The Duluth Blueprint: Building the City We Imagine
The Duluth Blueprint: Building the City We Imagine
In Partnership with Northspan
After years of success with the Zenith Digital Marketing Conference, Fuse Duluth is elevating its vision with a next-generation event: The Duluth Blueprint. This new chapter amplifies the Fuse mission—developing young leaders to strengthen our community—by bringing together the voices shaping Duluth’s future.
Picture a city with thriving businesses, vibrant communities, and leaders driving meaningful change. Now imagine yourself at the center of it. The Duluth Blueprint is more than a conference; it’s a full-day experience where for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and young professionals come together to turn ideas into action.
Explore three immersive breakout tracks:
- Blueprint for Growth – For small businesses, entrepreneurs, and corporate teams. Unlock strategies to strengthen operations, scale effectively, and fuel long-term success.
- Blueprint for Impact – For nonprofits, mission-driven organizations, and civic leaders. Learn how to build sustainable funding, measure what matters, and drive meaningful change.
- Blueprint for Leadership – For young professionals and emerging leaders. Gain clarity, confidence, and connections to chart your career path and expand your influence.
Discover the Duluth Expo: Following the event, visit the Duluth Expo to meet local businesses, innovative startups, and community organizations shaping the future of the city. Network, explore new tools and resources, and connect with potential partners who can help bring your ideas to life.
Introducing the Morning Keynote
“Collaboration Unlocked: Six Characteristics of Leaders Who Shape Cities”
Dan Collison, Senior Director of Business Development and Public Affairs at Sherman Associates
Dan Collison is the Senior Director of Business Development and Public Affairs for Sherman Associates. In his role Collison assists the development team in advancing new project proposals and originations as well as connecting the company with the communities where development projects are built, owned and operated.
As a business and civic leader Collison has been instrumental in catalyzing affordable housing, safety-net social services, new inclusive business growth and forging strategic collaborations between diverse business, non-profit and civic leaders alongside the emerging residential communities of downtown Minneapolis. Collison serves on several community organizational boards in the markets where Sherman Associates is active leveraging Collison’ holistic and inclusive leadership style developed over 35 years of professional work in the business, fine arts, non-profit and religious sectors.
Collison is a Humphrey School of Public Policy Fellow, the 2022 AIA Minnesota Collaborative Achievement Award winner, and a 2015 recipient of Minnesota Business magazine’s (Real) Power 50 awards, an annual list of 50 remarkable business leaders. In 2010 Metro Magazine listed him in the “Top 100” List of people, places, and things making a positive impact in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Region. Additionally, in 2020, Collison was named one of the Twin Cities’ Unsung Heroes by City Pages.
