The numbers are in! Northspan clients invested $1.4 million in 2023. Our clients included 38 business development clients, 14 community development clients, and 19 organizational development clients.
President & CEO Elissa Hansen led the Northspan team through several transitions, including the retirement of Bob Palmquist after 30 years of serving as Northspan’s vice president. Promoted to vice president, Karl Schuettler stepped up to serve as a senior member of the Northspan leadership team. Zack Filipovich was promoted to consultant and finance manager, Amber Lewis completed a two-year fellowship and became a Northspan consultant and Welcoming Community program manager, and 2023 also saw Caitlin Vander Wal, Shaun Hainey, and Stefanie Sjelin join the team.
Here’s a glance over highlights from our work in 2023:
Key Events
- On August 4, Elissa Hansen joined fellow recipients of the Minority Business Development Agency’s Capital Readiness Program in Washington, DC, for an official announcement of the awards by Vice President Kamala Harris. The program provided Northspan with $2 million in funding to support underserved entrepreneurs. Northspan celebrated the award at an event with Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development Donald R. Cravins, Jr., on November 20 at the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Cultural Language and Learning Center.
- The NORTHFORCE program hosted the Discover Healthcare career expo as well as a career fair series at Minnesota North College campuses and a Workforce Solutions Series for employers.
- The Welcoming Community program hosted the Third Annual Equity Summit, Belonging in Northeast Minnesota.
Media Coverage
- White Paper: Economic Developers ‘Lost in the Jungle’ Without Support
- Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation: Touchstone Honoree Northspan Group
- PBS North: Denny Anderson Interviews Karl Schuettler About Ecosystem Thinking
- Zack Filipovich Talks Business Succession Planning on PBS North
Case Studies
- Wilderness Health Strategic Workshop
- City of Hibbing Parks Master Plan
- Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency
- East Range Joint Powers Board, Business Retention & Expansion
- Arrowhead Library System Strategic Plan
- Cook County Local Energy Project Strategic Planning
- Community Advisory Panel Facilitation
- North Pine Area Hospital District Summit Facilitation
- Advancing A Healthier Wisconsin
We look forward to working with you in 2024! You can also do a deeper dive into these and more of our projects on the Northspan blog.