Consulting Services
Northspan delivers high quality, professional business, community, and organizational development consulting services.
Business
Community
Organizational
Programs Powered by Northspan
Northspan powers four programs that work to foster economic development and the growth of human capital in their respective service areas. Northspan programs are built in partnership, cultivate connections between communities and businesses, and aim toward holistic economic development strategies.
www.northlandconnection.com
Northland Connection is a regional program providing economic development data and analysis to recruit, expand, and retain businesses across northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. This work is done in collaboration with our private and public funding partners, commercial real estate, education, government, and regional and statewide economic development organizations.
www.northforce.org
NORTHFORCE is a regional program providing community-based talent retainment and attraction by connecting career-minded individuals with professional advancement opportunities and supporting our regional employers’ current and future workforce needs in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.
www.dawnmn.org
In 2023, Northspan launched the DAWN program (Driving Access to Wealth and Networks), dedicated to building an entrepreneurial ecosystem infrastructure for a ten-county region in Northeast and East Central Minnesota. DAWN seeks to formalize a supportive system with partners in economic development and education to support entrepreneurs from all backgrounds through all stages of their journeys.
Where We Work
While our primary service area is Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, we work with clients and partners across the Upper Midwest. We are not geographically bound; we build connections that bridge across boundaries and assist communities.
Testimonials
Northspan’s expertise and experience in business development translated well for us needing to create a sustainable financial plan for a higher education program. Bob and Karl complement each other well in how they approach their work from a knowledge base grounded both in financial forecasting and understanding multiple aspects of our region.
Bill Maki
President
Northeast Higher Education District
Northspan has been very effective in bringing GPS to the next level. We are now more productive and seeing more results. It is great to rely on someone who is capable to get the work done.
Nancy Hoffman
Chisago County HRA-EDA
Past President, GPS 45:93
Northspan provides excellent support to financial institutions. They provide timely assistance and find creative solutions to help new and growing businesses get the financing they need. They are a vital partner in making many deals become reality.
Chad Curran
Vice President of Commercial Banking
National Bank of Commerce
Northspan has created the visions and provided organizational support for regional initiatives that are key to our economic and community development success. With its facilitation and leadership, these initiatives went from being raw ideas to significant accomplishments.
Nancy Norr
Director, Regional Development
Minnesota Power
Northspan did an excellent job with strategic planning. We kept a scorecard and it was spot on with the results. The execution of the plan was outstanding.
Tom Saehr
President & CEO
Minnesota Business Finance Corporation
Northspan has a wide array of capabilities from convening, facilitation, to lending, to property, to grant writing skills. It’s a strong partner both publicly and privately.