Launching Minnesota Riverlands

Minnesota Riverlands creates a way for a community to feel connected to itself.

I’m launching today, and I am nervous. Deciding to be full-time self-employed is a big decision. There are certainly easier and softer paths. However, I’ve had this vision since I first learned HTML back in 2004. I’ve always been so curious about what is happening around me, and there are so many different things happening all the time, and I just want to know.

It could be the autism and the pattern recognition.

But now, for the first time ever, I’m banking on myself… well, and on the hope that what I’m creating is something Redwood County, and hopefully other counties eventually, will be willing to support.

Here is what Minnesota Riverlands' mission is:

Create a way for a community to feel connected to itself.

We all live in information silos on our phones. We all live in echo chambers of thought… except when we’re out in the real world with real people. Then we’re just neighbors, friends, family members. But scrolling is part of our daily life, and it isn’t going away. Social media is the driving force of our society right now, and it isn’t going away. The internet and AI are here, and they’re not going away.

So, I want to create a place where, at least once a day, you can decide to Scroll Local. You can decide to spend some of your daily phone time engaging with your community and all the great things happening.

Redwood County is the perfect place to start. The businesses and people here have always been innovative and willing to invest in their community. It’s where I had my first publisher job over 11 years ago. Now that I’ve moved back to the area, I’m excited to launch this vision in a community I knew so well and can’t wait to start learning about again.

Right now, I’m asking for sponsors and businesses who want to collaborate on my vision. The time and money it takes to keep the technology going require community support for this to be something that can grow and last.

My short-term mission is to connect with the doers and makers across Redwood County. I want to learn what you're doing, what matters to your town, and how we can work together to build stronger connections between all of our Redwood County communities.

If this is a vision you can get behind, there are a few ways you can support Minnesota Riverlands.

• Connect your business to Minnesota Riverlands.

  • Your business is already creating information your community might want to know about. Weekly sales, Facebook updates, new inventory, special events… all of these can be connected to Riverlands, featured as supporter articles, and linked directly back to your business. It's another way to reach local people while helping keep our communities informed.

• Become a Founding Sponsor.

  • A Founding Sponsor is more than an advertiser. It's a collaborator who believes in the vision of Minnesota Riverlands and wants to help bring it to life. I want to work with businesses and organizations to find ways to connect what matters to you with what matters to our communities.

  • The goal isn't just to promote businesses. It's to create something valuable for everyone who lives, works, and invests in Redwood County.