In the News
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January 24, 2012Tevlin: Freed convict building houses, rebuilding his life: 'I am blessed'Released in June after 23 years in prison, today Lloyd is an instructor for Summit Academy OIC and a quiet leader on this construction site. Summit trains low-income and minority men and women in the construction trades so they can learn certified skills and get jobs that start at $17 an hour.
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December 12, 2011Summit Academy program provides hands-on training for aspiring contractorsSummit Academy, a nonprofit vocational center in north Minneapolis, is preparing to graduate the latest crop of students from its pre-apprentice carpentry program, which it calls 100 Hard Hats.
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December 11, 2011Would Newt Gingrich's idea about poor kids work?On the subject of poverty and helping people bootstrap their way up and out of it, Louis King is an expert. So who better to talk to regarding Newt Gingrich's now viral remarks about poverty and putting young inner-city kids to work in the schools?
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December 2011Louis King: Putting People to WorkLouis King is no nonsense. His military background provides the model for how he operates. Identify the mission. Build a team. Organize. Determine direction. Hit the streets to get things done. Measure results. Evaluate. Adjust. It's with this approach that King has been working in the North Minneapolis community for over 22 years.
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June 15, 2011Summit Academy OIC host Expo: Educating women in training and construction opportunitiesSummit Academy OIC, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit educational and vocational center, is hosting a Women in Construction Super Expo on Tuesday, June 21 to educate women about training and construction opportunities that currently exist in the field.
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June 7, 2011Northside Community Response Team: A marathon, not a sprintThe Northside Community Response Team (NCRT), a coalition of nearly 60 organizations who have come together to help tornado victims of North Minneapolis, held a press conference on Monday, giving an update of the progress the coalition has made so far, and what lies ahead.
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June 6, 2011Tornado relief shifts to new gearThe biggest branches and trees have been hauled away from the tornado-ravaged yards in north Minneapolis.
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June 5, 2011Storm brings out North Side strengthsAfter the tornado, the community is proceeding with resilience and a vision of what it can become.
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May 31, 2011Businesses, agencies collaborate to serve and support North Minneapolis response and recoveryThe rain was still falling. But the sun was about to overtake the remnants of clouds...Louis King, president of Summit Academy OIC called.
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May 27, 2011Volunteers swarm to helpWith chainsaws and rakes, volunteers show up by the hundreds.
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May 26, 2011Volunteers help assess needs of storm victimsHundreds of volunteers fanned out across the north side of Minneapolis Wednesday to help clear debris still left by Sunday afternoon's tornado, and talk to residents to see what kind of help they need to recover from the storm's devastating impact.
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May 12, 2011Communities mobilize to preserve human rights fundingIf the republican-controlled state legislature has its way, the Minn. Dept. of Human Rights (MDHR) could have its budget slashed by as much as 65 percent.
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April 22, 2011Summit Academy OIC expands partnerships with unionsPartnerships ensure minorities have access to opportunities within the high skill.
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April 13, 2011Racial Disparities: Applause for Dayton, but task for us allGov. Mark Dayton's recent visit to the North Side of Minneapolis and his timely response to the issues raised there provide promise that he will be a man of his word in mitigating our state's massive racial disparities in economic well-being.
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March 30, 2011Govenor holds a 'long overdue' talk with blacksThey urged Dayton to help close the jobs gap between blacks, whites.
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March 23, 2011Green jobs? Say what?We have been bombarded with the word "green" for a number of years and told this is where things are going.
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March 16, 2011Women hardhats: Construction's not just for guys anymoreMichelle Miller once drove large vehicles in Iraq for two years. Now the Minneapolis resident looks forward to handling similar large construction equipment here in the Twin Cities soon.
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March 6, 2011Summit Academy Helps People Live BetterFor the last few years, finding work has been a challenge for many Minnesotans. A program in the Twin Cities is proving it's possible.
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February 21, 2011Summit Academy OIC Women In Construction ExpoLearn more about the SAOIC Women in Construction Expo. Women wear hard hats too. Information Sessions beginning February 22, 2011.
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February 4, 2011MnDOT preps new plan to hire more women, minority contractorsThe Minnesota Department of Transportation could soon increase the number of women and minorities working on Minnesota road and bridge projects.
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January 31, 2011Planting the seeds of success for 5 yearsFive years ago, Joe Selvaggio launched a nonprofit that transformed donations from wealthy Minnesotans into $1,000 cash grants for low-income folks trying to get ahead.
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January 28, 2011Minneapolis/Event for women in construction setConstruction may be a male-dominated industry, but contractors on public projects are required to make a good-faith effort to hire a certain percentage of women.
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November 17, 2010Preparing for hard, precise work at a living wageCareer opportunities with Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project
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November 11, 2010Central Corridor to create 800 jobsEach day the Central Corridor Light Rail gets thousands of people to work and soon it could help 800 unemployed Minnesotans find work.
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November 10, 2010Open houses showcase jobs to be had with Central Corridor light-rail projectThe recession that hammered hiring in most fields has amounted to a depression in the construction industry, leaving countless laborers desperate for a chance to get back to work. For at least 800 folks, that chance may just be around the corner.
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November 2, 2010Project using community workers confronts health inequitiesYou'll likely remember the report issued earlier this month documenting the health chasm between whites and non-whites, between the economically comfortable and the poor in the Twin Cities area.
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November 1, 2010Green roofs, adaptability boost Stock RoofingNew services and growing demand for environmentally friendly roofs have helped the company get through the recession.
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October 29, 2010Jobs group wants more minorities, women building Central Corridor lineMajor work on the Central Corridor light-rail transit line has yet to begin, but a coalition of community groups on Friday sounded an alarm over what they deem to be large shortfalls in the numbers of female and minority construction workers is involved in the preliminary stages.
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October, 2010Constructing the FutureMeet Dean, who received job training through Summit Academy OIC, a United Way partner agency.
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September 20, 2010Summit Academy OIC hosts Community Health Fair Open House for low income community residents.Students from Summit Academy OIC, located at 935 Olson Memorial Highway, in Minenapolis are hosting a Community Health Fair Friday, October 15, 1-3 p.m.
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September, 2010Billions have been infused into the state to create jobs, but why haven't you seen any Hmong workers?Take a drive down any major road in Minnesota and you will most likely run into the bright orange tape, big machines and long traffic lines...
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August 25, 2010Diversity hiring a goal for MnDOT Agency set standards, using federal funds to boost minority workforce.Training programs skewed more toward minority recruitment as part of the collaborative have already sent at least eight students of color from unemployment to state construction sites as heavy equipment operators.
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August, 2010Problem Solved: Louis King and Summit Academy OIC are creating jobs by equipping those who need them most.Like all great leaders, Louis King is a problem solver. When he took note of many minorities lacking jobs, education, as well as a sense of purpose and pride, he set out to find a solution.
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July 20, 2010First class of heavy equipment operators graduates through new union-community partnershipWilliams is benefitting from a joint venture between the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49, a union of 13,000 workers in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Summit Academy OIC, a nonprofit educational and vocational training center working with adults in the most economically depressed neighborhoods of the Twin Cities.
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July 9, 2010Summit Academy graduates ready for Highway Heavy jobsThis type of program was long overdue; traditionally men and women raised on the family farm joined Local 49 for a more secure future with better health care and pension benefits. As our state's landscape has changed, we have had to find new ways to recruit new workers interested in a career in our industry...
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July 9, 2010Union, school collaborate to get residents from depressed neighborhoods into good jobsNineteen students, including three women, graduate today from a 20-week curriculum that pairs on-the-job training from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49 and classroom instruction from Summit Academy OIC...
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July 7, 2010Local 49 prepares minorities, women to operate backhoes, other construction equipmentWhat's unusual about the new program is that it's operated jointly by a union (the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49) and an inner-city vocational training center (Summit Academy OIC). Local 49 officials call it a "groundbreaking" initiative that came about after two years of planning and negotiating.
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June 28, 2010Man Recalls Life In A Minneapolis GangI want to be a part of the change. I feel I'm obligated to be a part of the change, he said. I've been a part of the destruction for so long. Now it's time for me to be a part of the change.
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June 20, 2010King and Brown: To end racial disparity, take the first step Let's bring money, time and influence to bear on this Twin Cities problem.A recent national study showing that blacks in our area are three times more likely to be unemployed than whites has resulted in a spike of attention to the issue. We must now fan this spark to bring about the flames of change. Talk alone will not do it.
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June 16, 2010Clements: Jobs training, the way out of povertyIf you are going to put people to work, you need the education, you need access, you need the environment, the social network,King says. That's what we do. We're working to build that social network.
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May 24, 2010Minnesota #2 in nation in racial gap in jobless rateThe phenomenon of racial disparities in unemployment is nothing new, but it's clear the recession has made it worse. Louis King argues that although some might think that the state's relatively small number of minorities would make fixing racial disparities easier, the reality is often exactly opposite.
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March 29, 2010Black Employment in CrisisOne in five African American men, aged 20 years and older, is unemployed, and black teens are jobless at an even higher rate. Louis King was a guest on Kerri Miller's show discussing this issue.
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March 25, 2010Louis King: Widening the workforce for a building boomBuilding projects such as the light rail in St. Paul and the Union Depot have the potential to benefit communities of color if we develop a workforce that includes these individuals and helps us leverage the more than $2.4 billion that will be spent on local infrastructure projects in the next few years.
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March 15, 2010Fox 9 Community Connection Green SpecialLouis King sat down with Robyne Robinson for Fox 9's Community Connections Green Special that aired Saturday. Summit's segment discussed its weatherization and green roofing training, as well as its on-site Green House.
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March 2, 2010Exec's laser focus helps minority training, hiringLouis King, the veteran job-training executive, is starting to see results from his three-year, demonstration-to-boardroom campaign to raise the percentage of minority laborers on government-financed road, stadium and other public works projects.
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February 26, 2010Twins' Target Field a home run for local contractorsAfter more than a decade of lobbying and about two and a half years of construction, the Minnesota Twins finally have left the Metrodome for the greener pastures of Target Field. Workers included 35 people who were referred through Summit Academy OIC.
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January 15, 2010Job-trainer Summit Academy expanding to east metroSummit Academy OIC, a nonprofit that offers job training and other educational services in poor neighborhoods, is expanding into St. Paul with plans to open its first location there this fall.
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December 11, 2009Mpls. projects to get $5.2M in federal fundsThe House of Representatives on Thursday approved a spending bill that, if passed by the senate and signed by President Obama, will provide about $5.2 million for a handful of projects in Minnesota's fifth congressional district, which includes part of Minneapolis. The funds include $400,000 for Summit's Green Jobs Initiative located in the Harrison neighborhood of Minneapolis.
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November 17, 2009Target Field project opens doors for young worker (originally published in Finance and Commerce)When Jamillah Karon enrolled in Summit Academy OIC in the spring of 2007, she wasn't certain exactly what the future had in store for her. Less than a year later, after a stint in residential construction, Karon found herself working on the future home of the Minnesota Twins. She's employed by Minneapolis-based Tri Construction, a minority-owned contractor working on the project.
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November 5, 2009Summit Academy taking workers from minimum to livable wagesSummit has incorporated weatherization training into all of our carpentry pre-apprentice certification training. Training in green collar building techniques makes these students more valuable to local construction companies.
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October 29, 2009Green Construction Education in MinneapolisSummit Academy OIC is offering "green education" for students wanting to learn about this growing trend... Students learn all aspects of building a home, but in the last 4 months, they learned how to build a green house.
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September/October 2009All Worked UpKing saw opportunity, especially for those, like Turner, struggling to get a footing in the job market. Many green jobs are entry-level--installing solar panels, repairing bicycles, or working in the burgeoning recycling industry.
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September 16, 2009Minneapolis Target Center becomes first U.S. arena with green roofMinneapolis city leaders yesterday celebrated the greening of the Target Center roof at a celebration on top of the arena. Twenty of the workers were graduates of training programs at Summit Academy OIC.
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August 26, 2009The Green Economy: Saving Energy And Making MoneyThe students at Summit Academy in Minneapolis are getting hands-on training in green construction. They're building a model home to study weatherization that will save energy on heating and cooling.
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August 7, 2009Minority hiring report shows little progress on MnDOT projectsThe construction industry itself needs to do more to level its unequal playing field, said Alex Tittle, education director for Summit Academy OIC..
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July 5, 2009Questions remain over wisdom of Shubert moveUp to one-third of the workers on the Shubert project will be women, minority apprentices and skilled minority craftsmen. The jobs will pay $18.50 to $40 an hour for months. That's a good thing.
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June 26, 2009Louis King: Minority Business ExecutiveAs president and CEO of Summit Academy OIC, King has helped provide job training to thousands of Twin Cities men and guided them to good-paying jobs and productive lives.
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May 13, 2009Officials wrestle with tracking minority hiring for stimulus projectsCritics say federal projects are behind on minority hires, but one official said there probably won't be enough female and minority contractors to go around.
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