January/February 2022

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CONTENTS GROW | NETWORK | PROFIT

E X P LO R I N G C E N T R A L M I N N ES OTA’ S B US I N ESS ES .

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 : 4 Pr e s i d e n t ’ s Le t t e r / 6 Ed i t o r ’ s N o t e / 1 8 N e t w o r k Ce n t ra l

Cover Story

40 EVERYBODY KNOWS JACKIE

Whether it’s helping customers at crunch time, watching staff develop, or taking her Mustang out for a spin, Pizza Ranch owner Jackie Horstmann thrives on the rush.

PROFIT

19 2022 CENTRAL MINN. FARM SHOW Agriculture is still one of the area’s leading industries, and the largest indoor show of its kind in the region is back!

Learn more about the upcoming show.

46 RE-CAREERING

NETWORK

GROW

More and more of us are reinventing ourselves by changing industries and starting businesses.

8 UPFRONT Valuable information designed to guide and educate.

28 BUSINESS TOOLS Useful tips and intelligence on how to continue to grow your business.

50 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Erickson Electric: Steve Sauer, Michelle Sauer, and Chris Dalton

ONLYONLINE BUSINESSCENTRAL MAGAZINE.COM

• Accounting Tools for Business • Becoming Better Listeners • Media Planning • World’s Best Cheese

© Copyright 2022 Business Central, LLC. Business Central is published six times a year by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, 1411 West St. Germain Street, Suite 101, P.O. Box 487, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0487. Phone (320) 251-2940 / Fax (320) 251-0081. Subscription rate: $18 for 1 year.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Looking Back, Looking Forward

A

lthough I’m sure staff would beg to differ, our Chamber office has a lot of storage space. One

Our situation is not unique as many of our members are experiencing, or are preparing for, retirements

hundred and fifty-three years of St. Cloud Area Chamber

and the increasing trend of early retirements. What

of Commerce history sits on shelves and in boxes.

an organization loses in expertise, it gains in fresh

While searching one of these spaces for accounting

perspectives, different skill sets, and new enthusiasm.

documents, I recently came upon past copies of Business

I’m thankful for the opportunity to bring this to the

Central Magazine. Rather than staying focused on the

Chamber, along with our talented team and additional

task at hand, I found myself cross-legged on the floor,

staff we plan to bring on board this year.

thumbing through old BC issues and reliving some of the Chamber’s more recent history.

We look forward to maintaining the 5-Star quality you’ve come to know, as well as implementing

The March/April 2014 issue featuring Coldspring’s

changes. Under the leadership of the Chamber Board

Pat Alexander on the cover, caught my eye. I was struck

Chair Bernie Perryman, Batteries Plus Bulbs,

by Teresa Bohnen’s President’s Letter. Teresa wrote

our strategic planning process will begin this spring.

about celebrating her 16th anniversary as Chamber

It will provide a guided blueprint for the future, with

president and the speed at which time passes. She also

a focus on identifying new opportunities in a rapidly

contemplated the future of the Chamber, questioning

changing landscape, expanding our offerings to serve

what the organization would look like in 10 years. She

you best, and continuing to build on our foundation

was concerned about staff retirements on the horizon.

for future success.

It hasn’t quite been 10 years since Teresa wrote her

Thank you for being a member of this great Chamber.

column, and the changes are upon us. August 31, 2021,

My door is always open, and I encourage you to share

the Chamber said goodbye to retiring President Bohnen

your ideas and vision for the future. What change

and Director of Administration Judy Zetterlund. Losing

would you like to see?

two tenured staff with 51 years of combined St. Cloud

Sincerely,

Area Chamber experience has come with its challenges, but has also opened the door to new opportunities.

Julie Lunning President

2021-22 BOARD MEMBERS ____________________________

Main Phone: 320-251-2940 • Automated Reservation Line: 320-656-3826 Program Hotline: 320-656-3825 • information@StCloudAreaChamber.com StCloudAreaChamber.com ST. CLOUD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE STAFF ____________________________ President: Julie Lunning, ext. 104 Vice President: Gail Ivers, ext. 109 Communications & Workforce Development Coordinator: Open Position Special Events Coordinator: Laura Wagner, ext. 131

Marilyn Birkland, SCTimes/LocaliQ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU STAFF ____________________________ Main Phone: 320-251-4170

Membership Specialist: Antoinette Valenzuela, ext. 134

Executive Director: Rachel Thompson, ext. 128

Administrative Assistant: Vicki Lenneman, ext. 122

Director of Sales: Nikki Fisher, ext. 112

Administrative Assistant: Shelly Imdieke, ext. 100 Communications Intern: Ashlinn Rooney

Sales Manager: Craig Besco, ext. 111 Marketing Manager: Emily Bertram, ext. 129 Sports and Special Events Manager Mike Johnson, ext. 110

Ron Brandenburg, Quinlivan & Hughes, Past Board Chair

Willie Jett, St. Cloud School District Kevin Johnson, K. Johnson Construction, Board Vice Chair

John Bryant, Geo-Comm

Bernie Perryman, Batteries Plus Bulbs, Board Chair

Christy Gilleland, Gilleland Chevrolet Cadillac

Paul Radeke, BerganKDV Brenda Sickler, Theisen Dental

Tanja Goering

Allison Waggoner, DCI Inc.

Joe Hellie, CentraCare

Donella Westphal, Jules’ Bistro

Ray Herrington, Pioneer Place on Fifth Patrick Hollermann, InteleCONNECT

Dr. Jason Woods, St. Cloud State University Colleen Zoffka

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Editor Gail Ivers (R) with Jackie Horstmann, Pizza Ranch, Waite Park

Awesome Autos remotely “slick” about Yarbrough. She exudes warmth,

person. Make it reliable and a color that doesn’t

caring, strength, and street smarts.

show dirt, and I’m generally pretty satisfied. Even so, I can

That was Patty, all right. At the end of the photo shoot

still appreciate a cool car, and I’ve always accepted the

I was admiring a fancy sports car and Patty asked me if I

opportunity to ride in one.

wanted to try it. I wasn’t prepared to drive it, but I was all for

A few months after my

taking a ride. It turned out to

husband passed away, I talked his best friend, Andy, into giving me a ride in his 2010 electric blue Corvette.

I told Andy I’d trade him a ride in his Corvette for breakfast at the Sauk Centre truck stop.

It was exhilarating to drive too fast and laugh at the admiring stares as we shot past.

Tom and Andy enjoyed many

be a 2006 red Dodge Viper convertible. We pulled out of the lot on a perfect summer day and shot down a back road. I turned on the radio

traditions, one of which was opening day duck hunting in

and there was Cyndi Lauper singing “When the workin' day is

Sauk Centre, followed by breakfast at the local truck stop.

done, Girls just wanna have fun.” We both burst out laughing

I told Andy I’d trade him a ride in his Corvette for breakfast at the Sauk Centre truck stop. It was exhilarating

and at the top of our lungs sang along while the countryside zipped by.

to drive too fast and laugh at the admiring stares as we shot

Jackie Horstmann, owner of Pizza Ranch, is a true car

past. Andy even turned the keys over to me at one point and

enthusiast (see the story on page 40). Her auto of choice

I took it up to 100 mph before I lost my nerve.

is a 2015 Mustang.

My favorite car experience occurred in 2006 during a photo shoot of Patty Yarbrough*, at that time the owner of

Hmmm … I’ve never ridden in a Mustang….

Until next issue,

McKay’s Family Dodge. Our cover story in that issue, written

by Diane Hageman now with the St. Cloud Area Family Y, started out this way: We’ve all heard the jokes about the used car sales guy – slick, fast talking, ready to pounce in order to make a deal. It

Gail Ivers, Editor .

takes about 30 seconds with Patty Yarbrough to realize how wrong that stereotype is. For one thing, there isn’t anything

*Our sympathy goes out to the family and colleagues of Patty Yarbrough, who passed away in October. Patty was a long-time member of the Chamber and the recipient of the 2006 Entrepreneurial Success Award, which recognized her leadership in taking McKay’s Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Mitsubishi from a small operation to a large enterprise. Patty was featured on the cover of the September-October 2006 issue of Business Central Magazine.

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Photo by Joel Butkowski, Butkowski Digital Imaging

W

hen it comes to cars, I’m essentially a sedate sedan

Publisher Julie Lunning // Managing Editor Gail Ivers CONTRIBUTING WRITERS King Banaian, St. Cloud State University Alicia Chapman, Bluebird Creative Dr. Fred E. Hill, St. Cloud State University Gail Ivers, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Ari Kaufman, freelance writer Gracie Miller, Live Life Purpose Coaching and Consulting Jeanine Nistler, freelance writer Steve Penick, Stearns History Museum Ashlinn Rooney, intern, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce

WEBSITE Vicki Lenneman ADVERTISING Associate Publisher/Sales Melinda Vonderahe

1411 West St. Germain Street, Suite 101, P.O. Box 487, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0487 Phone (320) 251-2940 / Fax (320) 251-0081 BusinessCentralMagazine.com

Ad Traffic & Circulation Yola Hartmann, Hazel Tree Media

For advertising information contact Melinda Vonderahe, (320) 656-3808

ART Design & Production Yola Hartmann, Hazel Tree Media

Ashley Situma and Lynn MacDonald, St. Cloud State University Dan Soldner, Vye

Cover Story Photography Joel Butkowski, BDI Photography

Paul Vreeland, Schlenner Wenner Dawn Zimmerman

Editorial suggestions can be made in writing to: Editor, Business Central, P.O. Box 487, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0487. Submission of materials does not guarantee publication.

Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Helping Patients See a Brighter Future The cause for most eye surgeries cannot be prevented, according to ophthalmologist Mitchell Gossman, MD.

“ Mitchell Gossman, MD Ophthalmologist

“

Aging causes most eye problems. For example, the older we get, the cloudier the lens of the eye becomes and we develop cataracts. It is a completely natural process, but thankfully we can correct cataracts with surgery.”

Dr. Gossman performs surgeries at St. Cloud Surgical Center to treat a variety of other eye diseases and conditions, including astigmatism, glaucoma, and eyelid issues.

It’s very satisfying to improve a patient’s vision or at the very least, stop vision loss. Seeing them grinning ear-to-ear after surgery is the favorite part of my job,” said Gossman.

Better Care, Better Costs, Better Recovery… Better YOU. 1526 Northway Drive, St. Cloud, MN 56303 |

PH

800.349.7272 | stcsurgicalcenter.com

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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UPFRONT GROW | NETWORK | PROFIT

N E WS & P EO P L E T H AT M A K E U P T H E C H A M B E R N E T W O R K

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: People to Know / Your Voice in Government / Do it Now! / Digging History / The Trouble with Business BOOK REVIEW

NEWS REEL Alzheimer’s Association raises more than $119k

Be Curious In order to be a better listener, get better at asking questions.

Alzheimer’s saw 448 participants

Reviewed by Dr. Fred Hill

from 80 teams raise more than

W

$119,000. Funds raised provide

ho listens to you?

That’s what New York Times contributor Kate Murphy asked people on five continents. Typically the response was a long, awkward pause. People struggled to come up with someone, anyone, who truly listened to them without glazing over, glancing down at a phone, or jumping in to offer an opinion.

Many admitted that they, themselves, weren’t very good listeners, and most couldn’t even describe what it meant to be a good listener. In this deep dive, Murphy explains why we are not listening, what it is doing to us, and how we can reverse the trend.

You’re Not Listening consists of 17 chapters: 1. The Art of Listening 2. That Syncing Feeling 3. Listening to Your Curiosity 4. I Know What You’re Going to Say 5. The Tone-Deaf Response

6. Talking Like a Tortoise, Thinking Like a Hare 7. Listening to Opposing Views 8. Focusing on What’s Important 9. Improvisational Listening 10. Conversational Sensitivity 11. Listening to Yourself 12. Supporting, Not Shifting, the Conversation 13. Hammers, Anvils, and Stirrups 14. Addicted to Distraction 15. What Words Conceal and Silences Reveal 16. The Morality of Listening 17. When to Stop Listening When was the last time you listened to someone, Murphy asks. Really listened, without thinking about what you wanted to say next, glancing down at your phone, or jumping in to offer your opinion? And when was the last time someone really listened to you? Were they so attentive to what you were saying and their responses so spot-on that you felt truly understood?

A few words regarding two chapters: Murphy describes Chapter 4, I Know What You’re Going to Say, as Assumptions as Earplugs.

Example: “You’re not listening!” “Let me finish!”

“That’s not what I said!”

In chapter 10, she describes Conversational Sensitivity, as What Terry Gross, LBJ, and Con Men Have in Common. Example: “Conversational sensitivity is also thought to be a precursor to empathy, which requires you to summon emotions felt and learned in previous interactions and apply them to subsequent situations.”

Shhhhh, peace, be still.

Dr. Fred E. Hill is an emeritus professor at St. Cloud State University.

You’re Not Li st eni ng ; What You’re Missin g an d Why It Mat t e r s by Kate Mu r phy, Celado n Books , NY, 20 19, I S B N 97 81 2 5 02 97 1 98

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The St. Cloud Walk to End

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

people in the local community with Alzheimer’s and dementia and their caregivers with free care and support services.

JLG Architects recognized JLG Architects received the 2021 Environmental Stewardship Award from Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). The award honors JLG’s dedication to sustainable structural design and its educational programs on sustainability in architecture.

Marco makes large donation to regional projects Marco raised over $211,000 this year in its annual campaign for United Way. In addition to the funds generated by the campaign, 450 employees made personal contributions to their local United Way. ––––––– For its Give Back 2 School project, Marco selected 15 schools across eight states and gave each one $1,000 for its school food pantry.

Schools were selected based on nominations and votes cast by Marco’s social media followers and employees.

Send News Reel items to Gail Ivers, givers@stcloudareachamber.com for possible inclusion. News Reel is compiled by Ashlinn Rooney.

POINT OF VIEW

“How do you maintain your physical and mental health under stress?”

Kristin VanCleave, Crossroads Center Management Office

Francis Ford, Francis Landscape Essentials LLC

Laura Stumvoll, St. Cloud VA Health Care System

“

“

“

––––––

I like to have relaxation time, putting myself in a “box” — just isolating myself and my thoughts, bringing “me” as a center, instead of all the things I have to do.”

––––––

Brad Hoelscher, Mahowald Insurance

––––––

––––––

I play basketball, I hang out with my kids — and mainly, to be honest, work is my oasis!”

One of the things we promote at the VA is reaching out. Everyone is going through something, and when we connect with each other, that really makes a big difference.

Connectedness is so important.”

“

There are a lot of things I do personally, but what’s great is that my work actually has a whole program with committees dedicated to our employees’ physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing — so that’s really helpful.”

NO ONE BUILDS LIKE NOR-SON.

NOR-SON CONSTRUCTION

Nor-SonConstruction.com Nor-Son is an awarded contractor for Sourcewell and AUTHORIZED NUCOR BUILDER.

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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NETWORK

UPFRONT

NEWS REEL

YOUR VOICE IN GOVERNMENT

Supply and Demand… and demand… and demand …

Brenny Transportation receives recognitions The Women in Trucking Association (WIT) announced

It seems like supply chains are all anyone wants to talk about these days.

By King Banaian

that Brenny Transportation is on its 2021 list of “Top Companies for Women to Work for in Transportation.” Companies that made the list were chosen based on the strength of their employee benefits and programs.

–––––––

Brenny Specialized received a Platinum award from Great West Casualty Company’s National Safety Awards program, which evaluates motor carriers’ driving safety based on year-end preventable crash results. The Platinum award is the highest achievable award in the program.

Inventure begins Richmond development Inventure Real Estate has been permitted to develop an 18-lot business park on a 58-acre plot of land in the City of Richmond on the new extension of Main Street.

The business park will provide spaces for commercial, retail, and industrial tenants.

GSDC recognized for e-newsletter

U

sually a topic of the arcane field of logistics, supply chains seems to be all anyone want to talk about these days. Empty store shelves are a common sight as well as ‘out of stock’ notices on e-tail websites.

There are two types of supply chain disruptions.

“Bullwhip effects” occur when a change in demand causes disruptions up a supply chain as warehouses empty of inventory and input producers try to ramp up

The Greater St. Cloud

additional supply. “Ripple effects” are the disruptions that happen directly to supply or production.

COVID-19 has caused both ripple and bullwhip effects. Even in early spring 2020, key components for inputs became in short supply as plants were closed in Asia, with ripples felt across the Pacific. Firms that used single sources from overseas for inputs had difficulty when the pandemic closed plants, particularly when many did not have contingency plans.

Development Corp. (GSDC) received a Bronze Rank for its GSDC eBriefings electronic newsletters from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

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Contributor ________ King Banaian is a professor of economics and dean of the School of Public Affairs at St. Cloud State University.

Various government actions in 2020-21 caused households to receive additional income as stimulus or as a bonus on unemployment insurance.

The financial assets of households rose by almost $20 trillion causing their checking accounts and cash to rise by $2.5 trillion. Some personal services – such as travel or dining out – are still facing declines of more than 10 percent as consumers adjust to the risk of infection from COVID. However, consumers have ramped up their purchases of goods.

This bullwhip effect is likely the cause of a great deal of the more recent issues in the supply chain.

Ports, trains, trucks, and warehouses in the U.S. are all overwhelmed and stories about each abound. The news is filled with pictures of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. As I write this there are 161 ships in the two ports with berths for only 59; the remainder are out in the bay or at sea awaiting a place to dock.

Most are container ships that need to be unloaded, with containers placed on chassis to transport to market on trains or trucks.

U.S. industrial production is rising, but not as fast as retail

BY THE NUMBERS

sales, so imports and inventories struggle to fill the gap.

All of this is pushing prices higher. The belief that inflation will be ‘transitory’ is in large part a belief that these supply issues will resolve themselves as logistics adjust to new realities. However the extra $2.5 trillion shows no sign of going anywhere except to higher prices. Nobody knows how long it will take for those increases to end.

Higher prices feel bad for us, and are a new experience for younger Central Minnesotans.

But while the higher prices are painful, they are also due compensation for bringing to market all those new goods we are consuming because we didn’t take our overseas vacation or enjoy a nice dinner and theater in the Twin Cities. The return to air travel and dining out might be the one thing that brings these price increases to an end

Let’s Talk Turkey Now that the holidays are over, how about some fun facts about all that food you ate?

5.26 billion pounds The U.S. consumption of turkey in 2020. That’s 16 pounds per person.

#1 Minnesota’s ranking in turkey production – not just in the U.S., but in the world.

#1 North Carolina’s ranking in the U.S. for sweet potato production.

40 million The number of turkeys produced in Minnesota. The second closest competitor is North Carolina at 31 million birds.

#1 The U.S.’s ranking in global cranberry production, with Wisconsin taking the top honors among the states.

Sources: USDA, National Turkey Federation

Ports, trains, trucks, and warehouses in the U.S. are all overwhelmed and stories about each abound.

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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DIGGING HISTORY

NEWS REEL Stearns Electric Director earns credential Michael Cramer, Stearns

Settling In

Following the Vietnam War, Catholic Charities resettled about 1,500 Vietnamese families in Central Minnesota, including Huy and Nhung Tran.

By Steve Penick

Electric Director, received the

Huy (far right) and Nhung Tran dance during the Tet Celebration at Cathedral High School, circa 1976

Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association after participating in a program designed to educate electric cooperative directors on new aspects of the ever-changing electric utility business.

Freightliner of St. Cloud rebrands Freightliner of St. Cloud and its associated brands have come together under Momentum Truck Group. Momentum Truck Group encompasses the family-owned companies formerly known as Freightliner of St. Cloud, Northland Freightliner and Northland Heavy Duty Collision Center.

Metro Bus COO honored The Minnesota Public Transit Association honored Metro Bus COO Dave Green with the Minnesota Transit Professional of the Year Award at its annual conference. Green has worked for Metro Bus since 2016, originally as the fixed route operations manager, before becoming COO in 2019.

CLA promotes employees CliftonLarsonAllen recently promoted a number of employees. Twelve St. Cloud CLA employees were promoted to senior or director positions: Kristen Houle, Kaylea Stier, Sandra Strand, Ashley Kruse, Bethany Anderson, Christy Masog, Elizabeth Kisch, Isaac Heying, Patrick Spaniol, Matthew Dale, Amanda Flemming, and Sarah Elliott.

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Vietnam, April 1975.

I

n the closing month of the Vietnam War, the communist North Vietnamese army had reached Saigon, South Vietnam’s democratic capital city. For Huy and Nhung Tran and their children, it meant making the difficult decision to leave their homeland and move somewhere else. Huy’s employment at the time with the South Vietnamese and United States governments put them all at risk. “With my experience with North Vietnam, no way I was going to live under communism,” said Huy in a 1995 St. Cloud Times article. So, they hurriedly gathered a few possessions and left.

Tran’s job allowed the family access to America, and eventually, St. Cloud.

A Catholic Charities resettlement program, headed by Father Richard

Liesen, sponsored around 1,500 Vietnamese families during the period, including the Trans. The program offered these families the opportunity to rebuild their lives in Central Minnesota.

The Trans’ Catholic faith and a support network consisting of Catholic Charities, work, and new friendships provided an important resource as the family settled in.

Two key philosophies dominated the Trans’ ability to acclimate into American society – a strong work ethic and continuing education.

“I want my children to have a better future. Education very important,” Huy Tran said years later. By the 1990s, these words became a blueprint for success.

The Trans positioned themselves to prosper in their new homeland.

While their motivation was internal, they experienced external forces that shaped

those early St. Cloud days.

They developed friendships with their new neighbors, but also understood that other sponsored Vietnamese expected the Trans to succeed. “There was a push from the community to show we can make it here,” he said.

Huy’s ability to speak some English helped him establish a career. He began at Big Bear, a farm supply business in St. Cloud, packing boxes and driving a forklift.

Huy then became a welder and inspector at Franklin Manufacturing, which became Fridgidare. Each new job raised their income. He and his wife, Nhung, followed a strict budget, saving a portion of each paycheck.

Huy described their broader life strategy in a 2018 Minnesota Historical Society oral history interview by saying, “Later, I got a job working at Frigidaire and worked there for quite a while. Because our children were small at the time, my wife and I worked different shifts so that we could take turns to look after our children and my wife’s parents [who also lived in St. Cloud at this time].”

Meanwhile, Nhung and the children learned

Photos courtesy of the Stearns History Museum

NETWORK

UPFRONT

The St. Cloud Area Chamber Top Hatters visit Big Bear in St. Cloud (1974)

English as they worked or went to school. She started as a seamstress at Fingerhut with

15 other Vietnamese women. Her day was repetitious, but she found satisfaction in it. “Each person performed only one task. If someone was assigned to make pockets, she only did that task. …

We were happy to work together,” Nhung explained in a Minnesota Historical Society oral interview.

Their efforts paid off.

Huy and Nhung’s financial plan allowed them to diversify. They purchased a building in Minneapolis,

generating additional income. “Because we bought a commercial building and rented it out to businesses, I retired when I was only 55 years old.” Huy said.

In 2007 the couple took time to reflect on their family’s 30-year progression from leaving Vietnam to retiring in America. “All my kids now, they’ve got a family. They’ve got a house. They’ve got a good job. So that’s all I want,” Huy told a St. Cloud Times reporter.

Steve Penick is the head archivist at the Stearns History Museum in St. Cloud.

IN THE NEWS

ATS changes senior leadership Anderson Trucking Service announced changes in senior leadership and a new addition to the ATS leadership team.

Ben Delong was promoted to vice president of operations for the company’s specialized transportation division. Gene Lemke was promoted to an expanded role of vice president of projects & heavy haul. Mark Keul was promoted to director of heavy haul operations. Andrew Hadland joins ATS in the new role of vice president of strategy & acquisition.

Find your

purpose

at CentraCare

Change lives and improve health through the work you do.

Choose an opportunity that encourages you to be your best and make a difference in the lives of our patients, coworkers and community.

Search positions at CentraCare.com to find the job right for you.

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NETWORK

UPFRONT

NEWS REEL St. Cloud Financial Credit Union adds staff Chase Larson joins the executive leadership team at

DO IT NOW!

Bridging Gaps Deal with conflict by collaborating to achieve win-win outcomes.

By Ashlinn Rooney

St. Cloud Financial Credit Union as the chief lending officer. Larson has over 14 years of banking and finance experience with expertise in commercial and mortgage lending. In his new role, Larson will be responsible for strategic direction and management.

Stearns Financial Services announces new board roles Stearns Financial Services Inc., the holding company for three Stearns Bank charters, has named Kelly Skalicky chair of the board of directors. Additionally, Deb Lorenzen has been elected chair of the board of directors for Stearns Bank, NA, and Heather Plumski has been elected chair of the board of directors for both Stearns Bank Holdingford, and Stearns Bank Upsala.

Attorney joins Rinke Noonan Rinke Noonan has hired attorney Kailee Meadows. Meadows’ areas of specialty include business, construction, and environmental law and litigation. She received her law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

New members join CMFC board Clare Richards, Impacks, and Scott Warzecha, Catholic Community Schools of St. Cloud, have joined the Central Minnesota Community Foundation’s Board of Directors. Each will serve a three-year term beginning November 2021.

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I

nterpersonal conflict is bound to happen in life.

There are billions of people on the planet, all with varying values and ideas on how to get things done. Properly dealing with conflict is an incredibly useful skill as it can make life more pleasant by bridging communication gaps and inspiring innovative and mutually beneficial solutions. But how does one handle conflict skillfully enough to do this?

According to the ThomasKilmann Conflict Instrument Model, there are five main approaches to handling conflict: avoiding, competing, compromising, accommodating, and collaborating. Each of these approaches consists of different levels of assertiveness and cooperation. _______ Avoiding is the low-

assertiveness and lowcooperation approach that involves dodging any conflict

so as not to “stir the pot” and make matters potentially worse. _______ Competing involves

assertively pursuing one’s own interests without any intention to cooperate with others. _______ Compromising is when

everyone involved in a conflict decides to settle on a solution that meets each person’s interests only partially. This approach has moderate levels of both assertiveness and cooperation. _______

in which all participants involved in a conflict work together to find a creative solution that helps meet everyone’s needs.

Although each of these approaches has its appropriate time and place to be used, collaboration is the most effective method in achieving win-win outcomes from conflict. By maintaining a collaborative mindset in the face of conflict, one can lay down the foundation necessary for coming up with mutually beneficial solutions.

To get into a collaborative mind space, one must speak up, listen thoroughly to others’ needs and points of view, and build trust through honest, open communication. Treating conflict like a puzzle that needs to be solved by one’s active, goodintentioned participation is an opportunity to help others and establish oneself as a diplomatic and reliable person.

Ashlinn Rooney is a student at

Accommodating happens

the College of Saint Benedict/

when participants are not fully cooperative and not very assertive. They may sacrifice their own interests for the sake of helping another person gain. _______

Saint John’s University and

Collaborating is the

For the sources used in this story, visit Business CentralMagazine.com.

highly assertive and highly cooperative approach,

the communications intern at the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

Ask for PEOPLE TO KNOW

Get Acquainted The following four individuals help make things work; get to know them now.

Jim Beck Modern Barnyard ________

Chair, Membership & Workforce Development Division ________ Phone: (320) 253-8033 Email: modernbarnyard@gmail.com ________ The Membership Division is responsible for all marketing and membership activities, including workforce development, networking programs and all of the Chamber’s special events.

Jason Bernick Bernick’s ________

Chair, Government Affairs Committee ________ Phone: (320) 252-6441 Email: jbernick@bernicks.com ________ The Government Affairs Committee researches legislative issues, makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding legislative policy positions, organizes trips to the Capitol and legislative updates during the session, and maintains contact with area legislators and other elected officials throughout the year.

For Care That’s

FREEING Swing on in for orthopedic care that leaves you feeling free. At St. Cloud Orthopedics, we’re here to help you reach new heights of health and wellness with state-of-the-art technology and treatment options, as well as a team of caring and dedicated specialists and therapists who will keep you going in the right direction.

When it comes to your care, you have a choice.

For freeing bone & joint care that helps you live better, ask for St. Cloud Orthopedics.

No referral necessary.

320-259-4100 Meet our team at StCloudOrthopedics.com Clinics in South St. Cloud & Sartell

Kris Nelson Premier Real Estate Services ________

Chair, Business Development Council ________ Phone: (320) 259-4554 Email: kris@premierhomesearch.com ________ The purpose of the Business Development Council is to provide training and education for Chamber members and their employees to help their businesses grow and thrive. Programs include Lunchtime Learning, and a variety of seminars, workshops, and certificate programs.

Rachael Sogge Eyecon Graphics ________

Chair, Marketing Committee ________ Phone: (320) 237-3695 (work) Email: rsogge@eyecongraphics.com ________ The Marketing Committee is responsible for the over-all marketing efforts of the Chamber of Commerce, including communication materials, advertising, publications, the website, promotional programs, and organizational research.

#LiveBetter J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

15

NETWORK

UPFRONT

THE TROUBLE WITH BUSINESS

In-House Marketing vs. Agency When marketing is done with empathy and strategy it can bring real results – no matter who does the work.

By Dan Soldner

a fast, efficient way to handle small projects. If you’re looking for someone to maintain your social media presence, that’s easy to keep in-house. But if you’re looking to update your website and invest in paid media, that’s often beyond one person’s skillset and warrants outside help.

Agencies offer a wide range of expertise

A

s we look toward 2022, many businesses are figuring out how they can grow and thrive within a still unstable economy. Locking in a strong marketing and sales strategy is crucial. But this often leads to one big question: Should I focus on in-house marketing, or hire an agency?

I work at an agency, so you’re likely thinking my answer is biased. But my role as president of a marketing agency is to help facilitate decisions, whether that leads to a partnership or not. So let’s

talk about your options and how there is a time and place for both.

In-house marketing can tell your story best

Maybe you have an in-house administrator who helps run your social media account. Or maybe you have someone on your team who is dedicated to overseeing all marketing operations. Whatever you’re working with, one thing is for sure: no one knows your company better than you — the people who run the show.

As someone who works in an agency, I can honestly say I’m a big fan of in-house marketing.

Contributor ________ Dan Soldner is the president at Vye, a digital marketing agency based in St. Cloud.

16

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Oftentimes, these are the people we work with on a daily basis.

With business owners tied up in all areas of their company, we collaborate with in-house

It used to be that marketing was limited to TV, radio, and newspaper ads — and it was pretty easy to find someone who could master them all. Today, it’s impossible to be an expert in each area of marketing. That’s where agencies come in.

Think of a marketing agency like an extension of your company. They learn your brand, your voice, and take

Locking in a strong marketing and sales strategy is crucial. marketing individuals or teams and depend on them to keep projects moving.

When you have an in-house marketing presence, it gives you the chance to have the people who live and breathe your culture, communicate it out and into the world. For companies with smaller marketing budgets, keeping marketing in-house can help you promote your brand while saving you money. It’s also

the time to understand your needs. The big difference is that instead of having one person who has to know a little about a lot, agencies are made up of many people who know a lot about their specific focus. If you’re a small business, you can often hire an agency, and have the experience of an entire team for the same price as one full-time employee.

One of the big benefits of an agency is they’re easy to bring in on an as-needed basis. Have a trade show coming up? An agency can help you identify and create what you need, and then bow out. If you don’t like the work, or decide you don’t need the help anymore, it’s easier to lay off an agency than a member of your team — and you don’t have to worry about an agency leaving you a bad review online, either.

Keep in mind an agency doesn’t have to be a permanent solution.

Typically, when I see a business surpass $5–10M in sales, it’s usually good for them to hire a dedicated person whose daily focus is to raise brand awareness for the company.

Businesses change, and so do your

business’s needs. Down the road, you can always revisit introducing an in-house marketing employee to replace or work with your agency.

IN THE NEWS

No matter who does it, marketing is an investment

When marketing is done with empathy and strategy it can bring real results. Every day I hear from clients who have invested in marketing and are seeing their dollars come back in the form of new leads, sales, employees, and ultimately success.

What do you want for your business? Whether you choose to stay in-house or to hire an agency, marketing can connect you with your target audience to help you achieve your goals.

Northwestern Mutual donates to children’s hospital Northwestern Mutual raised nearly $75,000 at its 8th annual Chip for Charity golf tournament in August. The net proceeds were donated to Masonic Children’s Hospital for their mission to help those dealing with pediatric cancer.

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

TAX and AUDIT BUSINESS ADVISORY

TECHNOLOGY HUMAN CAPITAL MGMT

ERP / NETSUITE

ACCOUNTING

I T ’ S N OT A S E R V I C E . I T ’ S A F E E L I N G . bergankdv.com | #STARTHERE J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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NETWORKCENTRAL GROW | NETWORK | PROFIT

E V E N T S A R O U N D T H E ST. C LO U D A R E A

M O R E O N E V E N T S : Fo r i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e s e o r o t h e r b u s i n e s s e v e n t s , c a l l 3 2 0 -2 51 -2 9 4 0 o r v i s i t S t C l o u d A r e a C h a m b e r. c o m a n d c l i c k o n “ C a l e n d a r.”

Grow!

A return to near normal helped fill Lunchtime Learning classes and the Chamber’s Leadership program.

LUNCHTIME LEARNING

LEADERSHIP

Larry Logeman, Executive Express

Michelle Henderson, BadCat Digital, talked about how to tell a business story using video.

LEADERSHIP

St. Cloud State University President Robbyn Wacker

Network!

Business After Hours hosted by Falcon National Bank, Career Solutions, and Batteries Plus Bulbs LUNCHTIME LEARNING

Matt Gaffy, St. Cloud Industrial Products, discussed presentation skills

LUNCHTIME LEARNING

Kris Nelson, Premier Real Estate Services, offered a new approach to creating meaningful connections.

Bernie Perryman, Batteries Plus Bulbs (L); Jim Schleper, Deerwood Bank; Diane Hageman, St. Cloud Area Family Y

Dave Faust, Stonehouse Resources (L); Kristin Hannon, Minnwest Bank; Doug Cook, Headwaters Strategic Succession Consulting

18

Clint Lentner, Northland Capital, (L) and Mark Kroska, AGC Agency

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Door-prize time at Business After Hours

e r ' e W Back!

2022 Central Minnesota FARM SHOW

F eb rua r y 2 2-23, 2 0 2 2

River’s Edge Convention Center Presented by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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2022 Central Minnesota FARM SHOW

Welcome to the 2022 Central Minnesota Farm Show!

T

CINDY BATTLESON

Rapids Alterations & Repair (320) 255-9083 Co-Chair, Central Minnesota Farm Show Committee

he Central Minnesota Farm Show, brought to you by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, is the largest indoor show of its kind in the region. Why does such a

show exist in this growing metropolitan area? Because agriculture is still one of the area’s leading industries! The St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has 1.5 as many people working in farming as other regions.

Since opening its doors 50+ years ago, the Farm Show has been a popular community

FRANK IMHOLTE

event for Central Minnesota. The show offers something for everyone with an interest in

Black Diamond Auctions (320) 241-1200 Co-Chair, Central Minnesota Farm Show Committee

agriculture. When you turn to the center of this program you’ll find a complete map of the show and a list of vendors to help you make the most of your visit.

The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping area farmers through organization and sponsorship of the Central Minnesota Farm Show. And there’s something else we’d like you to know. As part of our commitment to agriculture and education, each year the Chamber dedicates a portion of the proceeds from the Farm

LAURA WAGNER

Show to student scholarships.

St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce (320) 656-3831 2022 Farm Show Coordinator

Volunteers have worked hard to put together a show that you will find both valuable and fun. Enjoy your visit with us and if you have questions or suggestions, please stop by the information booth. We’d like to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Cindy Battleson, Frank Imholte & Laura Wagner

2022 Farm Show Speakers KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Grain Bin Safety by Jim Zwaschka, South Central College

TOPICS ON THE HOUR

TuesdaY 9 A.M

John Kolb, Rinke Noonan

11 A.M.

Reducing Risk in our Fuel Pricing Environment by Scott Swanson, Beaudry Oil and Propane

20

Estate Planning and Implementation by a panel of estate planning professionals

Presenters and topics are subject to change.

For the most current information visit CentralMNFarmShow.com

Wednesday 9 A.M.

John Wenker, Quinlivan & Hughes

11 A.M.

Lubricants and Farming Today

by Neil Buchanan, Petro Canada.

This session is presented by Beaudry Oil & Propane

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

NOON

Equipment and Farmland Price Trends by Randy Kath & Eric Gabriel, Steffes Group

2 P.M.

John Pantzke, Stearns Electric Association

2022 Central Minnesota FARM SHOW

Growing Employees

The ag industry is wondering where its next employees will come from — and the Chamber is trying to help.

B

usinesses throughout the country are struggling to find employees. In Central Minnesota almost everyone will tell

Congratulations to our Scholarship Winners!

Anakin Bosek, Brandon/Evansville High School

you that they would hire if they could just find the right person.

Hailey Frericks, Albany High School

The shortage is becoming particularly acute in ag-related businesses.

Rebekah Gerads, Holdingford High School

There is such a shortage of students in the agriculture colleges

Shelby Krebs, Upsala High School

that the ag-related companies are recruiting students with degrees

Megan Ratka, Rocori High School

in other disciplines such as business and marketing. In fact, the

Adrienne Lipinski, South Dakota State University

opportunities are almost unlimited for students who are willing to relocate in the U.S., as well as overseas.

The St. Cloud Area Chamber is committed to doing our small

Many thanks to the following businesses

whose donations made the scholarships possible:

part to help address the shortage. Each year we dedicate some

Black Diamond Auctions

Rinke Noonan

of the proceeds from the Central Minn. Farm Show to student

Brandl Motors

Steffes Group

scholarships.Since 1998 we have funded $82,000 in scholarships.

Friends of the Farm Show

Traut Companies.

Book Your 2022 Auction!

Planning to sell Excess Equipment, Land or other Assets?

We are booking Spring, Summer and Fall Auctions. Contact Steffes Group to discuss the best option for you. We offer On-Site Farm Auctions, On-Site Equipment Auctions, Timed Online Auctions, Real Estate Auctions, Farm Management, Consignment Events, Equipment, Appraisals, Land Brokerage & Real Estate Sales, Forage Auctions. Call Steffes Group at 320.693-9371 for more information on booking your auction!

Stop by the Steffes Group Booth for more information.

SteffesGroup.com| 320.693.9371

Steffes Group, Inc. | 24400 MN Hwy 22 South, Litchfield, MN 55355 J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

21

2022 Central Minnesota FARM SHOW

2022 Booth Floor Map

Food for Thought

In 2019 American farmers produced…

1.7 billion

pounds of green beans valued at $303 million

6.3 billion

pounds of sweet corn valued at $653 million

792 million

pounds of cranberries valued at $225 million

245 million turkeys valued at $3.9 billion

3.4 billion

pounds of sweet potatoes valued at $588 million

42.4 billion

pounds of potatoes valued at $4.2 billion

1.4 billion

pounds of pumpkins valued at $180 million

40 million

Minnesota’s production of turkeys, which leads the U.S. and the world by a large margin GLENN CARLSON EXHIBIT HALL

Sources: USDA, National Turkey Federation

Scholarships Available

Again this year, there will be scholarships awarded to both high school and college students. Businesses that are interested in supporting our agricultural scholarship program are encouraged to donate to the fund. The Chamber of Commerce is committed to offering the Central MN Farm Show Agriculture Scholarships to support students who explore fields of study and careers in the agri-industry.

–––––––––– Application deadline is February 1, 2022.

–––––––––– For more information, or to apply for a scholarship, visit CentralMNFarmShow.com.

Sponsorships

Many thanks to the following sponsors* of the Central Minnesota Farm Show: CHAMPION SPONSORS Runnings Steffes Group ADVOCATE SPONSORS Blue Horizon Energy Kensington Bank Stearns Electric Association

PARTNER SPONSORS Advantage 1 Insurance Agency CentraCare Mimbach Fleet Supply Stine Seed Company MILK SPONSOR Roth RV

*Sponsors are also listed in bold in the Exhibitor List.

List is current as of Dec. 1, 2021.

22

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

2022 Exhibitor List by Name A Ag Solutions LLC AgFocus Agri-Plastics Aldrich Tractor Inc American Door Works American Pressure Inc AMPI AMPS Inc Arnold’s of St. Cloud Arnzen Construction/ St. Rosa Lumber B Bath Planet Beaudry Oil & Propane Beck’s Hybrids Belgrade Coop Benton County American Dairy Association Big Gain Inc Big Iron Auction Company Blue Horizon Energy LLC Bongards Creameries Byron Seeds LLC C Carlson Wholesale Inc Center for Energy and Environment Centra Sota Coop Central Minnesota Credit Union Complete Grain Systems Inc Country Acres/ Benton Ag CSF Inc. dba Automation Plus Cutco - Jill Sieben D D & K Water Service Dairy Farmers of America

Dairyland Seed Inc Dairyland Supply DODA E EASYFIX USA Everlast Industries F Farm Bureau Financial Services - Bruce Vanderpool Farm Systems Farm-Rite Equipment Inc Farmers & Merchant State Bank Feed Stuff Bagging Forward Farm Lines Freeport State Bank

Don’t be sheepish...

find us

AT T H E

FARM SHOW COME SEE OUR FFA EXHIBIT! For Museum info and other fun:

320.253.8424

235 33rd Avenue South St. Cloud, MN 56301 StearnsHistoryMuseum.org

G Gilman Co-op Creamery Gold Country Seed Granite Electronics Inc Green Energy Products Growers Mineral Solutions H Hanson Silo Company Heatmor Hubbard Feeds Hydro Engineering I Isaacson Sales & Service and Cloverdale Equipment J Jordan Ag Supply K K&S Millwrights Inc Kensington Bank Kuhn North America Inc

VOTED M I NNE SOTA’S

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Thank you With over a century of personal service, we’re ready to help you and all you are working toward.

Equipment finance

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Full-service banking options

Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

MORE ON NEXT PAGE J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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2022 Central Minnesota FARM SHOW

2022 Exhibitor List by Name L Lake Henry Implement Inc. LeafFilter Gutter Protection Leedstone Inc Legend Seeds Inc LG Seeds Lifestyle Lumber LiQuiTube Total Tire Maintenance Litzau Farm Drainage Inc M Martin Till McKay's Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram

Midwest Sidewalls LLC Mimbach Fleet Supply Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Group Minnesota Farmers Union MN Pro Fence MN Tarp and Liner MRF Attachments Mustang Seeds N NAPA Central MN Nelson Agri Structures, LLC/Ultimate Ag LLC Northland Buildings Inc

O O’Reilly Auto Parts Osakis Silo Repair P Peterson Farms Seed Pflipsen Ag Service/ Central Grain Prairie Ag Products ProFusion CBD of St. Cloud Puck Enterprises

S Schaeffer Manufacturing Stearns County Soil & Water Conservation District Steffes Group Stine Seed Company

R RAM Buildings RDO Equipment Company Real-Tuff Inc Rejuv Medical

T The Boot Shack The Land Thunder Seed Traut Companies Tri County Foam Insulation LLC

Open for Agribusiness.

Dedicated banking partner.

CMCU is a proud supporter of family farms. We have all the financial solutions for your agribusiness including accounts, loans, and digital services to manage your accounts anywhere.

MYCMCU.ORG

INSURED BY NCUA

24

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Renewal by Andersen Rinke Noonan Attorneys at Law Roth RV

$0

Soil and plant Scientists

Veterinarians

Conservation Scientists

$

$ $30.33

$ $30.25

$

$ $22.93

$22.68

$10

$

$

$

$42.97

$20

$35.23

Food Scientists & Technologists

Environmental engineering technicians

Farm equipment mechanics

$

$21.18

Z Ziegler Ag Equipment

$30

$47.03

Y Your Home Improvement Company

$40

$27.15

W West Central Technology Wieser Concrete Woller Equipment

Natural Sciences Managers

U UCare

Waste Treatment plant and systems opera tors

$50

There are many well-paying jobs in Central Minnesota’s ag industry.

First Line Supervisors/Managers

Jobs

2022 Central Minnesota FARM SHOW

Median wage for select Central Minnesota agriculture, food and natural resource occupations.

EXPERIENCE MORE NEW ELITE GENETICS FASTER. NEIGHBOR-FRIENDLY WEED CONTROL. EXCEPTIONAL YIELD AND VALUE. We Can Fix & Raise Most:

Raising Concrete With Eco-Rise® Polyurethane Foam:

James Kracht, Sales

320-760-1681

james@tricountyfoam.com 320-852-7050

Partner with the undisputed leader in Enlist E3® soybean genetics.

visit STINESEED.COM

IMPORTANT: This card is not intended to provide adequate information for use of these products. Read the label before using these products. Observe all label directions and precautions while using these products.

TM ® SM Trademarks and service marks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. The transgenic soybean event in Enlist E3® soybeans is jointly developed and owned by Dow AgroSciences LLC and M.S. Technologies L.L.C.

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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Heading to the Farm Show?

Come visit Farmers & Merchants State Bank at the 2022 Central Minnesota Farm Show. We’ll be there to talk farming and answer questions about how our relationship-based banking approach has helped our customers and their businesses succeed for generations—including many local farm families. We care about the future of agriculture, and we’re here to help you grow.

February 22-23, 2022 River’s Edge Convention Center • St. Cloud

Visit us at our booth to enter our giveaways for a chance to win great prizes!

Because friendly still counts.

TOPHATS GROW | NETWORK

|

PROFIT

TO P H ATS S H O W C A S E C E N T R A L M I N N ES OTA

Become familiar with new business, a remodel, expansion, or new ownership around town.

MILESTONES

25 YEARS IN BUSINESS Advantage Chiropractic, chiropractic clinic offering individual and corporate wellness, 32 32nd Ave. S, ste 100, St. Cloud. Pictured: Debbie Clausen, Donna Roerick, Mark Roerick, Patrick Hollermann.

NEW MEMBERS

30 YEARS IN BUSINESS Playhouse Child Care, educational child care center, 1022 4th St SE, ste 102, St. Cloud. Pictured: Kristin Hannon, Kristin Lord, Dawn Jehoich, Kelly Haase, Jennifer Johnson, Heather Freese, Mary Swingle.

NEW MEMBER RTA LLC, parking lot striping, restriping existing lots and stripes on sports fields, no storefront address available.Pictured: Ryan Andvik

NEW MEMBER Duane W. Osgood Agency-Farmers Insurance, offering auto, home, renters, life, specialty and business insurance, 3335 W St. Germain Street, St. Cloud. Pictured: Amanda Groethe, Michael Jahn, Theresa Callahan, Melissa Brown, Duane Osgood, Jason Miller.

NEW MEMBER Nice Axe/Granite City Jump, axe throwing and inflatable equipment, 79 3rd Street NE, Waite Park.

Pictured: Julie Forsberg, Marcia Prescott, Sheri Moran.

NEW MEMBER Blockchain Investments LLC, Blockchain and crypto education and consulting, no storefront address available. Pictured: Brenda Eisenschenk, Chase Larson, Carl Newbanks.

NEW MEMBER MobilityWorks, mobility assistance, 1425 Division Street, Waite Park. Pictured: Bernie Perryman, Jason Reholtuz, Linda Kaiser, Aaron Heath, Amanda Groethe.

NEW MEMBER Christianson’s Business Furniture, workspace strategists, 2828 13th Ave. S, Fargo. Pictured: Carl Newbanks, Roger Christianson, Kris Root, Chase Larson.

NEW MEMBER Kinder Coffee, coffee roasting company, 203 Cooper Ave. N, ste 350, St. Cloud. Pictured: Debbie Clausen, Taylor Feero, Guytano Magno, Ryan Schoepf, April Diederich.

NEW MEMBERS

NEW MEMBER Nor-Son Construction, design and construction services, 7900 Hastings Road, Baxter. Pictured: Brenda Eisenschenk, Mark Korte, Carl Newbanks.

NEW MEMBERS

NEW MEMBER Switchboard, full-service creative agency, 203 Cooper Ave N, ste 350, St. Cloud. Pictured: April Diederich, Taylor Feero, Guytano Magno, Ryan Schoepf, Debbie Clausen.

N E W LO C AT I O N

NEW MEMBER Cenaiko Expo North, tradeshow and event equipment needs, 3333 W Division Street, ste 214, St. Cloud. Pictured: Tim Schmidt, Steve Bernu, Cindi Kaiser, April Diederich.

NEW MEMBER Faithful City Church, evangelical Presbyterian church, 1949 Sandstone Loop S, Sartell. Pictured: April Diederich, Scott Smith, Amy Smith, Julie Forsberg.

NEW MEMBER Crandall Helpdesk, computer software and service, 700 Main Street, Clearwater, MN. Pictured: Chris Jacques, Kris Crandall, Brenda Eisenschenk.

NEW LOCATION BadCat Digital Marketing, digital marketing, 819 W St. Germain Street, St. Cloud.

Pictured: Chase Larson, Nathan Henderson, Michelle Henderson, Jason Miller.

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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BUSINESSTOOLS GROW

| NETWORK

|

PROFIT

R ES O U RC ES T H AT H E L P YO U R B US I N ESS G RO W

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Entrepreneurism / Management Tool Kit / Economy Central by Falcon Bank T EC H ST R AT EG I ES

Be Your Buyer for a Day Understanding your buyer’s journey is critical for a successful marketing strategy.

By Dawn Zimmerman

key strategies to improve your position in the market, clarity in your messaging, and focus for your go-to market plays.

Getting Started Identify the products that you want to focus on and then gather a group of key stakeholders to participate in a Be a Buyer for a Day activity. Each participant starts the journey digitally — with a buyer’s mindset — googling key words to assess options. The goal is to document the experience so your business can gain more insights on your positioning, how it compares to your competition, and what the digital journey is like for your buyers.

How is it priced? Consider the pricing model as well as the actual dollar amount.

How does it compare to yours?

PROFILE

Who appears to be their target customer profile? Identify the types of customers that seem to be their best fit, based on industry, geography, size and other key characteristics.

Who are they speaking to in their sales and marketing?

Seek to uncover their buyer personas, including specific roles (i.e.: small business owner), values and motivations.

PROMOTION

W

hat is it like to be a buyer of your products or solutions? The buying experience has become highly digital – no matter the industry, product or size of the business. Over two-thirds of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally and B2B buyers are typically well over halfway through their buying journey before they engage sales, according to global research firm Gartner.

Understanding your buyer’s journey is critical to mapping an impactful sales and marketing strategy. It has become the key to accelerating revenue growth, especially for B2B sales organizations. So, what’s the best way to find out what your buyers are experiencing?

Become a buyer for a day. This exercise challenges your team to see your business from the other side and come back with

Identify top providers of the solution and evaluate POSITIONING

How do they position the product?

What are the key features?

How do the features compare to what your organization offers?

What are the gaps or opportunities for your organization?

Contributor ________ Dawn Zimmerman is a communications professional based in St. Cloud.

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PRICING

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

How do they promote this product?

What tools and tactics do you see digitally?

Summarize the business position.

Start with the basics, everything from where it’s headquartered and number of locations to the number of employees.

Capture their product portfolio. This is where you go beyond the one product you were exploring in an effort to understand what else they offer and how it compares to your organization's offering.

Check out their online review ratings. Explore both their ratings on a variety of high-profile sites and what their customers say about their experiences.

Map your opportunities and next steps Based on what you have learned and captured during the product journey and business evaluation, take a moment to complete a SWOT analysis that outlines your key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This should provide a clear and succinct snapshot of key takeaways and potential action steps and is often the piece that could be shared with executives and other leaders in your organization.

This is not a one-time activity.

Consider making it a part of your annual planning routine. While the products may change based on your business goals, the exercise can remain the same and can guide your organization to make focused changes that create a more engaging and customer-centric buying experience.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SERVING OUR COMMUNITY IN THE COMING YEAR

www.DESIGNELECT.com CONTACT US FOR ALL YOUR COMMERCIAL WIRING NEEDS STILL GREAT REBATES ON LED LIGHTING UPGRADES CONTACT OUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE TEAM

COMMERCIAL

INDUSTRIAL

PH-320.252.1658

TRANSPORTATION

24-Hour Emergency Service

TECH NEWS

Health Tracker Hackers No one is interested in how many steps you take in a day, right? Wrong!

Healthcare data is also valuable to hackers. A 2017 study found that a healthcare record for one person cost an average of $250, significantly higher than credit card information, which cost $5.40. That means the September 2021 exposure of Fitbit and Apple fitness tracker data is a lucrative chance for the right opportunist.

Source: WebsitePlanet.com

GROWING COMPANIES ENHANCING COMMUNITIES

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GROW

BUSINESSTOOLS

ENTREPRENEURISM

Capturing Creativity With a bit of practice, anyone can deliver creative and innovative ideas.

By Alicia Chapman

who inspire you. “The people we surround ourselves with, the books we read, and our experiences fuel our creativity.”

Creativity is more likely to flow when you are inspired and passionate about what you are doing. If you are working on a project, bring that with you to a place where you find inspiration.

For some people, that may mean bouncing ideas around with inspiring coworkers, neighbors, or friends. For others, it might mean spending time in nature or on a walk and allowing your mind to wander without restraint.

W

hen you ask people if they are creative, most will say no. But the fact is, everyone can be creative. When you see a need and develop new and unique solutions to address that need, you’re being creative.

That is why so many successful business owners are creatives.

But even the most creative person can feel stuck.

If you’re looking for ways to unleash your creativity, here are a few tips to get you started:

1.Take time to sit with your thoughts.

“I tell my kids all the time that boredom is the mother of invention and the mother of creativity,” Ashley Green, owner of Green Thumb Etc., said. “Allow yourself to be

30

bored and allow your mind to wander. Or journal. I think one of the essential keys to creativity is being able to just let your brain do whatever it's going to do and work itself out.”

Don’t be afraid to daydream or let your mind wander during a walk. Some of your best ideas can come from that time. There may be a thought that comes to you that sounds unattainable, but don't think that way, Green said. Instead, put that thought aside or down on paper and imagine ways it could become a possibility.

2.Surround yourself with inspiration.

Agency 511 Owner Tim Schmidt says it’s important to find your happy place and the people

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

3.Think outside the box.

Last year was the year that forced many people to be creative, according to Rachael Sogge, owner of Eyecon Graphics.

Business owners had to think outside the box to survive.

“We just came out of a pandemic where nobody knew what to do,” she said. “Everybody broke from the norm last year.

That was very creative for a lot of different reasons. People don't necessarily look at it as creativity, but I do. The St. Cloud Area Chamber got super creative because they had to find ways to do the same things that they had been doing, but do it on a totally different platform. Look into something new, something different. Always be adapting and don’t be stagnant.”

If you’re feeling stuck, sometimes changing up your routine just a little can help you notice new things. In doing this,

you may come across something different in your day-to-day activities that sparks a thought.

Even if you’re not sure how you may use it right now, keep it in mind because you never know when that information or idea might be valuable to you. Some of the most creative people find their success because they look at things differently than everyone else.

4. Know that creativity

comes in various forms.

“Critical thinking is creative, too," Green said. "You have to think critically when you're doing taxes and accounting and that kind of stuff. You just have to use your brain in a different way. If I judge creativity based on whether or not I can do clay or something like that, I'm not creative. Be creative in the ways that your brain works and the things that you are talented in. Anybody can be creative in anything. It's just a matter of finding the way that your brain uses creativity.”

Agency 511’s Schmidt says everyone is born with amazing, unique gifts and talents. And education also allows people to find and grow in their abilities. “We have to find our place,” he said.

5.Practice makes perfect.

Creativity is like a muscle. You have to work at it to make it stronger. “Don't be afraid to try everything and not be good at it,” said Green. “Be open to guidance and constructive criticism if it's

YOUR VISION OUR EXPERTISE something that you do recognize you have some kind of natural talent in.”

The bottom line is not to limit your creativity with negative thoughts. “Creativity is what you make it,” said Green. “If you're comfortable getting weird and trying things and seeing where your mind will take you, then you can be creative.”

General Contractor Field Services Construction Management

Alicia Chapman is a freelance writer

Architecture + Engineering

and owner of Bluebird Creative LLC, a content writing business specializing

Maintenance

in helping small businesses share

Real Estate + Brokerage

their stories.

TECH NEWS

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Researchers from Florida Atlantic University tested the effectiveness of affordable, interactive robotic pet cats to improve mood, behavior and cognition in older adults with mild to moderate dementia.

After just twelve visits with the participants, in which they were informed the cat was not a living animal and given the opportunity to name it, researchers saw significant improvements in both mood and cognition.

Source: Future Today Institute

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MANAGEMENT TOOLKIT

Effective Presentations In order to truly engage your audience, try thinking like a storyteller.

By Ari Kaufman

E

veryone wants to be effective and successful when presenting information about a product or service. But giving an engaging presentation and communicating your ideas to others is a skill that takes work and is something of an art form. Fortunately, it can often be achieved with proper planning, common sense, and setting specific goals.

While there are many philosophies on how to give a stellar

32

presentation, simple skills can be learned, regardless of your preferred style. “A great presentation consists of the overall goal or focus of the presenter to gain the attention, but most importantly keep the attention of their audience. In a really great presentation, the speaker makes an impact on the individuals who hear it that carries on to their daily lives,” according to Sartell Community and Economic Development Director Scott Saehr.

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Like a good essay, many feel a presentation can be divided into three simple sections: an introduction, body, and conclusion. The concept of “Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them; tell them what you told them” remains a good format to follow.

Your introduction should briefly sum up what you’re going to talk about. An amusing story or anecdote can cause your audience to sit up and take notice. Rhetorical questions are also a great way to frame a topic and introduce new ideas.

Questions are an important part of the talk because they provide valuable feedback.

Know your topic well so you can properly deal with questions.

Since it can be difficult to answer unexpected questions, try to anticipate possible inquiries during your preparation. Avoid delivering a hesitant response to an unexpected question. If you are truly stuck, cheerfully explain “this is an interesting point that I will need to investigate,” or “This is outside my area of expertise.”

Jill Magelssen has been a franchise owner of Express Employment Professionals for 16 years. Her strategies include some of the aforementioned, with the addition of telling a story as you present your service.

“Like writing a novel or directing a movie, there is an art to building a presentation that engages your audience and inspires action,” Magelssen said. “And it’s not easy. The

best public speakers will tell you, building a presentation that makes a lasting impression isn’t as simple as putting a few big stats and funny images on a PowerPoint slide and calling it a day. In order to truly engage your audience, you have to think like a storyteller and build a presentation that takes them on a journey and makes them feel personally invested in what you have to say.”

After the presentation, many recommend rewarding yourself CHECKLIST

Presentation Tips Presentations don’t have to be complicated or cute to be effective. But you do need to know your material inside out and practice, practice, practice. Here are few tips to keep in mind: Keep your presentation simple.

Prepare and practice Show enthusiasm Use visuals Tailor it to your audience Be genuine Use humor as appropriate Some of these suggestions are more appropriate for certain subjects and venues, but undoubtedly a few will be worth remembering.

in a meaningful way. Be proud of your accomplishment and, when you are ready, ask for honest feedback to make your next presentation even better.

Mark Geller has run High Impact Training in St. Cloud for the past 26 years. He contracts with consultants, speakers, and trainers who present programs nationwide. His advice is straightforward yet important.

“Be flexible, because audiences can change attitudes and emotions during the presentation at the drop of hat,” Geller said.

“The facilitator must be prepared to recognize and adapt to those changes.”

A former school teacher and

Together we are…

Adaptive.

Through each challenge, remain flexible and strong.

When we are adaptive together, small business is resilient.

Learn more:

StearnsBank.com/ BusinessCentral

historian, Ari Kaufman has worked

Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

as a journalist in various roles since 2006. He has published articles in a dozen newspapers, written three books and currently resides with his wife in St. Cloud.

TECH NEWS

Using Chatbots The best way to use chatbots is to stop thinking of them as chatbots.

Instead, think of them as an assistant. Consider the jobs you want the technology to do, and use that to evaluate different technologies to ensure they’re flexible enough to handle what you need. Think about activities like qualifying leads, supporting online customer service, and automating tasks like scheduling or answering customer or job applicant questions.

Source: Startup Nation

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| DESIGN/BUILD | CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT | BUILDING + REMODELING

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33

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BUSINESSTOOLS

MANAGEMENT TOOLKIT

Money Savers Avoiding these common tax errors can save your business money.

By Paul Vreeland

A

t Schlenner Wenner & Co. I have the opportunity to work with and assist many small businesses with their tax needs. I’d like to highlight three common tax errors: not filing on time or not filing at all, incomplete bookkeeping or accounting practices, and not keeping up on recent tax law changes.

The first and most common error I observe is not filing on time or not filing at all. This happens when a small business misses a tax filing deadline. Small businesses are required to file many types of returns and often owners are so busy running their business that they miss or forget one. Missing a filing deadline can

be costly to operations.

The consequences of not filing on time include interest charged on any tax due, and potentially separate penalties for both filing late and paying late. In addition, it takes extra time to catch up with filing the late returns.

The longer a small business waits, the more it costs.

The second error I see is incomplete bookkeeping or accounting records. Accounting is technical, and if it is not done correctly or timely it can lead to costly mistakes. First, the small business risks misreporting income on tax filings if accounting records are incomplete. There is an option to later amend

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Missing a filing deadline can be costly to operations. and correct the filing, but if the result is additional tax due, penalties and interest will accrue on that amount.

Second, incorrect or untimely records don’t give small business owners a complete picture of the financial health of their businesses. This hinders decision-making. Last, accounting records that are not updated in a timely fashion could cause an accumulation of work and consequently missed tax reporting deadlines. No

small business owner wants inaccurate records leading to poor decisions, or an accumulation of extra work.

The last common error I see is not keeping up on recent tax law changes. It is important as a small business owner to have a basic knowledge of major tax changes that impact business. This can be difficult to do. Having a tax advisor is helpful, but basic knowledge of law changes is still a must. The last few years really emphasize

this point. Starting in 2018 the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the largest rework to the Internal Revenue Code since the 1980s.

Then, COVID relief laws were signed last year right before and during the filing season.

Many of the changes offered economic grants and loans to small businesses. Without this knowledge, small businesses risk either filing incorrectly or missing out on the benefits of the law changes.

I frequently see these three tax errors while working with small businesses. Not filing on time, which can lead to unnecessary interest, penalties and lost time. Incomplete

accounting, which leads to inaccuracies, uninformed decisions, and accumulations of work. And not keeping up on tax law changes, which could lead to incorrect tax filings and missing out on tax benefits. I don’t think it’s possible to be perfect at any one of these, but allocating more time to each of them will save headaches and prevent costly mistakes for small businesses.

Contributor ________ Paul Vreeland, CPA, is a senior accountant at Schlenner Wenner & Co.

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35

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BUSINESSTOOLS

Economy Central presented by

ECONOMY CENTRAL

Home Buying and COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on many industries, but the housing market is not one of them.

By Ashley Situma and Lynn MacDonald

T

he housing and job markets are inextricably linked. Jobs pull potential employees to an area and appealing areas pull new residents, who then attract jobs to the region. Many factors influence both housing and job choices, such as amenities and school districts, but during the pandemic we have seen telework increasingly influence housing decisions.

Prior to the pandemic, 2020 was predicted to be a big year for home buying as millennials were hitting prime home-buying age. This, coupled with a rebounding economy, has certainly contributed to a booming market for homes.

However, other factors have become of greater importance in influencing home buying.

The switch to remote work led workers to realize they can move elsewhere without a negative effect on their daily commute. Data from the American Community Survey indicates 6 percent of workers worked remotely in 2019. That compares to 13.2 percent who worked remotely in September 2021, according to current population survey data. It turns out that the ability to work from home — even part-time — shapes housing decisions.

This has led to some new housing market trends: People are now buying homes farther away from cities and tradition-

Contributors ________

al job centers. This could be driven by renters who weren’t previously able to afford homes in metro areas choosing to become homeowners farther away from the metro. Also during the pandemic, more people moved back home to share housing with family members. Both contribute to falling rental prices, while home prices have been rising.

During the last two years, we have seen many markets that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the housing market has not been one of them. There were fewer homes for sale in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Zillow. The reduction in supply, combined with high demand from buyers, has led to record sales. Between September 2020 and September 2021, there was a 9.9 percent increase in the median house price.

Another home buying trend, coinciding with the increase in remote work, has been an increase in the interest and purchase of homes in vacation towns. In August 2020, demand for vacation homes was 50 percent higher than it was one year earlier with 66 percent growth in pending home sales on vacation homes. In Minnesota, Brainerd has seen a significant bump in vacation home purchases with its current share of vacation homes at 35.6 percent of all home purchases.

Ashley Situma, is an economics student at St. Cloud State University; Lynn MacDonald, Ph.D., is associate professor of economics at SCSU

36

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

These new trends in home buying led economists Christopher Stanton and Pratyush Tiwari to ponder whether remote work influences the size of home. Their analysis showed that remote workers spend more on housing and purchase larger homes. Prior to the pandemic, the data revealed that remote workers spend 8.4 to 9.8 percent more on property taxes and mortgage payments as a share of household income, compared to their non-remote counterparts. This pattern holds true for renters as well, who pay a larger share of their household income towards rent.

Additionally, remote workers consumed 5 to 7 percent more housing.

While changes in housing decisions during the pandemic are multifaceted, remote work seems to be an important driving force behind recent changes. Whether this continues, and how long it continues, will depend on many factors including what employers choose to do when calling employees back to the office.

According to a recent survey of workers, employees are expecting to work remotely 21.3 percent of full workdays after the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, only 5 percent of full workdays were remote.

How employers decide to handle remote work will continue to shape the future of the housing market.

E PARK,

$200M

Residential Building Permits

November

16,523*

621,465

885,721

$80M

E PARK,

1,424*

32,948

24,272

December

Home Sales Closed

October

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, WAITE PARK, ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH

Economy September

ECO N O M I C I N D I C ATO R S & T R E N D S

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD

Central presented by ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH

COLOR KEY:August

TOTAL: $62,250,235* Compiled by Shelly Imdieke, data current as of 12/10/2021

July 2021 Jan Feb December Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

2021

December

November

November

103 $10,785,739

131 $3,858,123

Food and Beverage ST. CLOUD

October

B U I L D I N G P E R M I T S BY C O M M U N I T Y

September Commercial 2019 2020 2021*

#/$ #/$ #/$ August 338

Sartell

July 36 December

246 2021 $68,749,665

$116,566,743

June

TOTAL: $137,532,948

238 $60,622,806

309 77 $12,784,000 $15,070,149 $12,075,765 28 2020 $30,482,808

55 Food and Beverage $12,280,906

135 $5,556,423

$7,597,866

May Waite Park October136

$15,234,330

Apr September

July

TOTAL: 1868

St. Augusta 7

$271,600 Mar August St. Joseph 61 $9,026,116 Feb

ST. CLOUD 66

11 11 2019 $9,754,200 $2,718,220

TOTAL: 182*

1500

TOTAL: $1,287,691

TOTAL: $1,604,677

$1500000

Sauk Rapids November 55

$24,841,483

TOTAL: 1823

Data not released at time of print

$1000000

St. Cloud

1000

TOTAL: $96,513,193*

TOTAL: $96,513,193*

2021

51 24 $7,919,703 $1,920,392

$0

$500k

*Total as of 12/10/2021; June-October figures for Sartell and Aug-October figures for Jan

$2000000

$150M TOTAL: $137,532,948 $200M

June Waite Park were not available at time of print.

2000

$100M

2019

Home Sales Closed in St. Cloud Area

122 $3,685,577

500

$500000

$50M

October

St. Joseph 73 February $3,304,271

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, WAITE PARK, ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH

95 $10,023,126

2020

May and St. Joseph.

Sources: Building departments for the following cities: St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, Waite Park, St. Augusta,

2020

Apr

TOTAL: $178,724,272

2020-2021

2020-21 % CHANGE

Source: positivelyminnesota.com

December

J

November

September

M

October

August

July

June

Jan

May

April

1.0%

March

February

1.5%

January

$200M

December

November

$150M

October

September

$100M August

July

June

May

April

March

February

January

7%

$50M

Source: positivelyminnesota.com $0 $500k

Feb 2.0%

$0M

2019

Non-Farm Mar Jobs

Unemployment Rates

8%

St. Augusta 73 March $5,979,717

Waite Park wereDecember not available at time of print.

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, WAITE PARK, ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH TOTAL: $178,724,272

$0M

2020

500

221 $7,942,098

January 0 500 *Total as of 12/10/2021; June-October figures for Sartell and Aug-October figures for

$80M

Commercial Building Permits

2021

September

$70M

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, WAITE PARK, ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH

2019

2019

236 $7,739,324

165 May $8,585,270

Waite Park 39 49 27 April $1,084,477 $2,336,431 $1,984,855

TOTAL: $63,885,721

$60M

682 $26,445,971

Sauk Rapids

Commercial Building Permits

2021

2020

$50M

2021

2021

$40M

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH

560 210 $16,235,353 0$10,970,500

2020

$30M

Home Sales Closed

Sartell 309 January$18,954,216

June

2019

$20M

765 2019 $38,601,654

607

$25,977,770 February July

0

$10M

$60M $70M $80M TOTAL: $78,621,465

Food and Beverage Tax Collection

ST. CLOUD

$0 $0M

August

St. Cloud

2019

August

$50M

July

$40M

June

September

2021

2020

2019

2020

$30M

May

$20M

April

$10M

2020

Residential 2019 2020 2021*

March #/$ #/$ #/$

2021 $0M

May October

BUILDING P E R M I T S BY C O M M U N I T Y April

TOTAL: $62,250,235*

2019

March

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, WAITE PARK, ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH TOTAL: $63,885,721

June November

February

January

Residential Building Permits

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

2020

TOTAL: $78,621,465

0.5%

6%

0.0% 5%

-0.5% -1.0%

4%

-1.5% 3%

-2.0% 2%

S

O

N

D

*Total as of 12/10/2021

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

St. Cloud Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota United States

-2.5%

S

O

N

D

*Total as of 12/10/2021

J

F

M

A

J

A

S

O

St. Cloud, MN MetroSA Minnesota United States

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

37

$200M

GROW

500

1000

E PARK,

0

16,523*

January

621,465

885,721

$80M

$80M

$70M

E PARK,

$60M

1,424*

$50M

32,948

24,272

$40M

1500

BUSINESSTOOLS COLOR KEY:

Jan December Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

ECO N O M I C I N D I C ATO R S & T R E N D S

December

September

TOTAL: $1,047,473*

September

TOTAL: 1713*

TOTAL: $96,513,193*

August

August

2021

July

July

2000

*Total as of 12/10/2021

TA X TA L K !

December

November Some small business advertising and marketing costsOctober may be tax deductible.

T

TOTAL: $1,047,473*

TOTAL: $1,599,444

$2000000

2000

TOTAL: $1,604,677

Sheriff’s Foreclosure Auctions

2019

STEARNS AND BENTON COUNTIES

$0

$500k

TOTAL: 22* $1.5M

$1M

$2M

2021 TOTAL: 42

120

expenses that are usually deductible include:

SHERIFF’S FORECLOSURE AUCTIONS

38

150

Residential 2019

2020

2021

Stearns Co.

102

34

13

Benton Co.

21

8

9

1 Reasonable advertising

expenses that are directly related to the business activities.

Benton County Sheriff’s Civil Process; Stearn’s County Sheriff’s Office

2 An expense for the cost

*Total as of 12/10/2021; There were no reported auctions in April & May 2020; July-October 2021 figures for Benton Co. were not available at time of print.

of institutional or goodwill

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Source: IRS

December

90

November

60

October

30

September

Examples of advertising 0

entertainment, or recreational facilities to the public as a means of advertising or promoting goodwill in the community.

Generally, small businesses can’t deduct amounts they pay to influence legislation, which includes advertising in a convention program of a political party, or in any other publication if any of the proceeds from the publication are for, or intended for, the use of a political party or candidate.

August

2019

3 The cost of providing meals,

July

June

May

April

March

TOTAL: 123

February

January

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April

March

February

January

2020

advertising to keep the business name before the public if it relates to a reasonable expectation to gain business in the future. For example, the cost of advertising that encourages people to contribute to the Red Cross or to participate in similar causes is usually deductible.

TOTAL: 182*

$2M

2020 Source: Tax Collections – City of St. Cloud *Total as of 12/10/2021

heSeptember tax law allows businesses to deduct August expenses that help them bring July in new customers and keep June existing ones. These costs may include expenses for May advertising and marketing that April are considered ordinary and March necessary.

AnFebruary ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in January the industry.

A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for the trade or business. An expense does not have to be indispensable to be considered necessary.

TOTAL: 1868

TOTAL: $1,287,691 $1.5M

$2M

Ordinary and Necessary

TOTAL: 1823

$1M

$1.5M

Source: Tax Collections – City of St. Cloud

1500

$500k

TOTAL: $1,287,691

TOTAL: $1,604,677

$1500000

$0

$1M

1000

Data not released at time of print

$1000000

2019

$500k

January

Home Sales Closed in St. Cloud Area

1500

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, WAITE PARK, ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH

$0

TOTAL: $749,418 Food and Beverage Tax Collection

ST. CLOUD

March February

Feb

TOTAL: $840,042*

2021

2021

ST. CLOUD

TOTAL: $1,604,677

500

Lodging Tax Dollars

0

$500000

Food and Beverage Tax Collection

ST. CLOUD

1000

2019

Mar

Jan $150M $200M Housing/Real Estate sources: St. Cloud Area Association of Realtors, http://stcloudrealtors.com/pages/statistics.

2021

2020

April

*Total as of 12/10/2021

2020

2019

2021

2020

2019

$0

$100M

May

TOTAL: 1823

Apr

TOTAL: $178,724,272

500

2020

May

2019

0

TOTAL: $1,287,691

June

TOTAL: 1868

June

TOTAL: $137,532,948

December

ST. CLOUD

November

Food and Beverage Tax Collection October

ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH UD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, WAITE PARK,

2021

October

September

August

July

June

November

May

April

March

February

January

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

November

Home Sales Closed in St. Cloud Area ing Permits 6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD, SAUK RAPIDS, SARTELL, October WAITE PARK,

2020

2000

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K N O W S

Whether it’s helping customers at crunch time,

watching staff develop, or taking her Mustang out for a spin, Pizza Ranch owner JACKIE HORSTMANN thrives on the rush.

W

When opportunity knocked in 2004, Jackie Horstmann threw open the door — and has been holding it wide open for others ever since.

Horstmann was a 16-year-old high school student when she started working at Pizza Ranch in Wadena. It wasn’t long before “I got a taste for working and for the money,” she said. “I wanted my car and all that kind of stuff.” She dropped out of sports and “I just dove into working … working and school.”

During her senior year, boss Darren Kelderman asked about Horstmann’s postgraduation plans. “I said, ‘I’m undecided.

I’m probably going to go to college for business. I don’t quite know.’

40

I said, ‘Is it bad if when I graduate, I just choose to keep working here?’ ” Horstmann recalled.

Kelderman told her there was nothing wrong with that and promoted her to closing manager.

“I was responsible for closing the store down my senior year,” Horstmann said, still a little awed by the memory. “I had to close the tills.

I had to make sure everything was locked up and checklists were done, and the crew was accountable. I had to be a team lead my senior year in high school.” Kelderman gave her the opportunity to “get a taste for leadership and management,” Horstmann said. “It just kept going with more responsibilities. I kept succeeding. He kept giving me more.”

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When Horstmann graduated in 2007, Kelderman promoted her to general manager. “I got more into the bookwork, more into running a solid operation with his leadership.

He was there guiding me.”

OWNERSHIP In autumn 2008 Kelderman pulled her aside and asked, “Have you ever thought of owning a Pizza Ranch?”

She had not. When Kelderman said he thought she would be good at it, “The first words out of my mouth were, ‘I didn’t go to college,’ ” Horstmann said. It didn’t matter to Kelderman, who told her she had all the hands-on training needed to be his business partner in opening a Pizza Ranch in the St. Cloud market.

BY JEANINE NISTLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL BUTKOWSKI, BUTKOWSKI DIGITAL IMAGING

JACKIE E V E R Y B O D Y

Fun Fact: There are more than 200 Pizza Ranch restaurants in 14 states.

The company was founded in Hull, Iowa, in 1981 by Adrie Groeneweg.

The corporate vision: To glorify God by positively impacting the world. Mission: To give every guest a legendary experience.

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BEST ADVICE:

“LIVE FOR A PURPOSE.”

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PROFILE

– Joe Gibbs, motivational speaker, who spoke personally with Horstmann at a conference she attended.

THE MUSTANG

It’s all about the adrenaline.

W

hen Jackie Horstmann turned 21 years old she bought herself a birthday gift – a 2015 5.0 Mustang with a Boss 302 Intake Manifold under the hood, Dyno Tuned and 405 rear wheel horsepower, with Kooks Long Tube headers. “I dreamt about that car, I saved money for it, I didn’t go out and party and drink, I saved my money to buy that Mustang,” Horstmann said.

Horstmann, along with silent partner Darren Kelderman, owns the Pizza Ranch in Waite Park. “The bar scene wasn’t fun to me.

Work was fun. So I worked, and I saved my money, and I bought myself the birthday present I always wanted.”

Horstmann has a passion for cars. She’s driven a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. A die-hard NASCAR fan, she’s been to the Richard Petty driving school where she drove a NASCAR. “That’s a

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Jackie Horstmann Age: 33

Family: Husband Josh Horstmann, 32; daughter Ava, 8; son Liam, 6 Hometown: Wadena, MN Education: High school diploma Hobbies: Spending time with my kids, sports cars, auto racing, listening to personal development podcasts (John Maxwell is a favorite), outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing and horseback riding, and attending Joe Gibbs seminars (Gibbs is a NASCAR team owner and former NFL head coach who launched a ministry).

workout!” she said. “The slower you drive, the harder it is to handle. The faster you drive, the smoother they go.”

She calls her Mustang, her hobby. “After a crazy busy day to go out for a drive – that lets me decompress. It’s fun. I’m pretty sure I’ll always have one. Maybe I’ll upgrade sometime, but this is good for now.” In fact, she’s back to driving it quite a bit more now that her children are older. It’s not about keeping the car pristine, which she does. Instead, it’s about the space. “Car seats and Mustangs don’t really go together,” she said.

Horstmann compares driving her Mustang to working in the restaurant when there’s a busy rush at the door. “I just get this huge adrenaline rush,” she said. “And at the end of the day you think about how many people we’ve touched, how many happy customers have been in the restaurant, and I’m seeing my staff grow and spread their wings, and it’s all so cool.”

JUST LIKE HER MUSTANG.

When Horstmann returned, Kelderman said, “I’m going to step away. I’m going to be a silent partner. You’ve got a team intact. You’ve got a great team.

You’re going to be running it daily.”

“It felt like I jumped out of a plane with no parachute,” Horstmann said. “I clearly remember sitting at the table and he said, ‘You have nothing to worry about. You’ve done this for years. I’m a phone call away.’ He said, ‘I will not let you fail. If you stick to the basics, you will be successful.’ ” Horstmann smiles, shakes her head, and glows a little as she recalls his praise and confidence in her.

The Pizza Ranch basics, Horstmann said, are a full, fresh buffet, a clean environment, and great service. She has followed that recipe in Waite Park for 12 years. In the meantime, she partnered with Kelderman to open Pizza Ranch restaurants in Hibbing (2014) and Perham (2017).

While preparing to open Hibbing, Horstmann worked some 65- to 70-hour weeks,

leaving home early in the morning and returning in the wee hours, sometimes staying in Hibbing for two or three days at a time. “I’m kind of a doer,” Horstmann said. “I’m a very hands-on doer. Whatever needs to be done, I’ll do that.”

By age 29, she was part owner of three restaurants – and had given members of her Waite Park team opportunities to move up into ownership/ management positions in Hibbing and Perham. She is mentoring others the way Kelderman mentored her.

And she’s gone a step beyond.

Kelderman said he is no longer teaching Horstmann. “I’m learning from her. Somewhere in there, it switched around.”

LEADERSHIP Horstmann doesn’t hire to fill specific positions. She hires for what she sees in people. “I like to coach and develop people,” she said. “I’m all about team, teamwork, developing team.

Seeing these people that I take when they’re 15 years old and developing them with their first job, teaching them how to

S S E N I S U B

Kelderman appreciated Horstmann’s farm-girl work ethic, her energy and excitement. “She was reliable, smart and cared about people,” he said. “That’s what it’s about.”

“He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Horstmann said.

Horstmann’s parents and boyfriend (who became her husband in 2011) said they would support whatever she decided to do. She accepted the boss’s offer. In November 2008, Horstmann and Kelderman signed a lease for 110 Second Street South, #119, in Waite Park. Construction started in January 2009.

The doors of the Waite Park Pizza Ranch opened that May. Throughout planning, construction, preparation and opening, “I was learning as I was going,” Horstmann said. “Every day was a new challenge, a new day. I learned something new every day.”

In August of that year, while Horstmann traveled to a Pizza Ranch-sponsored NASCAR race, Kelderman ran the Waite Park restaurant.

110 Second Street South, Suite 119 Waite Park, MN 56387 320-203-8646 waiteparkpizzaranch @gmail.com pizzaranch.com/ locations/mn/ waite-park/1102nd-street-south

PROFILE

Waite Park Pizza Ranch Inc.

Business Description: Buffet restaurant featuring pizza, soup, salad, broasted chicken and sides, and ice cream. “Buffet Your Way” allows customers to request their favorite pizza and have it delivered to their table.

After those customers take the first few slices, staff takes the rest to the buffet for other guests to enjoy. Party rooms are available. Pizza Ranch also offers catering. Non-profit organizations can schedule fundraisers where Pizza Ranch will donate 10 percent of sales on a scheduled Monday night.

Ownership: Jackie Horstmann owns 49% of the Waite Park operation, 20% of Hibbing, and 24% of Perham Number of employees: The Waite Park Pizza Ranch employs 39 people, which includes the management team 2020 sales: $1.4 million 2021 projected sales: $2.3 million

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TIMELINE

2000-2004 Jackie Horstmann works on the family dairy farm

with them and making sure they’re satisfied. “Everybody knows Jackie.”

“We have so many regular guests and know exactly what kind of pizza they request and like brought right to their table,” Horstmann said.

October 2004 Horstmann begins working at the Wadena Pizza Ranch

2007 Horstmann graduates from high school at age 18 and becomes general manager at the Wadena Pizza Ranch, owned by Darren Kelderman 2008 Kelderman offers Horstmann a partnership and opportunity to open the Waite Park Pizza Ranch January 2009 Horstmann moves to St. Cloud to oversee construction, hire staff, and promote Pizza Ranch in the community May 18, 2009 The Waite Park Pizza Ranch opens 2014 Kelderman offers Horstmann an opportunity to open the Hibbing Pizza Ranch; Horstmann in turn offers one of the Waite Park restaurant managers the opportunity to move into ownership/management at the Hibbing restaurant, continuing the mentoring experience she received from Kelderman 2015 Brian Guimond joins the Waite Park Pizza Ranch as general manager 2017 Horstmann partners with Kelderman on the Perham Pizza Ranch

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

sweep the floor, teaching them how to wipe a table, teaching them how to wash the dishes, whatever it might be, and then seeing them when they’re 18, 19, still with me, four or five years later, and seeing the person they’ve become. It’s so satisfying to see a person grow and thrive.”

She enjoys helping staff overcome weaknesses. “I thrive on taking a weak employee and making them stronger.

Everybody has that gold nugget in them,” she said. “Find that strength and watch them grow with that strength. … I didn’t get where I’m at without having great support around me.”

Some former team members have come back to visit and told Horstmann that lessons they learned at Pizza Ranch have positively impacted their careers in education, health care, even law enforcement.

Horstmann sees her team as a “close, tight-knit family.

That’s the culture we’ve created

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here. I’m a hands-on owner,” she added. If it’s washing dishes with the team, I’m there. If it’s making pizzas, I’m there.

Sometimes people get caught up in titles, like ‘I’m the owner.

I’m doing this.’ ” But that’s not Horstmann’s style. “I work next to them. That earns their respect. I can feel what they feel.”

General Manager Brian Guimond confirms that. “Jackie takes care of her management team and crew,” he said, adding that she is easy to talk with and really listens to her employees.

After a 35-year career with other restaurants, Guimond said, working with Horstmann is refreshing. Previous bosses were not as open to suggestions. “She’s not afraid to change and to adjust,” he said.

“We’re good at collaborating.

I think we make a really good team for moving the business forward.”

Guimond also said that Horstmann sincerely cares about her customers, visiting

Customers, Horstmann said, supported Pizza Ranch in 2020 when the restaurant closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Customers asked whether they could get Pizza Ranch chicken as takeout. “You want Pizza Ranch chicken?”

Horstmann said. “Come do curbside.” Then came Mother’s Day 2020, when a long line of cars sat outside, waiting for their orders of not just chicken, but mashed potatoes, pizza, and other Ranch favorites. A year later, on Mother’s Day 2021, she launched a Sunday breakfast/ brunch buffet “that has been a great hit.”

Horstmann is grateful for support from both the community, and from Pizza Ranch headquarters. “It was nice to have a corporation you could call and guide you through this unknown territory we were charting,” she said. “There were so many unknowns. The worst part was coming into a restaurant that was empty. I just kept telling myself that God has a plan and it will all work out.”

The pandemic “did force our hand to really think outside

the box,” she said. “I had two options: Sit back and do nothing and get depressed, or put my entrepreneurial hat on and get creative and ask what we can do to still keep sales coming in and keep my management team and staff able to get hours to pay their bills.”

They began offering breakfast and regular pizzas to be baked at home. Managers handled curbside orders, handed out fliers, and cleaned the kitchen. Horstmann remembers telling them, “I will give you hours. I will give you all the hours you need to pay your bills. You can trust

me and stick with me. We will make it through this.” She also said, “If you want to go out and get another job, I will respect that.” Most managers stayed. The Ranch lost about 15 other employees during each of two COVID-related shutdowns. “There were so many unknowns. It was a mind game,” Horstmann said.

Like businesses around the country, Horstmann’s Pizza Ranch has been challenged by staff shortages. She has met with high school counselors, asking them to let students know that she can schedule around classes, sports and

COACHING AND MENTORING Doing her best for her team and her customers is how Jackie Horstmann defines success.

J

ackie Horstmann has the energy and enthusiasm of three or four women.

Ask her about her career with Pizza Ranch and she will rattle off her 17-year history with the company without taking a breath. Or she will write a stream-of-consciousness paragraph about the people with whom she works.

Consider this example of her exuberant writing: “People are very important to me!” Or this about her management team: “I absolutely love watching them grow and for me the mentoring and coaching is my favorite part and finding the strength within them and pulling that out of them to make them become the best version of themselves they can be. I have so many that have been with me for years and to see the growth in their abilities is just short of amazing!”

Earlier, Horstmann shared, “I envision this solid, top-performing team that’s driven and I can stand back and say I helped develop that team.”

Horstmann seemingly gives her all to the Waite Park restaurant, which she owns with her business partner and mentor Darren Kelderman. But she somehow has plenty left to give to her family, her hobbies, and her God.

other extracurriculars. She has instituted referral and sign-on bonuses. For a time, she closed the restaurant for two evenings a week to avoid burning out her stretched-thin staff. “I want to take care of my team,” Horstmann said.

“That’s very important to me because my team takes care of my customers.”

She looks back at the year before the pandemic and says, “2019 was a great year. In 2019, I felt we had everything dialed in. It was a nice, strong year.”

By late 2021, sales were recovering from the prior year, but had not yet matched 2019.

“I think we’ll get back pretty soon to volume,” Horstmann said in late fall 2021. “I really, truly think mindset has a lot to do with it and passing that on to the team.

“As I sit here and reflect on the past, I would not change anything about the entrepreneurial journey that I am on,” Horstmann said.

“To be honest, it has made my whole team stronger, including myself, along with the business.”

Jeanine Nistler is a communications professional, living and working in St. Cloud.

Horstmann cannot say enough about the support of her highschool-sweetheart-turned-husband, Josh Horstmann. In fact, she says, he didn’t hesitate to move from Wadena to St. Cloud in 2009 to help her launch the Waite Park operation. “He jumped with me. …

He was right beside me all the time.” The couple married in 2011.

When she is away from the restaurant, Horstmann loves spending time with her husband and their children, 8-year-old Ava and 6-yearold Liam. Her list of non-work interests is long and varied. She is passionate about cars – sports, race, and muscle. On her 21st birthday, she bought “my very first muscle car, a Mustang, which was my dream car at the time.” She’s an auto racing enthusiast and is thrilled to have attended NASCAR races.

And then there is her love of the outdoors – hunting, fishing, horseback riding.

But all of that is not quite enough. Horstmann finds time for more.

“Mindset is everything,” Horstmann said. “I am daily working on myself, trying to become the best version of myself.” She enjoys listening to personal development podcasts. “John Maxwell is one of my favorites,” she said. She not only has attended motivational seminars by former NFL coach Joe Gibbs, but she is also giddy about the fact that she got to speak with him at an event in Iowa.

And let’s not forget about Horstmann’s faith. She appreciates that Pizza Ranch is a Christian company and tells others to “hold onto faith. God has a plan.”

Horstmann is proud of all she has accomplished with the support of her family, mentor, team, and God. She plans to keep right on accomplishing. There’s no early retirement on her agenda, she said.

“It’s in my blood to stay active.” —JN

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F E AT U R E

Re-Careering

More and more of us are reinventing ourselves by changing industries and starting businesses.

By Gracie Miller

T

he days of choosing a career and staying with it until retirement are long over. The median number of years that employees of all ages have worked for their employer is now 4.1. For Americans ages 25 to 34 that number dips to just 2.8 years. Not only are we changing jobs more frequently,

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we’re also reinventing ourselves by changing industries entirely or starting businesses.

Three local business people have made career changes that they each define differently, but nevertheless had a big impact on their lives. Diane Hageman, now the fund development director for the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA, worked in public relations for a variety of organizations and then owned her own PR agency prior to her current role. She did some guided soul searching as she decided what her next move would be, via a nine-month course at the University of Minnesota called the Advanced Careers Initiative.

This course was specifically

For Hageman, the decision to try something new grew from the fact that the public relations landscape was changing dramatically with the advent of social media. created for “encore adults” (55+) with an interest in nonprofit, social enterprise, or public service sectors.

For Hageman, the decision to try something new grew from the fact that the public relations landscape was changing dramatically with the advent of social media. The focus on that technology wasn’t aligning with her strengths. On top of that, she tended to “get itchy” every five-seven years and look

for opportunities to grow. The path to her current career was a slow, but natural road. Before attending the program at the U of M, the desire to work in public service “was a 15-20 year brewing process,” she said. “I’d been a member of the YMCA since my son was a baby and he is 30 this year. I breathe the mission.”

The transition wasn’t without its challenges. The pandemic happened just months

after she was hired. “I feel like I’m doing things in year two that I would’ve done in year one,” she said. “Learning all the new systems like donation software...

Your head kind of spins! It pushed me in ways I didn’t know were possible. But this has been a really good fit for me. This will be what I do until I retire.

Community impact is a focus for me and always has been.”

Jon Ruis, now the director of strategy and business

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development for the law firm Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A., was formerly executive director of the United Way for eight years. “This sounds like a more dramatic change than it was,” he said. His new company has always been active and

involved in the community.

“They have a long history of being supportive of the United Way. I knew about the culture, about the people, and said, ‘that’s a great place to work.’ ” For Ruis, making a change had to be a cultural fit and align with

his values. His personal mission about helping people succeed and getting things done dovetails nicely with his role of leading attorneys to think about where they’re going as a business.

Having never worked in the legal profession before, he had a lot to learn. “There are days you need to know things on a granular level like the trends within the legal profession,” he said. “I’ve never thought leaving a job was going to get rid of challenges, you just take on new challenges at the new job.”

If you’re trying to make a career change because you don’t like something, Ruis advises that it’s going to feel like the grass is always greener on the other side. “It’s still work! If

you’re considering a change, make it because it’s going to add to your life, open up new worlds for you,” he said. “Do it because you’re looking for growth. Do it for the positive side of it.” He admits it takes courage to leave a role, especially when you’re successful and nothing is particularly wrong, but you’re simply ready for a new opportunity.

Bonnie Rodness has made a few career changes in her life, but they were all related to finance and accounting. Now the director of outsourced services at accounting firm Schlenner Wenner & Co., she worked as the general manager for the Holiday Inn for many years, then went to work as the VP of finance for

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the United Way. Just this year she made the move to Schlenner Wenner.

In her first career change the challenge was figuring out what she wanted to do when the Holiday Inn was sold to a company that had different needs. She had been volunteering with the United Way and other organizations on finance committees for a long time, but never in a paid capacity. When United Way hired her, “they gave me a chance — my skills were slightly different. They let me prove myself,” she said.

When she was ready for her most recent change, she used the network she had built over the years. She had

“Carpe diem! People realize that skills are transferable.

You’ve got the ability to learn new things, accept new cultures and embrace the change. So you can do anything!”

– BONNIE RODNESS

known people at Schlenner Wenner since 1997 and had her own taxes done there. She appreciated the fact that they gave back to the community.

Rodness recommends meeting with people to expand your network and gain clarity about what you have to offer.

“Talking to people helped define what I do well,” she said.

“Being in hospitality you get great joy from serving others.

And that hasn’t changed.”

Her advice for would-be career changers is to seize the day “Carpe diem!” she said.

“People realize that skills are transferable. You’ve got the ability to learn new things, accept new cultures and embrace the change. So you can do anything!”

There are sometimes surprising benefits to changing careers that aren’t just financial or growth oriented.

Rodness, Ruis, and Hageman

all mentioned being humbled by the kindness of their new business community and clients’ gratitude.

Gracie Miller is a certified career and life purpose coach and the owner of Live Life Purpose Coaching and Consulting in Minneapolis.

Learn more at LiveLifePurpose.com.

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PROFIT

BUSINESSSPOTLIGHT

ERICKSON ELECTRIC

It’s About Trust

TIMELINE

The owners of Erickson Electric are serious about their responsibilities to employees and customers.

1944 John Erickson opens Erickson Electric

AT A G L A N C E

By Gail Ivers

Erickson Electric Company Inc. 3308 Southway Dr St. Cloud, MN 56301-9513 (320) 251-1501 ericksonelectricmn.com

Business Description: Electrical contractors for commercial, industrial, maintenance, remodeling Opened: 1944 by John Erickson Owners: Steve and Michelle Sauer; Chris Dalton Number of Employees: 25 // Joined the Chamber: 1970

stuff. This is technical, but the infrastructure of the electrical grid has changed – in large part due to the drive to save energy. It’s made electrical jobs more hazardous.

Michelle: Finding employees.

You can make good money, it’s a profession. But communicating that to kids can be tough.

Business Central: You’ve made it through some pretty rough economies.

Steve: We signed the purchase agreement on Sept. 1, 2001, and on Sept. 11 I thought we’d made the worst decision of our lives. <laughs> It seems like when housing goes down, manufacturing goes up. When manufacturing goes down, something else goes up. We’re feeling it right now with COVID, but never have I said, “This is going to be the end of us.”

Michelle: Each hit has changed us.

The downturns force you to adjust.

PERSONAL PROFILES

BC: What do you like best?

Steve: I like a lot of stuff. Pride of employing others and taking care of their families. Keeping The Owners of Erickson Electric: Steve Sauer (L), Michelle Sauer, customers happy. There’s no and Chris Dalton better feeling than coming in on time and on budget.

Michelle: The ability to have an BC: What’s been your biggest challenge? impact – with employees and customers. And the Chris: Learning the business side of the company. challenge – I had to learn the electrical world, the I used to just run the guys, focus on the operations, business language. I like challenges. and just dabbled in the business issues.

Chris: Customer interaction and knowing they're Steve: Increased regulations and the way we do satisfied with the work that’s done.

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Steve Sauer, 60

Michelle Sauer, 62

Chris Dalton, 47

Hometown: St. Cloud

Hometown: Sauk Rapids

Hometown: Duluth

Education: Dunwoody Institute for electrical trade

Education: Graduated from Cathedral High School and the College of Saint Benedict (CSB); received a Master’s Degree in Community Counseling from St. Cloud State University.

Worked at CSB for 28 years, retiring as the associate director of academic advising.

Education: Attended trade school in Duluth

Hobbies: Hunting, woodworking, travel, St. Augustine’s Men’s Group, grandchildren Family: Steve and Michelle were childhood sweethearts and married in 1983; two children and two grandchildren.

Hobbies: Baking, playing the flute, grandchildren

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Family: Married to Joy; five children ages 18 to 26 Hobbies: Pheasant hunting, playing with his dog, riding his Harley

1975 Erickson sells the business to Gary Flam 1983 Steve Sauer begins working at Erickson Electric 1991-1995 Sauer leaves Erickson Electric to teach in the electrical program at the St. Cloud Technical & Community College in St. Cloud Late 1995 Sauer returns to Erickson Electric with the agreement that he will eventually purchase the business 1998 Sauer becomes a 1/3 partner in Erickson Electric 2001 Steve and Michelle Sauer become full owners of the business; Chris Dalton graduates from trade school in Duluth 2004 Dalton joins Erickson Electric 2011 Dalton is in a severe car accident and is out of work for 2.5 years 2014 Dalton returns to Erickson Electric as operations manager 2015 Michelle Erickson joins the business 2019 Dalton becomes a partner in Erickson Electric; the company moves into their current location

Physicians Find Banking Physicians Find Banking Partners with thethe Same Values Partners with Same Values After years serving as physicians in central After years serving as physicians in central Minnesota, Darin Willardsen and Todd Minnesota, Darin Willardsen and Todd Severnak knew they faced a problem.

Severnak knew they faced a problem.

Communities throughout Minnesota still Communities throughout Minnesota still weren't receiving the proper hospitalist weren't receiving the proper hospitalist support they deserved. What these critical support they deserved. What these critical access hospitals needed was 24/7 support, access hospitals needed was 24/7 support, 365 days a year. So, the idea for Horizon 365 days a year. So, the idea for Horizon Virtual (HV) was born.

Virtual (HV) was born.

But, it would take just the right banking But, it would take just the right banking partner to bring it to life. partner to bring it to life.

Shared Values Shared Values

“We pride ourselves on providing efficient care to pride ourselves providing efficient people“We in their time of need.on When we think aboutcare our to peoplewe in their of same need.core When we think about our partnerships, look time for the values we have. partnerships, weDeerwood look for the same core values weall have.

With Denise Rosin and Bank, they’ve checked With Denise Rosin and Deerwood Bank, they’ve checked all our boxes. The way I look at it, they are a big bank with small our boxes.

The way I look at it, they are a big bank with small town service—and that’s what we’re looking for,” says Todd. town service—and that’s what we’re looking for,” says Todd.

HV uses multiple screens and communication equipment to HV usesanywhere multiple screens and communication equipment to treat patients there's an Internet connection. treat patients anywhere there's an 12 Internet connection.

Quite literally anywhere.

And over the last months, Quite literally anywhere. over the lastin 12this months, healthcare providers have seenAnd a huge increase type healthcare providers have seen a huge increase in this type of virtual treatment.

It's already led to safer interactions of virtual treatment.

It's already led to safer interactions with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The other half is a value-based relationship. Todd says, The half is a value-based relationship.

Todd says, “We want toother give hospitals more than what's expected.

“We want to give hospitals more than what's expected.

That stuff is irreplaceable.” Having around-the-clock is irreplaceable.”

Having supportThat fromstuff telehospitalists delivers thataround-the-clock added value. support from telehospitalists delivers that added At the same time, Deerwood continues to impress the value.

At the same time, Deerwood continues to impress the two physicians. two physicians.

“It’s not just the advice and support we get on the “It’s notofjust the advice wethe getbank on the financial side things.

It's alsoand thesupport good that side of things.

It's also the good that the bank does infinancial the community, especially for those in healthcare. does inon the community, especially for those in healthcare.

From serving boards to being well-respected From serving on boards to being well-respected throughout the industry. Denise and Deerwood have done the industry.

Denise and Deerwood have done a stellarthroughout job in the central Minnesota community.” a stellar job in the central Minnesota community.”

Horizon Virtual plans to expand, with hopes of growing VirtualMidwestern plans to expand, with hopesthat of growing into theHorizon surrounding states.

Through the surrounding Midwestern states. growth,into they're excited to keep teaming up with Through Denise that growth, they're excited to keep teaming up with Denise Rosin at Deerwood Bank.

Rosin at Deerwood Bank.

“A good banking partner isn’t about the “A good banking partner about brick-and-mortar buildings, it’sisn’t about thethe brick-and-mortar it’s about the people who work there.buildings, We started way people who work there.

We started way back in the day with Denise, and she’s backus in the withWhen Denise, been with everday since. youand findshe’s been with us ever since.

When good people, you stick with them.” you find good people, you stick with them.”

Image below, from left to right: Todd Severnak, Founder & CMO, Image below, from left toHorizon right: Virtual Denise Rosin, VP of Private Banking, Deerwood Bank Todd Severnak, Founder & CMO, Horizon Virtual Darin Willardson, Founder & Private CEO, Horizon Virtual Denise Rosin, VP of Banking, Deerwood Bank Darin Willardson, Founder & CEO, Horizon Virtual

Although things have been hectic, Darin and Todd Although thingson have still place an emphasis thebeen corehectic, values Darin of HV.and Todd still place an emphasis on the core values of HV. Providing service and value.

Providing service and value.

“Our company has always been about service “OurDarin. company haswhat always been aboutinservice first,” says “That's sets us apart first,” says Darin.right “That's what sets apart in our industry.”

So going to Denise five us years our So going right to Denise ago was anindustry.” obvious choice.

Meanwhile, Darin five years agohave wasrelied an obvious choice. Meanwhile, and Todd on Deerwood's customer Darin Todd20 have relied on Deerwood's customer serviceand for over years.

“I think of them more service for over 20 years.

“I think of them more as a friend. A friend who gives you sound as a friend.

A friend who gives you sound advice,” says Todd. Darin adds, “I don’t ever advice,” sayswith Todd.

Darin adds, “I don’t ever mind calling Denise anything.

I have her cell mind calling Denise with anything.

I have her cell phone number in case something was to ever phone number in case something come up.

I don’t know many other banks was to ever come up.

I don’t know many other banks who offer that kind of support.” who offer that kind of support.”

Sartell | 320.252.4200 Sartell | 320.252.4200

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