Charging Forward in 2009

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on February 4, 2009

Many things have happened at the Rural Enterprise Center recently, among them has been the follow-up to our project to develop a regional network of Hispanic/Latino owned restaurants, which has become a key economic development sector for Southern MN and is directly connected to food, agriculture and related value added and manufacturing opportunities. These sector is key in implementing economic development that attracts interest from low income families (our primary target market), and adds significant value to the economic pie and regional competitiveness.

This strategy has a promise of a faster net return on investment per entrepreneur launched, as these entrepreneurs’ economic contributions do not demand that city’s or counties sink tax-payer funds as a lure, but rather to deploy existing resources in the region that currently lay unproductive, and these resources include the local entrepreneurs who are already excited and willing to put themselves and any resource they may have, on the line to grow a local enterprise and grow our regional economic pie.

Some of the projects moving along this year include:

An Agripreneurs Training Center with a focus on training, launching and developing new farming enterprises in the region.

A regional network of restaurant owners, and a marketing and communications partnership program to establish a larger business to business relationship for these food retail sector.

Community garden growth to 100 plots in Northfield.

Establishing a strong network of organizations and resources in Red Wing where another community garden will be launched.

In Faribault, we have started building a network of organizations and resources also with similar goals as Northfield and Red Wing.

All of these city-based projects benefit from the larger regional support infrastructure that has been developing continuously over the last year and a half. In Red Wing, we are also part of planning for a farmers market and a food cooperative. 

Recently, we also had a visit from Rodrigo Marquez and Daniel Castillo from the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul, they hope to organize delivery of educational services and other community benefits for Northfield in areas that the consulate specializes in.

 

Jose Vanegas and Maria Sosa came from Faribault to meet with the consulate representatives. These connections are crucial in supporting leadership development in our region and to increase the consulate’s ability to deliver much needed government to government relations and services to Mexican citizens in our region.

Joane Paul from the Goodhue county Hispanic Outreach Committee in Red Wing was here also to meet with our visitors and make this important connection.

Stay tuned for more updates, many more are coming.