LOCAL PARAYLMPIC ATHLETE IS ALSO A GSDC INNOVATOR
Mike Schultz after the 2018 Paralympics
Four years after winning gold and silver medals in para snowboarding at the PyeongChang Paralympic Games, St. Augusta’s Mike Schultz will again bring his inspiring story to the international stage when he competes in the Beijing Paralympics, which begin March 4.
Watch your TV schedules to see when Mike competes. In the meantime, enjoy this six-minute video from the 2018 GSDC Innovation Awards about his determination and ingenuity. A sound bite from the video is in a TV commercial VISA is now running nationally.
When a horrific snowmobile racing accident required Mike to get a leg amputated below the knee in 2008, he couldn’t find prosthetic equipment that was effective in allowing him to remain active. So he designed and developed his own.
Today, Mike and his wife, Sara, own and operate BioDapt, Inc. in St. Augusta, developing performance prosthetics and adaptive equipment used around the world.
In fact, while Mike will again be competing in these Winter Games with the help of his own creations, many of the para snowboarders he’s trying to defeat from other countries will also be using what he developed!
Good luck, Mike. Our region is very proud of someone whose heartwarming success gets covered in both the business and sports sections.
Two-time Paralympic medalist Mike Schultz and his wife, Sara,
received a GSDC Innovation Award in 2018.
HELP IDENTIFY MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES FOR IMPORTANT SURVEY
Photo courtesy of the Initiative Foundation.
The Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation and Initiative Foundation, in partnership with the Center for Economic Inclusion, have begun a needs-assessment survey to hear from Minority Business Enterprises in the Greater St. Cloud and Todd County region.
Please help us to engage as many business owners as possible by completing this form to help identify Black, Indigenous, Asian, Somali and other people of color in Central Minnesota who own businesses.
Survey results will inform future programming and resource opportunities to support and elevate Minority Business Enterprises in the region. If you’d like more information or have additional contacts you’d like to share, contact Amelia Barkley, GSDC Communications and Program Specialist, at abarkley@greaterstcloud.com.
I-94 WEST CORRIDOR GROUP IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVEMENTS
One of many Minnesota economic development groups in which the GSDC participates on your behalf is the I-94 West Corridor Coalition, “a partnership of businesses and local governments, formed to provide a strong, united voice to advocate for and address transportation concerns along the I-94 corridor, from the Fish Lake Interchange to St. Cloud.”
‘ST. CLOUD SHINES’ CAMPAIGN EXCEEDS 150 MILLION IMPRESSIONS
The GSDC’s “St. Cloud Shines” regional marketing campaign continues to expand and deliver. To date, Shines has accumulated nearly 155 million impressions, the great majority of which are with young people our community and businesses want to attract and retain.
Here are the Shines Facebook page, some new videos and the monthly Shine On newsletter, to which you can subscribe here for free.
GSDC investors’ commitment to touting all the great things about our region is paying off.
EPIC INFLUENCERS EVENT
AT SCTCC MARCH 10
“Influencers” are now part of the equation in the career programming known as EPIC (Exploring Potential Interests & Careers), an initiative in which the GSDC is pleased to participate to help connect education to industry.
All St. Cloud area adults who help students navigate and make career pathway decisions are considered influencers and are invited to the inaugural “EPIC for Influencers” event from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at St. Cloud Technical & Community College.
The purpose of EPIC for Influencers is to allow adults to meet local employers face-to-face, learn about career pathways youth could take, and better understand requirements students need to pursue specific careers. This “open house” format will also provide an opportunity for “Influencers” to gain a deeper understanding of the industries highlighted at the EPIC event for high school students that will be held on October 28, 2022.
This event is free and open to all “Influencers” in the greater St. Cloud area – this includes parents, guardians, caregivers, mentors, educators, and those who work with youth, etc. Online registration is required for all attendees at https://epicforinfluencers.eventbrite.com.
Youth are welcome to attend the event with their influencer. To mitigate the spread of COVID, attendees will be asked to select a one-hour time slot in their registration, and masks are required during their visit.
EVENING AT THE CAPITAL IS TOMORROW, MARCH 2
Minnesota State Capitol Dome detail.
The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Evening at the Capital, which the GSDC is helping sponsor, goes from 5-7 p.m. tomorrow, March 2, at the Best Western PLUS Capitol Ridge in St. Paul. There’s also bus transportation to and from St. Cloud. Registration details are here.
Contact Our Staff Team
Patti Gartland, President
pgartland@greaterstcloud.com | 320-260-2442
Leslie Dingmann, Business Development Director
ldingmann@greaterstcloud.com | 320-493-9003
Gail Cruikshank, Talent Director
gcruikshank@greaterstcloud.com | 320-260-6775
Amelia Barkley, Communications & Program Specialist
abarkley@greaterstcloud.com | 320-292-9296