Community-driven projects that improve the lives of our fellow Minnesotans drive what we do every day at Guaranty Commercial Title. We are proud to be a part of some of the most innovative projects to come to our area in recent years. From an ambitious project from a local non-profit to help older homeless adults in Minneapolis to senior living in Roseville and a plan to revitalize downtown St. Paul through attracting entrepreneurs, Guaranty Commercial Title is there for our customers. Here is a sampling of significant projects that benefited from our personalized and thorough work.

Minnehaha Commons

A housing development in Minneapolis aims to combat a startling trend: the growing number of older, homeless adults who rely on emergency shelters because their age and health leave them vulnerable but who don’t qualify for the type of aid homeless families with young children might receive.

Leaders of the local non-profit, Alliance Housing, set out to create a long-term housing solution for this underserved population. Their answer: The three-story, 44-unit Minnehaha Commons opened its doors in 2019 and houses residents who are mainly referred from city shelters, the streets or homeless camps. Some tenants have never had a lease in their name or an event in their past might block them from being approved for traditional, market-rate housing.

However, at Minnehaha Commons they are given a fresh start.

“We don’t care what they did six months ago, 20 years ago,” said Barbara Jeanetta, executive director of Alliance Housing, “as long as they pay their rent on time, respect their neighbors and maintain their apartment.”

The development in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood provides housing for low-income adults 55 and older at rental rates they can afford and rental assistance for those who need it. In addition to housing, tenants also receive help with their physical and emotional health.  Alliance worked with another local nonprofit, Touchstone Mental Health, specializing in mental health and provides on-site services to tenants.

However, before the first tenants could be served and the development finalized, Alliance needed a commercial title provider that could handle the project’s complicated nature with ease. They turned to Guaranty Commercial Title, a visionary leader in community-minded developments.

Along with the closing, Guaranty Commercial Title oversaw the disbursement of funds to the various contractors on the project.

“The staff there, they just go the extra mile,” Jeanetta said. “Wendy pays attention. It is not just a transaction. They make sure goodwill is part of it as well.”

The Preserve of Roseville

A newly built senior living facility in Roseville, Minnesota, pairs the highest quality of care with a one-of-a-kind scenic setting. Sitting adjacent to a 52-acre nature preserve, tenants of The Preserve of Roseville benefit from the full continuum of care within one community, with units for independent living, assisted living and memory care all on-site.

Project leaders wanted to reconnect tenants with nature and the Roseville community, said Tony Simmons, president of The Simmons Group. So they chose to build the 103-unit facility near the nature preserve, with its untouched views, walking trails and aviary that fosters impeccable bird watching opportunities.

“We were able to deliver a product that was tenant focused and inclusive at the same time,” Simmons said. “The goal was eliminating the neighborhoods that typically exist in senior housing. At our facility, you can have an assisted living person living right next door to an independent living person, and if you see someone who needs help, you help them. We focused on building community and creating that community feel.” 

Every person involved in the project did their absolute best to create a vibrant community where seniors feel at home, Simmons said, all with the unified vision of delivering a residential experience to set the standard of what senior living should be for its tenants. Project leaders also aimed to make memory care services as accessible as possible and accept the Elderly Waiver, which offers assistance for low-income residents.

“It feels bright,” Simmons said. “It’s modern and youthful and inspiring and delightful. Our design team really drove that to help us to push that envelope for bettering our resident experience.”

Guaranty Commercial Title played a pivotal role in the project, including securing an early start provision for preliminary work to begin.

“They made sure the entire process was efficient and smooth,” Simmons said. “I can’t speak higher of their team there. What they did for us in this particular project, just from an organizational standpoint and making sure there was no stone unturned, was impeccable. The project would not have happened without them.”

Osborn370

Entrepreneurial companies looking to locate in Downtown St. Paul can turn to Osborn370 for creative office space that matches the excitement and innovation they bring to the workplace each day.

A group of six entrepreneurs came together in 2017 to breathe new life into the iconic, Mid-Century Modern building after its long-time owner, Ecolab, decided to move on from its original corporate headquarters. Known for its strong record of community investment and ingenuity, city leaders wanted to find a replacement for Ecolab that matched the energy it brought to St. Paul.

The answer: Osborn370.

“We designed the building with an eye toward innovative companies and what kind of location they would need to be able to attract and retain talent to grow,” said Richard Pakonen, owner of PAK Properties, one of the six partners on the project.

The building, which is more than 80 percent occupied, is now home to a diverse set of tenants, from a technology company specializing in the healthcare industry to the online division of a major retailer – and more! All come to Osborn370 with the shared commitment of being innovative leaders in their respective industries and cultivating a positive culture where it’s exciting to go to work.

When it came time for title work on the project, the entrepreneurial owners knew they needed a firm to match all they hoped to do with Osborn370. So they turned to Guaranty Commercial Title.

“Guaranty Title is fabulous,” Pakonen said. “They do all my projects because I don’t need to worry about the title. There are a lot of moving parts, a lot of different pieces, and risks all over the place. When you work with Guaranty and Wendy over there, the problems just get solved. The fact I don’t need to worry about that aspect of the project means I can have my head where my other risks are because Guaranty has it figured out.”

Working with a company like Guaranty Commercial Title meant having a title provider that cared for the St. Paul community as much as the team who built Osborn370.

“I really love Wendy’s worldview,” Pakonen said.” I think she approaches business in a very community-minded manner and is very committed to seeing good things happen in communities that her company works in.”