James J. Hill was born in Canada and emigrated to St. Paul to work as a shipping clerk for a steamboat company. Hard work and a head for business made him successful enough in the shipping business that he was able to buy a railroad at age 38 and eventually expanded it to be a transcontinental railway (Great Northern) without using any public funds, making it the only privately financed transcontinental railway. Hill knew the value of private investment capital and used it wisely, promoting businesses in the communities through which his railways ran and giving back in various ways. The James J. Hill Center in St. Paul is Mr. Hill’s living legacy to support entrepreneurship. The Hill Center along with individual founders of Hill Capital did research on the business finance landscape and found that small companies seeking $500,000 to $5,000,000 in financing to grow their company are increasingly unable to do so. Hill Capital was formed to launch a publicly-held private equity firm to be collaborative with all sources of finance and help fill this capital void in the finance market. Hill Capital represents an opportunity to help address this gap, leverage the wisdom of the community and bring people together with shared economic interests in the growth of entrepreneurial companies throughout the Empire Builder corridor.

"Carla Fest” begins begin at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 25 and will be held in the first-floor party room of the historic Pioneer Endicott Building.  The location is Fourth and Robert in downtown St. Paul.  The cost is $35 per person.  The cost is already reasonable, but get this, the cost includes food AND drinks.  Rotarians and their guests can expect a delicious assortment of appetizers ample enough in quantity that dinner will not be necessary that night.  As for the beverages, wine and soft drinks will be available.  In addition, bartender Bob Jones, the proud Dad, will be serving a light and refreshing alcoholic beverage known worldwide as the “Carla.”  Just belly up to the bar and say, “I’ll have a Carla.”  If that was not already enough to ensure the time of your life, St. Paul’s newest brewery, and the Pioneer Endicott Building’s newest tenant, 12welve Eyes Brewing Company, will be serving complimentary samples of its beer. 

All in all, you will have so much fun that, but for the title of the event, you might even forget that the purpose of the party is to honor our outgoing President Carla.  Sign up for the fun and see for yourself how smooth her exit from the presidency will be—or not.

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Join your fellow Rotarians and guests on Wednesday, August 24th for the Saint Paul Saints game against the Wichita Wingnuts. We’ll be seated at tables on the patio and will have access to the air conditioned Club level and all the goodies available there. The cost is $90 (regularly $120) and includes a wide selection of food items and beer, wine and soft drinks. A full bar is also available. The gates open at 5:30 pm. The first pitch is at 7:05 pm. RSVP online or by calling Sherry at 651 343-4569.

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