WILLMAR—Their business dreams include a barbecue restaurant, a fashion line, a shoe store, a family entertainment destination and the continued success of a community coffee house.
The seven men and women—Candace Aaker, Nick Aaker, Mohammed Abdi, Daniel Carranza, Fatouma Hachim, Hans Hibma and Victoria Hibma—who participated in the second class of the Elevate Business Academy celebrated those dreams in front of a small crowd of friends, family, business leaders and elected officials from across
WILLMAR—Learning how to successfully prepare, operate and manage a small business over the course of 12 weeks, five local entrepreneurs graduated June 16 from the first Elevate class in Minnesota.
In a 2017 survey, the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission found an increasing number of minority-owned businesses opening in and around Willmar.
The EDC report was sponsored with a grant from Southwest Initiative Foundation to design and implement a Business Retention
WILLMAR—While taking tours across Minnesota, Steve Grove has heard about the economic success stories as well as the economic challenges communities are experiencing.
On Thursday, Grove—the commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development—was in Willmar touring local businesses and hearing from community leaders about those challenges and opportunities.
Grove had high praise for what he saw.
“The way this community has embraced its growing workforce, its immigrant workforce,
Thomas L. Friedman recently wrote an article about the Willmar Lakes area. The article was published in the New York Times and features interviews from various Willmar Lakes area citizens. Read the full article below or on the New York Times website.
President Trump, Come to Willmar
This Minnesota town is a modern, successful American melting pot.
By Thomas L. Friedman
Published May 14, 2019
WILLMAR, Minn. — In 1949 my aunt and uncle moved from Minneapolis to this town in west-central
WILLMAR—Wyatt Allen was ready.
He greeted a visitor to his trade show booth with a firm handshake and his “elevator speech” about Origin Content Development, his business providing original content for their social media marketing plans.
Allen and 20 of his classmates in the Kandiyohi County Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities Program presented their fledgling businesses to the public at a trade show a week ago on the MinnWest Technology Campus in Willmar. This is the third year
