Featured Stories

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

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

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

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

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

Entrepreneurship : Featured Stories