Former Mayor Randy Kelly brings over 35 years of local, state, and federal experience and relationships to bear on behalf of Synergetic Endeavors’ clients. Before becoming Mayor of Minnesota’s capital city in 2001, Mr. Kelly spent 27 years in the Minnesota legislature dealing with issues affecting businesses, non-profits, and local governments both large and small throughout the state of Minnesota, as well as transportation, housing, economic development, and bonding issues.
During his time in the legislature, Mr. Kelly served as Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Chair of the Joint House and Senate Claims Committee, as well as both the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
In the legislature, he built a long track record on public safety issues, including securing $65 million in funding for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension building, creating a statewide criminal gang strike force, developing a four-year law enforcement degree, and authoring many of the state’s existing victim and witness laws.
As an Eastside legislator, then State Senator Kelly developed a reputation for delivering on economic development opportunities for Saint Paul. He was the chief author of legislation funding the construction of the Xcel Energy Center, bringing professional hockey back to Minnesota. He also led the effort to bring Metropolitan State University to the East Side of Saint Paul and secured tens of millions of dollars to begin building the university campus where St. John’s Hospital once stood. He was also one of the key leaders in the development of the Phalen Corridor on Saint Paul’s East Side.
In 2001, Mr. Kelly became the first Mayor ever elected from the East Side of Saint Paul. Among his accomplishments as Mayor, he created 5,000 new housing units in four years, 2,100 of which were for low-income families, led efforts to reduce crime, accelerated economic development, and worked to make St. Paul a transportation hub for the Midwest. He also proposed the concept of a performing arts high school in downtown Saint Paul and, over his four-year term, established the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. He raised $4 million dollars to build this state-of-the-art, highly successful, world class educational facility.
Before joining the firm of Synergetic Endeavors, Mr. Kelly served as the U.S. EPA’s top advisor for intergovernmental relations from 2006-2008, where his duties included managing relations with governors, state legislators, mayors, county executives, and the national associations representing these officials throughout the nation.
As Director of External Affairs at Synergetic Endeavors, Mr. Kelly focuses on large economic development projects and building the public-private partnerships necessary to bring them to fruition. He works on behalf of regional and national business to business clients to help them reach C-Suite decision-makers. An experienced and able fundraiser, Mr. Kelly also works with non-profit organizations to secure major gifts from large individual donors, corporations, and foundations.