Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

Members of the NDDC Board recently visited with PRMIA, the Professional Risk Manager’s International Association.  PRMIA is a member-based organization with almost 80,000 members in 201 countries around the world.

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. (more…)

NDDC Board members responded to an invitation for “Tea with The Key” by conducting an official Board Business Visit.  It was all hail and well met.

The Nothfield Union of Youth was formed in 1993 and in 1995 they purchased their first building to establish a  youth-run youth center.  In 2010, they acquired a new property and have been steadily building out the greatly expanded space.

The Key serves approximately 800 youth (ages 12-20) each year with free daily programming including Book Club, Art Project, Game Night, Movie Night, Cooking Class, and Hip-Hop Club.  In addition, the youth contribute over 600 hours of volunteer work each quarter.  Perhaps most importantly, The Key gives youth an opportunity to run their own organization. (more…)

For their most recent business visit, members of the NDDC Board visited SMSQ Architects.  Partners Steve Edwins and Steve Wilmot were very generous with their time and ideas.

The firm was established in 1949 and has been located on downtown’s west side since the very beginning.  The firm currently has five full-time employees and five part-time employees and has “given birth” to a number of other firms in town.

Like so many of Northfield’s creative or knowledge-based companies, SMSQ is a major exporter.  They perform quality work in other communities and bring the money back home to Northfield.  Currently the firm is working on projects in Montana, Wisconsin, Kansas, California, and Duluth. (more…)

NDDC Board Members visited with Howie and Jeni Holt of eco gardens recently and got the full tour.  It’s really amazing what they’ve done with the old Tires Plus site.

As part of the founding family of Mother Earth Gardens in South Minneapolis, they have over a decade of experience in the business.  They sold the business a few years ago, eventually moving to an old farmstead west of Northfield. After seeing the vitality of our historic commercial district, they decided to get back in the garden store businesses. (more…)

NDDC President Greg Kneser and I visited The Measuring Cup after a recent lunch meeting, and almost literally ran into NDDC Board Member Mark Quinnell.  It was the day after their Grand Opening, the place was packed, we didn’t want to take too much of their time, and so I promised to stop back another day to finish the conversation. (more…)