Julie Craven Joins Mill City Times

I'm Julie Craven and I am so excited to be working with the team at Mill City Times! My husband Doug and I make our home in the Mill District which is both a surprise and a delight to us. A surprise because downtown condo living was not even on our radar five years ago, and a delight because we have literally fallen in love with this community of neighbors.

I recently retired after spending a career in marketing and communications, mostly around food, for companies including Kraft and Hormel, as well as a stint as food editor for Better Homes & Gardens publications. Those roles were at their core, opportunities to tell a story and make connections. Having said that, there are some stories I've already heard - case in point, anything about that much beloved Hormel product, Spam!

On the list of things that get me excited about this neighborhood is the sense of urgency and the excitement people have about the future of this wonderful Mill City. I'm all in, and my volunteer work includes the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership and People Serving People among others.  I am on the board of directors of the Minnesota State Fair Foundation and the Friends of the Mill District. The folks at Mill City Commons have been warm and welcoming and Doug and I look forward to becoming more active in that organization.

What a fabulous place to be! It tickles me that I have learned the names of some of people's dogs before I know the owner's name, that the bartenders at Sea Change will split the burger with a big half for Doug and a little half for me and that I can't take a walk across the Stone Arch Bridge without being asked to take pictures of at least two groups. There are a lot of great moments here and I'm looking forward to sharing them with Mill City Times readers!

Julie Craven can be reached at julie@millcitymedia.org