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NAIOP Minnesota is pleased to be working with Catalyst Community Partners on community enhancement efforts. Read details below on the many opportunities for NAIOP members to get involved.
Collaborating to build communities, not just buildings.
Catalyst’s Mission:
Catalyst Community Partners (“Catalyst”) is a Twin Cities-based 501(c)3 charitable organization that revitalizes underperforming urban corridors through real estate and business development while providing sustainable jobs and neighborhood amenities.
Commercial Real Estate Development
Catalyst purchases and redevelops vacant and underutilized buildings into productive, sustainable properties. It helps entrepreneurs create and operate businesses that enhance livability and safely in Twin Cities’ communities, actively engaging professionals in investing their expertise, volunteer capacity and financial resources.
Business Development
Catalyst recruits and supports relevant retail businesses serving the neighborhood community and providing neighborhood jobs.
Financial Development
Catalyst raises the funding to achieve its development goals.
Community Projects
Catalyst provides real estate development support to broader community projects.
Giving local businesses the tools to succeed.
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An example of Catalyst's work to increase safety and livability:
In Cottage Park, the residential neighborhood adjacent to West Broadway Avenue, Catalyst restored a playground, a park, built two designer homes as well as completely renovated the historic Garden of Gethsemane Ministries Church. In a neighborhood once fraught with condemned buildings, with Catalyst’s work two market-rate homes have been built and the church, park and children’s playground have been vibrantly restored.
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NAIOP Minnesota’s efforts represent a significant impact to Catalyst. Over the next three years, Catalyst will redevelop ten to twelve commercial properties and support and/or open more than twenty businesses.
NAIOP Minnesota's members can provide tangible help to Catalyst's work. For example, excess building materials obtained through a NAIOP broker-tenant relationship could be redirected to a Catalyst project. A team of NAIOP volunteers (and family members) could landscape a community center garden or patio. Accountants, property managers, architects, contractors, agents, and brokers can all make meaningful contributions right now to tenants, property and business owners, and other area organizations.
Putting power in the hands of entrepreneurs.
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An example of Catalyst's work to build neighborhood amenities and create space for real jobs:
Its 1101 West Broadway building is now the jewel of West Broadway and has brought a full-service bank, jobs training center and coffee shop to the northside. Catalyst created space for a 24-hour, 7 day-a-week childcare center on the avenue and its 1200 West Broadway Avenue project includes a commercial rental kitchen, community events/cultural center and cafe in addition to much-needed office space.
Click Here to see additional project profiles of Catalyst's work.
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The NAIOP-Catalyst partnership provides NAIOP members multiple opportunities to promote volunteerism and supply resources and at several different levels. Commercial real estate professionals and their affiliates are invited to volunteer not just their time, but also their expertise and passion to redevelop ten to twelve dilapidated commercial properties and assist in twenty property management improvement projects over the next three years.
There are three primary levels of engagement:
- Real Estate Development (real estate services & expertise): Larger scale semi-annual projects like corridor development fairs or business development expos employ NAIOP members’ real estate knowhow and connect business owners to NAIOP professionals who can lend solutions for business owners. This includes supply and pro bono service donations from suppliers and skilled professionals in the real estate, design, engineering, landscaping, property management, and architecture fields.
- Professional service donations (architecture, landscaping, design, engineering, legal, property management, graphic design, construction, etc.)
- Site analysis, business feasibility, market studies, corridor evaluations
- Community commercial real estate expo
- Adopt-a-Project/Property (comprehensive project ownership): Catalyst’s development professionals and volunteer coordinators will customize a corridor project or real estate development opportunity, giving NAIOP teams an opportunity to ‘own’ a major project. For example, NAIOP members’ real estate knowledge would be helpful in determining future focus areas for Catalyst. Members could contribute market data, feasibility studies, site evaluations, development expertise, and risk evaluations that will help Catalyst grow.
- Corridor Secret Shopper Program (shopping, evaluation, critiques, and recommendations)
- Annual Catalyst Fundraiser Event (planning and execution of 1 major event per year)
- Custom Adopt-a-Project, tailored for NAIOP members or groups, helping build renovate, or support a particular asset or business
- Everyday Plug-and-Play (volunteer opportunities): Groups of NAIOP members provide physical muscle on a real estate project. Community garden plantings, neighborhood cleanups, business makeovers including demolition, light construction, and painting are a few examples of how members, families, and corporate groups could engage on a recurring basis. These opportunities are structured to be flexible, fun team-builders and take advantage of larger groups of volunteers.
- Business makeovers (demolition, painting, light construction)
- Corridor cleanup
- Community garden planting
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How can you get involved?
NAIOP Minnesota will soon be announcing opportunities for NAIOP members and member companies to get involved with Catalyst Community Partners. |
- Updates on NAIOP Minnesota's work with Catalyst Community Partners will be posted here
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