This year’s Growing Local: Emerging Leaders cohort participants represent nine different communities across southwest Minnesota. Growing Local: Emerging Leaders is designed to help up-and-coming leaders discover and build on their unique strengths so they can make a difference through local boards, commissions and elected positions. It’s facilitated by SWIF in partnership with University of Minnesota Extension.
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Celebrating our outgoing board members
Board members Kathy Wehking, Abdirizak Mahboub and Patricia Dols volunteered a combined 23 years on our board, and we want to share our gratitude as they end their terms of service. Together with fellow board members, they guided us through a president/CEO leadership transition and the challenges of weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. During their service, we accelerated our investments to support access to quality, affordable child care; launched Welcoming Week and the Growing Local: Emerging Leaders Program; and leveraged our connections and expertise to ensure relief and recovery funding flowed into our region’s businesses and communities. Southwest Initiative Foundation and southwest Minnesota are better because of their service!
Tortilleria El Maná opens in Worthington
Fresh tortillas are now available in Worthington thanks to Maynor Lopez. He recently opened Tortilleria El Maná on Oxford Street with help from Southwest Initiative Foundation’s Business Finance Loan Program. A tortilleria is essentially a tortilla bakery. Tortillerias are common in Mexico and Central America and usually sell corn tortillas by weight. While Maynor is new to business ownership, he has plenty of experience making tortillas in his home country of Guatemala. Now he makes 80 pounds of them every day at Tortilleria El Maná.
Mountain Lake Floral and Design
After four decades in the floral business, Nene Smestad is passing the bouquet. She’s sold her shop to Mountain Lake native Jessica (Herrig) Thompson and her husband, Kris, to continue the legacy of personal service and beautiful flowers at Mountain Lake Floral & Design. Thompsons purchased their business with help from Southwest Initiative Foundation’s Microenterprise Loan Program. Jessica is originally from Mountain Lake Lake and worked for the original Mountain Lake Lake Floral during her high school years. She and Kris made their home in the Twin Cities but have relocated back to the small town with their six children to run the flower shop.
Kids First Conference champions child care providers
Life for working families wouldn’t be the same without our amazing child care providers in southwest Minnesota. They take such good care of our kids. But the job can feel lonely sometimes, and it can be hard to find training or connect with other providers. That’s where the Kids First Conference comes in. The Kids First Conference is designed to acknowledge and celebrate the dedication of our child care professionals, expressing our sincere appreciation for the care they consistently offer to children and families. This yearly event also provides required training hours for providers.
2024 cohort named for Growing Local Emerging Leaders
We’re excited to announce the participants who will make up this year’s Growing Local: Emerging Leaders cohort, representing 10 different communities across southwest Minnesota. Growing Local: Emerging Leaders is designed to help up-and-coming leaders discover and build on their unique strengths so they can make a difference through local boards, commissions and elected positions. It’s facilitated by SWIF in partnership with University of Minnesota Extension.