They play a big role in the national economy too; these jobs, categorized by the Standard Occupational Classification System, add up to approximately a third of the U. S. workforce.  Scientists, engineers, educators, computer programmers, artists, designers, medical professionals, healthcare workers, lawyers, and financiers…what brings them to Downtown Northfield, MN?

Through our NDDC Board Business Visits, we’ve heard of the attributes which attracted business entrepreneurs and owners to Northfield: the historic downtown, the “wild and scenic” river, the arts and cultural opportunities (significantly enhanced by the presence of two nationally-ranked colleges), good public schools, and quick and easy proximity to the airport.  But what brings them downtown?

Great, Good (Meeting) Places.

It’s a concept that has been long-championed by NDDC co-founder and former board member Bardwell Smith.  As developed by Ray Oldenburg in his book “The Great Good Place”, such places are the key for building social capital, civic engagement, and sense of place.  These places are increasingly recognized as also contributing to economic vitality through providing an environment conducive to business innovation and entrepreneurial activity.

We conducted an informal survey of about three dozen of these creative, knowledgeable, innovators, asking where they liked to meet in downtown Northfield.  Surprisingly, they often answered with a question, “Before 9 or after 5?”.

Apparently, these decisions are often influenced by the time of day…and the choice of beverage.  Downtown Northfield is fortunate to have so many great, good options.

Jodi Lundell, the company’s Chief Operating Officer told us that PRMIA recently celebrated its 10th anniversary; from its very beginning, the company has been based in Northfield.  PRMIA currently has 16 employees plus additional contractors.

PRMIA provides member services, professional certification, and training to risk management professionals globally, including access to over 750 online professional development courses and webinars.  PRMIA partners with more  than 25 leading universities around the world to offer specialist and advance classroom courses in risk management.   Their  partners in the United States include universities such as Columbia Business School, The Kellogg School of Management, George Washington University, and Duke University.

The company has been very happy with Northfield.  They like Northfield’s value system, with the commitment to community engagement and a welcoming attitude to all kinds of people.  They believe that the company and the community both value hard work but make time for family.  As a result, they have almost no turnover.

As for what could be improved in Northfield, they mentioned a need for high quality office space, restaurants, and lodging that serve a professional clientele from around the world.  In particular, they discussed a high-end boutique hotel for their visitors from New York, London, and Hong Kong.

PRMIA’s top people think that Northfield’s economic development policy should include retention programs along with recruitment efforts.  They believe that most of our economic growth will come from existing firms that currently employ a dozen or so people but could easily quadruple in size over the next decade and that there should be a focus on these companies’ needs.

The company’s leaders are interested in supporting efforts to enhance Northfield’s transit system.  They believe that it will become increasingly important to transport workers into Northfield as local employers grow.  It’s just one piece of their potential corporate engagement in the community.

The City Council wanted the funds to be used for improving streets, repairing the river wall by the Ames Mill dam, and building a public parking lot as well as other downtown improvements to be planned later.  The limited supply of parking downtown and its threat to economic vitality had been documented since the 1978 University of Minnesota Northfield River Corridor Plan and was subsequently corroborated by the 2001 Walker Parking Study.

Realizing that the sunset of the TIF District was approaching, a group of City Councilors and the City Administrator formed the Downtown Improvement Group in 2003, a task force charged with prioritizing projects for the District’s proceeds.  Their projects included a drinking fountain in Bridge Square and crosswalk pavers at pedestrian connections around Bridge Square and the western approach to the Pedestrian Bridge over the Cannon River.

The Mayor’s Streetscape Task Force was created in 2005 in an effort to increase private citizen input from downtown stakeholders.  For the next two years, the group discussed community priorities and considered potential projects, including such concepts as visitor way-finding, pedestrian safety, and public space enhancements.  As was the case back in 1986 when the District was established, creating additional parking was a priority for the downtown stakeholders in 2005.

In 2008 and 2009 Streetscape Funds were used to finance City infrastructure projects, such as the 5th Street reconstruction, the 4th Street reconstruction, and the Ames Mill Dam retaining wall, as well as Task Force-supported projects such as the Riverside Bike Trail Extension and the Sesquicentennial Legacy Plaza.  By the end of 2010, $2.3 million of the approximately $4.6 million in projected revenues had been spent.  Many Streetscape Task Force members, although supportive of the projects implemented, expressed concerns that some priority projects, especially the expansion of downtown parking, were not being considered.

During 2010 a new City Administrator assisted the Task Force in converting these priority projects, including parking, into specific recommendations.  The Task Force presented their recommended projects to the City Council in the form of a matrix that related each project to the 2006 Downtown Framework Plan, including brief descriptions and estimated costs, and totaling an amount that was within the remaining projected revenues for the TIF District.

The City Council reacted with considerable sticker-shock at the budgeted amount for the Task Force’s top-ranked priority: increasing the supply of downtown parking. In addition, the members of the 2010 City Council expressed interest in spending some of the money outside of downtown.

Recently, when downtown stakeholders became aware that their top-priority was set aside, they reacted with alarm. They gathered dozens of signatures from downtown building and business owners urging the City Council to support the Task Force’s recommended parking project on Washington Street between 3rd St. and 4th St.

There is currently enough revenue projected for the TIF District to pay for the Task Force’s long-standing recommendations as well as the City Council’s recent additions.  Downtown stakeholders hope that the long-needed parking project will continue to move forward and that this economically critical investment in downtown will be implemented before the TIF District expires.

One of the NDDC’s founders, Bardwell Smith, is Professor Emeritus of Religion and Asian Studies at Carleton College.  The organization has always had at least one board member from each of the colleges.  In addition, the NDDC has conducted annual outreach campaigns during major college events such as New Student Week, Family Weekend, Commencement Weekend, Reunion Weekend, and Homecoming Weekend.  Each year, the college presidents have been the NDDC’s guests at a Downtown Forum.  Finally, the organization has led or participated in many community projects that were powered by Carleton and/or St. Olaf College students.

The  NDDC’s relationship with Carleton and St. Olaf has not been solely focused on marketing the downtown to the college communities.  The organization has looked to the colleges for ideas and leadership, as well as time, talent, and “tithes”.  Increasingly, the NDDC has sought input from the colleges’ employees and students for clues in predicting and building downtown Northfield’s economic future.

The writers of Northfield’s 2006 Comprehensive Economic Development Plan confirmed the NDDC’s long-standing strategy.  Among the tactics cited in the plan were engaging the leadership of the colleges, connecting with current and former students, and reaching out to alumni entrepreneurs.  The NDDC has always been and will continue to be a leader within the local economic development community for these initiatives of college-community collaboration.

About two years ago, at the suggestion of St. Olaf College President David Anderson, and later with the added support of Carleton College President Steve Poskanzer, the NDDC began meeting regularly with key players at the colleges.  The goal was to broaden and deepen college-community collaborations for mutual benefit.

One of the new initiatives that this group developed was alumni entrepreneur recruitment.  In addition to promoting downtown Northfield as a marketplace, we wanted to promote it as a business location, particularly to the graduates of Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges. We introduced the concept for the first time at this year’s Homecoming Weekends.

It was just the “beta test” for a new tactic in this larger strategy.  Already, there are proposed changes to both the message and method.  However, we got it out there, as evidenced by this photo.

Photo courtesy of Griff Wigley.

Technically only a half block away from the C-1 Zone (part of the definition of the downtown as per the City Zoning Code), what was once “the old middle school” is only a block away from the Carnegie Library and only two blocks away from the “heart” of Northfield…Bridge Square.  The NDDC is going to reach out across that short distance and say “Welcome, we’re glad you’re here.”.

The NDDC believes that the Weitz will be a great addition to Downtown Northfield.   In fact, the NDDC is so excited about the opening, we thought somebody should throw a party.  Fortunately, somebody is…

Carleton College cordially invites everyone to a special community open house celebrating the completion of the new Weitz Center for Creativity on Saturday, September 17, from 3 to 6 p.m. The celebration will feature tours of the building and its many unique spaces, as well as light refreshments and musical entertainment.

The event will also feature a presentation at 4 p.m. by professor John Schott about his photo exhibit “Middle School,” which documents the condition of the vacant former Northfield Middle School as it awaited renovation. The photos were taken in the winter of 2009, when the building had been empty and unused for five years.

At 5 p.m., Carleton President Steve Poskanzer will speak to welcome those in attendance, followed by an “official” welcome to Downtown Northfield by Greg Kneser, President of the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC).

The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at 320 North Third Street in Northfield. For more information on this event, contact the Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308. To take a virtual tour of the Weitz Center for Creativity at Carleton College, visit http://apps.carleton.edu/weitz

However, downtown’s contributions to the Northfield economy go beyond the many jobs and business located in our historic central business district.  Downtown is one of Northfield’s most powerful assets in attracting new businesses and new residents.

The NDDC Board has conducted monthly business visits for several years.  This year they visited Monster Games, Oolala, Community Resource Bank, Aquatic Pets, Fit 2B Tri’d, Mandarin Garden, Life Skills Education, Vivus Architecture/Design, Labor Arbitration Institute, Granite Equity Partners, Ashworth Factory Services, and Premier Bank.

In the course of our business visits, when asked what attracted them to Northfield, almost all of the respondents mentioned the downtown.  Along with the good schools, safe neighborhoods, the two colleges, arts, cultural and recreational opportunities, and proximity to the airport, the downtown is near the top of these entrepreneurs’ lists of attractive assets.  In fact, several of the business owners said that they’d searched for a location in a fifty-mile radius around the Twin Cities and within minutes of arriving in our downtown, knew that Northfield was the place for them.

Once they’ve opened for business in downtown Northfield, their appreciation and praise gets more specific.  They applaud the historic architecture and wild and scenic river.  They talk about the “walkability” of the downtown and advocate for more pedestrian-friendliness, bike racks, and increased all-day parking for vehicles.  Finally, almost every business owner mentions the number of restaurants, coffeehouses and fine shops as providing a quality atmosphere and experience for their workforce.

Other aspects of the downtown are raised.  The river as the perfect site a spontaneous picnic, or just a quiet place to take a mental break, was mentioned by several people.  The creative energy that comes from the Arts Guild, Historical Society, and Carnegie Library is often noted.  The welcoming nature of people on the streets, for mothers with children, young people, college students, retirees, out-of-town visitors, and people from around the world, is considered uncommon and powerful.  Finally, the mix of a cosmopolitan outlook with small town values is something viewed as almost unique to Northfield.

In fact, according to several business owners, the amenities of downtown help their businesses generate visits and/or sales.  The district provides an excellent experience for their clients and creates collateral foot-traffic.  They noted that some of their customers insist on driving to Northfield for a face-to-face meet just so they can spend a little time in our great downtown.

Based on our interviews with local entrepreneurs, downtown is one of the most important and powerful pieces of the Northfield economy.  We believe that the community should recognize its contributions, strengthen its components, and invest in its future.

About three dozen people participated in at least part of the session.  A good time was had by all.

The group reviewed the NDDC’s major accomplishments for 2010 and proposed work plans for 2011.  Although a draft Work Plan exists, it awaits formal approval by the NDDC Board.  For now, we’ll share our list of accomplishments for 2010.  As always, our accomplishments (and plans) are organized by the National Trust’s Main Street Program.

Organizing:

• Programmed seventh year of the NDDC Downtown Forums including St. Olaf College President David Anderson, City Administrator Joel Walinski, Hospital Administrator Mark Henke, Mayor Mary Rossing, State Representative David Bly, State Senator Kevin Dahle, Carleton College President Steve Poskanzer, and Interim City Administrator Tim Madigan, bringing together between two and three dozen people to discuss issues important to the downtown and Northfield.
• Conducted the third year of monthly “Be Local” Campaign in Northfield Entertainment Guide, viewed by 10,000 people throughout the region.
• Shared the NDDC’s “Ten Reasons to Make It a Weekend in Northfield” and list of a dozen key contacts with EDA’s video production consultant, Blue Moon.
• Helped relaunch, as a member of the State Steering Committee the Minnesota Main Street Program, networking on ideas, experiences and programs and generating initiatives with proven success for quick implementation.
• Initiated collaborations with St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges on increasing marketing leverage for students, their families and alumni, including support of both Presidents and meetings with key staff members.

Promoting:

• Programmed the 5th Annual Taste of Northfield, bringing 5,000 people, including visitors from all around the region, to downtown.
• Provided logistical, marketing and/or financial support to such downtown events as Carnegie Library Birthday Party, Girls Nite Out, Riverwalk Market Fair, JuneBug, Bike Trail Celebration, Vintage Band Festival, Crazy Daze, Boutique Crawl and Low Brow High Octane, which attracted thousands of visitors to downtown during the Spring and Summer months.
• Conducted the NDDC’s 6th Annual Welcome Students Campaign, distributing informational letters and window signs to approximately 175 retailers, downtown directories to campuses, Welcome Student flyers, in collaboration with the Northfield News, to all first-year students, and, this year, succeeded in getting “Exploring Northfield” as a structured event on the student schedules, bringing over 500 new students downtown.
• Programmed the NDDC 10th Birthday Celebration, bringing 600 people downtown on a cold winter night and promoting some of our local music talent.
• Launched and produced the “Be Local…Buy Local” campaign, an initiative promoted in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and designed to encourage shopping locally, connecting our promotional efforts through the use of a shared logo.
• Created Downtown Northfield Facebook page, to increase communication with a younger and regional audience, generating almost 900 “friends” in six months, and drawing from Minneapolis, Rochester, St. Paul and Northfield, who get three or four updates each week on downtown events and promotions.  Also served as a primary communication tool during the recent flooding.
• Created Google CommunityWalk Map for downtown, an electronic, interactive map of downtown with photos, addresses and contacts for the businesses, including links to their websites, posted on nddc.org which receives 60 to 120 visits per day.
• Achieved, with these two accomplishments, one of the NDDC’s goals for 2010 of becoming a leader in Northfield in using the new Web 2.0 Social Media.

Designing:

• Updated, printed and distributed, for the fifth year, the Downtown Parking Guide, along with an informational letter, to approximately 150 businesses downtown businesses as part of our “Save the Best Parking for Our Customers” campaign.
• Assembled, for monthly collaborative exchanges, the City of Northfield, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission, Carleton College, St. Olaf College, Save the Depot Group, and building and business owners for collaborative efforts in support of downtown development.
• Advocated, through the NDDC Board, actions supporting the Comprehensive Plan, the Downtown Framework Plan, and the Mayor’s Streetscape Task Force.
• Co-sponsored the Northfield Transit Initiative’s community discussion and the Save the Depot Committee’s public planning process.
• Provided City Boards & Commissions with legacy documents including the Walker Parking Study, the Stolley Parking Report, and the Westside Design Guidelines.
• Participated in the Roundtable Group’s Master Planning Session, providing historic background information and materials.
• Worked with downtown businesses and city staff to enhance communication during the 4th Street Reconstruction Project.

Restructuring:

• Conducted 12 monthly Board Business Visits, gathering and sharing information with a variety of downtown businesses.
• Conducted 12 as-appropriate Marketing Committee Visits, celebrating new or relocating downtown businesses.
• Worked with Northfield Police Department to address vandalism in downtown, seeking a mutually beneficial, cost-saving private-public partnership.
• Encouraged communication between downtown property owners and Northfeld City Council on business priorities for the budget balancing process.
• As a member of the EDA’s In-fill and Redevelopment Subcommittee, helped draft the EDA’s Policy for the Acquisition of Real Estate.
• Maintained a list of potential properties, with summary and contact information, for in-fill and redevelopment opportunities.
• Initiated the EDA’s Emergency Flood Loan Program, sharing information about the programs with over a dozen building and business owners.
• Refocused organizational activities and resources on Business Recruitment.
• Developed a Market Position Statement for downtown to guide recruitment and support marketing.
• Created a “Locate Your Business in Downtown Northfield” marketing piece.

The NDDC has been working on this issue for a long time.  First, with Senator Neuville and Representative Cox, resulting in the “This Old Building” proposal.  Next, with Senator Dahle and Representative Bly, resulting in what we called the “This Old District” proposal.  Now, we hope to meet with Senator DeKruif and Representative Woodard.

Earlier this fall, Dahle and Bly plugged us into the Property Tax Working Group up at the State Legislature.  I attended the first session.  Admittedly, I can sometimes be a little (cheerfully) cynical.  However, I’m not optimistic about any quick relief.

The primary charge of the group is to make the system efficient, understandable, and easier.  After sitting through a 50-minute PowerPoint presentation by a state staffer, I’ll admit there’s a bit of complexity in the system.

Once they make progress toward “efficient, understandable, and easier”, they are to begin considering changes in the apportionment of the tax burden.  They hope to have recommendations on this aspect by 2014.

As I said, I’m not optimistic about quick relief.  However, I look forward to meeting with the newest set of legislators and hearing their views and ideas on this subject.

For a number of years now, the NDDC has worked to help these new students learn about downtown Northfield.  In addition to distributing the Downtown Directories at both campuses, we’ve created “Welcome Student” signs for retailers’ windows, hoping that the familiar sight of the black and gold of St. Olaf College and maize and blue of Carleton College helps to make the student feel welcome in downtown.

This year, we took it a step further.  Working with the two colleges, with particular assistance from NDDC Vice President and St. Olaf Dean of Students Greg Kneser, we were pleased to see visiting downtown treated as an official event at both colleges, structured into the first-year students’ schedules.

The events, called “Explore Northfield!” and “Exploring Northfield”, are Wednesday and Saturday of this week.  In fact, as you can see in the photo, St. Olaf College is even running bus service from Buntrock Commons to Downtown Northfield.

We thank the colleges for “going the extra mile” as we welcome the students back and/or to town.  Working together, we’ll make Northfield a great place to live, work, play…and study.

The second question was a little tougher to research; the earliest mention I could find on our website of “Shop Local” was back in 2005.  Some of the earliest blog posts were kind of economic advocacy, like America Unchained Day, Shopping Locally Saves Neighborhoods, and the Minnesota 2020 Report.  Then I began to focus on Shopping Locally for the Holidays, Supporting Local Businesses, and, uh, My All-Time Favorite Blog Title.  Finally, I began to build on the basic theme such as Shop Local, Eat Local, Create Local, Shop Local, Visit Local, Listen Local, and Shop Local, Be Local, Local First.

Clearly we didn’t invent “Shop Local”… and Abby and Ally pointed out that there was so much more to do downtown than just shop.  Therefore, we started with “Be Local” and then the possibilities were almost endless: Shop Local, Eat Local, Drink Local, Create Local, Listen Local and (for Valentine’s Day) Love Local.

“Be Local” has served us well, providing a starting point for inspiration.  In fact, if you’ve got some ideas about good things to do locally, let us know and maybe we’ll roll them in to an upcoming advertising piece.