Entrepreneurs House
Tackling new challenges. Determined. Keeping your eyes on the prize.
These "take charge" traits also apply to Habitat homebuyers. That's what John Bergstrom, a co-founder of Entrepreneurs House, noticed when he first volunteered with Habitat. And that's how "E-House," as we affectionately call it, got started in 2003.
This year will be the 22nd year of the Entrepreneurs House. The house is located at 4824 5th St. NE in Columbia Heights.
Our group is seeking to involve 20 or more companies to volunteer on site, as well as raise $200,000 for the project. Each volunteering company brings a team of employees to work on the house for one full day during the summer.
2024 Twin Cities Entrepreneurs House Pledge Form >>
Twin Cities Entrepreneurs House Steering Committee: Mik Gusenius, John Bergstrom, and Clarke Porter
Twin Cities Entrepreneurs House is a community service project where mid-tier companies make a big difference. With 40 or 50 businesses joining together, we can build a whole Habitat house for a family—and for a lasting social contribution.
The Entrepreneurs House project has been a growing success since 2003. The generosity and dedication of the people of Minnesota to issues of affordable housing is one reason the Twin Cities is a leader in business, culture, and quality of life in general.
-
Project Details
An all-volunteer steering committee of Twin Cities entrepreneurial leaders recruits companies, raises funds, and schedules volunteers.
-
Volunteer
We involve 600+ employees from an average of 50 companies and aim to raise $200,000 each year. Volunteering companies bring a team to work on the house for one full day (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.).
-
History
The Entrepreneurs House project has been a growing success since 2003. That first year, we started with 125 volunteers who committed to 10 days. Since then, involvement has increased five-fold, as more and more companies have blended their financial support and volunteer labor to build one Entrepreneurs House each year.
After more than two decades after Entrepreneurs House laid its foundation in the Twin Cities, its supporters have raised nearly $2 million to support local affordable housing.
Co-Founder Wayne Atkins' Legacy
Entrepreneurs House co-founder Wayne Atkins passed away on March 11, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. Wayne was an extraordinary leader who also served on Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s board of directors and finance committee, among other civic contributions. Entrepreneurs House was very dear to Wayne as he watched it grow from inception to a program that has raised nearly $2 million for Twin Cities Habitat.
In memory of Wayne, the E-House Steering Committee and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has dedicated the 2014 entrepreneurs house.
Currently, one out of four Minnesotans spends more than 30% of their income on housing, leaving less for healthy food, school supplies, and savings. These housing challenges disproportionately impact families of color. While Minnesota has one of the highest homeownership rates in the country, it also has one of the widest racial homeownership gaps: 3 in 4 White households own homes compared to 1 in 4 Black households.
We're committed to building the quality of life, health, and economic prosperity of the seven-county metro region by producing, preserving, and advocating for affordable homeownership—and advancing racial equity in housing—because homes and families are the foundation of successful communities.
-
The Families
More than 1,500 families have become homeowners through Twin Cities Habitat since 1985.
And from July 2022 to June 2023:
- 511 families partnered with Habitat's programs
- 296 households partnered with Habitat's homeownership program
- 173 households were introduced to the homeownership program
- 104 household bought homes with Habitat
- 71 households achieved mortgage readiness from financial coaching
- 28 Habitat homeowners paid off their mortgages
-
The Homes
-
Habitat homes include single-family homes, twin homes, and multiple-family homes.
-
Learn about our latest major developments, including the Harrison Townhomes in north Minneapolis and The Heights in East St. Paul.
- Read more about the new building model at Harrison Townhomes.
-
-
The Volunteers
From June 2022 to July 2023...
- 9,724 volunteers gave their time at build sites, on home repair projects, at ReStore, in advocacy, and more.
- Volunteers served 133,555 hours.
-
The Donors
From July 2022 to June 2023...
- 232 businesses gave financial support.
- 8,641 donors gave almost $16 million.
- 199 Legacy Circle members included Habitat in their wills.
- 1,890 new donors made a gift for the first time.
Check out these great photos from E-House builds over the years. Make sure to add your own to show off all the incredible work you've done!
Contact Information
Mik Gusenius
Cherry Tree Companies
952.253.6005
mgusenius@cherrytree.com
Carol Erickson-Clark
Volunteer Coordinator
carolericksonclark@yahoo.com
Steering Committee
Mik Gusenius
Cherry Tree Companies
John Bergstrom
Mairs & Power Venture Capital
Clarke Porter
Pathways Investments
Special thanks to the companies listed below who helped make this year's Entrepreneurs House successful.
4MATIV
BetterYou
Brown & Brown Insurance
Cherry Tree Companies
Ergodyne
GovDocs
Holmes Corporation
IDeaS
LinkUp
Mairs & Power
MetaFarms
Pathways Investments
Perforce
Sunrise Banks
-
Past Participants & Sponsors
Ahmann Martin
Airtex Design
API Outsourcing Inc.
Associated Bank
Baker Tilly
BDO
Blackbaud
Calabrio
Capella Education Co.
Carlson Ventures Enterprise
Carpathian Capital
Cedar Labs
CEO Roundtable
CIT
Come Up Capital
Deluxe
Designs for Learning
DLS, Inc.
Ergodyne
Faegre Baker Daniels
Field Solutions
Four51
Fredrikson & Byron
Global Traffic Technologies
Gokart Labs
GovDocs
Granicus
Hays
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
Holmes Corp.
Horizontal Integration
ID Insight
Ideas
Insperity
JobDig
Lake Street Capital
LFE Capital
Life Floor
Magenic
Mairs & Power
Michael & Elizabeth Gorman
Modern Survey
Oak Ridge Financial
Oppidan
PCM Companies
Pearson
Peoplenet Communications
Pieper Whitaker & Bjork
Platinum Group
Private Equity Alliance of Minnesota
Propietors Capitol Holdings
Punch & Associates
Reeher
Riveron
RiverPoint Investments
Roost Real Estate
RSM
Shared Ventures
Silicon Valley Bank
Somerset Asset Management
Split Rock Partners
Summer Snow Publications
Sunrise banks
Tecmark LLC
The Hive
Token of Trust
Tonkawa
TurnSignl
Vaco
Venture Bank
Warner Tool Products
Western Bank
This is not a solicitation to sell securities. Any contributions should be made directly to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity which is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation.