As the largest county in Minnesota, Hennepin County is an economic and cultural epicenter with Midwest appeal and global reach. Here, we work in partnership to advance an inclusive and resilient economy. Our economic development programs support the success of all our people, businesses, and cities, and help make this the ideal place to prosper.
Elevate Business HC is a public-private initiative offering pro bono services to businesses located in Hennepin County. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest, businesses have been greatly impacted and economic recovery is a priority. The goal of Elevate Business HC is to provide resources to help re-build, re-establish and re-ignite business. The Minneapolis Regional Chamber engages with members to advocate for a positive business environment, enhance economic prosperity and build partnerships that help to advance our region’s interests. LatinoLEAD is a cross-sector consortium of Latinos working together to advance our collective influence, success and power. Our members include corporate, civic, non-profit, business and academic leaders. We strive to increase our knowledge on pressing issues facing Latinos in Minnesota, spotlight successes and cultivate LatinoLEAD as a respected force of influence. Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) was incorporated in 2003 with assistance from several local business development organizations. With the help of those organizations, LEDC worked to improve technical and leadership skills, which led to successes like the Cooperative Mercado Central, Plaza Latina and Midtown Global Market. CLUES (Spanish for: Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio) is a linguistically and culturally relevant resource and service nonprofit organization that was founded in 1981 by Latinos for Latinos. Our programs and services connect individuals and families to resources, skills, institutions, and systems and create an environment for people to be engaged and empowered. The Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association (MHBA) was founded in 1991 to organize Hispanic attorneys, judges, law students and other concerned members of the Hispanic community into a force for professional and community benefit. The MHBA mission is to unify and organize all members of the Hispanic legal community, to promote legal professionals, and to serve as an advocate for the Hispanic community in Minnesota. The MHBA strives to promote professional growth and opportunity for Latino law students and attorneys, to provide community service and to ensure access to justice for all. Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research (HACER) is a research non-profit organization. Our mission is to provide the Minnesota Latinx community with the ability to generate and control information about itself in order to affect institutional decisions and public policy. We do so by utilizing innovative research-approaches that create that are timely, methodologically sound and Latinx-culture appropriate. Our goal is that our publications incentivize problem solving initiatives that reduce Latinx disparities in entrepreneurship, higher education, health and civic engagement.