Strong Towns is leading a series of in-depth, community-centered conversations in the Minnesota Iron Range. The Quad Cities will be the last stop in this week-long event. There are two public events as part of this stop.
Building a strong economic development ecosystem in your town
Location: Lyric Center for the Arts (514 Chestnut St, Virginia) *RSVP Requested
Time: 12pm-1pm
Join us for a discussion focused on the connection between entrepreneurship, downtowns and attracting/retaining talent. We have a panel of dynamic people doing exciting things in the Iron Range!
- Andrew Hanegmon (Iron Range Makerspace)
- Betsy Olivanti (UMD Center for Economic Development in Virginia)
- Kara Polyner (Incredible Ely, Ely Design Works)
- Desiree Yourczek (ReGen and Art Unlimited)
Curbside Chat
Location: Mesabi Range College - Virginia Campus (1001 Chestnut Street, Virginia)
Time: 6pm-8pm
Strong Towns is leading a series of in-depth, community-centered conversations in the Minnesota Iron Range. The Quad Cities area will be the last stop in this Curbside Chat+ week-long event.
Strong Towns staff, including President, Charles Marohn (a lifelong resident of northern Minnesota), will lead a discussion about why our communities are struggling financially and how to fix that. The answers lie in the way we have developed; the financial productivity of our places. The standard approach to economic growth—which often involves injecting outside funds in the hopes of catalyzing development—is not working and has left the Iron Range with financial challenges and unemployment.
Strong Towns will highlight creative ways to build better places and create more job opportunities, all while utilizing the assets that already exist in the community. This is a model that has proven to be successful in other towns throughout the country.
All members of the community are invited to attend these free, public events to participate in discussions about the alternative economy and the Strong Towns approach.
(Top photo by Wiki Commons)