A S.T.A.R.

Twin Cities Business magazine recently held its 2016 Minnesota Business Hall of Fame awards event at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. The team from our city’s second largest hotel transformed their ballroom into a perfect venue for recognizing the magazine’s 18th class of Hall of Fame inductees. Our congratulations go out to all of the award winners and the significant contributions they’ve made to business and society. Each of these has a unique story, but all had elements of persistence, disappointment, achievement and service.

Check out the story here. One such unique story is that of Richard Copeland, owner and chairman of Thor Construction. Founded in 1980, Thor has nearly 200 employees and operates in seven states. Richard, a board member of Meet Minneapolis, is a native of Minneapolis and in his acceptance speech he noted that he lives in Heritage Park, a north Minneapolis redevelopment project he championed. He said he overlooks the site where his childhood home once stood.

Richard’s acceptance comments captured the hearts of those in attendance as he spoke of our community’s racial disparities that manifest themselves in economic, educational and social arenas. He commented on the apparent disconnect of why a successful Minneapolis-based minority-owned business earns the overwhelming amount of his revenue outside of the Minneapolis area. He used Thor only as an example of the many companies that are impacted by institutional biases. He is a shining example of how diversity and success go hand in hand. He summed up this sentiment when he declared that, “business has to solve this crucial dynamic that will lead us back to prosperity.”

Each of the five awardees were introduced by a family member or close friend. Richard was introduced by Ravi Norman, Thor’s CEO. In Ravi’s introduction, he described Richard as a S.T.A.R., an acronym for:

He Shows up to create and comprehend opportunities;

Is Transparent with his intent;

Is Accountable for the choices he makes; and

Is Resilient and always bounces back.

As a Meet Minneapolis board and committee member, Richard has walked the talk of making the business case for diversity. We are proud to have him on our team.

Check out the story here. One such unique story is that of Richard Copeland, owner and chairman of Thor Construction. Founded in 1980, Thor has nearly 200 employees and operates in seven states. Richard, a board member of Meet Minneapolis, is a native of Minneapolis and in his acceptance speech he noted that he lives in Heritage Park, a north Minneapolis redevelopment project he championed. He said he overlooks the site where his childhood home once stood.

Richard’s acceptance comments captured the hearts of those in attendance as he spoke of our community’s racial disparities that manifest themselves in economic, educational and social arenas. He commented on the apparent disconnect of why a successful Minneapolis-based minority-owned business earns the overwhelming amount of his revenue outside of the Minneapolis area. He used Thor only as an example of the many companies that are impacted by institutional biases. He is a shining example of how diversity and success go hand in hand. He summed up this sentiment when he declared that, “business has to solve this crucial dynamic that will lead us back to prosperity.”

Each of the five awardees were introduced by a family member or close friend. Richard was introduced by Ravi Norman, Thor’s CEO. In Ravi’s introduction, he described Richard as a S.T.A.R., an acronym for:

He Shows up to create and comprehend opportunities;

Is Transparent with his intent;

Is Accountable for the choices he makes; and

Is Resilient and always bounces back.

As a Meet Minneapolis board and committee member, Richard has walked the talk of making the business case for diversity. We are proud to have him on our team.