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…)

The NDDC has been conceptually and programatically connected with both Northfield colleges, Carleton and St. Olaf, since the organization’s birth in 2000.  These two large local employers are perhaps our most frequent collaborators.

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. (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…)

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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.

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…)