Bus company set to expand into North Minneapolis, creating 70+ jobs
City officials and business leaders gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at MTN. Photo by Cirien Saadeh
By Cirien Saadeh | Staff Reporter
The Metropolitan Transportation Network, Incorporated (MTN), a Fridley-based company, is set to expand into North Minneapolis. The organization and its CEO and President Tashitaa Tufaa were honored at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 13 at the organization’s newest Terminal – the Iverson Terminal – in the Lind-Bohanon neighborhood. The early morning event was attended by elected officials and business leaders.
“I’m always looking for good jobs for the neighborhood, so this was really exciting. We need to have these good jobs to be successful,” said city council president Barb Johnson who represents the neighborhood.
In order to bring MTN to North Minneapolis, Tufaa reached out to Bill English, the Community Director of the Northside Jobs Creation Team (NJCT). The NJCT is working to bring 1,000 sustainable jobs to the Northside by 2019. MTN would provide nearly 7% of that number.
The event was hosted by Al McFarlane of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium and Insight News. “Not only are we celebrating this new business in the Northside, we are celebrating this whole idea of self-determination, this whole process,” said McFarlane. McFarlane discussed the importance of having another immigrant-owned business in the city that was focused on building their business in North Minneapolis.
MTN is a Minnesota-based, people-of-color owned transportation business, with 270 school buses and vans, that was founded in 2004. The Iverson Terminal will be the first Minneapolis-based terminal for the expanded company. The facility is expected to employ 70 individuals, all at a living wage, with a starting pay of $17 per hour. They are currently accepting applications for a part-time seasonal dispatch and bus driver positions. More information can be found on their website. The terminal was designed, renovated, and built by Thor Cos., in a $2.7 million redevelopment.
“We don’t want to just go to North Minneapolis to do business; we want to do well,” said Tufaa, who is Oromo, born in Ethiopia. Tufaa is looking for an additional 12-15 acres in the Northside to create a state-of-the-art facility for the transportation company. A location for this new facility has not yet been found.
“Tashita embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, the dedication, the genius that makes Minneapolis vibrant and growing,” said Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges who also spoke at the event.
The Iverson Terminal is open for business. They can be contacted at 763-571-1541 for more information.