Workforce Development, Inc. (WDI) is a private, nonprofit agency dedicated to developing and advancing the workforce of Southeast Minnesota through career pathways and more. With ten area offices throughout the region, WDI assists thousands of individuals each year with career planning, skills and job training, and many other FREE services. WDI works with every population in the region from youth to adult to dislocated workers and employers. Particular focus is dedicated to working with communities and individuals who face multiple barriers to meaningful and living-wage employment.

Whether you are a recent high school grad or a working adult seeking to upgrade your skills, you are important to us. We pride ourselves in being a friendly, student-centered college. Our average student-to-faculty ratio is in the 19:1 range. This allows for a more personal and interactive educational experience. MSC Southeast is a caring community where the faculty and staff will get to know you by name.

Owatonna Area Business Development Center, the Center, is a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement

of new and existing businesses.

CEDA is a 501(c)3 that provides professional economic and community development consulting and staffing to rural communities throughout the Upper Midwest, with the majority of our contracts currently in Southeastern Minnesota. Our organization works to provide small cities with the tools needed to leverage assets and grow as residential, commercial, and industrial destinations, including encouraging entrepreneurism.

The Collider Foundation supports our local entrepreneurs with innovative events, education, space and storytelling to help foster an inclusive, diverse, and healthy environmental ecosystem in Rochester, MN.

To date, DMC has generated more than $690 million in private investment; built space for entrepreneurs, growing start-ups, and Fortune 500 companies; and created programs to accelerate the creation and success of local businesses. With this grant award, the Launch Minnesota Southeast Partnership will be able to leverage this incredible investment and business development activity on behalf of the technology innovators of Southeastern Minnesota.

As the only Latino nonprofit research organization, we work in concert with Latino communities to access, generate, and disseminate credible and relevant research in order to inform institutional decisions and public policy. To be proactive at this critical time, we have innovated the way we conduct research, to make it a more community interactive research. One of our main research topics is Economic Mobility in rural MN, so we have designed innovative Latino-culturally driven programs that incentivize the Latino to the community to develop an entrepreneur mindset in rural MN.

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At it’s core, GreenSeam is a regional cluster strategy, intended to grow and leverage agribusiness across the region to increase economic prosperity, create opportunities for residents and students, and generate new demand for non ag goods and services.

Austin Community Growth Ventures (ACGV) was established as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization by the Development Corporation of Austin with the overall goal to promote, encourage, and aid in the creation of an innovative ecosystem that supports education, creates quality jobs, and increases the new application of biotechnology, agircultural technology, and food science.

RAEDI assists businesses in the Rochester area secure the private and public resources needed to execute their growth plans. Since 2013, and thanks to partnerships with City of Rochester and Mayo Clinic, RAEDI runs an incubator for healthcare companies and a public seed fund. Through these programs, our companies have generated 150 new jobs and attracted $170M in funding.

Red Wing Ignite is a business accelerator for early-stage businesses and hosts events to foster collaboration and innovation. Our esteemed board of directors, community advisory group, national and regional networks are eager to support entrepreneurs by offering advice, making connections, testing solutions and encouragement. We bring together like-minded entrepreneurs, investors and advisors within a collaborative ecosystem for the Red Wing community and 11 county area to share ideas, resources and expertise. Together, we promote local and regional economic development through new company creation, product validation and business expansion.

SMUMN offers education and events to support, nurture, and develop the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The university has a deep regional presence with multiple campuses, a pool of educators, strong partnerships, and a commitment to entrepreneurship through the endowed Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.

SBDCs provides the expertise and guidance that every business owner needs to flourish in today’s competitive economy. We are funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and regional support partners, which allows us to provide professional services at no cost.

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation is a regional development and philanthropic organization that fosters economic and opportunity vitality in 20 counties in southern Minnesota through a culture of collaboration and partnership. We envision a prosperous and growing region with vibrant communities, innovative and successful economies and engaged and valued citizens.

St. Olaf College brings a history of engagement and support around entrepreneurship within the college and in the greater Northfield community. The college currently awards $40k+ to support student entrepreneurs through competitions and another $40k to fund student internships with local start-ups.

University of Minnesota Extension leverages the human and physical resources of the University to support economic development in Greater Minnesota. Our strengths and capacities center around our ability to provide insights for community partners through data and research. Our regional staffing and statewide footprint allow us a unique ability to transfer ideas and insights across a broad network of partners and stakeholders.