The Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON) was founded in 2006 to shed light on underserved entrepreneurs in north Minneapolis and surrounding communities. NEON stood as one of six organizations in the Twin Cities to provide entrepreneur training to build and support a diverse, multi-cultural community of entrepreneurs that would expand the growth and wealth of north Minneapolis.

Fast forward to almost two decades later, NEON launched its Grow & Thrive Northside campaign. The campaign propelled efforts to expand their organizational capacity, with goals to increase staff and support business growth, secure a facility for an accessible co-working space, and to build the NEON Food Business Incubator. The Incubator Project, now known as NEON - Collective Kitchens, will provide a secure and affordable space for food entrepreneurship that will ultimately create lasting careers and future wealth for minority and women-owned businesses.

Mortenson has partnered with Tri-Construction to support the preconstruction and construction phase of the NEON – Collective Kitchens project. The project includes seven kitchens with program space for three additional kitchens to be built as funding becomes available.

• One commissary kitchen (available for multi-tenant use)
• One Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) kitchen (available for multi-tenant use)
• Five individual retail kitchens

All kitchens will allow for small business tenants to prepare and cook food for various tasks, such as catering, food truck preparation, pick-up orders, and delivery needs. 

A classroom space on the second floor will provide educational cooking classes for both business entrepreneurs and the community. A two-story lobby space will allow the public to access the building and enjoy the various retail kitchen offerings via a kiosk ordering system. The building will also partner with local artists to incorporate murals inside and outside of the building. This project will provide a physical place where entrepreneurs can start their food business, grow into their own space, and help shape the wealth of North Minneapolis.