Thought Leadership: Matt Rauenhorst on Supporting Inclusive Growth

At his first public speaking engagement since being named President of Opus, Matt Rauenhorst participated in the opening panel at Invest: Minneapolis-St. Paul 2025 Leadership Summit, put on by Capital Analytics Associates (caa). The annual conference draws regional business leaders who discuss the Twin Cities’ future as a business and innovation hub.

This year’s event highlighted three key factors impacting the Twin Cities’ business environment today that will likely continue to shape it into the future, including underserved neighborhoods, equitable economic progress and healthcare.

The panel discussion “Inclusive Growth: How is the Twin Cities reaching its historically underserved neighborhoods, and what more is needed?” explored how the business community can create transformative and sustainable change to help these neighborhoods thrive. In addition to defining what constitutes a thriving neighborhood, panelists, including Matt, discussed systemic barriers to inclusive growth and necessary reforms to achieve it.

Shared Matt, “Job opportunities for underserved communities in Minneapolis are really strong. Access to labor is one of the biggest factors that companies are looking at today, and underserved communities offer a huge opportunity. I think that affordable housing is clearly the challenge here. We need strong regional partnerships in order to find a solution for this.”

This mirrors what Matt said in an interview with Invest in December 2024 when asked what he saw as the main opportunities for growth and investment for multifamily in the Twin Cities.

At that time, Matt said, “The biggest opportunities lie in creating more affordable options that meet the broader demand curve for multifamily renters. In recent years, most developments have targeted luxury renters, but the market now calls for more modest offerings — properties that are both high-quality and affordable for a wider range of renters. Developers who can deliver such projects will find strong demand.”

For our part, Matt emphasized that at Opus “we’re focused on finding opportunities to meet this need and provide alternative product types that cater to this shifting demand.”

As it relates to the bolstering job opportunities in underserved communities, Matt specifically mentioned Nordeast Business Center, which we completed in 2022. The project was the first new speculative industrial project in Minneapolis in 20 years, he said, drawing talent from the surrounding underserved community, benefitting building tenants and community residents.

Read caa’s recap to learn more.