Celebrating Region 5

What do you get when you combine a geek food scientist, a salesman, and a business development contest? Five Rocks Distilling, a distinct blend of an idea and a long-term goal of becoming a go-to destination as part of the Brainerd Lakes experience. The idea was hatched in 2017 following th...Continue Reading

Brainerd area ideal location Location is everything for a business, and even more important for a film production company. Riley Nelsen, owner of Dying to Film, believes Brainerd is the ideal location for his production business. “I've grown up here, and I like the community,” says videographer Nelsen. Centrally located in th...Continue Reading

The name came even before the first business plan was developed; an idea tucked away in her conscience before she began looking for a location. It was going to be Baby’s On Broadway. “I had a logo, I had everything and all of a sudden this building in downtown Littl...Continue Reading

“We’ve lived here for three years now and I’m excited to stay in this area and see what else is in store!” — Megan Rehbein, BLAEDC Staff MemberContinue Reading

“Long Prairie has one less vacant store front since the market opened its doors, giving residents culturally diverse downtown dining and shopping options and making it easier for other industries to attract employees, and drawing people to our small town.” – Dawn Espe, R5DC Staff MemberContinue Reading

Resilient Voices Guide Implementation through Distributed Leadership and Placemaking Successful implementation of the Resilient Region plan was due to the deployment of the Distributed Leadership Model (DLM).  This model is an advanced version of the traditional “collective impact” community development practice. DLM engages regional Champions with intentional focus on engagement o...Continue Reading

“It was very critical that R5DC guided us through the process to have a really good plan, giving us the opportunity to get a grant to fund the bike and walking trail.” – Karolyn Roebuck, Cass Lake-Bena School DistrictContinue Reading

“It’s about creating local jobs. It’s a 22nd Century Evolution where farms can be brought back!” exclaimed local farmer Barry Thoele, at a Farmer’s Market in Staples.Continue Reading

Jason Edens knows from experience what it’s like to struggle to pay energy bills. While studying for a masters degree in environmental studies at Bemidji State University, he couldn’t afford to heat his home. He reached out to the local energy assistance program with a hopeful idea. If they could provid...Continue Reading

Restaurants play an integral role in our communities, serving as important gathering places and contributing to the local economy. Every dollar spent in restaurants generates $2 in sales for other industries, according to the National Restaurant Association. 3 Cheers Hospitality is a food, beverage and catering company with a focus o...Continue Reading

Rural towns have struggled for years with “brain drain,” the phenomenon where young people move away for college and job opportunities and don’t come back. But lately, some towns are experiencing a return migration of young people attracted by small town quality of life. They’re bringing their skills, energy and experienc...Continue Reading

In the summer of 2009, Scott Lykins and a few of his colleagues from the Eastman School of Music organized some informal classical music concerts in the Brainerd area. They never anticipated their actions would help launch the premiere classical music festival in the Midwest. Lykins, a cellist who grew u...Continue Reading

Since 1972, the number of women-owned businesses in the U.S. has risen 3,000 percent. It’s an impressive statistic, especially considering the fact that women were required to have a male co-signer to get a loan until 1988. About a year ago, Lindsey Hirschey followed her dream of becoming a business owne...Continue Reading

Expanding Broadband Access to the Last Rural Mile The Resilient Region plan prioritized the need for increased connectivity to adequate, affordable broadband as crucial for retaining and attracting both businesses and residents, improving efficiencies and quality in education and health care, and alleviating problems of workforce shortage. “People are interested in staying and/or moving to th...Continue Reading

120-plus business leaders gathered on Wednesday April 11, 2018 to kick off the Talent Advantage Series. An incredibly well-rounded workfoce disucssion filled with deep data, challenges, solutions and more were a part of the agenda. Statewide demographics show the acute regional shortage is going to be with us for a...Continue Reading