000s, the Metropolitan Council expressed their intent to add a second light rail transit line that spanned from downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis. This announcement spurred confusion among those living near the proposed light rail route--particularly, on the St. Paul front. Residents were fearful that they would become displaced, and business owners were afraid of what construction would do to their business. Thus, 14 local and

B52 Burger and Brew Opens New Lakeville Restaurant

Local restaurant B52 Burgersmade a name for itself in the Twin Cities burger scene within just a few years of opening. After launching in suburban Inver Grove Heights in 2010, B52 Burger and Brew earned the

End of Session Wrap-Up!

Every year, MCCD shares an end of session update with our members and partners. MCCD's Senior Policy Advisor, Kari Johnson, advocates on behalf of MCCD and its members throughout the legislative session, while also acting as one of the policy co-chairs for the Homes for All coalition. Here is an update from Kari about the 2019

On Wednesday, May 22, MCCD members and supporters gathered for the first in a series of Community Development (CD) Conversations in 2019 to celebrate MCCD’s 30th anniversary. MCCD has long believed in addressing stability across the full affordable housing continuum. For this CD conversation, we took the opportunity to discuss how the

In April, the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations, in partnership with the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, National

Join MCCD members and partners for a conversation about affordable housing, the first event in a series to celebrate MCCD's 30th anniversary. Please register ahead of time. 

Introduction

To celebrate MCCD’s 30th anniversary, we are taking time to reflect on past projects, organizations, and people who have positively impacted our communities in the Twin Cities. Over time, the needs of communities can change, therefore, we must be observant and responsive to those changes to implement effective initiatives that leave a lasting impact.

Local Printmaker Revamps Popular Epitome Papers Brand 

Evelyn Miller purchases popular stationery and gift shop with help of Open to

ELCD Member Profile: Meet two of our ELCD members! 

• Aaron Berc is a Community Organizer at Jewish Community Action who works on tenant rights, anti-displacement & affordable housing issues in suburban Hennepin County.
• Tram Hoang is finishing her Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning at the Humphrey School this May. She currently interns at

Family friend restaurant offers craft beer, cocktails, and custom sandwiches for a relaxed dining experience

Ashley and Jon Norine didn’t know what kind of reception to expect when they announced the opening of NorthStar Tavern in Bloomington. But if the reaction to their first

New owner revitalizes Marine General Store's operations to serve growing Marine on St. Crois customer base

Marine General Store is the oldest store in Minnesota, having been in operation since 1849. In fact, it provided the inspiration for “Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery” on the Prairie Home Companion radio show. But Marine General Store is more than just a

Today marks the beginning of the 2019 legislative session and much like every year, we expect it to be a busy one. After a number of check-ins and a collaborative policy planning meeting with members, MCCD’s board approved our 2019 Policy Agenda which focuses on three main priorities:

• Supporting favorable policies and increase funding resources for affordable

As we look forward to 2019 and the new legislative session, the MCCD Policy Team took a minute to reflect on what we accomplished with our members and partners in 2018.

At the Capitol

The 2018 legislative session proved to be a success for MCCD, our members, and Homes for Allpartners. MCCD helped stave off any discussion of cuts to the small business development programs that help support economic

Delicious original recipes paired with striking design results in distinctive celebratory experiences at Cream of the Cakes

After growing up in her family’s two restaurants, Liz Shannon always knew she’d go back to her food business roots someday. When the recession hit and her husband was laid off, she decided it was the perfect time to get back into the kitchen and earn an income