Today, as Gedion says, he lives in Saint Paul, owns his business, and has a story to tell his grandchildren. We can target financing, publish in multiple languages, make instructional videos as we did at the city's licensing office, and hire a diverse workforce. It creates jobs for our residents, supports the tax base and excellence in services, and revitalizes underused properties. Filling investment gaps with public financing makes sense to boost parts of the city's economy if the risk is too big for conventional financing. Build what's needed to provide the space and technology to host job training and life-long learning programs in each neighborhood.
Business incubators connect new entrepreneurs and emerging businesses with newly-trained workers.
They're opportunity generators. It's why people choose to live here. It's why they choose to leave.