Athletics, wellness and community are a huge part of Tyrone Minor’s life. Growing up in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood, he would meet up with friends from other neighborhoods to play at local schools, parks, and community centers. His journey as an elite track and field athlete propelled him through high school, college and around the world. Tyrone then brought that passion to his roles as both a physical education teacher and an entrepreneur.

Today, Tyrone (picture left) has combined those elements into his role as founder and CEO of The Mali Center, a health and wellness lifestyle hub in the North End neighborhood. The Mali Center is home to a variety of businesses, nonprofits and practitioners focused on improving the generational wealth, health and wellbeing of the community, especially for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and women-owned businesses.

“I wanted this space to be a space where you can go and, as a person of color, be your 100% authentic self, but also a space where you can work on yourself holistically and create economic opportunities for yourself and others,” says Tyrone.

Tyrone worked with the team at Sunrise Banks to make his vision for the Mali Center a reality. The center celebrates its first anniversary this summer, with more plans to uplift and support the surrounding community.

Athlete, Trainer, Teacher

“My journey took me from Rondo to all over the world,” says Tyrone. “I used athletics as a passport to a better life.”

While on the track and field team at St. Paul’s Central High School Off Site Link, Tyrone won three individual state championships and a large school team championship. That led to a full athletic scholarship to compete first at Drake University in Iowa, then the University of Minnesota. Tyrone competed in elite track and field events around the world after finishing his undergraduate degree and while attending graduate school and beyond.

As he was winding down his athletic career, many people asked Tyrone what he was doing to stay fit and compete at a high level. That’s what inspired him to start his first business, Chizel, Inc.

“I started off working exclusively with athletes and then scaled the business” he says. “I would travel throughout the metro, working with high school athletes, collegiate and post collegiate athletes and everyday working professionals.”

At the same time, Tyrone stayed connected to his community with his career choices. He first worked for the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center, then transitioned to the Osseo School District as a physical education teacher, coach and mentor. This year, he is celebrating his 25th year teaching in the district.

Keeping Up with Demand

As demand for Tyrone’s personal training services grew, he realized opening a centralized location would make the most sense. That led him to open his first holistic studio, The F.I.T. Lab.

“I was intentional about where I opened that first location,” says Tyrone. “It was directly across from the State Fairgrounds. I chose this location because it was close to the community where I grew up, in the Rondo community.”

“With the support of the community, we outgrew the space after three years. Tyrone then found a new location in Falcon Heights. This space not only featured a larger studio, but it also provided space for local entrepreneurs to run their own businesses.

“My business journey entailed learning by trial and error. There was no real mentorship or guidance for me,” Tyrone says. “I wanted to create a space where other professionals could learn from each other, share their experiences and serve the community.”

Developing the Mali Center Concept

Around 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation, Tyrone used that time to reflect on his life, both professionally and personally.

“I wanted to do something different on the other side of the pandemic,” he says. “That meant being more intentional about who I surrounded myself with. I wanted to create an ecosystem of like-minded individuals committed to self-improvement and making their communities and the world a better place”.

Using that desire, along with a spiritual connection to his West African roots, Tyrone came up with the concept for The Mali Center. He says the pandemic reminded him, and others, about the importance of human connection and community.

After searching for the type of community that shared my mindset and values and not being able to find it, I decided I’m going to be the person who creates this community, so I had this vision of being an extension of my community and creating a new community centered around health, wealth and wellness,” he says.

Today, the Mali Center is home to a combination of nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses. Together, they all focus on various health and wellness components, including fitness, mental health, youth engagement, promoting food security and providing access to community resources. A majority of those leading these organizations have roots in the Rondo neighborhood, and some have even know Tyrone since his high school days and earlier.

“You don’t see many environments where you have this many Black or women entrepreneurs that are so phenomenally gifted, accomplished and skilled, in the same space,” Tyrone says.

Vested Interest in Success

When it came to securing financing for Mali Center, Tyrone says he had several poor experiences at other banks. Then, he was introduced to Sunrise Banks through some of his own connections.

“From day one with Sunrise Banks, I felt a real relationship,” he says. “We both had a vested interest in the center doing well. The bank was intentional about where the funding was being channeled.”

Caitlin McMahon, Assistant Vice President and Tax Credit loan officer at Sunrise Banks, worked with Tyrone to secure New Markets Tax Credit financing utilizing the Bank’s NMTC program via its innovative Small Dollar Loan Pool. This allows small businesses and entrepreneurs such as Tyrone to access the benefits of the NTMC program. He also received several grants and funding from the City of St. Paul to complete the project.

“The work Tyrone does is an incredible example of community building and leadership that has had a positive impact on generations of Rondo community residents. I’m so grateful that I could play a small part in supporting his vision to continue that work,” says Caitlin.

Tyrone adds he was impressed with how Sunrise Banks demonstrates its commitment to the communities it serves.

“The bank could have given money to anyone seeking funding, but the fact that they were intentional means the world,” he says.

Creating Strong Partnerships

Within its first year of opening, The Mali Center in collaboration with community partners and ecosystem members including Change Starts With Me, North End Neighborhood Association, Aspire Fitness, Carbone’s Pizza, Community Blessings, North End Community Foundation and Nanny’s Jamaican Kitchen is already making a strong impact in the community. It hosted a family fun night and school supply drive during the summer, distributed meal kits for Thanksgiving, provided gifts for the holidays to students and families facing financial challenges, and participated in a variety of neighborhood events to celebrate and connect with others.

Recently, The Mali Center received a $50,000 Minnesota Star Tribune Connect Grant, which will be used for marketing and advertising services.

“I was blown away by the community support at the grand opening of The Mali Center. So many people stood up to describe how Tyrone had impacted their lives with his support, coaching, and mentoring – some from early childhood into adulthood. Even St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who was coached by Tyrone in his high school days, spoke to the impact Tyrone has had in his own life,” adds Caitlin.

Tyrone says he hopes The Mali Center will inspire others to do similar things to support their communities regardless of where they live. And he adds the partnerships he has already been able to form with other business owners and community leaders will go a long way to realizing those goals.

“Making progress in closing gaps – it doesn’t happen without a partner like Sunrise Banks,” he says.

Learn more about the New Markets Tax Credit Program at www.sunrisebanks.com/nmtc.

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