Thanks to everyone who participated in the raffle and congratulations to our winner, Jeff Johnson. No, not NDDC Board member Jeff Johnson, the OTHER Jeff Johnson! Thanks most of all to our NDDC volunteers, Partnership Campaign donors, and Taste of Northfield sponsors. Great downtowns don’t just happen!

Here’s a little slideshow for posterity.

NDDC Partnership Celebration 2012 at the Grand

The owner of the News, Huckle Publishing, Inc. / Mainstream Publications, LLC, employs about 150 people in Minnesota.  There are 15 to 20 people in the Northfield downtown office and 40 to 60 people at the Northfield uptown printing plant; there are a total of 10 to 15 full-time employees in Northfield.

Sam, on a personal level, is very satisfied with Northfield.  The company has papers in Faribault, Owatonna, Waseca, Kenyon, Lonsdale, St. Peter, Le Sueur, and Le Center.  He says Northfield is the regional standard for civic aspiration and that most of the people in other towns are envious of our vitality.  He loves the location and loves being downtown.

As for the problems he and his business face in Northfield, he laughingly notes that historic buildings require substantial on-going maintenance.  In terms of the community, he argues that the growing population of commuters is more of a challenge to engage.  He thinks it’s important for our civic, economic, and social well-being to get these residents to identify with the town.

Sam has clear thoughts on how the NDDC could better serve his business.  He names supporting events, getting people engaged, advocating for business, supporting recruitment efforts, and removing obstacles to business expansion.  He suggests that there should be more analysis of the impact of government regulations on business.  Some protections are essential, he argues, but it is important to find the right balance.

Finally, Sam offered some ideas on increasing the quality of life for workers in Northfield.  He recommends expanding the richness of offerings of activities for kids and families and increasing the safety of mobility of kids and families to the downtown.

Carl says we’re fortunate to have such a vibrant downtown.  With a relatively wide offering of products and services, there are good traffic levels to the store; people combine errands and destinations, such as the hardware store, car repair, the pharmacy, dry cleaning and the grocery store.

He says the Northfield store has a particularly loyal customer base.  He believes that downtown Northfield has a reputation for good service that builds our brand regionally.

On the challenges, Carl sees a balancing act between attracting tourists and servicing residents.  He notes that DJJD is scheduled at the same time that the college students are setting up for the new academic year; on that weekend, Econofoods, and the rest of downtown, is difficult to access.  On a related topic, he says we need additional public parking in downtown.

As for how the NDDC could better serve his business, Carl encouraged us to advocate on key issues.  He mentioned commercial property taxes and signage as important to his business.  The Northfield store is looking at expansion and these issues impact their decision-making.

Carl believes that Northfield has an exceptional quality of life.  He believes that we should build on it, particularly in the areas of multi-modal transportation and diverse cultural offerings.  Carl also praised Northfield citizens’ community involvement; he really enjoys doing Econofoods’ “bagging for bucks” program with the various youth groups.

Owner Rob Schanilec started his business in St. Paul in 1985.  Then he wanted a place to raise children and was attracted to Northfield’s river, historic downtown, and two colleges.  He’s been here 12 years and says it’s terrific.

Northfield works because it’s so integrated, says Rob.  Everything is within walking distance, at least in downtown.  The arts, culture, restaurants, and retailers attract the type of professional service firms that By All Means supports.  The small office spaces that are available, within the network of support services, make downtown Northfield an excellent location for start-ups.  Rob also notes that he’s got a great landlord.

As for possible improvements, he wishes that the bank was open later, maybe until 6 or 7 p.m.  With the tight credit conditions in the current economic environment, he hopes the City will support local business expansion by providing low-interest gap financing.  Finally, he pines for a slightly wider selection of restaurants, including another low-cost option like Tiny’s.

As for how the NDDC might help him, Rob wondered if we might organize a comprehensive downtown take-out menu.  Okay Rob, we’ll ask the Marketing Committee to get working on it.

David Hvistendahl has been a part of the Northfield scene since the 1960s.  The class of ’70 Ole returned to town after earning his law degree to open an office in downtown Northfield.

What he likes best about Northfield is the people.  He grew up in university towns and he appreciates the well-educated and socially-progressive population.

HMDH employs seven attorneys and six support people.  After the devastating flood of just a year ago, everything is back in place and even better than before.

David really appreciated the emergency flood loan from the City.  He also got financial assistance from the State for his iconic historic building.  He noted that everyone seemed to pull together to help out as the waters rose.

He does see an opportunity for the Building Inspections Department to develop more flexibility in working with historic buildings, particularly in the area of access.  He owns historic buildings in Faribault and notes that their City staff demonstrates great understanding of the nuts and bolts economics of historic buildings.  He suggested doing what the cities of Faribault and Duluth have done: bring the staff from the State building and historic departments to Northfield for a session with City staff and local building owners to find shared solutions.

Finally, David suggests that Northfield should leverage its assets and build on its strengths for future economic development.  He believes that the City should focus on supporting, expanding, and creating professional service jobs, the kind that would attract graduates from the two local colleges.

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.

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.

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.

They like living in Northfield because of the colleges.  They said that the colleges set a kind of atmosphere for the town, make substantial contributions to the culture, offer youthful energy and a tradition of volunteering in the community.

The youth noted that downtown Northfield has lost a few of their favorite hang-outs over the years, such as Tiny’s.  They also note that there has been a steady reduction in free activities for youth.

They are really disappointed by the loss of the Skatepark.  They had an agreement with the City of Northfield to raise $40,000 for the new Skatepark; they raised the money but the project has ground to a halt.  They have preserved the pieces of the old City Skatepark but can’t afford the cost of the insurance.

As for ways for making them feel more welcome, they suggested that businesses reach out to The Key, both in marketing and collaborations.  They note that The Key brings at least 50 youth each day to downtown and that they value proximity and an inviting atmosphere.

The quality of life for their workers could be increased through affordable health insurance and greater stability of funding.  All creative ideas in these areas are appreciated.

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The NDDC’s Marketing Committee has long supported community efforts to produce events and promotions that help attract people to downtown Northfield.  Whether through bucks or biceps, we’ve always worked to pitch in to the best of our abilities.

Recent work by the committee has resulted in a fine-tuned process.  “Make It Happen” mini-grants up to $100 are now available to help with event funding. The new application form can be found online in the NDDC  Library.

The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation values the outstanding efforts that bring events—and people—to downtown Northfield.  With this mini-grant, we hope to help support many future downtown events, especially those created collaboratively.

So, if you’ve got an idea, some initiative, and an eagerness for collaboration, check out the new NDDC “Make It Happen”  Mini-Grant Program Application.  We’re working together for a vibrant and vital downtown.

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.

Edwins and Wilmot said that Northfield was a delightful place to live and work.  Edwins noted that it’s very efficient to live and work in town.  Wilmot suggested that it is important for the community to be attractive to people in the creative professions.

Edwins added that Northfield should do more for existing businesses.  In particular, the City should enhance the mix of incentives and programs available for these firms.  He joked that we should become known for Cows, Colleges, and Capital.

Wilmot and Edwins encouraged the NDDC to propose or initiate projects that enhance the quality of life.  They suggested that we should be pro-active, bring groups together, identify needs, provide continuity, and support persistence.

Finally, they suggested we should all work for alternative transportation options, be more aggressive in supporting bicycle transportation, and design for sustainable lifestyles.  Like I said, they were very generous with the time and ideas.