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Celebrating Leadership – and Service
First, the celebration: please join us for our 26th Annual Foundation Celebration, a signature event honoring those who serve our community with heart. This year we recognize our 2025 HERBIE Award winners: Roxanne Sanchez of Nine Lives Thrift and Bremer Bank, represented by newly retired President and CEO, Jeanne Crain.
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We're excited to unveil our new ePUB, Chamber Insights! 🌟
Dive into the latest updates about the Chamber and discover the incredible things we've been up to in recent months. Don't miss out—check it out now!
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Chamber Connect
Wednesday, July 16
3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Get to know a downtown business!
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Wednesday, July 23
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Energy Programs for Businesses
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Monday, August 11
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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The Minnesota Humanities Center will host “Learning from Place: Watt Munisotaram (Cambodian Temple)” on Friday, July 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Hampton, about 30–40 minutes south of the Twin Cities. Few know that this rural community is home to Watt Munisotaram, the largest Cambodian Buddhist temple in the United States. The event offers an opportunity to explore the temple’s cultural, historical and spiritual significance. The event is free, but registration is required. Click HERE to register
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Now Accepting Applications: Blaze Credit Union Foundation’s 2025 Community Impact Grant
The Blaze Credit Union Foundation is proud to support local nonprofits that uplift and empower our communities. We are now accepting applications for our 2025 Community Impact Grant cycle, and we invite eligible organizations to apply.
These grants fund initiatives that create measurable, lasting change—especially those focused on community and economic development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, or informal education supporting life skills and financial wellbeing for all. Whether you're launching a new program or scaling up an existing one, we want to hear how you're blazing a trail for good in your community.
Applicants can request up to $10,000, and submissions will be accepted through Sunday, July 27, 2025.
To learn more about eligibility, visit: Blaze Foundation Community Impact Grant Info
Ready to apply? Submit your application here: Apply Now
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We’d like to invite you to apply to CEO Next, a no-cost group learning opportunity from Hennepin County that brings together successful business leaders like you to work through challenges of scale, and gain access to exceptional business research. Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, and Scott County have partnered to offer this program at no cost for business leaders who see more than $1 million in revenue and have between 10 and 99 employees.
For more than 13 years, this group-learning opportunity has brought successful business leaders together with each other, guest speakers, and market research. Learn more and apply for CEO Next.
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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is currently accepting applications for the Small Business Environmental Improvement Loan. These 0% interest loans help improve business practices to meet or exceed environmental regulations. More information can be found on the loan web page. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
In addition to funding, the Small Business Environmental Assistance program helps small business comply with environmental rules, reduce wastes and emissions, and reduce regulatory obligations.
| | Lake Area Mortgage – A Division of Royal Credit Union is proud to announce that six team members have been recognized as Top Producing Loan Officers by Minnesota Housing for their homeownership program loan production in 2024. Michelle Robinson, Derek Lodermeier, Marco Rodiles, Stephanie Oyen, Chao Vang and Joe Juliano were among the 125 loan officers across the state recognized for their dedication to helping homebuyers achieve their dream of homeownership through the Minnesota Housing program. | | Join us Friday, July 26 at 6:00 PM for Summer Sparklers on the Patio—an intimate wine dinner where sparkle meets soul. As the sun sets over the historic Union Depot, 1881 Eating House invites you to savor six carefully crafted courses, each paired with a dazzling sparkling wine from around the globe. From the refined elegance of Laurent-Perrier Champagne to the bold fizz of Mollydooker Sparkling Shiraz, every pour is designed to elevate your plate and your palate. Picture an evening of candlelight, laughter, and cool summer bubbles under open skies—romantic, relaxed, and just a little bit effervescent. Seating is limited for this golden-hour experience. Reserve now and toast to the flavors of summer in full sparkle. | | Are You Lender Ready? SBA’s newest initiative, the Are You Lender Ready Series, focuses on preparing small business owners to ask for a loan. Join us at the McKnight Foundation on Wednesday, July 23rd. Register now. | | |
Lip Esteem will host its 5-Year Anniversary Empowerment Luncheon on July 13 at 2 p.m. at Saint Paul College, 235 Marshall Ave. Emmy-nominated actress Yvette Nicole Brown will headline the celebration, which highlights beauty, entrepreneurship and self-esteem. Attendees will enjoy a catered meal, uplifting conversations and opportunities to support local businesses and community growth. Tickets are $75 and available now. For sponsorships, contact Zykeia at zykeia@lipesteem.com. Click HERE to purchase tickets.
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Help Create a Joyful Day for Families Facing Childhood Cancer
Join us for Valleyfair Cares Day on Friday, August 15, in partnership with the American Cancer Society. It’s more than just a day at the park—it’s a chance to bring smiles, laughter, and hope to children with cancer and their loved ones.
A $500 donation gives one family a memorable day at Valleyfair, including park admission, parking, commemorative t-shirts, and lunch—all at no cost to them.
🎢 Give the gift of joy today: Click here to sponsor a family! Thanks to the generous support of Valleyfair Cares, 100% of your sponsorship benefits the American Cancer Society’s Gold Together initiative, supporting pediatric cancer research and family services.
For more information, contact Tami Siebert at tami.siebert@cancer.org
Let’s stand together. Because every child deserves a day to simply be a kid.
| | 1 in 8 women in your life will be impacted by breast cancer this year and 1 in 800 men will be diagnosed. The American Cancer Society Men Wear Pink campaign has started recruiting guys who have a passion to end breast cancer as we know it for everyone. Last year MN had 25+ Ambassadors who raised $140,000 through fun events and were in the top 20 nationally. This year, they are seeking a spot in the Top 10 and are inviting you to join this group of influential leaders. Contact Maryann Malec at maryann.malec@cancer.org for more information and how to sign up to be an Men Wear Pink Ambassador. Wear your pink proudly! | | The Great Minnesota Bake sale is a campaign where a community of partners host a weeklong "bake sale" to raise much-needed funds for the life-saving work of Open Arms of Minnesota. The second annual Great Minnesota Bake Sale will take place from August 10-16. This exciting event will see a network of bakeries, coffee shops, retailers, and sponsors come across the Twin Cities Metro Area come together to raise funds from Open Arms. Please contact Emily Essert to learn more about sponsoring this event or participating in as a bakery/other location. | | |
CareerForce in Saint Paul is now open in Metro Square. In addition to assisting job seekers, CareerForce Centers provide many services to employers, including:
• access to a pool of potential employees
• tools to help with recruitment and hiring
• identifying training opportunities for current staff
• connecting with local workforce resources to address specific skill gaps and training needs
Stop in at the new CareerForce Center in Saint Paul to get help finding and retaining talent.
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The Equity Committee of the Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County has assembled an Inclusive Employer Toolkit to help employers in our community and region improve inclusion. The purpose in creating this resource is to provide practical tools that will ultimately help move the needle on workforce disparities and provide equitable access to wealth and opportunity.
The guide offers concrete practices to build diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces in the areas of staff recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and retention. Much of the information contained in the guide was crowd-sourced from employers and experts committed to achieving equity outcomes.
| Ramsey County is working with employers, workforce providers, and educators to better align services, programs, and partnerships that support young people, ages 14-24, as they prepare for and enter the workforce. If you’re an employer, workforce provider, or educational partner, take a survey by Thursday, July 31, to share how your organization engages youth, what’s working well, what could be improved, and where there are opportunities to strengthen collaboration. | | | | |
