By Activate Rural Program Director Sarina Otaibi and Associate Director Courtney Bergey Swanson
On Thursday, August 20th, 2026, DoPT team members from The YES! House and Activate Rural teamed up with Creative Healing Space to host a Creatives & Entrepreneurs Mixer in downtown Worthington, MN.
The evening began with a welcome from DoPT staff and a short presentation on the story of Creative Healing Space by founder and executive director Sureeporn Sompamitwong. A panel discussion between two local entrepreneurs and community leaders followed:
Cristina Adame, who manages her own skin care and consulting businesses as well as serves as the Community Relations & Communications for the City of Worthington, shared tips on how to access local resources and advice for managing multiple roles when burnout is so prevalent among entrepreneurs
Minilik Mersha, who owns several local businesses in Worthington (MC Glass & Key, Jebena Ethiopian Cuisine, and Mersha Management) shared his entrepreneurial journey and emphasized the importance of being open to learning new things while taking calculated risks
With over 30 people in attendance, the networking portion of the evening felt lively and exciting! Facilitated small groups encouraged networking and conversation, and there were so many ideas shared. A few highlights included a young entrepreneur who was looking for partners to expand her successful salon business, an individual who had designed an innovative modular mini golf course, and even an aspiring fashion designer who chose to spend her 16th birthday with us at the event! (We sang her happy birthday of course!)
The event also highlighted local businesses, including Aaliyah’s permanent jewelry booth, an exhibition of local art, and a delicious spread of ceviche and flautas from Taqueria Gomez and sambusas from Jebena Ethiopian Cuisine.
Thank you to Creative Healing Space for hosting, and to all of the attendees who made the evening so special!
This event was held as part of the southwest Minnesota Small Business Development grant project and supported, in part, by the State of Minnesota through a grant from The Office of Small Business Development, Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) believes in working with artists, cultural workers, and connectors to strengthen rural places by supporting the role of community assets—social, cultural, and built—as a lens to help communities investigate and celebrate their collective story: past, present, and future. Activate Rural supports third places, creative space use, and building activation projects—art galleries and cultural centers, creative coffee shops and taprooms, theaters, artist studios, performance and event venues, multi-use creative places, and more—that inspire, motivate, and open up possibilities for rural communities.
