RNDC Names Mike Laven New Board Chair |
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Region Nine Development Commission (RNDC) named Mike Laven chair of the board of directors. He takes over for Steve Rohlfing whose term ended this year.
Laven has served Blue Earth County for over 20 years as an elected official and a volunteer. He was first elected to the Mankato City Council in 2000 serving until 2012. Community members convinced Laven to run again in 2016. He was reelected that year and continues to serve on the council.
Laven is also active in the community as a volunteer. He spends much of his free time working with The Connections Shelter, Holy Grounds, and PrideFest.
"South Central Minnesota has a wealth of leadership across each of the cities, counties, townships, and school boards that are committed to collaborating on what is best for all. I appreciate the opportunity to serve as chair of the board and working with these leaders and the incredibly talented staff of Region Nine," said Laven.
“Mike has always been very supportive of the team. He understands the vision of RNDC and that a strong regional economy is based on mutually beneficial partnerships,” said Region Nine Executive Director, Nicole Griensewic.
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HACER Creando Ando 2.0 Program |
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Over the last year, RNDC has partnered with the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) and SE MN Together as part of SMIF's Inclusive Equitable Communities (IEC) Grant Program. In addition to funding provided by SMIF, ten organizations were supported by attending three convenings focused on education, sharing of best practices, and networking. Each awardee worked with area partners across Southern Minnesota as they developed or expanded initiatives which increase equity and inclusion within communities or support entrepreneurs in communities of diverse backgrounds. Two of the ten awarded organizations, Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC) and HACER, launched their programs in the nine-county area.
Click play to learn how HACER expanded their program, Creando Ando to create Creando Ando 2.0.
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SMIF will be offering the IEC Grant Program again this fall! Applications open on September 12 and remain open until October 24. Awards will be announced on December 12 with the new cohort beginning in January. Any organization interested in applying should plan to commit to attending three convenings over an 18-month period. Up to $20,000 is available to qualified and approved applicants. |
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RLF Spotlight - JJ's Beauty Supply and Services |
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RNDC Revolving Loan Fund Recipient, JJ's Beauty Supply & Services, opened the doors on their new location at 1219 1/2 Caledonia St. in Mankato.
JJ's Beauty is a full-service beauty shop that specializes in hair and skin care products and services for people with textured hair. They have also added a sauna and tanning bed in their new location.
Last March, JJ’s Beauty was accepted into the 2022 cohort of the SMIF Prosperity Initiative, and in June they secured funding through RNDC’s EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance Loan Fund (RLF). In 2020, they experienced a store closure due to Covid-19, and the business is currently working on getting sales back to the pre-pandemic levels. Due to this, they were able to secure funding to expand their current inventory and relocate to a bigger site.
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RNDC is hiring an Environment and Sustainability Planner. This position is responsible for promoting, researching, and supporting the long-term resiliency of communities through a sustainable approach emphasizing the economy, society, and environment.
If you have experience in managing and coordinating environmental, natural resources, or sustainability programs, or have related educational experience, RNDC would love to hear from you. You can learn more and how to apply by clicking the button below.
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Local Food Chain Supply Survey |
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If you’re a Minnesota business sourcing, distributing or serving food, the Statewide Cooperative Partnership for Local and Regional Markets wants to hear from you this fall.
A supply chain survey designed and implemented by the partnership of more than 40 organizations asks supply chain participants to share their food sourcing and distribution practices. Baseline data about the local food supply chain around the state is a need identified by members of the partnership, including the Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA) who helped design the survey.
*Information provided by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
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$$ Grant Opportunities $$ |
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Request for Proposal: Mental Health Cultural Community Continuing Education - Trainers FY 2023
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), is soliciting grant proposals from post-secondary educational institutions, or private training entities to offer free training to eligible students who wish to become board–recognized supervisors for mental health practitioners seeking licensure.
Deadline: September 30, 2022
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Rural Family Medicine Residency Grant
The grant program assists Family Medicine Residency programs outside the seven-county metropolitan area by funding costs associated with training eligible residents. Grant funds will be allocated first to support proposed new family medicine residency positions, and remaining funds will be allocated proportionally based on the number of existing residents in eligible programs.
Deadline: November 19, 2022
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Calendar of Events
October 12: RNDC Full Commission Meeting
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Region Nine Development Commission takes great pride in working with and on behalf of counties, cities, townships, and schools throughout South Central Minnesota. Since 1972, being a partner for progress has led to the development of programs and identification of solutions in the areas of economic development, business development, healthy communities, transportation, community development, and leveraging regional resources. To learn more about our work and mission, visit www.rndc.org.
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Follow Region Nine on social media to stay up-to-date on events, news, and more! |
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