Mary Rick

Tell us about your background?

I was raised in Independence, MN a rural township just west of the Cities and attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  Since then, I’ve had the great privilege of working on projects in Kenya, Liberia, India, Oakland, Santa Fe, Seattle, and more.  Locally, I served as Director of Sales for Peace Coffee and co-founded the Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul.  I’ve had the incredible pleasure of working with many leaders in sustainable business, impact investing, and tech for good for nearly two decades. While still learning every day, I strive to bring my experience and connections to work for Saint Paul and Ramsey County.

Share about your work at the city of Saint Paul and with Full Stack Saint Paul?

As a member of Saint Paul’s Planning and Economic Development team, I work with public and private sector partners to build community wealth, enhance neighborhood vibrancy, and provide quality local jobs.  My work includes amplifying small business resources, advising on real estate opportunities, and securing more investments into the City of Saint Paul.

I’m also proud to staff Full Stack Saint Paul, the city's tech and innovation initiative in partnership with the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce. We are focused on leveraging tech and innovation to drive equitable and sustainable economic development. Through MSP Tech Hire, for example, we helped launch and fund scholarships for a new program called the “UX Academy” with Prime Academy and Right Track, an intensive training and internship opportunity for under-resourced young people.

What are the some of the most significant barriers to employment you are seeing for Saint Paul residents at this time?

I hear about residents struggling to find the right role, while employers are struggling to find the right fit person.  With rich talent and lots of quality jobs here, this is a matchmaking problem that requires some shifts. I believe employers need to widen their search to bring in fresh perspectives, increase the value of aptitude and lived experience, invest in onboarding and training, and be open to modified hours, benefits, and location.  I believe residents would be well served to find internal champions and allies that can help them navigate, showcase their talents, and bring their authentic selves to work. After all, “fit” is all a matter of perspective.

Where do you see the most opportunities in tech?

I certainly see a lot of high-demand positions in software development and programming, but this field is not just for coders.  I see opportunities in product management, sales, customer service, marketing, and much more.  We have also been seeing a lot of excitement recently for user experience design (UX) and creative tech mediums.  Tech is essential for large corporates as well as small businesses and entrepreneurs, which I think is very exciting.