The next East Downtown Council Business Forum is scheduled for Thursday, March 17, at the Open Book (1011 Washington Avenue S.) in the Performance Hall on the 2nd Level.
The topic for this event is “Completion: The Stadium, Light Rail Block, and Plaza + Wells Fargo, Radisson Red and the Ryan Company’s Millwright Building.” Registration, lunch and networking starts at 11:30 a.m., with the program starting at Noon.
The cost to attend the forum is just $20. Attendees can purchase lunch tickets in advance (scroll to the bottom of the page), or pay by cash or check at the door. Please RSVP by sending an email to [email protected] by no later than Monday, March 14, at Noon.
FORUM DESCRIPTION
The EDC March business forum will focus on one of the largest contiguous multi-block development scenarios in the history of Minnesota. Michele Kelm-Helgen, Chair of the MSFA will provide a detailed overview of the stadium’s completion and design of the LRT block and plaza. Tony Barranco, VP of Development for Ryan Companies will share details about the opening of the Wells Fargo office towers, mixed-use residential buildings, and the construction of a new Radisson hotel and future corporate offices being called “The Millwright Building.”
FORUM AGENDA
- 11:30-Noon Networking
- 12:00-12:10 pm Introductions and EDC Update (Paul Mellblom and Dan Collison)
- 12:10-12:20 pm District Branding Update (Tom Jollie, VP of PadillaCRT)
- 12:20-12:50 pm Featured Presenters: Tony Barranco, VP of Ryan Companies, and Michele Kelm-Helgen, Chair of MSFA
- 12:50-12:55 pm Question and Answer
- 12:55-1:00 pm Closing Announcements (Dan Collison)
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Michele Kelm-Helgen, Chair MSFA
Michele has been the Chair of the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority since 2012. Before joining the MSFA, Kelm-Helgen was Gov. Mark Dayton’s deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs. She has spent eight years in the public sector; before that, she was a partner at the government affairs consulting firm North State Advisers and a director at Control Data Corp., now Ceridian.
Tony Barranco, VP of Development, Ryan Companies
As a member of Ryan’s Development team since 2005, Tony has led or contributed to over 3,000,000 square feet of development. Tony leads project teams through all aspects of the development process including site selection and acquisition, constraint analysis and due diligence, municipal approvals, design and construction coordination, and lease or sale negotiation. As an urban specialist, Tony understands current market trends and uses that knowledge to implement win-win solutions for clients and project stakeholders, even on some of the most challenging development sites. Tony has been a part of such notable projects as Downtown East, 222 Hennepin, Vintage on Selby, and Underwood Crossing.
