President/CEO
Southern Minnesota
Initiative Foundation
By Tim Penny
President/CEO
Southern Minnesota
Initiative Foundation
At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we are starting off the new year by reflecting on how we have worked to strengthen the fabric of our region over time. In part, we do this by celebrating a handful of our partners through stories in our Foundation’s annual Impact Report.
In the first story we hear from Johnny Vuong in the small town of Truman. He and his girlfriend, Jialing, opened a restaurant in 2018. They needed support to get started so they reached out to SMIF for an Emerging Entrepreneur Loan, a funding partnership through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development that supports minority entrepreneurs. Johnny and Jialing used the loan on equipment and inventory to build up their kitchen. China House Cafe…
