Business and Leadership Development One Step and One Leader at the Time

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on July 10, 2007

A month or so ago, the Northfield Enterprise Center and the Latino Enterprise Center (both based in a small office on the second floor above the Northfield Chamber of Commerce) came together to craft a plan to support Maria’s Restaurant and Cantina on hwy 3, by the Crossings intersection in Northfield.
The owners, Maria and Rafael Estrada work long hours an have devoted all of their personal savings to their enterprise.  Both Maria and Rafael have the leadership and entrepreneurship spirit needed to keep the business going, but as all start-ups, they are struggling with cash-flows in a time of growth and great potential. Their business has become an icon of the Latino community in Northfield, a friendly and great place to grab lunch or a light dinner.

Matt Miller, an intern at NEC provided by St. Olaf through the Center for Experiential Learning, helped write-up a plan that involves re-structuring purchasing and negotiating strategies for raw materials and launching a marketing plan for the store. Other aspects such as the restaurant atmosphere, new products and pricing and profitability analysis and corrections are also part of the plan.

Yesterday morning (July 9th), I met at Maria’s Restaurant with Matt Miller (NEC Intern), Maria Estrada (Restauran owner), Yolanda Coterreal (Rural Programs Director for the Latino Economic Development Center in Minneapolis), Jeffrey Alexander a private business consultant with HRI Consulting in Falcon Heights, to polish a “Maria’s re-launch” plan.  The plan is crafted to bridge Maria and Rafael’s investment of time and resources with a market that they still have not fully tapped into, plus the city’s economic and business development assistance available which they have not yet accessed in this time of opportunity.  Stay tuned to new developments and a marketing campaign coming up in the next couple of months.

Looking forward, I see Maria and Rafael’s success as an important element in establishing a positive presence of our Latino business leaders in this beatiful and increasingly ethnically diverse city and a cornerstone in the process of integration of our community.