Abe Demmaj is a versatile servant leader whose passion is to revitalize and sustain the Minneapolis Lake Street Corridor through local entrepreneurial investment. With a wide network of partners, he builds infrastructure that helps develop wealth within this under-served, diverse community.

A seasoned Twin Cities businessman, he has worked in Minneapolis since 1992 and owns and operates other commercial and residential real estate ventures throughout the metro area. Among his strengths is the ability to revitalize diverse areas and communities from the inside, paired with an ability to recognize a burgeoning neighborhood at the opportune time.

Over the last ten years, he has restored and renovated distressed properties, created housing and retail opportunities, grown businesses in Northeast, Lake Street, and Nicollet Avenue areas of Minneapolis, and in the University Avenue corridor of Saint Paul. In his work, Abe has generated employment for more than fifty Twin Cities residents from underrepresented and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.

His passion for growing a thriving, sustainable, and diverse Minneapolis is built on his international insight and experience, his knack with people, and his vast language abilities. Abe is both a global citizen and a local Minnesotan. He graduated from the University of Minnesota-Morris with degrees in Chemistry and Sociology and pursued further studies and a degree in IT from St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis.