Creative Conversations:
Minnesota Made
Women-led businesses that stay true to their roots
The Holden Room
145 Holden Street North
Minneapolis, MN 55405
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 Holden Room event space - a showcase of Mercury Mosaics' work - 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 the President of Lakeshirts, a high-growth, $120 million apparel and accessory manufacturing business in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. She’s served in her current role since 2016. Across her 24-year career with the company, Michelle has had a variety of senior leadership positions, including leadership of Human Resources and Operations. Included among her recent professional achievements are collaborating with Lakeshirts’ owners to bring in an investor in 2019, completing multiple strategic acquisitions, guiding the organization through Covid, supply chain, and labor challenges, and cultivating a unique business culture which has been a critical aspect of the company’s lasting success. Prior to joining Lakeshirts, Michelle worked as a Consultant for Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire, IL and Wyatt in Eden Prairie, MN. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, receiving a B.A. in Business and Organizational Communications. |
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Nawal Noor
Founder and CEO, Noor Companies Nawal is the Founder and CEO of Noor Companies (NŌR), a social enterprise that performs mission-based work in construction, real estate development and community engagement. Nawal is a Licensed General Contractor. She brings eight years of development, construction and project management experience and more than 10 years of successful corporate finance, audit, strategy and marketing experience working for Ecolab, a $16 billion global company in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Earlier in her career, she spent four 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 Certified Project Manager and a 2019 Bush Foundation Fellow. An active community leader, she was appointed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve on the Emerging Entrepreneurs Board and serves on numerous board and commissions. She is board chair of Nurul-Iman Institute/Mosque and Community Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in finance and computer science. She is pursuing an MBA at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. |
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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 The Holden Room 145 North Holden Street Minneapolis, MN 55405 Minnesota is home to fast-growing businesses that honor their roots and heritages. Join us for lunch in the stunning Holden Room in Minneapolis - a showcase of Mercury Mosaics' work - 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. On-street, metered parking is available. Thanks to our sponsor, Carlson Private Capital Partners. |
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