Latino Enterprise Center (LEC)

Story telling is a tradition in our family in Guatemala and I have tried to keep it alive privately. Today I want to see if I can tell you a story with modern tools. In the following paragraphs, I will tell you the story of the Latino Enterprise Center (LEC) and our work in Northfield, Minnesota. I will be mixing pictures, slide shows, and live links to web sites with background information, but with a format to keep with the flow of our traditional story telling (which isn’t much more than passing on an experience or knowledge).

Coming to Northfield

When I came with my family to Northfield in the fall of 2006 we were looking for a piece of farm land, with space for sheep, goats, a cow, maybe a horse, and plenty of space for vegetables, trees and of course hazelnut bushes. After much searching, we did find a place we could afford, almost two acres, enough space for our gardening, but not much for everything else, still, we panted 200 hazelnuts in the back 1 acre and tilled half the front lawn into a garden.

After getting established in town and understanding the community, I realized that working with the Latino communities in the region presented a great opportunity and a challenge to keep utilizing my previous experiences and education. As an entrepreneur and having a background in business development, I figured I better concentrate in this area.

The Program Design and Building Blocks

In December of 2006, there were various immigration raids targeting people of Latino/a background across Midwest states. I monitored their impact in our local community as a way to gather materials for strategically thinking how to do my work and manage the risks associated with such massive and expensive disruptions to regular life in our rural towns. As a result of the devastating effect that these raids had in my home community in Northfield, I led a series of gatherings that culminated in building a large support network and resource pool for the support of a larger initiative (the LEC). This process also allowed me to reach out to over 200 individual Latino families and overall handed out over 1200 “know your constitutional rights” information packages, and organized 4 community gatherings with total participation in excess of 500 individuals and a network of 55 community volunteers.

This process provided enough critical strategic planning information and data (on potential entrepreneurs) to develop a plan for launching the Latino Enterprise Center. The Center’s focus was to target entrepreneurs as a way to build the community’s capacity to make its presence more visible and simultaneously deal with issues of poverty by creating literally “home grown” new economic opportunities. This development however, needs to happen within the context of sustainable systems, such as a deep understanding for energy use, environmental impacts, economic and social implications locally, and understanding of the conditions that had kept folks unable to take initiative and leadership in the past.

Managing and Financing the Start-Up and Launch

Main Street Project in Minneapolis adopted the Latino Enterprise Center as one of its programs right from the start and put its fundraising resources to work for this new program while providing the start-up investment needed. The Northfield Enterprise Center provided the LEC with needed office space, and the Northfield CAC with extra needed funding to start doing local work.

Since then, we have supported many entrepreneurs get started, grow their business, change their strategy, close their existing failing enterprises and get back on their feet, and walked alongside hardworking folks who need a lot more intense support to transition from their current two jobs into their own business that can be transformed into the second job and eventually (if successful) their only job.

Thinking Strategically for Maximum Results

We established two main work tracks, In-town Enterprises and Agripreneurs, or farming operations. We then went on to build a statewide, regional and local support infrastructure that would allow the local enterprises to reduce the risks of doing business, get started or grow. For the LEC, establishing these infrastructure required strong regional and statewide leadership, which in turn shaped our programs and established our position statewide in terms of new, more entrepreneurial, and simpler ways of thinking and organizing processes for rural Latino community integration and development strategies.

Building community and the ability of our entrepreneurs to also develop as leaders is a priority for our long-term success as Latinos in rural settings. In our process of encouraging grassroots community building, we have developed a community garden, one of the most effective ways of bringing people together in a natural, relaxed and structured way, but without pressures or specific agendas, except to meet and produce food. Though the project took a long time to put together, plan, secure resources, etc. we now have 48 plots being used and 5 1/2 more acres to expand into in the coming years.

As a way to position a group of new entrepreneurs in a growing food sector, the LEC organized a poultry production operation in the fall of 2007 and launched it in the spring of 2008. Much of what has been done has been documented and this story has been told piece by piece in our weblog, and our local newspaper and organizations.

We have also supported building and remodeling initiatives and as wide and varied enterprises as catering and a Latino Religious Music Band. We are not good at everything, but we are good at aligning the resources so that entrepreneurs find a place to start, turn-around, or to grow their businesses when they find us.

Our program design and community involvement strategy has allowed us to run a lean, and effective operation. Our approach has also been designed to fit existing economic development systems in rural communities across Minnesota, so we have now started to work with folks in many other areas. Since what we do is not superficial, our process involves building strong community foundations and establishing of leaders in different sectors of a town’s economy, while maintaining a constant watch of critical issues that affect the community’s life and consequently our ability to do our job effectively. In short, our approach requires well thought out, strong and well developed support infrastructure which we have mapped out and organized at three strategic levels.

Building a Support Infrastructure

We have established a strong network of supporters who donate resources in the form office space, furniture, land, seeds, farm products that we distribute in the community, mentoring, training, interns to help us get the job done, and financial donations that cover our operations. Among our key supporters we count the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, the Northfield Area Foundation, the Northfield Area Community Action Center, the Northfield Area United Way, CROP Walk, local banks, over 75 individuals, St. Dominic Church, and regional and national foundations that support our general operations.

We can now say that we have a fully functional program, we are part of a large (over 32 and growing) network of Latino/a leaders statewide working to re-design the Minnesota Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities so that we establish an organization capable of delivering strategic support, at the right time and place, and that our rural regions are included. We have established a large network of partners with whom we coordinate outreach and program implementation. Both of these networks fall into our main two tracks, agriculture and general enterprises.

Our approach fully engages the established economic systems in communities were we have a presence, but works within them as a way to maximize the use of existing resources, while not being complacent and forgetting our individual traditions and culture, in fact, it is through sharing and adding value to who we are in relationship to our new communities, that we plan to preserve, enhance and grow our traditions and culture. Working in partnership with existing business support systems allows us to add value and markets to these organizations, while ensuring that we effectively bring a sustained string of well established resources to emerging and growing Latino/a entrepreneurs in rural communities.

If we are still missing key support systems after existing resources have been tapped, it is time to roll up our sleeves and come together to create what is missing, but in an environment where we are an intrinsic part of our new home communities, not an isolated group of people of a different background and skin color. This won’t happen overnight and it is easier said than done as many of you reading may be already thinking, but I assure you that it is being done and it is possible. This approach works because it follows logic, the history of immigrants into this country, is based on common sense and an sense of entrepreneurship, it is also the fastest, less expensive, and more sustainable way to achieve healthier rural communities where the Latino population has been growing.

In Conclusion

This approach and way of thinking is not only needed to re-vitalize our communities, but also in order to bring more investment into healthier economic survival for our rural communities, integrating the growing Latino sector is key for this to happen in the long term, and the scarce resources now available must be invested for the maximum return possible. Our story is one of building success for Latino families by building the infrastructure that allows folks to achieve their dream with the least amount of resources, and then multiply them so that they can build assets and capacity in the economic, intellectual and social aspects of their lives.

Seriously, I had a visit today by Debra K. Walchuk, State Outreach Coordinator for the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. She is based out of Bemidji and took time her regional schedule to stop by.

With Debra, came Jeffery L. Koster, RC&D coordinator for the Hiawatha Valley region also of the same agency. We reviewed basic components of the Latinos in Agriculture Program that we have been working with, what it will take to put together a training center for new farmers in our region, and how to convert our current experiences into a regional opportunity for promoting the outreach for their agency to Latino farmers.

Jeffery has a wealth of networks with resources for Latino farmers, among those resources are pasture raised pork and other livestock, opportunities to work with him on specific issues such as documentation of our current experimentation with medicinal plants to improve our poultry’s immune system and how it may translate into better quality meat, etc.

I see possibilities working with the USDA, given their size and scope though, I know that we must concentrate our relationship on one project that we can start and complete effectively. Building an enterprise training center based on sustainable farming systems on the Manor’s farm by 35W and Hwy 1 in Dundas (next to Northfield), seems like the project that may put us in a path to a partnership. To this partnership we have brought a larger network of organizations working with small and emerging farmers in the state. This visit goes a long way in continuing to build the support infrastructure to successfully launch Latino/a farmers in the state.

I believe that Jeff and Debra’s outreach program and conservation can directly participate in our plan to engage Paula Manor and her Husband and their 35 acre farm that they have offered to us. To meet our and their (farm owners’) goals, we are designing a farming center that would reflect a diversity of people, cultures, and diversified and sustainable farming systems. We are now coming together with a solid proposal if we combine all of the experiences that we are accumulating in our region plus the support that this agency may be able to provide through the statewide office and through Jeff in our region.

As usual, I will keep you all posted on what gets accomplished as things happen.

A religious music group formed by musicians from Northfield and Faribault will hold a public concert on the parking lot of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in Northfield on July 5th from 6 to 10 pm.

I met Roberto Ibanez over 9 months ago when he was looking for a place to record a solo disk. My neighbor Craig Wasner, happens to have a state-of-the art recording studio and was willing to donate his time to support this new entrepreneur. What came out of that process is a recorded disk that Roberto (Charlie) will have available at the concert on July 5th.

Roberto is not in this alone, he plays with other musicians from Northfield, and his group joined another group from Faribault recently as a way to put together the outdoor concert and introduce themselves to the wider community. I was invited to visit their rehearsing room at the Catholic church in Faribault last week, I took some pictures and recorded one of the songs that they were rehearsing.

Despite my inexperience with supporting artists, we are doing what we do for every entrepreneur, getting the word out about their work, helping them envision their business within a larger market context and supporting their business planning process to reduce their risks and increase their chances of success, those elements apply to all enterprises so we are happy to be part of this experience with this group.

On the drums is Carlos.

Efrain on the guitar

On the base is B.To Ibanez (Charlie), B for Beto, Beto for Roberto.

Not pictured: Oscar, Camen, Jose Luis and Miguel who play different instruments and will be at the concert on July 5th.

Here is also a short digital video that I took while visiting and that they gave me permision to post.

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to meet a very nice group of people who are ready to take initiative and launch their businesses in our region.

Carlos Miguel Paredez Valiente, used to own a business in Mexico City, he started a company that consolidated sells of bus tickets to destinations all over the country. He now lives in Northfield and is exploring two possible business opportunities, one in regional tourism, and another in transportation. This exploratory process should clear the picture for him so that we can concentrate on a business planning process to launch him on the best option.

Clemente Lopez Arcos, is also from Mexico City, he lives in Northfield and has been interested in learning more about sustainable home building. He is looking to explore the possibility of starting a solar electrical systems company, to include solar panels, solar shingles, and passive-solar heating and other similar systems.

I ended the day meeting with three other people who have come together to start a residential remodeling company. They are Isidory Cornelio “Izzy” a graduate of Northfield High School, Gabriel R. Hitzil and Marie Langlie. A fourth member to this partnership was unavailable for today’s meeting.

Over the coming weeks, we will be holding exploratory and business planning meetings with these folks as we continue to chart a course of action for each of their initiatives.

On Sunday June 1st, I also traveled to Worthington where I met with food vendors and other business owners. My primary purpose for this trip was to meet with Adolfo Avila, an business consulting officer with the Southwest Initiative Foundation. Adolfo provides business consulting services to Latino/a business owners in the region and crosses over to Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s 20 county South-central region.

My specific purpose was to discuss Adolfo’s own farm operation out of Tracy, Minnesota and his interest in distributing our Northfield grown poultry in that part of the state. He is well connected and respected in the region and a good marketing partner to our organization.

Adolfo owns a 10 acre farm just west of Tracy and is interested in exploring using his farm as another training center for the region’s emerging Latino farmers. Having raised pigs in the past, he already knows the challenges and opportunities associated with livestock and will be a good asset to our rural farmers network.

We have now assembled a group large enough to organize our second formal general business training workshop. After visiting with over 25 business owners, we now have 15 who have asked for business management training. We will organize this training in cooperation with established partners such as the Southern MN Initiative Foundation, the Southwest Initiative Foundation, the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Northfield Enterprise Center, the Northfield Community Action Center and the Faribault Diversity Coalition.

I recently took the leadership team from the Northfield Area Latino Poultry CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to negotiate a partnership with Callister Farms, in West Concord, South of Northfield.

Building local and regional partnerships is not something that just happens for us, it is an strategic component and key to success in our development model for rural Latino communities. Since we focus on the entrepreneurs, these entrepreneurs must be trained and educated on ways, strategies and know-how as it relates to why, when, how, and with whom to build partnerships, so that we can reduce the risks associated with launching Latino/a-led business initiatives in our rural areas.

So first why a partnership.? For us Latinos and Latinas in rural areas, if there is a partnership opportunity, it is really a golden opportunity to reduce risks associated with starting or growing a business, relate to a larger part of our communities, and build a healthier relationship and presence in rural areas. At the LEC level, when we think of strategies, partnership building is a sound and solid strategy to deliver concrete results in launching Latino farming businesses. Partnerships is also natural to farmers in rural communities and key to small farming systems in today\’s globalization and outsourcing environment.

Those of us who just came from \”underdeveloped third world countries\” can probably contribute to the strategic components that made rural communities and their people key players in our food system in the past. Many of us are here in the first place because we lost our local sustenance systems to global trade structures where a family farm\’s role in the economic vitality of rural communities is not yet factored. In short, we believe that we understand how immigrant populations integrate, but most importantly, we are doing our best to deliver a process that is clear and easy to understand, that is based on the premise that we must first fully utilize what we have, and all of this lends us building partnerships that can contribute to strengthen the rural economy, and where the Latino populations can realize their full potential to make positive contributions.

Why Callister Farm: Because they are a well rooted, responsible (both socially and environmentally), family owned, hard working farmers in our region. Because they own underutilized poultry processing infrastructure that we can improve upon while securing a needed service for the Northfield Area Latino Poultry CSA to succeed.

When: This is easy to figure out, since we want to deliver a high quality product processed in a certified facility. The answer to \”when\” was a very fast \”right away.\”

Callister Farm was the first suggestion by Wayne Martin at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at the UofM. Wayne is a specialist in developing this kind of operations and knows his stuff, so we looked at other places and ended right where started talking to the Callisters.

How: This part goes with the flow, how depends on what we have, what they have, what them and us needed from the partnership, etc. The how sort of comes out in the form of a \”to-do\” list based on our imagination, expertise we draw on, and most than anything, the level of trust and relationship that makes the \”how\” much easier when you talk face-to-face with a farmer who knows what it takes to get started and understands that your success is also his or her own.

Here is a slide show of the visit.

Recent increases in grain and fuel prices have affected our pultry growing prices significantly. We have updated prices after we were hit by a significant increase in our feed prices. Though our products are distributed locally and we avoid a lot of transportation costs associated with distribution of the final products, the feed is a whole different story.

Most of the links to old order forms have been removed from our website, we won’t be mailing the older order forms anymore and new ones are coming to accomodated these rapid changes in our food prices.

New updated order forms are now available in English and Spanish.

Just in case you are wondering why some of the links to the brochure and order forms are not working, it is because we have moved them to one location.

To order, print and mail order form from our brochure in English or Spanish.

Things are moving fast for our poultry entrepreneurs at the Northfield Area Latino Poultry CSA.

Over the last month, we finished the infrastructure to grow up to 1,000 chickens per round. Though there are only 500 in the first batch, the infrastructure we have in place can easily handle twice as much without compromising our operating principles.

Over the last month, we h