About Us We are LEDC

About us

We are the Latino Economic Development Center

What we do:
We help Latino entrepreneurs and small businesses in Minnesota launch and grow.

How we do it:
As an organization created by Latinos, for Latinos, we provide classes, workshops, one-on-one assistance, agricultural assistance services, a kitchen incubator, and loans as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

Our Vision

A thriving multicultural community, enriched with Latino leadership, culture, and economic influence.

Our Mission

To transform our community by creating economic opportunities for Latinos.

We are a Latino serving Loan Fund, certified by the U.S Department of Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and by the Minnesota State Council of OICs, and by OIC America as an Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC).

We come together to focus our attention on the business needs of our clients

STAFF

Meet the Team

Alma Flores

Executive Director

Giselle Mercado

Lending Program Associate

Caitlin Skinner

Director of Advancement

Andrés Salinas Sanchez

Lending Program Director

Aaron Blyth

Agricultural Program Director

Rico Durán

Business Development Director

Peter Majerle

Communications Manager

Dennis De La Torre

Lending Program Associate

Violeta Hernández

Catalyst Coalition Administrator

Alejandra Cooper

Executive Assistant

René Moreno

Small Business Lender

Francisco Díaz

Land Access Coordinator

Rogelio Reyes

Business Development Associate

Saday Osorio

Business Development Associate

Danny Carper-Jacobo

Agricultural Associate

Levi Welbourne

Regional Food Systems Coordinator

Gerald Lira

Loan Servicing Specialist

Ana Milena Vergara Monsalve

Director of Commercial Real Estate

By joining together as business leaders

we are defining our future

Our Story

Our first project, the Mercado Central, successfully launched in 1999 with the support of many non-profit organizations. From there, the Latino Business Development Center was established to keep working on the formation of LEDC.

With assistance from several local business development organizations, LEDC was incorporated in 2003. With the help of those organizations, LEDC worked to improve technical and leadership skills, leading to successes like the Cooperative Mercado Central, Plaza Latina, and Midtown Global Market.

Realizing that economic progress was imperative to the strength of the Latino community, the founders of LEDC focused its activities on self-sufficiency. Over the years, LEDC has continued to grow, maintaining its core programming and embarking on new initiatives.

Annual Reports