In less than three years, what Minneapolis City Council member and Meet Minneapolis board member Jacob Frey referred to as “a sea of surface parking lots” has been transformed into more than $2 billion in development. And it is clear that these individual components have coalesced to create a symbiotic ecosystem that has expanded the borders of our central business district.

Wells Fargo’s new $300 million campus will ultimately house 5,000 employees who will no doubt spur the growth of new amenities. But they will also benefit from the campus’ very close proximity to our Mississippi Riverfront area. John Stumpf, Wells Fargo chairman and chief executive, who grew up in Minnesota, headlined the ribbon-cutting activities. And although Wells Fargo operates in every state, he wasn’t shy about admitting that his home state is his favorite.

The grand opening celebration of The Commons also took place last week. Those in attendance were entertained by an Asian dance team and instead of the traditional ribbon cutting, a Frisbee toss heralded the official opening of the park. Minneapolis Mayor Hodges, a Meet Minneapolis board member, proclaimed that “this is a park for everyone.”

With such notables in attendance as former Vikings Hall of Famer and Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Alan Page and former vice president Walter Mondale, U.S. Bank Stadium officially opened its doors. That celebration included a warm round of thank you’s to the diverse group of public officials and private citizens who helped to make the stadium a reality. And those in attendance got a preview of the reverberating pyrotechnics that will sound many times on Vikings game days. That celebration continued into the weekend with fans picking up more than 200,000 free stadium tour tickets.

Dan Collison, Executive Director for the East Town Business Partnership said , “there was a triple crown of openings in East Town last week: Wells Fargo Corporate Towers, The Commons, and the US Bank Stadium! The stage is now set to host the city, the region and the world. If Minneapolis is a world class stage and the downtown its gem, East Town is the new grand portico!”

And the payoff for the major explosion of infrastructure has had some immediate payoffs with previously announced events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Men’s Final Four in the next few years. But last week was also the announcement of Minneapolis being awarded ESPN’s 2017 and 2018 X Games. The games will move to Minneapolis from Austin, where they were held for the last two years. And we have all made it known to the ESPN brass that we see the next two years as our audition and expect to become the permanent home of the X Games!

So, we all have had plenty to celebrate this past week and with the winning streak we’re on, more celebrations are no doubt on the way. No pressure, Coach Zimmer!

In less than three years, what Minneapolis City Council member and Meet Minneapolis board member Jacob Frey referred to as “a sea of surface parking lots” has been transformed into more than $2 billion in development. And it is clear that these individual components have coalesced to create a symbiotic ecosystem that has expanded the borders of our central business district.

Wells Fargo’s new $300 million campus will ultimately house 5,000 employees who will no doubt spur the growth of new amenities. But they will also benefit from the campus’ very close proximity to our Mississippi Riverfront area. John Stumpf, Wells Fargo chairman and chief executive, who grew up in Minnesota, headlined the ribbon-cutting activities. And although Wells Fargo operates in every state, he wasn’t shy about admitting that his home state is his favorite.

The grand opening celebration of The Commons also took place last week. Those in attendance were entertained by an Asian dance team and instead of the traditional ribbon cutting, a Frisbee toss heralded the official opening of the park. Minneapolis Mayor Hodges, a Meet Minneapolis board member, proclaimed that “this is a park for everyone.”

With such notables in attendance as former Vikings Hall of Famer and Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Alan Page and former vice president Walter Mondale, U.S. Bank Stadium officially opened its doors. That celebration included a warm round of thank you’s to the diverse group of public officials and private citizens who helped to make the stadium a reality. And those in attendance got a preview of the reverberating pyrotechnics that will sound many times on Vikings game days. That celebration continued into the weekend with fans picking up more than 200,000 free stadium tour tickets.

Dan Collison, Executive Director for the East Town Business Partnership said , “there was a triple crown of openings in East Town last week: Wells Fargo Corporate Towers, The Commons, and the US Bank Stadium! The stage is now set to host the city, the region and the world. If Minneapolis is a world class stage and the downtown its gem, East Town is the new grand portico!”

And the payoff for the major explosion of infrastructure has had some immediate payoffs with previously announced events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Men’s Final Four in the next few years. But last week was also the announcement of Minneapolis being awarded ESPN’s 2017 and 2018 X Games. The games will move to Minneapolis from Austin, where they were held for the last two years. And we have all made it known to the ESPN brass that we see the next two years as our audition and expect to become the permanent home of the X Games!

So, we all have had plenty to celebrate this past week and with the winning streak we’re on, more celebrations are no doubt on the way. No pressure, Coach Zimmer!