Creative Conversations:
Minnesota Made
Women-led businesses that stay true to their roots
Mercury Mosaics
1620 Central Ave. NE, Suite 125
Minneapolis, MN 55413
September 21, 2021
11:30 am - 1 pm
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Minnesota is home to fast-growing businesses that honor their roots and heritages. Join us for lunch in the stunning showroom of Mercury Mosaics to learn from the experiences of these women who call Minnesota home.
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Mercedes Austin
Owner/Founder/Mover & Shaker, Mercury Mosaics Originally from Minneapolis and having grown up in an architecturally-significant home, Mercedes has always had a passion for unique interiors. An artist all her life, she was always experimenting, but never with one focus. Combining a passion for math, architecture, design, and painting – mosaic tile and all of the possibilities within the medium presented a perfect match to hold her attention. Mercury Mosaics started as an answer to a personal goal of being an artist full-time. Coming from the service industry, Mercedes has always made great service and taking care of people an extremely high priority – period. It began with a focus on small-batch-made home accessories – accent mosaic tables and colorfully tiled mirrors. Soon, clients wanted things for their kitchens, bathrooms and fireplaces installed permanently. One thing led to another and 18 years later, Mercedes has transformed from a solo-artist to full-blown creative entrepreneur leading a company that serves clients all over the world. To sustain this success and continue the level of care that is her standard, Mercedes has curated a group of some of the finest craftspeople and humble hard workers now known as the tile elves. It is her passion to create jobs for artists on their journey on their way to create art as their full-time job. Mercury Mosaics is like a bakery for tile. It’s a special factory, studio and showroom located in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District and one of the fastest growing companies in the US. |
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Michelle Daggett
President, Lakeshirts Michelle Daggett is President of Lakeshirts, a high-growth, $100 million garment manufacturer headquartered in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, where she has served in that capacity since 2016. Across her 24-year career with the company, Michelle has held various senior leadership positions, including leading the Human Resources and Operations functions of Lakeshirts. Prior to joining Lakeshirts, Michelle worked as a consultant for Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire, Illinois, and Wyatt in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Michelle graduated Magna Cum Laude from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, receiving a B.A. in Business and Organizational Communications. Michelle considers herself fortunate to reside in the lakes area of northwestern Minnesota. |
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Nawal Noor
Founder and CEO, Noor Companies Nawal is the Founder and CEO of Noor Companies (NŌR), a minority woman-owned social enterprise general contractor and developer. Her work is centered on delivering exceptional construction and development projects with a larger impact on building the future talent and the next generation of leaders in the construction industry. In November 2020, Noor Companies delivered one of the fastest rebuilds in Target's history when it reopened its Lake Street store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after heavy damage during the riots following the death of George Floyd. Nawal a serial entrepreneur and strategic problem solver. Prior to launching her business, she had more than nine years of successful corporate finance, audit, strategy, and marketing experience working for Ecolab. Earlier in her career, she spent five years in asset and project management for Aeon (formerly CCHT), a nonprofit developer, owner and manager of high-quality affordable apartments and townhomes serving more than 4,200 people annually in the Twin Cities area. Nawal is a Lean Six Greenbelt Project Manager, a 2019 Bush Foundation Fellow, and an AALF Josie R. Johnson 2016 Fellow. An active community leader, she was appointed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve on the Emerging Entrepreneurs Board. She also serves on the ULI Housing Council, University of Minnesota National Diversity Council, and the MN Joint Disparity Study External Stakeholders group. She is board chair of Nurul-Iman Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota. |
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Maggie Thompson
Artist and Owner, Makwa Studio Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe) was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2013. As a textile artist and designer she derives her inspiration from the history of her Ojibwe heritage, exploring family history as well as themes and subject matter of the broader Native American experience. Thompson’s work calls attention to its materiality pushing the viewer’s traditional understanding of textiles. She explores materials in her work by incorporating multimedia elements such as photographs, beer caps, and 3D-printed objects. Makwa Studio partnered with Aslov Finlayson, the Minneapolis-based, climate-positive clothing company with a mission Keep The North Cold™, on its 2020 North Hats to explore the broader meaning of North. Thompson had her first solo exhibition “Where I Fit” at All My Relations Gallery in 2014 and has since exhibited at institutions such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the the Plains Art Museum. In 2015, she received support from the Minnesota State Arts Board and a Native Arts and Culture Foundation Regional Fellowship to create a body of work for her exhibit “On Borrowed Time” at the Minnesota Textile Center. Her work is part of the permanent collection at The Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Minnesota Historical Society. In addition to her knitwear business, she is also an emerging curator of contemporary Native art at and has worked on curating special exhibits for Two Rivers Gallery, The McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. |
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Panel Moderator
Stacy Voves President and Managing Partner, Growth Operators After a lengthy career in commercial banking, Stacy joined Growth Operators in 2014. Today, she is a significant equity owner and serves as the President and Managing Partner, responsible for its day-to-day operations. Growth Operators provides outsourced and advisory services to businesses (typically businesses that are institutionally backed) in the areas of finance and human resources. The team of professionals at Growth Operators help transform the finance and human resources functions to maximize growth potential. |
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Tell us about yourself
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Minnesota MadeSeptember 21, 2021 11:30 am - 1 pm Mercury Mosaics 1620 Central Ave. NE, Suite 125 Minneapolis, MN 55413 Minnesota is home to fast-growing businesses that honor their roots and heritages. Join us for lunch in the stunning showroom of Mercury Mosaics to learn from the experiences of these women who call Minnesota home. Your ticket includes the panel presentation, lunch, and networking with other community leaders. Thanks to our sponsor, Carlson Private Capital Partners. |
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