Andy Minden

Andy "retired" after a 28-year career in the energy and air pollution control industries to co-found Ramble on Pearl in 2013. Ramble is a nonprofit social enterprise that creates pathways to purpose and community for adults with developmental disabilities. Andy and his co-founder/wife Connie have built Ramble into a thriving clothing boutique that serves as a classroom to teach job skills and provide paid work experience as a pathway to securing independent employment in the community. Currently, Ramble is expanding its programs through a collaboration with Boulder Housing Partners. BHP’s 30Pearl Affordable Housing project, slated for occupancy in 2021 will include 20 units designated for adults with developmental disabilities. In ~3,000 sf of leased space co-located with these apartments, Ramble will operate a second social enterprise to support an expansion of its apprentice program plus services to create community and support the residents connect with each other and Boulder at large.

My advice to students...

With my co-founder/wife Connie, neither of us had any experience in retail before founding Ramble on Pearl. But as parents of an adult daughter with developmental disabilities we knew we had to find a solution to the challenges of isolation and lack of purpose prevalent amongst this population. We therefore built a network of individuals and organizations with the experience and knowledge we lacked to build a successful business and learn as much as possible from them in the process to become independent and sustainable. Follow your dreams, surround yourself with knowledgable advisors and always keep learning and adapting.