October 2024

Brewing Roots: Drastic Measures—Building Community, One Pint at a Time

Demand for electricity grows even as supplies become less predictable

High interest rates remain a top challenge for businesses as demand cools

MPCA Small Business Environmental Improvement Loans

The MPCA provides loans at zero-percent interest to small businesses for capital equipment purchases that help the company meet or exceed environmental regulations, and cover costs associated with the investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites.

Eligibility

The loan program can be used for clean-ups for contaminated sites or projects that reduce on-site air emissions or waste generation. It’s not intended for projects where energy efficiency is the sole environmental benefit, such as the purchase of vehicles or upgrades of lighting or HVAC systems.

Qualified borrowers must be an existing small business corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership, or association with:

• less than 100 full-time employees.
• an after-tax profit of less than $500,000.
• a demonstrated ability to repay the loan.



Available funds

Loan terms and conditions:

• loan amount between $1,000 and $75,000
• interest rate: Zero percent (0%)
• repayment term up to seven years
• flexibility in the types of collateral accepted
• awarded throughout the year

Future Child Care Provider Summit

October 24th, 2024

Central Lakes College.

The event is designed for those passionate about starting their own childcare business and making a difference in their community. It will feature a track for community champions like yourself, where you can dive deep into the practical steps you can take to increase the quality and quantity of child care in our region.

There is no cost to attend and lunch will be provided.

To learn more and to register, visit our website.

Activate Rural Public Workshop: Northeast Minnesota

Location: Buhl-Kinney Senior Center, 302 Frantz St, Buhl, MN 55713

Date + Time: Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 9am - 3pm

Join the Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) at our Northeast Activate Rural Public Workshop on the Iron Range in Buhl, MN (pop. 909). This one-day workshop will provide connections for artists, creative entrepreneurs, small business owners, activators and leaders developing creative physical places of connection for their communities. Participants will take away community engagement strategies, funding resource ideas, and structures for stewardship and operations for rural creative gathering places. During the workshop, attendees will hear from the following speakers:

• Hannah Holman, DoPT Creative Operating Officer, will lead a discussion with Whitney Ridlon, IRRRB Community Development Director, about the funding opportunities and challenges that exist in Northeast MN and share DoPT’s capital campaign journey with The YES! House.
• Sarina Otaibi, DoPT Activate Rural Program Director, will share how artist-led building activation and community engagement around physical spaces can cultivate a creative ecosystem for your community and region with examples from The YES! House in Granite Falls, MN (pop. 2,697).
• Benjamin Domask-Ruh, DoPT Activate Rural Coordinator, will share his experience around youth-based engagement through the Circus Arts and Renee Loeffler, Buhl City Council Member, will share how the City of Buhl is beginning their Youth Center initiative as a part of DoPT’s Activate Rural Learning Lab. 

Registration is required, but it is free. Food and beverages will be provided including lunch. For workshop and registration questions, please contact Benjamin Domask-Ruh, Activate Rural Program Coordinator, at benjamin@publictransformation.org.

Conversation with Legislators

Thursday, October 17th @ 10:00am.

This event will be hosted at the Wadena Depot.

It is an opportunity to meet our elected officials and engage in open discussion about critical issues facing Wadena County.

Senator Paul Utke, District 5B House Representative Mike Wiener and District 5A House Representative Krista Knudsen will be present.

Brunch will be served at 10am, with the event starting at 11am. 

Regional Economic Conditions: General Business

How are businesses doing across the Ninth District, and how do they feel about the near future?

Our Regional Outreach team recently surveyed businesses across the Ninth District to gauge current economic activity and the near-term outlook of firms in different sectors. Regional Outreach Director Ron Wirtz hosted a webinar to discuss the latest results from a July survey of firms, and to share how businesses are dealing with very challenging conditions.

Business Education Through SCORE

The wealth of content available when starting or growing a business can be overwhelming, especially as you deal with so many areas of development from finance to marketing to legal and business formation issues.

• Oct 8, 1pm: Loans, Grants, and Other Funding Options for Women-Owned Businesses

• Oct 10, 1pm: A Business Guide to Reporting Beneficial Ownership Information

• Oct 17, 1pm: Leverage ChatGPT and Other AI Tools In Your Business to Increase Productivity

• Oct 22, 1pm: How to Craft a Compelling Sales Message For Your Business

• Oct 24, 1pm: Mastering Shopify For Small Business Owners

• Oct 29, 1pm: The 5 Best Pricing Methods: How To Choose a Pricing Strategy for Your Business