In The Community
Made in Minnesota
Business is good when it’s good for Minnesotans. That’s why large Minnesota employers work tirelessly to do right by them – to foster growth, bolster opportunity, and encourage meaningful change. You can find good anywhere in the world, but it’s made in Minnesota.
Minnesota's Future Award
The Minnesota’s Future Award recognizes high-performing, diverse public elementary schools and educational programs for their success in helping all students succeed.
Cristo Rey Jesuit Academy
Cristo Rey is a Catholic coed high school in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. The school’s students come exclusively from families of limited economic means and 99% are students of color. Cristo Rey partners with local employers on an innovative Corporate Work Study Program in which students work one day a week at a participating employer. Their unique educational model has yielded extraordinary results, with over 85% of graduates enrolling in college after graduation.
Groves Academy
Founded in 1972, Groves Academy is a leading school and learning center for students with learning disabilities and attention disorders, as well as a center for literacy instruction, education and advocacy. It is Minnesota’s only established independent school serving children with learning disabilities and attention disorders. The Learning Center at Groves serves over 1,100 students by offering tutoring, speech and language therapy, career counseling, and other services. Groves’ partnerships with local schools have yielded extraordinary results, with students at partnership schools making twice the rate of improvement in reading fluency relative to their nationally normed peer group.
Banyan Community
Banyan Community is a non-profit community development organization that provides academic support to youth in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. Founded in 1997, Banyan began in Joani and Tim Essenburg’s basement with just a few students, but has grown into a neighborhood-wide organization that now provides preschool-through-college services to hundreds of families. Banyan’s success speaks for itself: Remarkably, 100% of Banyan students graduate from high school and are accepted into college, and Banyan scholars outperform the statewide average for college graduation.
Legacy Award
The Legacy Award is given annually to a company that exemplifies the Minnesota business community’s commitment to corporate responsibility, community leadership, and philanthropy.
Ecolab
Founded in 1923, Ecolab today employs 49,000 associates and works with customers in more than 170 countries. Around the world, Ecolab helps customers deal with the demands of population growth, economic growth, urbanization, changing consumer habits, climate change and water scarcity. Ecolab is consistently ranked in the top 10 of Corporate Responsibility (CR) Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens, and has been named by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 13 consecutive years.
Mayo Clinic
Founded in 1864, Mayo Clinic’s mission is to inspire hope and contribute to health and well-being by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research. Today, Mayo Clinic has 63,000 employees and last year treated more than 1.3 million patients from all 50 states and 136 countries. In 2017 and 2018, Mayo Clinic was ranked the #1 hospital in the nation and #1 in more specialties than any other hospital by U.S. News & World Report.
Hormel Foods
Founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, Hormel employs nearly 20,000 employees worldwide and owns some of the world’s most iconic food brands, including Skippy Peanut Butter and Spam. The company’s philanthropic endeavors have focused on hunger relief, education and supporting local communities where Hormel operates. Hunger relief efforts include Project SPAMMY, which has contributed more than 11 million cans of a specially designed shelf-stable poultry product to help malnourished children in Guatemala. Closer to home, the Hormel Foundation is an integral part of the Austin community, partnering with organizations including Austin Public Schools, Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, United Way, and YMCA.