The Twin Cities Region hosted its first-ever Comcast RISE Day event on Oct. 11 at Quincy Hall in Minneapolis, welcoming Comcast RISE recipients, nonprofit partners and elected officials including:
- Senator Bobby Joe Champion
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
- Minneapolis Councilmember Michael Rainville
- Commissioner of Department of Employment and Economic Development Steve Grove
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, welcomed guests to the event and said, “When I first heard about the Comcast RISE grants, what occurred to me is this is a no brainer. Because when you support the extraordinary entrepreneurs that we have in our cities, you support not just them, you support their families, you support the corridors where these businesses are placed, you rejuvenate the entire city. What I appreciate what Comcast did is they doubled down on Minneapolis during some of the most difficult times. They didn’t jump ship and leave, but rather they said, ‘you know what we believe – we believe in the people of our city, we believe in the entrepreneurs that are going through thick and thin themselves.’ The $10,000 Comcast has given out helps some of the most incredible people in our city.”
The Comcast RISE Day event featured a vendor lineup of BIPOC or women-owned businesses and showcased Comcast RISE recipients. Attendees were treated to a pair of panel discussions moderated by Sheletta Brundidge of WCCO Radio:
- The Small Business panel focused on finances featured Commissioner Steve Grove, Nancy Korsah, CEO of Black Business Enterprise, and Damon Jenkins, President of First Independence Bank — the first black-owned bank in Minnesota.
- A Social Media panel featuring with Marcela Shine, Head of Community for software company Ureeka.
Many Comcast RISE recipients in the Twin Cities were included throughout the event, including Zandolee Media who photographed the event, Walter Banks “Q Bear” of KMOJ brought the music as DJ, and products from Lip Esteem, Baking Betty’s and The Northern Lights Tea Company were included in the gift bags. To view the list of Comcast RISE recipients in the Twin Cities please visit the local blog.
“At Comcast, we know small businesses are the heartbeat of communities and supporting them has never been more critical,” said Kalyn Hove, Twin Cities Regional Senior Vice President. “We are deeply committed to the success and empowerment of businesses, just like the ones we are supporting in the Twin Cities, and the Comcast RISE program is a reflection of our resolve to provide thousands of businesses with the resources to grow.”
At the end of the event, six area businesses were surprised with gifts ranging from Apple Pro iPads to Minnesota Wild game tickets courtesy of Comcast Business and Effectv — and two businesses each received $5,000 grants from the Comcast Investment Fund.
