Jim has over 40 years of professional experience in banking and economic development. His background includes 12 years with Wells Fargo in various roles, leaving the bank as Vice President of Diversity Sourcing. Jim received his Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) / Certified Industrial Developer (CID) designation in 1988, during his years serving as Director of Economic Development for the Saint Paul Port Authority. His experience includes revenue bond financing, commercial & consumer lending, SBA lending, business plan authoring, and seed capital financing. Jim is a graduate of the Pratt Institute Internship in Community Economic Development and a member of the inaugural Minnesota Chapter of the Society of International Business Fellows. He is also a Rose Center Equitable Economic Development Fellow. He has served on numerous boards, including being a founding board member of the Minneapolis/Saint Paul/Bloomington Foreign Trade Zone and having served on the board of the nationally known Summit Brewing Company. Jim is the past Chair of the Board of the Amplio Economic Development Company. He is the creator of the City of Minneapolis Commercial Property Development Fund (CPDF).

Robert Sanders founded Sanders Development Group (SDG) in 2019 based on a strong foundation in commercial development and financial services – industries that, when combined, have a direct impact on expanding access to economic opportunity and fostering neighborhoods that are healthy and vibrant. SDG focuses on commercial, mixed-use, and large scale residential real estate and investment and development projects. SDG’s mission is “Build With Stronger Clay,” which comes from Robert’s belief that through strategic collaboration, projects and expectations can far exceed anything that is attempted individually. Sanders Development Group most recently completed a $4 million relocation of Triversity Construction’s Headquarters in the community of Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, Ohio. The project involved completely rehabilitating a vacant blighted industrial building and bringing jobs to the urban core. SDG is a consultant to several community development corporations and private clients throughout Cincinnati and is responsible for redevelopment throughout several historically disinvested communities. SDG is also currently a development partner on the proposed $300 million mixed-use development north of FC Cincinnati’s stadium in the West End community of Cincinnati. Sanders serves on the board of NAIOP, Talbert Services, and was a founding board member of Urban Land Institute’s Real Estate Accelerator Lab, a program that boosts minority participation in real estate development, equity investment, ownership. Robert is a Cincinnati native and grew up in Over-the-Rhine. He achieved a Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and is a graduate of Taft High School.