Above, from left to right: LEDC’s Director of Business Development Rico Duran, LEDC’s Executive Assistant Alejandra Cooper, Taqueria Los Paisanos owner Almira Suárez, LEDC Executive Director Alma Flores, and LEDC’s Director of Commercial Real Estate Strategy Ana Milena Vergara.
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Karl Procaccini visited LEDC’s offices and met with neighborhood business leaders recently. Justice Procaccini spoke of how his long-standing sense of justice led him into the legal profession. Throughout his career, he has fought corruption, shared his knowledge as a professor, and worked as General Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor from 2019 to 2023. Justice Procaccini was nominated to the Minnesota Supreme Court by Gov. Tim Walz, and he was sworn in on September 2, 2023. His term expires January 2025.
We thank Justice Procaccini for visiting our community. Part of the reason for the visit, the judge said, was “stay connected with the community and make sure that we -as public servants- aren’t seen as separate when we put our robes on.”
Alma Flores and Rico Durán speak with Justice Procaccini about LEDC’s programs and their impact on Minnesota’s Latino community.
CentroMex is a supermarket on East 7th Street in St Paul that caters to the area’s Latino population. You’ll find products from Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and much more there. Here, CentroMex owner Henry Garnica (left) chats with Justice Procaccini about the challenges of running business while Alejandra Cooper and Rico Duran listen.
Justice Procaccini meets Almira Suárez as Henry Garnica and Rico Durán look on.
Almira Suárez shares her concerns with Justice Procaccini regarding crime, homelessness and poverty on St Paul’s East Side.
Rico Durán paints Justice Procaccini a picture what Plaza del Sol will look like and the tremendous impact it will have on the neighborhood.
For those not familiar with Plaza del Sol, LEDC acquired this two-level cultural mall in August 2020. Ground broke on the new Plaza del Sol in early 2024. Once construction is complete, this building will be a cutting-edge model of inclusive business practices and green technology. The street-facing side will have small retail shops, and the rest of the main floor will house restaurants, a marketplace and common seating. The rear of the building will house a commercial kitchen that will allow multiple businesses to work 24 hours a day.
The upstairs will become an event hall that seats 300, plus community classrooms and LEDC’s offices. The basement will house other community-oriented small businesses.
Work is expected to be completed in 2025. Stay tuned for updates!
