Valentine’s Day Gallery Reopening & Reception on Saturday February 4 and Sunday February 5 from 11am to 4pm
For more information please visit the Mantorville Art Guild or Event Page.
News + Announcements
CEDA Provides Civil Mediation Services
By Joshua Schuetz
Small communities thrive on relationships-the close ties between people, often built over generations, that help move projects forward. Unfortunately, those relationships can be a snare when disagreements arise and a neutral third party is needed to help business owners, community members and municipal leaders find a path forward.
CEDA stepped up to the plate to address that challenge through its offering of civil mediation services. Regional Director Bryan Stading, who has provided civil mediation services to communities throughout Minnesota since 2008, now provides those services under the CEDA umbrella. Stading previously worked for The Regional Center for Entrepreneurial Facilitation before he joined the CEDA team.
Stading said civil mediation is a process whereby the mediator works with parties involved in a particular issue to set ground rules for discussion, identify opportunities for compromise and, crucially, give everyone at the table an equal voice in the discussion. While mediation services are typically sought due to conflict between parties, Stading said mediators assist with issues like succession planning, which is a major area of concern for small communities in Minnesota and elsewhere.
“Often, lenders, business partners and communities will seek it out when they feel there are financial risks involved,” Stading said. “In essence, the right time to bring in someone like me is when there’s a difference of opinion, because what we try to do is give everyone at the table a voice.”
Rural communities sometimes need mediators to assist with situations where different people or entities have differing or conflicting opinions on what their next steps should be. By offering civil mediation services, CEDA is continuing to help small communities access services that are difficult to source locally and promote economic development in rural Minnesota.
CEDA’s civil mediation services can be provided on a project or retainer basis, as well as within a package of other CEDA services. Clients may include banks, initiative foundations, business partnerships, community organizations and businesses looking at succession planning, among others.
Hayfield paves way with Safe Routes to School Bike Rodeo
By Joshua Schuetz
The City of Hayfield found a unique way to boost community involvement in planning for a Safe Routes to School grant with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
With a school just off two of the busiest roads in town, the city recognized the need for safer ways for students to walk or bike to school. Hayfield was awarded a Safe Routes to School planning grant through MNDOT, authored by CEDA team member Rebecca Charles. The current project will entail the construction of radar feedback signs and trail development. MNDOT required a community input team for the project, something which the city and school initially struggled to assemble.
Charles worked with city officials to host a bike rodeo-an event to promote healthy, active living, promote the Safe Routes to School project and recruit locals interested in the project to the community input team. Charles sought funding from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation for the rodeo, as well as the purchase of a fleet of bikes to be made available for rent at no cost to community members and visitors.
“The goal was to bring together people who love biking and active living,” Charles said. “We got lots of input and it was so well attended that we were able to build our new parks and trails committee.”
Charles said the new parks and trails committee is engaged on the Safe Routes to School project and other active living programs throughout the city. The committee will determine the best locations for trails, crossings and other safety features.
Looking to the future, the city will continue its work with MNDOT on the Safe Routes to School planning process, after which Charles will work with the city on a full grant application for the program.
Nobles County Awarded $150,000 Child Care Economic Development Grant, Invests Additional $400,000 in Child Care Project
By Joshua Schuetz
In December 2022, Nobles County Community Services Agency (NCCSA) was awarded $150,000 through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Child Care Economic Development Grant.
NCCSA began working with CEDA in June 2022 to identify ways to increase the county’s supply of child care and support current child care providers. Data from First Children’s Finance (FCF), found that Nobles County has a shortage of more than 700 child care slots.
CEDA team members Joshua Schuetz and Angie Kopplow began co-authoring the county’s CCED grant in August, submitting it at the end of that month. Together with NCCSA Director Stacie Golombiecki and Children’s Services Supervisor Beth Mahoney, Schuetz and Kopplow solicited ideas from current child care providers, NCCSA staff, businesses and local parents on priorities to support providers and increase child care capacity in the county.
Three ideas emerged through those conversations, all of which were built into the grant. Two separate child care funds, one to support providers with miscellaneous expenses and one to assist providers seeking to start or expand their businesses to serve more children. A child care subsidy to assist families in paying child care expenses was also built into the grant application, along with additional funding to continue NCCSA’s work with CEDA.
“This is a major win for Nobles County,” Schuetz said. “Through this funding, we will be able to better support children, families and child care providers in the county.”
On December 20th, the Nobles County Board of Commissioners approved a request from Kopplow, Schuetz and NCCSA for an additional $400,000 in funding toward the three child care initiatives funded through the DEED grant.
The FEAST! Local Foods Tradeshow—the region’s largest local foods wholesale show—returns to Cannon Falls, Minn., Thursday, March 23, 2023 at the Grand O2 Event Center.
FEAST! Trade Show brings local foods to store shelves!
Please Note: This is an industry-only event, attendance is limited to vendors, retail/wholesale buyers and aspiring food entrepreneurs.
Cannon Falls, MN – FEAST! Local Foods Trade Show returns to the Grand O2 Event Center in Cannon Falls, Minn., Thursday March 23, 2023. The annual, nonprofit event brings retail buyers and food makers from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa together to put more local food on store shelves…and your plate.
Coordinated by a collective of Minnesota nonprofits, the FEAST! Local Foods Trade Show focuses on growing regional food businesses, which leads to stronger, more resilient communities.
“Building relationships between buyers and makers is vital to supporting local food producers,” says Elena Gutierrez Byrne, Local Foods Specialist at Renewing the Countryside, one of the organizations hosting the March 23 event. “These makers enhance their community by creating jobs and unique food products, while using business models that give back to the community.”
The trade show will feature a buyers’ expo—where vendors can showcase their products—as well as networking opportunities and break-out sessions with technical assistance providers like the Food Finance Institute, Forward Food Solutions, Brand Yourself, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), and Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The day also includes an award ceremony for exceptional businesses and an optional local foods tour of Cannon Falls.
“The show is an amazing experience,” says Britt Lindemann, Kowalski’s Grocery/Dairy/Frozen Director who attended last year’s event. “Due to the show, I was able to connect with producers I hadn’t previously been aware of. Because of those meetings, Kowalski’s has on-boarded seven new local lines so far.”
Because it is an industry-only event, attendance is limited to vendors, retail/wholesale buyers and aspiring food entrepreneurs. But consumers can still participate by recommending the event to the stores where they shop. (Yes, grocery managers listen to and value this feedback!) The public can also nominate outstanding local-food retailers for the FEAST! Local Food Champion award at local-feast.org/stores. Last, but not least, the public can fill their plates with local goodness at the 10th Annual FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, a public festival filled with 100+ local food and beverage makers sampling and selling their goods, at Rochester’s Mayo Civic Center, Nov. 4, 2023.
Many past vendors, like Tasya Kelen, owner of Isadore Nut Co., have found the FEAST! Tradeshow key to making new contacts. “Not only did I meet new amazing vendors and connect with buyers from all over the region,” says Tasya who plans to return this year, “I was able to show my products to Kowalski’s, which was worth its weight in GOLD. They now carry [our products] in all of their 11 stores. If you want to grow your business regionally, commit to attending this event. You won’t regret it!!”
For Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa buyers and vendors looking to register for the March 23 event, check out local-feast.org/tradeshow2023.
The FEAST! 2023 Trade Show is hosted and organized by the FEAST! Local Foods Network, which includes the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Renewing the Countryside, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Red Wing Ignite, GreenSeam, Cannon Valley Grown, Cannon Valley EDA, and AURI. For more info, including COVID-related updates, visit www.local-feast.org and social media: @localfeastnetwork on Facebook, @Local_Feast on Twitter, and @localfeast on Instagram.
CONTACT
Elena Gutierrez Byrne
Renewing the Countryside
608-712-8340
This is an industry-only event, attendance is limited to vendors, retail/wholesale buyers and aspiring food entrepreneurs. This will not be open to the public, like the FEAST event in Rochester.
