Brain gain is getting its moment in the legislative spotlight. Introduced by Rep. Deb Kiel, the “Greater Minnesota Brain Gain bill,” if passed, would create a “pilot grant program to provide grants to eligible organizations to identify and support local economic development initiatives in greater Minnesota designed to attract workers and new residents by marketing …
Through our work in broadband adoption and use in rural communities, we’ve seen and featured a number of tech-related hackathons. The hackathon model sets the stage for creative minds to collaborative on new and innovative ideas in a short amount of time. While these events have typically been designed for coders interested in generating new …
The conversation about broadband access and use in Minnesota is heating up as the 2016 legislative session gets underway. To raise up the hundreds of rural voices that crafted the vision for broadband in Minnesota, our president, Dr. Kathy Annette, wrote an opinion piece that the Star Tribune is carrying today. In it she celebrates …
As part of the ConnectALL Initiative announced by the White House yesterday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will develop and launch a new online tool to help local leaders identify broadband needs in their community and connect them to the necessary resources to move forward. Blandin Foundation, along with a stellar list of national …
Border-to-border broadband — this is a movement that is not going away. Last year, more than 170 people came together to form a vision for broadband in Minnesota. That vision — “Everyone in Minnesota will be able to use convenient, affordable world-class broadband networks that enable us to survive and thrive in our communities and …
“At the age of 12, Blandin left school to become an apprentice at the [New London] Times. Two years later young Blandin decided to leave New London and strike out on his own.” — Papermakers, p. 119 Forty-three years after Charles K. Blandin’s first embarked on his journey to “make it” in the world, he …
“The Blandin Foundation’s work is a catalyst of connections — among members of rural communities and between the education and business sectors.” — Gene Rebeck, Twin Cities Business, November 25, 2015 Last week, Twin Cities Business reporter Gene Rebeck penned a piece that gave readers a look into the philosophy behind Blandin Foundation’s work in rural …
Picture this: You are standing at the front of a classroom, laser pointer in hand, ready to launch into a stimulating discussion. You click the link on your laptop to cue the thought-provoking video that is going to get students’ minds turning when…nothing happens. You wait. Wait some more. Sigh, then give up and go …
What does a welcoming rural community look like? Is it the shower of smiles you get while walking down main street? The sign at the town’s entrance shouting WELCOME in all CAPS? Or the local cafe where the many faces of the community come together for coffee? Creating a welcoming community, for newcomers and for existing residents, is …
The moment the first press release dropped announcing Chisago County’s designation as a Blandin Broadband Community, the community was abuzz. “I was getting calls from businesses I had never heard of,” said Nancy Hoffman, Executive Director of Chisago County Economic Development Authority. “Every one of them had a story to share. It confirmed for me …