September/October 2021

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2021

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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 .

Cover Story

PROFIT

32

LITTLE DEALERSHIP ON THE PRAIRIE Joe Sexton and Gary Posch didn’t set out to have three dealerships, a finance company, a couple of foundations, and a baseball team. But that’s what happened.

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

Not everyone is a born leader, but you can strengthen your leadership muscles when you practice these tips.

42 EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE, ALL AROUND THE TOWN

NETWORK 10 UPFRONT Valuable information designed to guide and educate.

38 LEADERSHIP WORKOUT

54 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Jim Jacobs, Jacobs Financial

GROW

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 : 6 Pr e s i d e n t ’ s Le t t e r / 8 Ed i t o r ’ s N o t e / 2 0 N e t w o r k Ce n t ra l

ONLYONLINE BUSINESSCENTRAL MAGAZINE.COM

• Get Paid Faster • Make Meetings Work • Pause before Firing • Designing Staff Retreats

Regional developments are not cutting corners — they’re filling them.

51 2021 CENTRAL MINNESOTA GROWTH GUIDE

© Copyright 2021 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.

refinancing made nice & simple

“

The refinancing process couldn’t have been easier with Deerwood. From the beginning, Denise and her team answered questions for us and helped us choose the best term and rate. Everything was done online, and we never had to go into the bank office, which was really convenient for our busy family. We set up our auto payment on the Deerwood app, so it’s all automatic from here. We saved about eight years and thousands of dollars by refinancing. Plus, we got a crazy good rate—even lower than they originally thought!

”

Kayla and Shawn Deerwood Bank Refinance Customers

deerwoodbank.com 320.252.4200

Deerwood Bank NMLS #408174

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

A New Chapter

M

y heart is full of gratitude as I begin a new

and dedicated volunteers. I look forward to partnering

chapter with the St Cloud Area Chamber of

with you to strategically position the Chamber as the

Commerce. I visited St. Cloud 25 years ago as a tourist.

area’s leading convener of great ideas, leadership,

Soon thereafter I relocated from south Florida and now

engagement, and business advocacy. I am dedicated

have spent nearly half my life promoting this great place.

to building on our success, taking on new challenges,

When first introduced to the region I was enticed by

and continuously looking for new and innovative

the welcoming feel, quality of life, cost of living, work

opportunities for growth.

opportunities, and impressive business growth. Since

Through the years I’ve had the pleasure to get to

day one, I have been so proud to work for the Chamber,

know and work alongside so many of you, and I look

an organization that contributes to these community

forward to continuing to do so in my new capacity.

successes every day.

And for those of you I do not know yet, I’m eager to

As executive director of the Chamber’s Convention

meet you and build our relationship. I’m confident

and Visitors Bureau, I’ve had the great privilege to

that together we will accomplish great things for our

represent the St. Cloud area and its hospitality and

community and local business.

tourism industry. It has been an incredibly rewarding

I am humbled, thankful, and honored to carry on

experience working with our team to bring hundreds of

our Chamber’s 152-year legacy and continue the great

thousands of people to town. These visitors have been

work done by past and current board members,

introduced to new experiences, made lifelong memories,

volunteers, and of course retired President Teresa Bohnen.

and contributed to our local economies through leisure

I encourage you to share your ideas and hopes for the

travel, meetings and conventions, special events, and

future of the Chamber, my door is always open and

tournaments. Together we must continue to ensure that

I look forward to talking with you soon.

our destination is full of unique amenities that contribute to our quality of life, benefit residents, draw visitors, and attract and retain employers and employees.

As your new Chamber president I’m thrilled for the opportunity to lead our successful 5-Star Chamber and work with the organization’s talented team, members,

Editor’s Note: Learn more about Julie in "New at the Top" on page 15.

Julie Lunning Publisher

2020-21 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

Membership Specialist: Antoinette Valenzuela, ext. 134 Administrative Assistant: Vicki Lenneman, ext. 122 Administrative Assistant: Shelly Imdieke, ext. 100 Communications Intern: Tess Glenzinski

Marilyn Birkland, LocaliQ Ron Brandenburg, Quinlivan & Hughes, Past Board Chair

Willie Jett, St. Cloud School District Kevin Johnson, K. Johnson Construction, Board Vice Chair Bernie Perryman, Batteries Plus Bulbs, Board Chair

John Bryant, Geo-Comm

Paul Radeke, BerganKDV

Main Phone: 320-251-4170

Christy Gilleland, Gilleland Chevrolet Cadillac

Brenda Sickler, Theisen Dental

Executive Director: Rachel Thompson, ext. 111

Allison Waggoner, DCI Inc.

Tanja Goering

Director of Sports & Special Events: Dana Randt, ext. 110

Ray Herrington, Pioneer Place on Fifth

Donella Westphal, Jules’ Bistro

Sales Manager: Nikki Fisher, ext. 112

Joe Hellie, CentraCare

Social Media & Marketing Specialist: Emily Bertram, ext. 129

Patrick Hollermann, InteleCONNECT

CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU STAFF ____________________________

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

SBA 504 Refinance Rule Changes Are Here!

Let MBFC walk you through the changes.

As of July 29, 2021, the SBA published a new interim final rule that affects 504 Debt Refi programs under Sect. 328 of Economic Aid Act. The interim rule is effective immediately, and new SBA 504 Refinance loan applications can now be processed. Section 328(a) of the Economic Aid Act revises the conditions and requirements for refinancing debt in the 504 loan program as follows: For 504 debt refinancing WITH expansion, the amount of the existing debt being refinanced increased from not more than 50% to not more than 100% of the project costs of the expansion.

For 504 debt refinancing WITHOUT expansion, requirement that the program be at zero subsidy was eliminated. Plus: • Qualified debt must be at least 6 months old before SBA application date to be eligible (reduced from 2 years old).

• This allows the refinance of existing government guaranteed debt.

Existing SBA policies related to refinancing existing 504 or 7(a) loans will apply (these are the same requirements that currently exist for the 504 debt refinance with expansion program), including: • For an existing 504 loan, either both the Third Party Loan and the 504 loan must be refinanced, or the Third Party Loan must be paid in full.

• For an existing 7(a) or 504 loan, the CDC must verify in writing that the present lender is either unwilling or unable to modify the current payment schedule. In the case of same institution debt, if

the Third Party Lender or the CDC affiliate is the 7(a) lender, the loan will be eligible for 504 refinancing only if the lender is unable to modify the terms of the existing loan because a secondary market investor will not agree to modified terms.

• The refinancing of any federally-guaranteed debt will provide a “substantial benefit” to the borrower – minimum 10% savings on the new installment amount attributable to the debt being refinanced (same definition as currently used in the 504 debt refinance with expansion program); this is required now for all 504 debt refinance with expansion projects • The new rules eliminate the requirement that the borrower must be current on all payments due for not less than 1 year before the SBA application date – in accordance with prudent lending standards, SBA expects the CDC to consider whether the applicant is current on all payments due and the applicant’s history of delinquency in its credit analysis.

More details coming soon! Connect with MBFC for all of your SBA 504 lending and refinance needs, including training opportunities.

Serving all of Minnesota, as well as Western Wisconsin, and Eastern North Dakota. We’ll come to you!

MBFC.org | Offices in St. Cloud ● Minneapolis ● Detroit Lakes | 320-258-5000

EDITOR’S NOTE

(Far lef t) Gail Ivers with her mother during a trip to Colorado. Ever y trip is better with ice cream.

Editor Gail Ivers with Brandl Motors owners Gar y Posch (L) and Joe Sexton.

The Giants of Minnesota

A

s I write this, I am preparing to leave on a vacation

April, when we first heard about this promotion, we have

that my Aunt Nancy and I have dubbed “The Giants

been looking forward to searching out ice cream shops and

of Minnesota and Ice Cream Tour.” Think The Jolly Green

supporting the local economies. If I’m honest, the giants are

Giant and Paul Bunyan.

just an excuse to eat ice cream.

There are a surprising number of Minnesota giants:

Central Minnesota’s small towns are full of a surprising

roadside attractions, water towers, sculpture parks, even a

number of things to do. If you want a fun little day trip, visit

mini-golf course. Because we are limited by time and the

the Nyberg Sculpture Park in Vining. I first stumbled on this

distance we are willing to travel, we are focusing primarily

delightful collection of giants while traveling to Perham

on Central Minnesota giants. For instance, Mora has a

for a family fishing trip. My personal favorite is the floating

Dala horse (I had to look up Dala horse), Isle has a muskie,

coffee cup.

Rothsay has a prairie chicken, and Hackensack is home to Lucette, Paul Bunyan’s sweetheart. As one might expect,

For the photo shoot of Joe Sexton and Gary Posch, owners of Brandl Motors (see the story on page 32),

Blackduck has a black duck, Deerwood a deer, and Pelican Rapids a pelican.

We are going to start our tour with the triceratops in

photographer Joel Butkowski

Central Minnesota’s small towns are full of a surprising number of things to do.

If you want a fun little day trip, visit the Nyberg Sculpture Park in Vining.

Elk River on our way home

Notice that this is “The Giants of Minnesota and Ice

(Another good day trip with lots of interesting things to do.) As you can see, we were outside shooting photos by

from the airport, which will be accompanied by a stop at the Amore Ice Cream Shoppe.

and I traveled to Little Falls.

the vehicles. And as with every day this summer, it was very sunny and very hot.

As we returned to St. Cloud, I started telling Joel about

Cream Tour.” Aunt Nancy and I believe that any trip is a

my planned vacation when he interrupted me with,

good trip as long as it includes ice cream. Our goal during

“I like ice cream.” This naturally led to a stop at the

her six-day visit is to stop at six different ice cream shops,

Royalton Dairy Queen.

using as our excuse the Explore Minnesota “Minnesota

Every trip is better with ice cream.

Scoop” summer ice cream promotion. Nearly 100 ice cream

Until next issue,

shops across Minnesota have crafted their own take on an #OnlyinMN treat. Originally you needed to pick up a punch card at any participating shop for a chance to receive a “Minnesota Scoops” t-shirt. Sadly, they're now out of stock.

But it's still clearly a promotion with us in mind. Ever since

8

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

.

Gail Ivers, Editor

Publisher Julie Lunning // Managing Editor Gail Ivers CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Samantha Bromenshenkel and Lynn MacDonald, St. Cloud State University Bethany Cross and Stefanie Brown, Rinke Noonan Tess Glenzinski, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce

Let’s get down to Business.

Luke Greiner, Minn. Dept. of Employment & Economic Development Michelle Henderson, BadCat Digital Dr. Fred E. Hill, St. Cloud State University Gail Ivers, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Randy Krebs, Freelance writer Jeanine Nistler, Freelance writer Steve Penick, Stearns History Museum Dr. Beth Triplett, High Impact Training John Young, ROCORI Spartans Booster Club ACCOUNTING Judy Zetterlund WEBSITE Vicki Lenneman ADVERTISING Associate Publisher/Sales Melinda Vonderahe Ad Traffic & Circulation Yola Hartmann, Hazel Tree Media ART Design & Production Yola Hartmann, Hazel Tree Media Cover Story Photography Joel Butkowski, BDI Photography

We build the relationship that helps build your business.

Your business is unique—and MidCountry Bank knows that for businesses that need personalized, customized solutions, bigger isn’t always better. Our Business Banking Experts are locals who do business right here.

They will respond to your needs, advocate for you, and tailor solutions to help you succeed. Because when your business thrives, life is better for all of us.

Find out how MidCountry Bank can get things done for you.

Visit us online or meet with Keith Gordon, Market President - St. Cloud.

Keith Gordon

Market President - St. Cloud NMLS# 698317 Phone: 320-229-5278 Keith.Gordon@MidCountryBank.com

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

1113 W. St. Germain St. St. Cloud, MN 56301

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

MIDCOUNTRY.BANK

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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

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : People to Know / Do it Now ! / Dig g in g H is to ry / T h e Tro u b le w it h Bu s in ess BOOK REVIEW

NEWS REEL

Habits for Life

Neuman celebrates 30 years with Boys & Girls Clubs

Developing new behaviors can start with the tiniest change.

Reviewed by Dr. Fred Hill

“BJ Fogg is here to change your life – and revolutionize how we think about human behavior. Based on twenty years of research and Fogg’s experience coaching more than 40,000 people, Tiny Habits cracks

Tommi Neuman has been with Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota since 1991,

the code of habit formation. With breakthrough discoveries in every chapter, you’ll learn the simplest

celebrating 30 years of service

proven ways to transform your life. Fogg shows you how to feel good about your successes instead of bad

in June. She began as a youth

about your failures. Whether you want to lose weight, de-stress, sleep better, or be more productive each day, Tiny Habits makes it easy to achieve.”

T

Stop judging yourself.

Take your aspirations and break them down into tiny behaviors. Embrace mistakes

now serves as senior director of human resources.

— From Tiny Habits, The Small Changes That Change Everything his is a beautiful book, with abundant visuals supporting the written word.

It starts with a very supporting Introduction, followed by eight chapters, and a meaningful Conclusion. The chapters are: 1 The Elements of Behavior 2 Motivation – Focus on Matching 3 Ability – Easy Does It 4 Prompts – The Power of After 5 Emotions Create Habits 6 Growing Your Habits from Tiny to Transformative 7 Untangling Bad Habits: A Systematic Solution 8 How We Change Together.

To design successful habits and change your behaviors, author BJ Fogg suggests doing three things:

development staff member and

morning, immediately say this phrase, ‘It’s going to be a great day.’ As you say these seven words, try to feel optimistic

Stearns Bank acquires Productfy, South End Capital Stearns Bank acquired South End Capital and Productfy in May and June 2021, respectively. Productfy

After you put your feet on the floor in the morning, immediately say this phrase, ‘It’s going to be a great day.’

is a technology banking service partnering with Stearns Bank to streamline banking technology.

South End Capital will join Stearns Bank as a specialized division,

as discoveries and use them to move forward.

Fogg doesn’t actually prescribe habits. Instead he shares a method for what he calls “wiring in” any new habit you want to develop.

There is one exception to this rule that he offers upfront. “I invite you to start practicing a new habit first thing each and every morning.” He writes.

“It’s simple. And it takes about three seconds. I call it the Maui Habit. After you put your feet on the floor in the

and positive.” Of course, you can come up with your own optimistic and positive words if it works better for you. Just remember that the key is optimistic and positive.

Here is one example of a tiny habit Fogg gives us: After I brush my teeth, I will floss one tooth. This book is good “chewing.” Read, brush and floss on.

offering mortgages, residential real estate, business loans, and equipment financing through an advanced online banking platform.

Brenny Transportation named a “Top Workplace” Brenny Transportation is a “Top 175 Workplace in Minnesota,” as published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section in June 2021. Top Workplaces is based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational

Dr. Fred E. Hill is an emeritus

health, and satisfaction. Brenny

professor at St. Cloud State

Transportation was ranked 27 on

University.

the small company list, and has been listed in Top Workplaces nine times in the last 10 years.

T i ny Hab i t s, T he S mal l Chang es T ha t C h an ge Everyth in g,

by BJ Fo gg , P h D, Ho u g h to n Mifflin H a rcourt, NY, 20 20 , I S B N 97 8035 800332 8

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Send News Reel items to Gail Ivers, givers@businesscentralmagazine.com for possible inclusion. News Reel is compiled by Tess Glenzinski.

POINT OF VIEW

What is the one skill that has helped you the most in your career?

Theresa Henning, St. Cloud VA Health Care System

––––––

“

Patience. I need to have the patience to work with someone who has a lack of skills and give them the time and care they need. You need patience to work with people who can’t put in as much effort as you are.

Jeremy Salzbrun, H & S Heating & A/C

Kris Root, Christianson’s Business Furniture

Todd Myra, Todd Myra Photography

“

“

“

––––––

Genuine love of people.

Not only networking, but also customer relations, going above and beyond and truly finding out what their need is. Especially in HVAC —that’s why I feel like we wear capes. We come and save the day by fixing their problems and concerns.

––––––

I am an account executive for commercial office furniture, so my biggest skill would be that I have an interior design degree. That has helped me throughout my 30+ years to work with clients and architectural firms to understand the process and help clients make good decisions.

––––––

I think being able to work with a wide variety of people is really important as a photographer working with so many different areas. Just being able to work with people and come up with what they’re looking for and what they need has been helpful.

Dan Schepers, Andy Arvold Audio Video (AAAV) The ability to network. This allows me to constantly be on people’s radars as far as being friends and doing as many things with Chamber as possible to get to know people.

“

Rooted in your community.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

We are proud to be neighbors and friends who share a long history of serving and supporting one another. Through our roots, we grow together in new ways and plant the seeds for a healthier tomorrow.

Together, our roots run deep.

CentraCare.com S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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NETWORK

UPFRONT

NEWS REEL Leigh is ATHENA recipient Debra L. Leigh received the 2021 ATHENA award for her dedication

DIGGING HISTORY

A Place of Justice The Stearns County Courthouse has served as a focal point of democracy for 100 years.

By Steve Penick

to mentoring women in her

Dwight D. Eisenhower made a campaign stop in St. Cloud in 1952, speaking to a crowd of thousands at the Stearns County Cour thouse.

career and as a community member. Leigh is the interim vice president of Cultural Fluency, Equity and Inclusion at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. The ATHENA Award is hosted by the Women’s Fund of Central Minnesota Community Foundation, that recognizes exceptional and inspiring women leaders.

Cold Spring Brewing earns Governor’s Safety Award Cold Spring Brewing Company was recognized by the 2021 Virtual Minnesota Safety and Health Conference for excellence in workplace safety and health. Award applicants were judged on several years of injury data and progress in safety program implementation.

Cold Spring Brewing was one of 221 employers to be honored through the awards program.

SPIRE Credit Union honored SPIRE Credit Union was selected as one of 70 businesses in Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s 2021 “Best Places to Work.” Recognition was based on employee surveys evaluating management and communication.

Mahowald Insurance awarded Advisor Cornerstone Award Granite Partners announced that Mahowald Insurance is the recipient of the Advisor Cornerstone award. The award honors Mahowald Insurance’s contributions to granite companies’ employees’ overall health and well-being through improved employee benefits packages.

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or 100 years, the Stearns County Courthouse has symbolized our democracy, a place where residents gather and conduct their legal business. Its prominent yellow dome and brick facade have provided a stage for law, campaigning politicians, freedom of speech, and even a bit of Hollywood flair.

Construction started in 1921 in an effort to relieve the crowded confines of the facility that existed at the time. The St. Paul architectural firm of Toltz, King, and Day began the process to complete “a landmark of civic progress and a memorial to sturdy pioneers,” as inscribed on an exterior wall. The Beaux Arts architectural style incorporated local materials, such as six massive Rockville granite columns that supported the south side entrance. Terra cotta, a clay based decorative

detail, including garland swags of ornamental design, highlighted the exterior.

The interior had a large sweeping stairway, accented with marble wainscoting, columns, and pilasters. When it was finished, the St. Cloud Daily Times described it as a building that “would stand for more than a hundred years and provision must be made for the future growth of the imperial county of Stearns ... .”

While the courtrooms were places of justice, Courthouse Square provided an outdoor venue for campaigning politicians.

Perhaps the most notable of these was Dwight D.

Eisenhower, who stood on the granite steps on a cool day in October 1952 and greeted a crowd of 8,000 who eagerly anticipated his message. Eisenhower took only 10 minutes.

His speech centered on agricultural issues and protecting democracy. “This is a complex thing,” the presidential hopeful said, referring to the spread of communism across Eastern Europe and Asia. “We are defending individual liberties and individual freedoms.”

The Vietnam War and foreign policy in Southeast Asia reached the forefront of American life several years later. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, local citizens gathered at the Courthouse carrying signs, banners, and chanting slogans, both for and against the war.

However, rallies were not

Following a Common Cause Unites All rally at the Stearns County Cour thouse in October 1969, par ticipants attended a service at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Cloud.

The rally was to honor Minnesota’s Vietnam War casualties.

Courtesy of the Stearns History Museum

a lifetime achievement award,

Constr uction of the Stearns County Cour thouse, 1922

always divided. They included a Common Cause Unites All rally, as 3,000 citizens voiced their support in 1969 for those who gave their lives in the Vietnam War. “The radical and the conservative, the war veteran and the hippie, the young and

the old all joined hands Tuesday night and marched in memory of the Minnesota men who have died in Vietnam,” the St. Cloud Times reported.

Political gatherings were not the only reason the Courthouse became a focal point. News of its architectural features, honored on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, reached Hollywood filmmakers. Buena Vista Productions, along with Walt Disney, had a vision of its own regarding how to use the storied structure.

The Mighty Ducks, a 1990s movie about a down and out peewee hockey team and their lawyer coach played by Emilio Estevez, was filmed primarily in the Twin Cities, but the production crew needed a courthouse for a specific scene.

Cathy Thompson, a freelance designer, searched for the right setting that was within an hour’s drive of the metro area. St. Cloud “was the largest and nicest for our purposes,” she said in a Times story about the building and its beautifully constructed rooms.

“I’m very excited about doing this,” then Stearns County Coordinator George Rindelaub said, “and I think it goes to show that Stearns County has a real unique facility that was worth preserving.”

The Courthouse is poised for its second century as a forum for democracy. Citizens can rely on the services founded on justice, freedom, and maybe even a little flashy entertainment to boot.

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

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Talk to us about how our legal team can support your business.

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This is an advertisement. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be made based solely upon advertisements. Neither the highest state courts nor state bar associations review, recognize, or approve certifying organizations, certifications of specialties or specialist designations in the practice of law. The certificate, award or recognition is not a requirement to practice law. Lathrop GPM LLP, 1010 West Saint Germain, Suite 500, Saint Cloud, MN 56301. For more information, contact Christopher Harmoning at 320.252.4414.

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NETWORK

UPFRONT PEOPLE TO KNOW

NEWS REEL

Reconnect!

New Chamber Board Chair looks forward to helping businesses use their membership wisely.

Dancing with Our stars raises over $389,000 The Women’s Fund’s annual “Dancing with Our Stars” fundraising event brought in $389,000 for local organizations benefitting women and girls in the St. Cloud area. The event featured a dance competition of local community members raising money for their chosen charities.

Marco donates $10,000 to nonprofits

E

verything is new again for Bernie Perryman.

Perryman began her oneyear term as chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors on September 1. Though she has held the post in the past, this year will be full of new experiences.

“No COVID – I hope!” she said. “But we have new issues that came out of COVID. We also have a new president because of Teresa Bohnen’s retirement, other new staff because of Judy Zetterlund’s retirement and people who have left for

Marco donated $10,000 to nonprofits across 10 states.

Employees delivered flowerpots to senior citizens. It was part of the company’s “Great Give Back Week” where they celebrated the importance of nonprofit organizations and volunteerism.

Stark-Kraker is new CMCF executive director Greta Stark-Kraker has been promoted to executive director of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF). She has been with CMCF for nearly 20 years and most recently served as director

other opportunities. I’m just looking forward to the whole newness of everything.”

The retirement of two key leadership employees has caused the Chamber’s Board to have a greater focus on strategic planning than ever before, according to Perryman. “Strategic planning is so important to organizations,” she said. “That’s really going to be an emphasis for me.

I’m thinking of creating a committee of the Board of Directors just to focus on creating a two-year strategic plan. And because of the staff changes, I think organizational culture is going to be critical … staff culture, but also the culture and interaction among the staff and the board members.”

Perryman’s other priorities for the next year are to focus on membership and programming. “COVID

was hard on businesses, but it was hard on the Chamber, too,” she said. “We definitely lost memberships, and we need to rebuild that.” The Chamber offered a variety of creative Zoom options throughout the pandemic, Perryman added, but she’s still interested in looking at what the organization can do that’s new and different.

“What are we missing? Let’s explore that,” she said.

Watch for Perryman at a variety of Chamber events.

“I want to attend as many events as I can and represent the Board,” she said. “I want to listen and learn – to look through the lens of our members and focus on value.”

— GMI ________

Bernie Perryman Batteries Plus Bulbs 2710 2nd Street S, St. Cloud, MN 56301-3808 (320) 292-5960 bernie@mnbattery.com

of donor relations.

DAYTA Marketing hires chief technology officer Daine Billmark joined DAYTA Marketing as chief technology

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

officer. Prior to joining DAYTA, Billmark oversaw a 40-person application development and analytics team at TransUnion, a major U.S. credit bureau headquartered in Chicago.

Billmark will be responsible for leading the development of DAYTA Marketing’s platform technology to enhance client visibility and control of marketing data.

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2021 Star Celebration This premier volunteer recognition event of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce honors the 2020-2021 Chamber volunteer leadership of the board of directors, committee, and division chairs. Join us on October 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn and Suites to celebrate our volunteers. $25 per person; register online at StCloudAreaChamber.com. Sponsorships are still available. ______ For information on these or other business events, call 320-251-2940.

N E W AT T H E TO P

Julie Lunning

President, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, Age 53 Previous position: Executive Director, St Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Greater St Cloud), a division of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce What will you miss most about your previous position?

Serving as the CVB’s executive director the last 24 years has been the most incredibly fulfilling experience. I am so grateful to have had the privilege to represent the City of St Cloud, City of Waite Park, and the greater St Cloud area hospitality and tourism industry. I will miss working directly

with the talented team at the CVB, Explore MN Tourism, and all of our partners to provide unique and unforgettable visitor experiences.

When did you start in your current position?

September 1, 2021 What are you looking forward to the most in your new position?

Everything! But I do look most forward to working with the Chamber’s team, board of directors,

members, and volunteers to grow our 5-Star Chamber and lead the organization’s success into the future.

What are your hobbies?

Other than being a foodie and enjoying travel experiences, many of my hobbies have taken a back seat. With three children ages 10, 14 and 15, much of my time outside of work is consumed with their sports and activities.

Fun Fact: In my younger days I was an avid water skier and skied for Tommy Bartlett Water Shows in Wisconsin Dells.

If you’re ready to talk about new ideas for your business, we’re ready for that conversation.

Let’s see what we can do together.

Talk to a Bremer banker today. bremer.com Member FDIC

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NETWORK

UPFRONT

NEWS REEL

DO IT NOW!

Writing Well Writing may not come naturally to you, but these five tips can make it easier.

By Tess Glenzinski

DeZURIK earns Governor’s Safety Award

lecturer in managerial communication at MIT, says that writing without working out a purpose “makes writing less structured, meandering and repetitive.”

A brief brainstorming session can work wonders.

DeZURIK was recognized by the 2021 Virtual Minnesota Safety and Health Conference for excellence in workplace safety and health.

DeZURIK received the Outstanding Achievement award for incident rates 51-90 percent better than the industry average and a high score on a safety program

2 Give your main

evaluation scale.

point priority

Caribou adds location A new Caribou Coffee location opened earlier this summer at Highway 23 and Lincoln Ave. The coffeehouse features both indoor and outdoor dining spaces, as well as a drive-through.

Rajkowski Hansmeier attorneys named Super Lawyers Gordon H. Hansmeier, Paul A. Rajkowski, Kevin F. Gray, Troy A. Poetz, and Chad Roggeman, attorneys with Rajkowski Hansmeier Ltd. law firm in St. Cloud, were recently selected for inclusion in the 2021 Minnesota Super Lawyers.

Super Lawyers recognizes attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their legal practice.

Only the top 5 percent of lawyers in the state are named to this list. __________ Eric S. Oelrich, another Rajkowski Hansmeier attorney, was selected for inclusion in the 2021 Minnesota Rising Stars. The Minnesota Rising Stars selection is based on a search for evidence of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are named to this list.

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W

hether you thrive in a communications role or you prefer workdays surrounded by numbers and graphs, you inevitably are writing — and being judged by your writing. National surveys show that 82 percent of employers list the ability to communicate clearly as very important, according to the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

More than half of 120 American corporations took writing skills into account when making promotional decisions, according to the National Commission on Writing.

Effective writing is important. Luckily, becoming a better writer does not require a degree or a rigorous training course. Bryan Garner, author of “The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing,” says, “Effective writing is not a gift

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that you are born with; it is a skill that you cultivate.”

Here are five tips you can practice in your everyday work to help cultivate your writing skills.

1 Think before you write

Two important things to have in mind before your pen touches paper or your hands reach for a keyboard are the audience and purpose of your writing. Your tone and the information you need to share change with different audiences. Always keep that audience in mind when planning your writing.

The second starting point of any communication is to have a clear, defined purpose.

What do you want your audience to do as a result of your message? A clear directive before writing allows for structured communication.

Kara Blackburn, a senior

It is important to have a purpose, and equally important to avoid burying it. Keep your main point at the beginning of your writing. Within the first block of text, your audience should know what your message is and why you are writing to them. Don’t make your reader wade through the secondary details to get to the point. Or worse, don’t lose your reader altogether and end up in the “deleted” folder.

3 Clarity is key

Your great ideas will be lost if they are not communicated in a way that others can understand. The foundation of clarity is using an active voice. Writing in an active voice means that the subject of the sentence performs the action.

For example, instead of writing “The meeting was attended by Greg,” write “Greg attended the meeting.” Same meaning, but the latter is clear and active.

Clarity also requires liberally cutting words. If your sentence can stand without the

word, give it the chop. Experts recommend combing through your writing for unnecessary words like “that” and “are.”

You will be surprised how tight your writing becomes with a bit of trimming. Also cut out jargon (industryspecific words) and choose short words. For business, clear writing sounds more intelligent than a dense, academic-feeling text.

4 Grammar counts

A surefire way to lose your credibility is a grammar mistake. No matter how brilliant and innovative your idea, the grammar mistake will color the message. A

Grammarly study found that employees who were not promoted into leadership positions within the first 10 years of their careers made 2.5 times more grammar mistakes than those who were promoted. Clearly, grammar is important. Take the time to brush up on common mistakes such as “their, they’re, there,” “you’re, your,” and “affect, effect.” You don’t need to do it all on your own.

Install a grammar add-on to your computer to work as an instant grammar checker. But don’t rely on it too much – your intelligence will always beat a machine.

5 Edit

The easiest way to weed out bad writing is to read it aloud.

You’ll be amazed how many hidden errors leap off the page with a simple read-through.

Improving your writing skills is something all professionals — no matter the job role or industry — can benefit from. Take the time to fine-tune your writing skills and pave your way to success.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

St. Cloud Area Chamber Leadership Program Alumni All Class Reunion All graduates of the Chamber’s Leadership program are invited to this reunion on September 16 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at The Clearing, Riverside Terrace, Sauk Rapids.

The cost is $15 per person. ______

Tess Glenzinski is the communications intern at the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and a senior at

RSVP to the Chamber office by September 9 or register online.

the College of Saint Benedict/ Saint John’s University.

Robotics Personalize Knee REPLACEMENT EXPERIENCE We’re happy to announce that St. Cloud Surgical Center has partnered with VELYSTM Digital Surgery to help personalize the knee replacement journey. Led by Orthopedic Surgeon Eric Green, MD, VELYSTM assists with preoperative patient engagement, surgical planning, surgical implementation and post-operative support.

“ Eric W. Green, MD Orthopedic Surgery

The St Cloud Surgical Center is the first free-standing surgery center in the world to have the Velys robotic system installed for clinical patient use. It is a gift to surgeons to enable us to provide better care to our patients.”

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

PH

800.349.7272 | stcsurgicalcenter.com

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NETWORK

UPFRONT

THE TROUBLE WITH BUSINESS

Succession You’ve worked hard and spent a good part of your life building your business.

Now it’s time to think about passing it on.

By Stefanie Brown and Bethany Cross

B

elieve it or not, it’s never too early to think about business succession — the crucial process of using various estate plan and business strategies to transition the company you have built. That transition may take place when the business owner is ready to take on a different role within the company, when the owner retires, or even upon the owner’s passing.

Not everyone wants to exit a business in the same way, so each plan should be tailored to your specific goals. It’s important to keep in mind how you see your business running

in the future. Consider your short-term and long-term goals for the business and for your personal growth and retirement. To protect your personal security, the financial and tax planning aspects of any proposed transition must be considered carefully.

Write your goals down; seeing them on paper will help to accomplish them.

A major aspect in the succession process is determining the economic value of the business. A business valuation of some variety is beneficial whether you intend to sell to a third party, liquidate

Contributors ________ Stefanie Brown and Bethany Cross are attorneys with Rinke Noonan, where they practice in the areas of business law, estate planning, and real estate.

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the company, or transfer the business to a family member or key employees. Business valuations are based on several factors — revenues, earnings potential, assets, debts, goodwill, and current comparable market value. Other key business components that will be reviewed and analyzed include cash flow and the current tax position of the company. Owners should not do their own business valuation — they won’t have the necessary distance to be objective. To ensure that you set — and get — the best price when selling a business, it’s best to have a valuation performed by a professional.

One of the considerations our clients struggle with the most is the “who.” Who is capable of stepping into the

employee or business partner, or an outside third-party.

When looking at successors, consider their skill sets, their relationships with the company’s customers and employees, and their ability to pay for the business. When the successor is a family member, there can be challenges, both within the family and with regard to your cash flow and tax implications. Selling the company to a third-party may be one of the best options to maximize the value of the company; however, locating a willing and qualified third-party purchaser can be difficult and may not meet your intent for the future of the business.

Business transitions to family members will benefit significantly from thoughtful planning. We commonly see

When the successor is a family member, there can be challenges, both within the family and with regard to your cashflow and tax implications. shoes of the business owner and running the company?

An accurate business valuation can help determine the ‘who’ because it will help you decide how much money you want to receive for your business and guide you toward the appropriate timing for those payments.

Options for the ‘who’ often include a family member, a key

issues arise after transitions that are done without the benefit of professional expertise. These problems often result in unnecessary and significant taxes, and worse yet, fights within the family due to misunderstandings about future operations. There are a number of tools that allow transfer of the business value, while addressing interfamily

Saving

Super Power is our

issues and alleviating tax burdens. In a properly drafted succession plan, business owners can transfer portions of their business while still retaining some level of involvement and control.

Any family transition plan should place an emphasis on ensuring adequate retirement resources for you and your spouse, while proactively minimizing tax impacts.

The goal of business succession planning is always to structure the transition in a way that increases the likelihood of success, protects the financial lives of those involved, and decreases the tax burdens. To

maximize the ability to meet your specific goals, it’s important to gather a team of trusted advisors.

Hiring an attorney familiar with business succession planning can provide powerful access to options and opportunities for you to make the move out of your business without surprises or regrets. A team of trusted advisors, including tax and financial planning advice, will help you achieve your goals.

Done properly, succession planning can ensure that your company, your family, and your legacy thrive through the transition and into the future.

Feel like a hero with secure saving & investment options from Farmers & Merchants State Bank.

Our team is here to empower you and your finances, while keeping your savings out of harm’s way. Bank, borrow, and save with us.

CALENDAR WORTHY

Business After Hours A complimentary open house for Chamber members and guests.

Bring business cards and prepare to grow your network! 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. ______ September 9, hosted by Holiday Inn & Suites, 75-37th Ave. S, St. Cloud. ______ September 23, hosted by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and new Chamber President Julie Lunning, 1411 W St. Germain, ste. 101, St. Cloud. ______

Because friendly still counts.

FMPierz.com

October 21, hosted by the Quality Inn, 4040-2nd Street S, St. Cloud.

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NETWORKCENTRAL GROW | NETWORK | PROFIT

NETWORK

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.”

Profit!

The Chamber’s annual Business Awards Luncheon recognized three of the area’s outstanding business owners. Photos by YuppyPhoto

Joe Francis with his wife, Bri, (L) and his mother, Cindy Francis. Joe, owner of Central McGowan, is the 2021 St. Cloud Area Small Business Owner of the Year.

Gary Marsden, co-founder of Marco, was the 2000 St. Cloud Area and Minnesota Entrepreneurial Success Award recipient.

Playhouse Child Care co-owners Diane Mendel and Melody Peterson (not pictured), were the 2003 St. Cloud Area and Minnesota Small Business owners of the Year.

Chamber President Teresa Bohnen spoke to a full house as the MC of the 2021 St. Cloud Area Chamber’s Business Awards Luncheon. This was one of Bohnen’s last official functions before retiring in August 2021.

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Jim Kruse and Melissa Kruse Kelley, J F Kruse Jewelers, were the 2014 St. Cloud Area and Minnesota Small Business Owners of the Year.

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Joyce Brenny, owner of Brenny Transportation, was the 2012 Woman in Business Champion.

Donella Westphal, owners of Jules’ Bistro, was honored as the 2021 Woman in Business Champion.

Joe Sexton (L) and Gary Posch, owners of Brandl Motors, accept the Entrepreneurial Success award from Chamber Board Chair Ron Brandenburg, Quinlivan and Hughes.

Mike (L) and Don Helgeson, Gold’n Plump Poultry, received the 2002 Entrepreneurial Success Award.

Kristin Hannon, Minnwest Bank and Jeff Yapuncich, YuppyPhoto

Richard Hobbs, Simonson Lumber, was the 2020 Entrepreneurial Success Award recipient.

Eric Reisinger, Bremer (L); Jason Bernick, Bernick’s; Bernie Perryman, Batteries Plus Bulbs

Jason Hallonquist, AIS Planning (L); David Miller, Kensington Bank; Eve Miller, Bernick’s

Byron Bjorklund, Custom Catering, the 2009 St. Cloud Area and Minnesota Small Business Owner of the Year.

Mark (L) and Dave Traut, Traut Companies, the 1998 Small Business Owners of the Year.

Bruce Hagberg, owner of riteSOFT, was the 2020 Small Business Owner of the Year.

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| 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 : Tech Strategies / Entrepreneurism / Management Tool Kit / Economy Central by Falcon Bank

T EC H ST R AT EG I ES

Power Off If you’re looking for a way to unplug from your electronic devices, these apps can help.

By Randy Krebs

common if you want to use any of the apps to their full potential.

Below is a quick look at some of the more popular apps, with the main goal of unplugging – whether for an hour, a day or more.

Performance pros and cons come from reviews users posted about them in the Apple or Android app stores.

“I’m out of the office until …”

T

hose could be the six most-anticipated words employers and employees write as they wrap up work and head for that well-deserved vacation.

If only they were true.

If only such automated email and voicemail responses actually stopped your smart phone from buzzing, ringing or otherwise alerting you to work communications, social media posts, and other – ahem – important information while you are (theoretically) unplugged.

Don’t despair – and, yes, it seems ironic – but there are numerous apps available to help you unplug when desired.

Similarly, they can be used to minimize e-distractions and make you more productive at work.

Collectively known as productivity apps, most tout the ability to help users minimize distractions while using any device. They also offer tools to break bad habits, schedule and track a user’s time and even connect (and compete) with other users. While most offer free downloads and free trials, monthly or annual charges are

Contributor ________ Randy Krebs is a freelance writer, editor and communications strategist.

He can be reached at randykrebs@charter.net.

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Freedom Boasting more than 1 million users, Freedom bills itself as the world’s best app and website blocker. After a free trial, it costs $6.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

Freedom, like some other apps, also covers all your devices.

Freedom comes with its own list of distracting sites and apps and then allows users to make their own lists and schedule their own down times. It also allows users to block phone calls and the internet, although it also can be set to accept calls, but block the web. One common note among user reviews is Freedom struggles to block Facebook and Instagram.

Focus Lock Focus Lock allows users to make their downloaded social media apps “disappear” for up to 24 hours from their screens. During that time, users also are able to track what they did during the

lock. The apps reappear after the session expires. (Note: A few user reviews report problems with apps reappearing or the lock time lasting longer than scheduled.)

Upon download, you’re given up to five free Focus Lock sessions. Then you pay $9.99 a month for the app. The app is designed by the makers of Flipd, which is the most popular productivity app.

BlockSite This app is all about blocking websites. It blocks sites by category or by individual site and does so across mobile and desktop devices. Usage reports also are available. While the basic app is free, there is a monthly charge to customize specific site lists.

OffTime This app champions its ability to let users block calls and emails.

Like other productivity apps, it provides reminders if users are not following the down time they scheduled. The basic version costs $0.99 and the pro version is $2.99.

Other productivity apps While these apps are noted because they focus on helping users unplug, there are numerous productivity apps that provide tools and tracking data designed

Ask for

to limit screen time, improve work and study habits, and even provide soothing music and sounds.

Popular app examples include Flipd, Off-Time, Moment, TimeBloc and more.

Search “Productivity Apps” in the Apple or Android app

stores and you will find many options.

While all have their strengths, remember none do one of two actions that truly unplug you from your device – push “Power Off” or “Airplane Mode.”

TECH NEWS

Beat the Heat Can’t sleep because it’s too hot? Instead of trying to cool your room, maybe it’s time to cool your bed. The Ooler system is a water-cooled solution that can be split on a large bed so your sleep partner can have their side warmer or cooler than yours. Ooler uses a heat exchanger in the room to get the heat out of your bed when it’s hot, and it will electrically heat the water that circulates through the pad you put on your mattress when it’s cold. Source: TechNewsWorld

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

#LiveBetter

Recycling the Unrecyclable No one has found an effective way to recycle all of the world’s plastic. Plastics are usually recycled mechanically, a less than successful process. Now chemical recycling is moving to the forefront in plastic recycling research. Instead of a system where some plastics are rejected because they are the wrong color or made of composites, chemical recycling could see all types of plastic fed into an “infinite” recycling system that unmake plastics back into oil, so they can then be used to make plastic again. Such techniques are being trialed across the world, but the science is complicated and the process is expensive. Source: Future Planet

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ENTREPRENEURISM

What Does Google Want?

Search engines want what their users want: to get to the best answer as quickly as possible.

By Michelle Henderson

day. Isn’t it just easier to rely on good old-fashioned sales and advertising techniques, rather than chase something that feels so out of reach?

The truth is, businesses don’t need to choose. Strong SEO relies on your website being a strong sales and marketing tool.

Search engines want what their users want: to get to the best answer as quickly as possible.

C

an you imagine an internet without search engines?

In the mid-90s, as we were graduating from floppy disks to CD ROM file storage, there was an internet. But there were no search engines. It was the age of the Internet Directory.

Yes, the internet grew up with an equivalent of the phone book. To find a website, you would look through category sections in an actual book and then type the entire address into your computer’s browser to get to a website.

In the late nineties, Google emerged from the search wars as the search engine able to provide the most relevant results to any user — quickly and accurately — time and time again. In the 20 years since, Google has stayed at the forefront — learning with

every search and growing more personalized and more localized in response to user behavior.

Right from the beginning, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was about showing up at the top of any and every search engine’s list. After all, business owners realized, how can someone choose you from a list of potential providers if they don’t know you exist?

As Google has become more sophisticated, users have become less willing to dig and explore. In fact, over 80 percent of the clicks for any given search on Google are on the top three organic (not paid) search results. This leaves businesses in a frenzy to show up in the top spot. But competition for those spots is fierce and it seems like the rules of the race change every

Contributor ________ Michelle Henderson is the owner and founder of BadCat Digital in St. Cloud.

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Need for Speed Search engines know that internet users are impatient.

Look at your own behavior. Are you part of the large percentage of people who become impatient if the link you click on doesn’t load in a second or two? This is called Mobile Site Speed and is a primary technical search engine optimization ranking factor.

Do you know how fast your

videos, but the words on the page are still of paramount importance. The location, word count, and tags on the text all matter. A lot. A site can’t rank without actual text because the search engine can only read text. And guess what?

Interested users read text, too.

Endorsements for the Win In the political sphere, endorsements can help a candidate appeal to groups.

Gaining the endorsement of the local chamber of commerce or the head of the teacher’s union says something specific about candidates and their platforms.

The endorsements requested say a lot about what the candidate thinks is important. The endorsements received say a lot about what voters think about a

In fact, over 80 percent of the clicks for any given search on Google are on the top three organic (not paid) search results. website loads on a phone for a new user? (Hint: if you’re on your site all the time, your phone “remembers” it and it loads much faster.)

Words on the Page An image may typically be worth a thousand words, but that’s not the case with a search engine. Google is working on more sophisticated text recognition in images and

candidate. Links to your website are endorsements. Asking for and working to earn links from high quality websites says a lot about your priorities as a company. Are you seeking media links? Academic and collegiate links? Partner links? The links you win say a lot about the value you provide users on your website.

In the end, impressing a search engine is really about

impressing your users. Search engine optimization is not advertising. It’s not about shortlived promotions or time-defined campaigns to improve the standing of your latest and greatest product.

SEO is about maintaining the health and well-being of what could be your largest sales and marketing asset — your website. It’s about search engines seeing your website the way you want your newest users, and potential customers, to view it.

Easy. Connected.

Life and business… perfected.

A perfect blend of helpful tools and simple accessibility isn’t just smart — it’s BusinessSmart™.

Learn more:

TECH NEWS

StearnsBank.com/ BusinessCentral Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

Real Virtualities Organizations are creating new ways for people to work, consume, and socialize.

Accenture calls this “real virtualities:” innovative organizations that are working to blend virtual and physical worlds. As this integration happens, virtual worlds will become increasingly realistic. Current virtualreality (VR) technology mostly engages our senses of vision and hearing. Over time, it will engage all our senses.

Increasing bits of the physical world will, in turn, have rich virtual interfaces that create “premium” experiences.

Source: Accenture

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MANAGEMENT TOOL KIT

Hang it Up or Hold On What’s next for older workers?

By Luke Greiner

Figure 1. Reasons For the Timing of Retirement, United States Voluntary 53 %

Wanted to do other things 39 %

Reached normal retirement age Don’t like the work

15 %

Unanticipated or Involuntary 30 %

Health Problems

53 %

15 %

Care for family members Forced to retire or lack of work

11 %

Source: Federal Reserve, SHED

Figure 2. Central Minnesota Employment by Age 225,000

60,000

220,000 50,000 215,000 210,000

40,000

205,000 200,000

30,000

195,000 20,000

O

190,000 185,000 10,000 180,000 175,000 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2009

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2010

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2011

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2012

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2013

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2016

2017

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2018

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2019

Q1 Q2 Q3

2020

Jobs Held by Workers 65+

May’s survey that they retired because they wanted to do other things, while 39 percent retired because they reached normal retirement age, underscoring how many workers anchor themselves to a specific age to execute retirement, regardless of whether it is the best decision.

Unfortunately, 30 percent of retirees noted that health problems played a role in their retirement decisions, likely cutting short their savings goals.

(See Figure 1) The health aspect of retirement is especially

Economic Development (DEED). To review the Federal Reserve’s Report on Economic Well-Being,

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Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2015

Jobs Held by Workers 14-54 Years

Luke Greiner is a regional labor market analyst at the Minnesota Department of Employment and

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Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Jobs Held by Workers 55-64 Years

Contributor ________

visit BusinessCentralMagazine.com

2014

14-54 Employment

be important to employers in the coming years, and while we are still not yet able to fully uncover how older workers have responded to the events from 2020 and 2021, we can begin peeling back the first layer.

According to the Federal Reserve’s May 2020 Report on Economic Well-Being most workers retired before the standard ages to claim Social Security benefits, with 51 percent retiring at 61 years or earlier. Educational attainment varied the results just slightly with workers who have a bachelor’s degree or higher more likely to retire at 61 or earlier (55 percent compared with 50 percent for high school degree or less and 50 percent for workers with some college, a technical degree, or an associate degree).

Nationwide, 53 percent of current retirees indicated in last

55+ Employment

ver 22 percent of Central Minnesota’s labor force is 55 years or older, representing an important segment of highly skilled workers that employers rely on. Leveraging the experience of these workers is likely to continue growing in step with their participation in the labor force, but the recent economic shock could trigger a change in their behavior.

With the terrific upheaval of 2020 still being figured out, workforce development professionals are curious what their oldest workers will do next. Does retirement now look more attractive to eligible workers? Have the work-fromhome possibilities incentivized retirement age workers to hang on thanks to increased flexibility? The answers to those types of questions will

important, knowing that pre-existing conditions placed these workers at higher risk of COVID-19 complications.

The rebounding employment that started in the third quarter of 2020 appears to have stopped the job losses for our older workers, but the most recent data tells us that workers 55 years and older held 4,417 fewer jobs in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the year prior.

(See Figure 2) After losing a job will older workers be as excited to regain employment, or will this inflection point cause many to consider an early retirement?

As more data become available, we will continue to learn what decisions our oldest workers are making about staying or leaving the labor force.

Where are the workers?

If you’re having trouble finding employees, maybe you’re targeting the wrong age group.

T

o get ahead of the game, today’s employers must plan for an aging workforce and make a strong effort to attract and retain older workers. According to the US Census Bureau, by 2030 one-fifth of all U.S. residents will be older than age 65. As part of recruiting and hiring efforts, an employer should make a concerted effort to hire older workers who may bring valuable skills to the team. Older workers can be highly valued as they bring years of knowledge, skills and experience as well as a sense of dedication, strong work ethic, and loyalty to the job in the context of a multigenerational workforce.

Creative Ways to Attract and Retain Older Workers Recognize the benefits of older workers.

Older workers also can improve workplace diversity and inclusion and make an employer more competitive as an organization, better able to connect with a growing base of older customers.

In addition, these workers often are able to provide leadership and mentoring to younger generations.

Make a point of recruiting older workers.

Offer appealing benefits.

Offer reasonable accommodations: While older workers may be able to continue doing the work they have always done, age-related illnesses, conditions or health issues may prevent them from working to the capacity and extent they once did. A few small accommodations may help keep them.

®

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Provide scheduling options.

Help older workers feel valued.

Avoid stereotyping older workers and making assumptions about their abilities. Instead, focus on their strengths and applaud them for their ability to give back to the organization.

Offer older workers additional training.

Propose phased retirement:This may be an attractive solution as it allows workers to slowly decrease their days and hours over a period of months or years while at the same time allowing the organization to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.

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27

GROW

BUSINESSTOOLS

Economy Central presented by

ECONOMY CENTRAL

The Unemployment Dilemma Are high unemployment benefits prolonging the recession?

By Samantha Bromenshenkel and Lynn MacDonald

F

or well over a year, we have seen the myriad ways in which COVID-19 has impacted business – there’s been supply chain disruptions, shipping delays, loss of customers, and transitioning to virtual operations, just to name a few.

While there have certainly been many challenges, the labor market effects have been front and center throughout this ordeal. In fact, according to the St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report, many local businesses indicate that one of their biggest challenges has been retaining and hiring new employees, particularly finding qualified applicants.

These challenges have perhaps seemed surprising given that unemployment has been higher

than usual throughout much of the pandemic.

Unemployment in St. Cloud has been trending downward since January 2021 when unemployment reached 4 percent in May. This progress in reducing unemployment certainly points to a positive sign for our recovery; however, we are still facing higher than usual numbers of unemployment insurance claims. May 2020 recorded the highest number of unemployment insurance claims in Stearns County in recent years with 8,365 receiving unemployment benefits. In May 2021, there were 1,214 people who received these benefits.

To put this in perspective, in May 2019, 309 people in Stearns

Contributors ________ Samantha Bromenshenkel is a graduate student in applied economics at St. Cloud State University; Lynn MacDonald is an associate professor of economics at SCSU.

28

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

County received unemployment insurance benefits. This brings the month over month comparisons for unemployment insurance claims in May 2021 to approximately three times higher than pre-pandemic years such as 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Economists Henry Farber and Robert Valletta found that there is a correlation between the maximum benefit duration and the actual duration that workers stay on unemployment.

In other words, there may be a relationship between the length of time individuals can receive benefits and the length of time they stay unemployed. According to economists Konstantinos

of workers who lost their jobs changed industries and 4 percent changed their fields or career paths. Given the uneven effects of the pandemic across industries, many laid-off workers did not have the skills relevant in growing industries such as technology. The mismatch of skills contributes to a slower recovery towards full employment.

This mismatch of skills also shows up in job applications, in the sense that unemployed individuals apply for more jobs than their employed peers, often applying for jobs they may not be qualified for. This persistent unemployment has also created more noise in the

Many local businesses indicate that one of their biggest challenges has been retaining and hiring new employees, particularly finding qualified applicants.

Tatsiramos and Jan van Ours, high unemployment benefits during a recession may act to prolong the recession. This points to a connection between the generous unemployment benefits that have been used throughout the pandemic and the current worker shortage.

Some interesting labor market dynamics may help explain why unemployment hasn’t trended downward as quickly as we had hoped. As layoffs and furloughs became more commonplace, workers began reconsidering their career paths. According to a survey conducted in January 2021 of 715 unemployed adults, 63 percent

hiring process. Economist Niklas Engbom connects this noise to a phenomenon where employers spend more time and resources recruiting during periods of higher unemployment. Businesses receiving higher numbers of job applications spend more time attempting to determine which applicants are qualified and are a good fit. This has contributed to reduced and slower job fill rates.

While we are starting to rebound, businesses in the St. Cloud area still report difficulty finding qualified employees. For now, employers may have to find creative ways to lure workers to their companies, while addressing the noise in the hiring process.

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: $26,715,802* Compiled by Shelly Imdieke, data current as of 8/9/21

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

2021

500

$500000

November

ST. CLOUD

St. Cloud

August 338

246 2021 $68,749,665

125 $41,521,445

Sartell

July 36 December

309 $15,070,149

72 $10,104,765

$116,566,743 $12,784,000

228 2020 $30,482,808

26 Food and Beverage $6,536,996

135 $5,556,423

$6,813,525

May Waite Park October136

$15,234,330

Apr September

July

ST. CLOUD 50

11 5 2019 $9,754,200 $201,585

2021

51 $7,919,703

13

$1,189,562 $0

$500k

*Total as of 8/9/21; Jan Sartell information was only Jan-April at time of print.

June St. Cloud information was only Jan-May at time of print.

2000

$2000000

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

TOTAL: 1823

TOTAL: $66,367,878*

TOTAL: 1868

St. Augusta 7

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

TOTAL: 182*

1500

TOTAL: $1,287,691

TOTAL: $1,604,677

$1500000

Sauk Rapids November 55

$24,841,483

2020

May and St. Joseph.

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

TOTAL: $178,724,272

2020-2021

2020-21 % CHANGE

Source: positivelyminnesota.com

December

November

3%

October

September

August

July

June

Jan

May

April

March

6%

February

$200M

December

$150M

November

12%

October

September

$100M August

July

June

May

April

March

February

January

$50M

Source: positivelyminnesota.com $0 $500k

Feb

9%

$0M

2019

Non-Farm MarJobs January

15%

Food and Beverage

June

TOTAL: $137,532,948

Unemployment Rates

2019

500

September Commercial 2019 2020 2021*

#/$ #/$ #/$

1000

Data not released at time of print

$1000000

2020

77 $3,374,079

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

TOTAL: $66,367,878*

$100M

63 $6,365,944

2019

October

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

$50M

December

122 $3,685,577

December St. Cloud information was only Jan-May at time of print.

Commercial Building Permits

$0M

November

St. Joseph 73 February $3,304,271

Home Sales Closed in St. Cloud Area

95 $10,023,126

January 0 of print. *Total as of 8/9/21; Sartell information was only Jan-April at time

$80M

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

2021

October

St. Augusta 73 March $5,979,717

Commercial Building Permits

2019

500

2020

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

$70M

560 136 $16,235,353 0$4,306,000

Waite Park 39 49 25 April $1,084,477 $2,336,431 $1,469,155

TOTAL: $63,885,721

$60M

September

$50M

6 COMMUNITIES - ST. CLOUD ST. AUGUSTA, ST. JOSEPH 286 $7,757,039

2021

2021

$40M

Home Sales Closed

Sauk Rapids 165 236 114

May $8,585,270 $7,739,324 $3,443,586

2020

$30M

2021

2020

Sartell 309 January$18,954,216

June

2019

$20M

765 2019 $38,601,654

607

$25,977,770 February July

0

$10M

August

St. Cloud

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

Food and Beverage Tax Collection

ST. CLOUD

$0M

August

September

2021

$0 2019

July

$50M

June

$40M

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: $26,715,802*

2019

June November

March

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

February

January

December

Residential Building Permits

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

2020

TOTAL: $78,621,465

0% 9%

-3% -6%

6%

-9% -12%

3%

M

A

M

Total as of 8/9/21

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

St. Cloud Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota United States

-15%

M

A

M

Total as of 8/9/21

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

St. Cloud, MN MetroSA Minnesota United States

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

29

$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

ST. CLOUD

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

September

TOTAL: $653,378*

September

TOTAL: 881*

TOTAL: $66,367,878*

August

August

2021

2021

July

July

December

TOTAL: $653,378*

May April

$2000000

2000

TOTAL: $1,604,677

$500k

TOTAL: 182*

$2M

TOTAL: 1868

$1.5M

July June

TOTAL: $1,287,691

$2M

March February

STEARNS AND BENTON COUNTIES

$0

October

August

TOTAL: $1,599,444

Sheriff’s Foreclosure Auctions

2019

November

September

2020 Source: Tax Collections – City of St. Cloud

*Total as of 8/9/21

$1.5M

BY THE NUMBERS

TOTAL: 1823

$1M

$1M

Source: Tax Collections – City of St. Cloud *Total as of 8/9/21

1500

$500k

TOTAL: $1,287,691

TOTAL: $1,604,677

$1500000

$0

$500k

January

Home Sales Closed in St. Cloud Area

2000

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

1500

1000

Data not released at time of print

$1000000

2021

2021

$0

TOTAL: $749,418 Food and Beverage Tax Collection

ST. CLOUD

March February

Feb

TOTAL: $412,941*

2021

TOTAL: $1,604,677

500

ST. CLOUD

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. *Total as of 8/9/21

2019

2020

April

Lodging Tax Dollars

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

Food and Beverage Tax Collection October

November

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

TOTAL: 18* $1.5M

$1M

$2M

Who’s not working?

January

Minnesota’s labor force participation rate remains historically low.

2021 TOTAL: 42

Stearns Co.

102

34

9

Benton Co.

21

8

9

Benton County Sheriff’s Civil Process; Stearn’s County Sheriff’s Office *Total as of 8/9/2021; There were no reported auctions in April & May 2020.

30

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

67.7%

Minnesota’s labor force participation rate in June 2021

Minnesota’s labor force participation rate in February 2021

1979

December

2021

November

2020

The number of Minnesota workers who stopped looking for work during the pandemic

70.2%

October

Residential 2019

105,000

September

SHERIFF’S FORECLOSURE AUCTIONS

150

August

The rate at which Minnesota’s labor force shrank at the beginning of the pandemic

July

120

June

90

May

60

April

30

March

3.3%

TOTAL: 123

2019

0

February

January

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April

March

February

January

2020

The last time Minnesota’s labor force participation rate was below 68% (prior to 2020) Source: MN DEED

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I A R P

E D e l t Lit

N JEA BY

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O / PH R E STL

R E AL

TOS

L JOE BY

Joe Sexton AND Gary Posch

DIDN’T SET OUT TO HAVE THREE DEALERSHIPS, A FINANCE COMPANY, A COUPLE OF FOUNDATIONS, AND A BASEBALL TEAM. BUT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED.

32

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

BUT

S KO W

KI,

BUT

B

P I SH

S KO W

IG KI D

I

IMA TA L

ehind every big, bustling business is a unique startup story. In the case of Brandl Motors, we might call that tale “Little Dealership on the Prairie.”

Gary Posch and Joe Sexton had worked together at Falls GM Center in the mid1990s. Sexton left for another job; Posch stayed. It was 1999 when Joe Sexton heard that a small car dealership in Pierz, Minn. might be for sale. He called his former co-worker and suggested they take a drive to check out Brandl Motors.

“It was a dirt parking lot. It was a pole shed,” Posch recalled. “They had sold 12 new vehicles, total, the year prior to us buying them. Their sales volume

GIN

e h t n o

G

wasn’t there. I go, ‘Joe, are you crazy for even thinking about this?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘You know what? So am I. Let’s do it.’ ” Sexton later went to talk with owner Arlin Lundblad, who suggested they go to a local bar to split a pizza and a pitcher of beer. “After about an hour,” Sexton said, “he grabbed the bar napkin. He wrote down all his terms on a bar napkin and he handed it to me, and he goes, ‘Do you agree to that?’ and I go, ‘Yeah,’ and he says, ‘OK.’ ” Sexton signed the napkin. He was thrown out of the first attorney’s office he took it to, then found a lawyer who took him and his unconventional document seriously.

But there still was one small catch. Well, make that two small catches. Number 1:

E I R I Joe Sexton

Gary Posch

WHAT’S IN A NAME? When Joe Sexton and Gary Posch bought and grew – and grew and grew and grew – Brandl Motors, why didn’t they change the company’s name to reflect the new ownership? Because Brandl Motors had a good reputation. “They took care of their customers,” Sexton said.

“That’s what helped us. Their reputation helped move us forward.”

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

33

COVER STORY Chrysler told them to get lost. Number 2: The guys didn’t have enough money to buy the dealership.

Sexton and Posch were undeterred.

“Chrysler reps shut the door in our faces five, six, seven times,” Sexton said. “I finally looked at them and said, ‘Last year, this dealership sold 12 new cars all year. If I don’t sell 12 cars a month, you can kick me out.’ The Chyrsler rep looked at me and said, ‘I will find a way to get it done.’ ” Now, what about that lack of cash?

“We didn’t have anything, but we had a desire to own our own business, to own our own dealership,” Posch said. “One banker said, ‘There’s no way you could even feed your two families with a dealership in a small town like this.’ ” So, they tried Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Pierz. They remember spending a blistering hot evening on banker Curt Ganz’s porch, drinking lemonade, and outlining their dream.

Ganz and fellow banker Mo Durheim saw something in the pair that other lenders had not.

“We saw exactly what they turned out to be,” Ganz said. “They had nothing going for them except their ability to sell vehicles and treat people fairly.” He and Durheim decided to “just give them the money and get out of their way.” But Ganz won’t take any credit for the pair’s success. “They owe me nothing,” he said. “They hit the ground running.”

PERSONAL PROFILE

Gary Posch, 52

Co-owner, Brandl Companies and St. Cloud Rox Hometown: Born in St. Cloud; raised in Rice Education: Sauk Rapids High School, St. Cloud State University, and St. Cloud Technical & Community College Work history: Coborn’s, Sauk Rapids, 1987-1990 Foot Locker, St. Cloud, 1989-1992 Falls GM Center, Little Falls, 1992-1999 Brandl Motors, November 1999-present Family: Wife Meredith, daughter Mackenzie, sons Brady and Cullen Hobbies: Spending time with family, golf, baseball games of any level, spending time in Florida Best advice: “Learn every day in business and in life.

Be aware of what you are learning today, be open to learning more in the future, and never forget what you have learned in the past.” — Tom Raeker Fun Fact: Gary Posch is a closet drummer.

Posch and Sexton see it differently. “Without Curt Ganz, literally we’re not here,” Posch said, while sitting in the conference room of the Brandl flagship operation along Highway 10 south of Little Falls. “He was the one person in that time who believed in us. He’s still — to this day — a good customer and a friend.”

So, how did Sexton and Posch transform that little dealership on the prairie into three dealerships and eventually add a finance company, a couple of foundations and, oh yeah, a baseball team?

“We got on the phones,” Sexton said. They called previous customers from their years at other dealerships, customers who knew and trusted them. “I’ve always believed in sales follow-up. Salespeople need to call their customers. The salesperson needs to have a relationship with each customer.”

Posch and Sexton did some serious manual labor – late into the night – to spruce up the building. “We were there six days a week early on. We were building offices and painting walls and doing this and that by ourselves because we couldn’t afford to pay anybody,” Posch said. “Our employees saw us not as bosses, but working side by side with them. The more we did that, the more I would drive home at night thinking, ‘This is how it should be.’ ” Over the years, he said, “we just went to work every single day and did the very best we could and worked pretty darn hard to have

BUSINESS PROFILES Brandl Motors 14873 113th St., Little Falls, MN 56345 // 320-632-2908 brandlmotors.com Joe@brandlmotors.com Gary@brandlmotors.com 88 employees Vehicle sales volume for 2020 calendar year – 2225 units

34

––––– Joe Sexton, President, 50% ownership Gary Posch, Vice President, 50% ownership –––––

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

Brandl Chevrolet Buick GMC 702 2nd St. NE, Aitkin, MN 56431 218-927-2713 // troy@brandlgm.com brandlgm.com 67 employees Vehicle Sales volume for 2020 calendar year – 985 units

––––– Gary Posch, President, 33.3% ownership Joe Sexton, Vice President, 33.3% ownership Troy Atwater, Managing Partner, 33.3% ownership –––––

“We saw exactly what they turned out to be.

They had nothing going for them except their ability to sell vehicles and treat people fairly.”

— CURT GANZ, FARMERS & MERCHANTS STATE BANK

a better today than we had yesterday to grow this. And along with this came just natural organic growth. We never set out to have a really big dealership. We never set out to run a baseball team. We never set out to have our employees finance handicap vans and set up foundations. We started out by buying a business and trying to grow that business and make it into something that was pretty darn special, and we’ve done that.”

Today, with a total of 234 employees across all their operations, Posch and Sexton no lon-

ger must do all the work themselves, but they still pitch in wherever and whenever needed.

“I wouldn’t ask anybody to do something I wouldn’t do or haven’t done,” Posch said. “I can’t even tell you how many cars I’ve washed. I can’t imagine how many times I’ve cleaned the bathroom. Looking back, I think it has probably helped generate respect with the employees.”

Just two years after buying the dealership in Pierz, Posch and Sexton bought a used car lot in St. Cloud and started Brandl Auto Connection. Less than three years after that, they

NOVEMBER 24,1999 Gary Posch and Joe Sexton purchase Brandl Motors in Pierz, MN from Wanda and Arlin Lundblad; the company has five employees

SEPTEMBER 2001 Posch and Sexton purchase a used car lot on south Hwy 10 in St Cloud and start Brandl Auto Connection with three employees

APRIL 2004 Posch and Sexton purchase Little Falls Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Little Falls from Jerry Holst and Harold Meyer; the dealership has seven employees

SEPTEMBER 2005

Batter Up!

What do cars and baseball have in common?

Gary Posch and Joe Sexton.

GARY POSCH SAYS JOE SEXTON IS the guy who advocates for making big investments in their auto dealerships.

Posch describes himself as the more cautious partner.

But it was Posch who told Sexton, "You and I are going to buy a baseball team.”

And they did. They own the St. Cloud Rox, the Northwoods League team that replaced the River Bats. “And here we are now, in our 10th season,” Posch said recently. “Joe trusted that I knew what the heck I was talking about in regard to baseball.”

When the men announced the purchase at a news conference on Feb. 1, 2012, they had not yet chosen a name for the franchise. Posch knew that a team called the Rox had played in St. Cloud in the 1960s and he really wanted to bring that name back. St. Cloud attorney Harry Burns, who owned the rights to the name, gave Posch and Sexton permission to use it.

TIMELINE

They have a third – equal – partner in Rox ownership: Scott Schreiner, a longtime St. Cloud sports guy. “Scott is the face of the franchise,” Posch said. “He is day-to-day.

He lives it.”

Posch had loved baseball long before the opportunity to buy a team presented itself. Sexton didn’t. But he has developed a sincere appreciation. He admires the young players, the families who host them for the season, the team’s interns, the game itself.

“It’s just good baseball,” he said. “I never really understood the quality of baseball that’s in St. Cloud.”

Posch says the Rox are good for the community. He recalled the Friday night of this past Fourth of July weekend. “Seeing kids running around and seeing people gathering and enjoying each other’s company on a great summer night and then the oohs and ahhs of the fireworks, I walked out of there going, ‘Are you kiddin’? How great is this to have kept this here in St. Cloud?’ ”

An addition is put on Brandl Motors, Pierz, including second-story offices and additional shop space

JUNE 2007 Posch and Sexton start Brandl Mobility Finance in St. Cloud with one employee

MARCH 2008 Posch and Sexton open a new 33,000-square-foot facility on Highway 10 south of Little Falls and merge Little Falls Dodge into Brandl Motors

FEBRUARY 2012 Posch and Sexton purchase the St. Cloud baseball franchise from Northwoods League and start the St. Cloud Rox Baseball Club

MAY 2012 The Brandl Auto Connection location receives a new dealership facility

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

35

COVER STORY bought the Little Falls Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership. And, in 2012 they bought a dealership in Aitkin, now called Brandl Chevrolet Buick GMC. (See timeline for more developments and details.)

“We’ve had steady growth over the years,” Posch said. “We’ve had to make decisions kind of on the fly. That kind of defines us a little bit. I don’t think there was ever a time that we wanted to sit still and not have some kind of growth.”

There were times when Sexton told Posch they should add inventory or buy more parts for the service department. “I’d maybe find myself pulling back the reins a little bit,” Posch said. “He really had the vision of moving forward. … He was always gung-ho on yes, yes, yes – and it always worked out.”

Of course, there have been some not-sogood times. Right after Brandl Motors opened its new 33,000-square-foot building south of Little Falls in March 2008, a nationwide financial crisis hit. “We just took on the largest debt we’ve ever taken on in our lives and now, here we are,” Sexton said. “We just rolled up our sleeves and kept doing the right things every single day … and we just kept coming to work.”

COVID-19 packed another punch. Manufacturing shutdowns led to dramatically reduced inventory on the sales floor and the lot.

Sexton predicts inventory will remain low for another year or two. But they just keep coming back to work. They say they are inspired by their ability to help their employees and their employees’ families have good lives. “That’s

PERSONAL PROFILE

Joe Sexton,53

Co-owner, Brandl Companies and St. Cloud Rox Hometown: Rice Education: Cathedral High School, St. Cloud Technical & Community College sales and management Work history: Komo Machine 1986-1988 Miller Chevrolet 1988-1991 Miller Auto Center 1991-1994 Falls GM Center 1994-1997 Gould Brothers Chevrolet 1997-1999 Brandl Motors, November 1999-present Family: Wife Kathy, daughters Brittany Buschette, Jessica and Kayla, son Cole, son-in-law Colin Buschette, grandchildren Braxton, Jayde, Raegan and Krew Hobbies: Traveling, boating, golfing, spending time with family Advice (from himself): Do the right thing Every single day Whether you feel like it or not Both personally and professionally

motivation in itself to do the right thing every day,” Posch said.

Taking care of Brandl employees includes offering a good benefits package, including a 401k. And the owners take pride in giving employees holidays off. That means no Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day special sales. “Are we missing business?” Posch said.

“Yes. But that’s OK. We want to serve our customers, but we also want to give our employees time off. It’s not about missing that deal. It’s not about not selling that car. It’s about keeping really, really great people happy.”

Their generosity extends to the communities where they live and do business. For instance, their Project S.A.V.E. Foundation awarded five $2,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors this past spring. “I’d rather help more people,” Sexton said. “That’s doing the right thing every single day. Because I do the right things every single day, I’ve had more success. That’s what it’s all about. I think that happens in your faith. I think that happens in your personal life. I think that happens in your business. I think that’s what it’s all about.”

Looking back to how they got their start with the little dealership on the prairie, “it kind of sounds like it’s a bunch of made-up stories,” Posch said. “But that’s fact. That’s how it all went, which makes it all that much more satisfying 20-some years later.”

Jeanine Nistler is a communications professional who formerly worked in St. Cloud and who now lives and works in the Twin Cities.

BUSINESS PROFILES St. Cloud Rox Baseball Club / Project S.A.V.E. Foundation 5001 Veterans Drive St Cloud, MN 56303 320-240-9798 stcloudrox.com scott@stcloudrox.com 57 employees

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––––– Gary Posch, President, 33.3% ownership Joe Sexton, Vice President, 33.3% ownership Scott Schreiner, Vice President and Managing Partner, 33.3% ownership –––––

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Brandl Auto Connection / Brandl Mobility Finance / Everyone Drives Foundation 559 Hwy 10 S. St Cloud, MN 56301 320-229-1900 brandlautoconnection.com brandlmobility.com 22 employees –––––

Gary Posch, President, 50% ownership Joe Sexton, Vice President, 50% ownership ––––– Vehicle Sales volume for 2020 calendar year – 596 units Brandl Mobility wheelchair van finance contracts for 2020 calendar year – 1094 contracts

“We want to serve our customers, but we also want to give our employees time off.

It’s not about missing that deal. It’s not about not selling that car. It’s about keeping really, really great people happy. ” — GARY POSCH, CO-OWNER, BRANDL COMPANIES AND ST. CLOUD ROX

TIMELINE OCTOBER 2012 Posch and Sexton purchase McDonald-Wold GM in Aitkin from the Wold family and start Brandl Chevrolet Buick GMC with 14 employees

NOVEMBER 2015

Success – Entrepreneurial Style Taking their tiny five-employee dealership to three dealerships, multiple support businesses, and over 230 employees earned Gary Posch and Joe Sexton the 2021 Entrepreneurial Success Award JOE SEXTON AND GARY POSCH HEARD that the Chrysler dealership in Pierz, Minn., was for sale. Though they both had worked in dealerships, they had no ownership experience. Even so, Brandl Motors in Pierz was underperforming at such a level that the two men figured they couldn’t help but do better. Convincing a banker – and Chrysler – that they could do the job took a little more effort.

Sexton and Posch saw it as a challenge. The longer it took to secure the dealership, the more they wanted it. After six months of being pestered, Chrysler finally agreed to the deal. That was in 1999. They had 12 cars on the lot and five employees.

In 2001 they expanded into St. Cloud with used cars, adding a mobility department in 2007. Their mobility program provides financing for small dealers who sell mobility vehicles. Such vehicles are often hard to finance and Sexton and Posch saw it as a nationwide opportunity. They were right. Today they do 70-100 contracts per month on mobility vehicles.

In 2004 they bought the Dodge dealership in Little Falls. They closed that site and the one in Pierz and combined them in their current location in Little Falls. In 2008 they built and expanded into their current building, just in time for the Great Recession. They look back

at it as a learning experience, one that made them better operators. They also feel some pride because they made it through those years without downsizing or laying off employees.

In 2012 they received an email asking them if they wanted “to buy my business.” “Who are you?” they asked. It turned out to be a dealership in Aitkin. The owner was required to upgrade his facility and hadn’t done it.

Sexton and Posch agreed to a deal. The dealership was in worse condition than they realized and for the first two to three years it was a struggle, they said, but has since turned around.

This steady growth, and successful response to adversity, earned them the 2021 St. Cloud Area Entrepreneurial Success Award. This award is presented to those who have successfully grown a business from a small enterprise, as defined by the Small Business Administration, into a large company.

Sexton and Posch, along with Joe Francis, Central McGowan, 2021 Small Business Owner of the Year; and Donella Westphal, Jules’ Bistro, 2021 Business Central Mark of Excellence — Woman in Business Champion were honored at the annual St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Luncheon in June.

The Aitkin dealership opens a new 26,000-square-foot facility

FEBRUARY 2018 Posch and Sexton start the Project S.A.V.E. Foundation as part of their Rox franchise

AUGUST 2018 An addition is built at the Brandl Auto Connection facility to house growing staff with Brandl Mobility Finance

JUNE 2019 Posch and Sexton start Everyone Drives Foundation

JULY 2021 The Brandl dealership in Little Falls opens a 6,000-square-foot detail center

Respecting Neighbors Part of the fun of a Rox game is ending the evening with fireworks. Posch and Sexton are aware that not everyone enjoys the bang and sizzle of the celebration.

This can be especially true for residents of the nearby Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Fireworks are known to spark PTSD among vulnerable veterans. Posch says there’s no need to worry. The team communicates with the VA each week to let them know when fireworks are scheduled so staff can move vulnerable residents to an area where they won’t see, hear, or feel the explosions.

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F E AT U R E

LEADERSHIP WORKOUT Not everyone is a born leader, but you can strengthen your leadership muscles when you practice these tips.

By Dr. Beth Triplett

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S

ome people are born with natural athletic abilities, but most rosters are filled with walk-ons and those late-round draft picks who put in the dedication and effort to enhance their talents.

A similar situation exists with leaders – some inherently possess charisma and gravitas that people naturally follow, but more leaders realize success comes by first developing self-awareness and then intentionally working to close the gaps in their skills.

If you fall into the latter category, as most of us do, here are 10 tips to help you become a leadership pro: 1 Solicit advice on where

you could be stronger.

Use these techniques to get past the “Minnesota nice” syndrome where your colleagues only want to share positive things: Switch from asking for feedback to asking for advice – a slight linguistic alteration that encourages people to provide actionable tips for improvement.

Psychologist Adam Grant suggests asking people to rate your work/presentation/proposal from 1-10, and, if people don’t give you a 10 (as is likely), it opens the door for you to ask them how you could get to a 10.

Ask for feedback regularly instead of episodically. At the end of every class, I ask my students to share on an index card: one praise (something that went well), one wish (I wish we would/wouldn’t have …), and one thing they learned. Not only does it help them reflect, but it also helps me learn what techniques are working

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and where I could improve. You can do the same in meetings or presentations.

2.Make time for intentional reflection.

Jot down notes of situations where you flourished and where you struggled and consider why.

Pay attention to the feedback you receive and evaluate it in the context of your own impressions. If there is a mismatch, seek out other input to understand more. Author Jim Collins reflected on his own actions as if he were a scientist, creating a lab notebook with detailed observations on his behaviors that eventually led him from Hewlett-Packard into teaching and research. While you may not opt for such intense self-analysis,

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F E AT U R E

4. Ask the question:

Opt for vulnerability about the situation rather than trying to cover things up, taking the easy path that doesn’t stretch you, or faking your knowledge. reflecting on what happens and what you can learn from it will provide valuable insight.

3. Build your risk

tolerance by taking risks on little things.

If you’re hesitant to try a new restaurant or recipe, you’ll be more reluctant to take risks on the issues that matter.

Encourage your team to embrace risk – and the failure that goes with it – through continual experimentation.

You can set the stage for this by regularly conducting new, small experiments – and the proliferation of brand extensions makes it easy to do. Pass around the latest new flavor of Oreos or M&Ms at your meeting (and do it whenever a new formula is released), just to get yourself and your staff in the habit of trying something different. Some will be winners and some won’t, but it infuses into your culture that you expect people to take some risks and evaluate new things.

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“What isn’t?”

It’s easy to offer critiques on ideas that are presented to us, but leaders must develop the ability to consider implications that others don’t. Instead of just commenting on what was in the presentation, ask why something wasn’t covered: What is missing?

What impact will this have? Who isn’t considered with this action?

These are the types of questions leaders need to ask – and answer.

5 Be vulnerable.

Admit that there are things you don’t know, areas where you need help, or mistakes you made. Leaders are often at the crossroads between “looking good” and “getting better.”

Opt for vulnerability about the situation rather than trying to cover things up, taking the easy path that doesn’t stretch you, or faking your knowledge. Modeling a “growth mindset” will allow you to learn and build trust with those around you.

6 Remain curious.

Practice using more questions than periods when you speak with others – aiming to learn instead of issuing commands.

Seek to understand the “why” behind processes or decisions.

Engage in continual learning in formal and informal ways, in everything from online courses to reading a new publication.

Frequently ask yourself and others including candidates:

“What’s that last new thing you did?” The answer can be telling!

7 Speak the truth.

It’s a gift to be able to convey information in a compassionate yet forthright manner. Strive to provide feedback to others in a way that will help them, or give a realistic assessment to your staff, even if the news is not all positive. Practice saying no when the answer should be no instead of avoiding the issue or dragging it out. It does no good to tell others what you think they want to hear.

8 Invest the time to

develop people.

Your primary job as a leader is to bring out the best in others.

Strengthen your coaching skills and the ability to ask meaningful questions. Refine your timemanagement practices so you can prioritize one-to-one meetings in your calendar.

Enhance your ability to articulate a vision and inspire others to see the role they play in achieving it. A leader is only as strong as those they lead, making your ability to develop others the most important work you can do.

9 Ground your

identity outside of your leadership role.

The most successful leaders are the ones who don’t entwine their identity with their position. Pursue interests

outside of your job. Cultivate a network of support with people who will be there for you when the demands of leadership become challenging.

A life outside your work helps you keep perspective, have the ability to recharge, and prevents you from taking your position too seriously!

J Volunteer.

Author Warren Bennis reminds us that people may be leaders in one organization and have quite ordinary roles in another. Think about leadership more broadly than just at work. Community organizations, professional associations, and nonprofits always need people who want to contribute and they can serve as

ideal environments to develop or stretch your leadership skills.

Often, volunteers can work in areas where they have little experience and can learn new skills by doing.

Enhancing your abilities as a leader requires ongoing dedication and practice. It’s work that is never finished, but the responsibility and rewards are great. Begin using these 10 tips today to help you strengthen your leadership muscle.

You can learn more about leadership and developing a growth mindset at BusinessCentral Magazine.com

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SPECIAL FOCUS

East Side, West Side, All Around the Town Regional developments are not cutting corners—they’re filling them.

By Tess Glenzinski

St. Joesph

Sauk Rapids

M

att Glaesman, St. Cloud community development director, calls it “The Filling of the Corners.” New businesses and redevelopments are building up the corner lots of major intersections and bringing commercial interest with them.

“That’s a nice change,” Glaesman said. “Most of those sites along the Division Street corridor had been in place for 20 to 40 years and you’re seeing those either be redeveloped or those vacant spots filled in — that’s exciting.”

Businesses filling the corners include Scooter’s Coffee, a drive-thru

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coffee franchise on the corner of Division Street and 32nd Ave. N. Construction started on the Scooter’s building in early May with a soft opening scheduled for August.

The corner of Division Street and 23rd Ave. S has found its occupant with Popeyes, which opened New Year's Day. Another option for chicken-craving fastfood aficionados will come to town in early fall 2021 with the arrival of Raising Canes. The incoming St. Cloud location will be the first Minnesota Raising Canes outside of the Twin Cities metro, according to the St. Cloud Times.

Other high-traffic corners of Division Street will be filled by car washes and credit unions. SPIRE

credit union opened August 2 near the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud, and Central Minnesota Credit Union broke ground in June 2021 on the corner of the former Gander Mountain building in Waite Park.

Indiana-based Crew Carwash will open its first Minnesota location in St. Cloud on the corner of Division Street and 41st Ave. S, with an anticipated grand opening by Thanksgiving, according to KNSI. Tommy’s Express Car Wash will take over the corner of 2nd Ave. N., just north of Division Street. The corner was previously home to an aging American Legion building that had been on the market for the last year. The

Legion is still hoping to be an active part of the community as it looks into redevelopment options, said Waite Park Planning and Community Development Director Jon Noerenberg.

Out of the Ashes The newly redone corner perhaps garnering the most attention is the Ultimate Sports Bar and Grill.

The Ultimate was destroyed by fire in April 2020 and now a sign outside the building says, “risen from our ashes.” The Ultimate’s rebuild included a larger bar area and an expanded patio. It’s been a hit with patrons as they are doing “gangbuster business,” according to Noerenberg. “After that bar was destroyed, they really came back

bigger and stronger than ever, and it’s really great,” Noerenberg said.

Head West That success is hoping to translate into recently redone corners further to the west. In St. Joseph, the corner of Minnesota Street and College Avenue underwent a major renovation that is now home to a new boutique called Hudson and Company.

The fresh-faced Hudson and Co. building opened its door in June 2021 alongside the Minnesota Street streetscape project. The Minnesota Street trees were removed in fall 2020 because of roots buckling the pavement.

This prompted an overhaul of the street featuring new trees with

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root guards, fresh pavers and additional benches.

The renovated corner and spruced-up downtown have brought new energy to the small town, according to St. Joseph City Administrator Therese Haffner.

“It is nice seeing the energy downtown. Whether I’m in my car or on foot, it is nice to see that activity with lots of folks out,” Haffner said.

Energy Booster The newfound energy can also be witnessed in another type of corner: the juncture of the Mississippi River at Southside and Lions Parks in Sauk Rapids, together now called The Clearing.

These parks had been largely underused with only one small playground on the grounds, but the new developments have changed that, according to Todd

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photos in the St. Cloud area,” Schultz said. “It’s just an amazing, amazing view of the rapids and the river.”

The “filling of the corners” trend is popping up all across the region. “It’s east side, it’s far south side, it’s west side, it’s coming through that middle corridor of Division Street. There’s really change in investment happening in each of those areas,” St. Cloud’s Glaesman said. “So that’s the good news. t’s on all sides of town.”

Tess Glenzinski is the communications intern at the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and a senior at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University.

Sauk Rapids photos courtesy of Todd Schultz. St. Joseph photos courtesy of Therese Haffner.

Sauk Rapids

Schultz, Sauk Rapids community development director.

The Clearing now boasts a high-end events center called the Riverside Terrace, capable of holding around 170 people, as well as a smaller 12-person building called The Lookout, which overlooks a new, lighted splash pad. A weekly summer concert series at the new stage and built-in seating at the park has been a major energy booster for the new developments.

The promenade overlook between the two parks was also renovated for the first time in over 10 years, emphasizing what Schultz calls an incredible view. “I’ve been told by area photographers that it is the most popular place for wedding

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THE NUMBERS

Cost of Living Central Minnesota’s cost of living slightly above average in 2021.

T

he St. Cloud area experienced a slightly above average cost of living during first quarter 2021, according to the Cost of Living Index of 266 urban areas. The composite index is based on six components – housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. The "all items" index for St. Cloud was 103.8, above last year’s 101.4.

The Cost of Living Index, which is compiled and published quarterly by C2ER - The Council for Community and Economic Research, measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile. It is based on more than 90,000 prices covering almost 60 different items for which prices are collected three times a year by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce. The national average for the "all items" index is 100.0.

Small differences should not be interpreted as showing any measurable difference, according to C2ER.

COST OF LIVING INDEX COMPILATION FOR FIRST QUARTER DATA FOR 2021 MINNESOTA AND OTHER UPPER MIDWEST CITIES

CITY

All Items

St. Cloud MN

103.8

Grocery Housing Utilities Transpor- Health Misc. Goods Items tation Care & Services

110.1

85.9

98.2

103.3

123.7

114.3

Minneapolis, MN 104.7 101.9 100.7 96.2 105.6 100.8 111.6 St. Paul, MN

104.3

102.3

99.7

94.9

105.2

101.0

111.6

Mankato, MN

93.4

105.5

75.4

95.3

97.1

120.8

97.8

Cedar Rapids, IA 94.1

98.7

81.9

103

84.2

109.5

100.0

Eau Claire, WI

95.4

96.2

78.2

106.3

105.1

111.8

101.1

Pierre, SD

98.8

101.8

112.7

91.2

89.7

96.1

91.1

Least Expensive Urban Communities

Most Expensive Urban Communities New York (Manhattan), NY

240.6

Kalamazoo, MI

76.3

San Francisco, CA

188.0

Harlingen, TX

77.0

Honolulu, HI

187.6

McAllen, TX

78.4

New York (Brooklyn), NY

174.6

Muskogee, OK

79.4

Washington, D.C.

154.7

Richmond, IN

80.9

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THE PROJECTS

Moving and Shaking St. Cloud 1 The ongoing construction on the 33rd Street Corridor is slated to be complete this year after a four-year construction process.

Utilities have been extended and now the last half mile of road is being expanded to four lanes.

2 New businesses have been filling in highly visible commercial lots, including SPIRE Credit Union, Popeyes, Raising Cane’s, Scooter’s Coffee, and Crew Carwash.

3 Amazon will be opening The Ledge

a distribution center in the industrial lot near Marco Technologies.

4 Centennial Park renovations are underway and Rotary West Park is set for major renovations on tennis and basketball courts, parking and lighting.

Waite Park 1 The Ultimate Sports Bar has risen from the ashes. The bar has been reconstructed and expanded after a fire in 2020.

2 Tommy’s Express Car Wash will be built at the previous location of the American Legion.

3 Waite Park is set to welcome its first brewery.

Back Shed Brewing is under construction on Sundial Drive as part of Crafts Direct.

4 Central Minnesota Credit Union broke ground on construction of a building on the corner of the former Gander Mountain.

5 Nature’s View Landscaping was approved to build on County Road 137, in the rural area south of Waite Park.

6 The Ledge Amphitheater opened for concerts and events in July 2021.

Turn to page 48 for more projects.

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The Ledge photos courtesy of Alliance Building Corporation.

Buildings, roads, parks and businesses have turned Central Minnesota into a hub of new development activity.

Spotlight: Exciting Redevelopment Opportunities on the East Side of St. Cloud

Gateways to Growth in St. Cloud

Prominent Location Brings Back GREATER Vitality and Spurs Investment with the Opening of Runnings and Caribou Coffee at The Shoppes at Lincoln Place In late 2019, the City of St. Cloud completed the “East End Vision,” outlining the unique redevelopment opportunities in this prominent area of the community. So far, that road map has proven quite useful for the first couple of investors, while intriguing many more.

Runnings kick-started redevelopment in the neighborhood with their opening in Fall 2020 in the location of the former Shopko.

And in July of this year, Caribou Coffee debuted within “The Shoppes at Lincoln Place,” which sits at the busy intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Highway 23. Midland Atlantic Properties demolished the former Gateway Motel to develop this multi-tenant space, which is looking for other neighborhood service-oriented retail business to lease the remaining property. Midland has owned the Cash Wise and Westside Liquor properties near Target on the east side of town since 2017.

“We love the corner, the City, the market, and the corridor,” said Clayton Riney, Development Manager at Midland Atlantic Properties. “We are uniquely invested in the area, and are excited to see “The Shoppes” service the community more widely.”

He foresees other neighborhood service-oriented retail businesses leasing the remaining 2800 SF of the 5200 SF property.

“The City of St. Cloud’s Economic Development Authority has been instrumental in guiding us through the processes that have allowed us to be where we are today,” added Riney.

Why St. Cloud’s East End? For investors and developers alike, there are many reasons the East Side is an ideal place to grow: •

High-traffic corridor with close proximity to Hwy 10 and Hwy 23, and downtown St. Cloud

•

St. Cloud as a whole is on an upward growth pattern, including Downtown and Business Parks

•

City support in leveraging redevelopment resources

•

Three distinct Catalyst Sites have been identified, which help developers take the “fast track” to moving in and putting their vision in place

•

This area is part of a federally designated Opportunity Zone, which may provide tax benefits on capital investments

How & When To Inquire For brokers, investors, or business owners looking to see what St. Cloud has to offer, the City’s Economic Development Authority is ready to discuss opportunities.

“Investment in St. Cloud’s key gateways and corridors— including the East End — is vibrant and transformative for the community, and it’s really exciting to see,” said Cathy Mehelich, Director of St. Cloud’s Economic Development Authority.

Interested? To explore development & redevelopment opportunities in St. Cloud, please contact Cathy Mehelich at the City of St. Cloud’s Economic Development Authority: CALL 320.650.3111 EMAIL cathy.mehelich@ci.stcloud.mn.us VISIT ci.stcloud.mn.us/economicdevelopment

THE PROJECTS

St. Joseph

1 The

Minnesota Street streetscape project was completed in June 2021 and features new trees, sidewalks and benches.

2 Hudson and Company, a new boutique, has set up shop in the recently renovated building on the corner of Minnesota Street and College Avenue. The renovations were completed early in the summer of 2021.

3 Plans are moving forward for

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a renovation on the vacant building across from the St. Joe Meat Market.

The city council approved a plan for a complete renovation into a retail restaurant.

4 The city is in the process of choosing an architect for a St. Joseph Community Center.

The center will be located east of the government center and is in the early stages of planning and fundraising.

Sauk Rapids

1 The Copper Pony relocated

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2 The Southside Park and Lion’s Park project was completed in summer 2021. The park overhaul features a new events center, concert venue, interactive water feature, a small lookout event building, and a new playground.

Sartell

1 Concept plans have been submitted for a future commercial business district on the intersection of County Road 1 and Highway 15.

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2 West Bank is in the building process on the east side of Highway 15.

St. Joseph photo courtesy of Therese Haffner.

Built with PASSION

to downtown Sauk Rapids in mid-August. Previously located in St. Cloud, the Copper Pony rehabbed a building in Sauk Rapids so it could expand and continue to grow.

3 Center for Pain Management finished construction and opened for business in June 2021.

4 Residential single-family developments are booming in Sartell with three neighborhoods constructed in the last year.

DOING GOOD

Positive Spirit ROCORI’s Blattner Stadium project inspires community partners.

By John Young

T

he ROCORI community is blessed with many people who care deeply about our young people and who understand the powerful force of positive spirit.

Positive spirit inspires and unites, and it fuels personal ambition and collective achievement. It celebrates championship effort – win or lose – and it motivates individuals to be committed to others and to live with compassion and humility.

“In so many ways this IS the ROCORI legacy,” Brad Kelvington, ROCORI Superintendent, said. “It is incredibly humbling that the beautiful new Blattner Stadium, which is being 100 percent privately funded, will help tell the ROCORI story dating back to its founding in 1967.”

The ROCORI Booster Club is the project developer and has partnered with area donors to raise significant charitable gifts to fund the project. ROCORI’s Mission Statement is: Making a difference today for a better tomorrow. Karen and Dave Blattner, along with Angel and Henry Blattner, have taken that to heart. Thanks to their generosity, the school recently

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DOING GOOD

COMMERCIAL ROOFING We are committed to providing our customers with quality solutions and services for their roofing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning needs.

COMMERCIAL HVAC // COMMERCIAL ROOFING // ARCHITECTURAL SHEETMETAL 1431 Prosper Drive, Waite Park, MN mcdowallco.com

// 320.251.8640

We’re Growing Introducing Our New Headquarters 2583 COUNTY RD 74, ST. CLOUD

General Contractor Design-Build Commercial Construction & Remodeling

320-251-4956

DaleGruberConstruction.com

broke ground on this multimillion-dollar project.

COLDSPRING is also a strategic partner in building the stadium. “As a company we’ve always believed passionately about investing in the communities where we live and work,” Greg Flint, president of COLDSPRING, said. “We’ve taken a special interest in how we can support future generations by fostering experiences that instill servant leadership values and develop both the hard and soft skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.”

The new grand arched entrance and plaza are designed to welcome guests for socializing and celebrating. Accessibility features have been incorporated to give more people the opportunity to actively participate as fans, coaches, media, and staff. The current home bleachers will be moved to the visitor side of the field to make room for a new expanded home grandstand. Ramps and an elevator will provide ease of access for all.

Joel Baumgarten, ROCORI’s director of activities, has been a driving force behind these upgrades. “This plan is amazing yet practical. Our dream is to be a destination for our visiting teams and a preferred site of the Minnesota State High School League for section, district, region, and state playoffs. With seating capacity of just over 4,000 fans, we meet that threshold.”

In addition to COLDSPRING and the ROCORI Booster Club, other community partners have made generous commitments to the stadium project, including Mies Outland, Midwest Machinery, and Tom Kraemer, Inc. (TKI). “Supporting this kind of high visibility school project is important because it’s what helps draw young families and potential employees to our community … and it ensures that ROCORI will be thriving and growing for decades to come,” according to Steve Mies, Mies Outland.

John Young is a member of the ROCORI Spartans Booster Club and associate vice president for Institutional Advancement at Saint John’s University, jyoung@csbsju.edu.

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BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

2021 Growth Guide Central Minnesota is ever-expanding. Take a look at snapshots of some of the area businesses and new projects.

Design

SINCE 1874

ARCHITECTURAL

AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

SINGLE SOURCE. SUPERIOR SERVICE. REMARKABLE RESULTS. 800.772.1758 | www.millerab.com

Encore on the Park, St. Cloud, MN

GROWTH GUIDE

Alliance Building Corp.

Blattner Company

Bradbury Stamm Construction Winkelman, LLC

Blattner Energy Headquarters ––––––––––––––––––––––

Coming Soon!

Territorial Lofts- Rogers, MN –––––––––––––––––––––– Website:

alliancebuildingcorporation.com

–––––––––––––––––––––– About the project:

Project to consist of a new 3 story apartment building, above a separate enclosed private parking garage, with one separate detached parking garage building.

New construction, additions, or remodels.

Let us build your needs!

Blattner Company is a diversified renewable energy contractor providing leading expertise and collaborative construction solutions nationwide.

In 2019, W. Gohman assisted in the headquarters expansion in Avon, Minn., which included a four-story, 72,466 sq. ft. addition. This new addition added 135 new offices and workstations, multiple collaborative group spaces, parking lot expansion, 10 new conference rooms, catering kitchen, work lounge, recreation spaces, A/V labs and a new auditorium. The addition tied into an existing fully occupied building with the least amount of disruption of daily operations as well as maintained Blattner’s current sustainable energy efforts and fortified the existing and new facilities for future growth.

The Villas at Stoney Point Cedar Rapids, IA ––––– The Villas at Stoney Point is a new 156,209 sq. ft., 99-unit independent living senior housing community. The building features Dining, Bistro, Lounge, Game Room, Theater, Craft Room, Weights and Cardio, Pool, Yoga Studio, and a 69-space underground parking area.

www.bradburystamm.com

Blattnercompany.com

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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GROWTH GUIDE

City of St. Cloud

Dale Gruber Construction

Dale Gruber Construction New Headquarters

City of St. Cloud: Economic Development Authority

2583 County Rd 74, St. Cloud, MN ––––––––––––––––––––– General Contractor:

City Hall - St. Cloud, MN ––––––––––––––––––––––

Dale Gruber Construction

––––––––––––––––––––––

The St. Cloud Economic Development Authority (EDA) stands ready to work with you as your first-stop for business development assistance.

Dale Gruber Construction designed and remodeled our new headquarters. Stone and glazing structure brings a striking, modern prominence to the entry. The stone was carried through to the interior creating a feature wall and wood beams span the spaces beyond. Updated layout consists of private offices, conference room, training & break room. New finishes and innovative furnishes were installed throughout the space.

DGC team is excited about our growth and our future of building today for a better tomorrow!

–––––––––––––––––––––– Services offered: Site selection for large

or small business; Business start-up, expansion & relocation resources & financing; City development & permit assistance

www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/ economicdevelopment

DaleGruberConstruction.com

JLG Architects

The second-best move we’ve made.

JLG Architects made the best decision to open an of fice in St. Cloud in 2019. Now we’ve JLG Architects’ moved into our permanent home. new St. Cloud offices Please update your records to our St. Cloud, MN new address:

BCI

–––––––––––––––––––––– About the project:

–––––––––––––––––––––– / Architectural Design / Construction Services General Contractor:

Miller Architects & Builders

millerab.com SINCE 1874

jlgarchitects.com

800.772.1758 / www.millerab.com BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

www.hma-archs.com

Mark Korte

Design+Construction, Architecture Giant ’s 50 Most Admired Companies in the U.S. s to Work | 100% Employee-Owned ESOP

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HMA is working with Trident Development and Lyon Construction on the design of a new 138-unit Class-A apartment building located in Shakopee, MN. The project will feature below grade parking, community rooms, exercise facilities, a roof top terrace as well as a variety of unit types. The project is expected to be complete by late 2021.

Encore on the Park -

The apartment features 105 luxury homes next to Heritage Park. Studio, one, two-bedroom apartments.

Features two-story lobby with fireplace, mail center, community room, fitness center, resident business center, yoga room, game room, guest suite, 3-season porch, courtyard patio, BBQ area, sport court, and a dog park. Luxury finishes throughout.

JLGarchitects.com

Shakopee, MN –––––––––––––––––––––– Architect: HMA Architects Contractor: Lyon Construction –––––––––––––––––––––– About the project:

Nor-Son Construction

–––––––––––––––––––––– About the project:

JLG Architects was in search of an exciting office space in the heart of downtown.

They found the The Whitney Building – built in 1900, and in a state of extreme disrepair. JLG’s full restoration celebrates the old while modernizing and updating for the future. JLG invites the community to stop in for a tour.

Arasan Apartments

Miller Architects & Builders

Finding innovative solutions to Luxury Apartments challenges that face our clients.

St. Cloud, MN

JLG Architects –––––––––––––––––––––– Development 505 W Saint Germain Street General Contractor: St. Cloud, Minnesota 56301

HMA Architects

Baxter, MN –––––––––––––––––––––– General Contractor: Nor-Son Construction

–––––––––––––––––––––– Description:

Nor-Son is a nationally recognized design and construction firm focusing in healthcare, hospitality and commercial markets.

Our tradition of client-focused relationships is supported by delivering projects of distinctive character, precision craftsmanship and incomparable quality.

nor-sonconstruction.com

Strack Construction

Forsman Farms

Litchfield, MN –––––––––––––––––––––– General Contractor: Strack Construction

–––––––––––––––––––––– About the project:

This project represents a new Cage Free Layer Facility. The campus consists of an 82-acre site and 710,000 square feet of building.

The construction was completed in 13 months.

This facility will accommodate the new regulations that are being enforced in this industry.

www.strackco.com

PROJECT:

FOR THOSE WHO WANT THE BEST… Your outdoor living space is where you find peace. Where memories are made with family & friends. We’re 3 generations strong & proud to bring our family to yours.

We are Borgert, welcome to the family!

Dream. Create. Enjoy.

Visit our showroom at: 8646 Ridgewood Rd., St. Joseph, MN 56374 For more information or for a FREE Borgert catalog call 320.363.4671 or visit borgertproducts.com

Central Minnesota Pediatric Dentists

DESIGN/BUILD:

Rice Companies, Inc.

PROJECT DETAILS:

Creatively designed dentistry space totally

by Ledge Wealth Investment Advisors.

COMPLETION DATE:

On track for December 2021

BUILDING PROJECTS + PARTNERSHIPS SINCE 1953

W Gohman Construction

Blattner Energy Expansion Avon, MN –––––––––––––––––––––– W. Gohman assisted in expanding Blattner Energy’s headquarters building in Avon, Minn. The 72,466 sf new building addition adds 135 new offices and work stations, multiple collaborative group spaces, parking lot expansion, 10 new conference rooms, catering kitchen, work lounge, recreation spaces, A/V labs and a new auditorium. This building addition was safely tied into an existing, fully occupied building with the least amount of disruption to daily operations. In addition, W. Gohman was able to maintain Blattner’s current sustainable energy efforts and fortify its existing and new facilities for future growth.

wgohman.com

COMMERCIAL HVAC, ROOFING, ARCHITECTURAL SHEETMETAL We are committed to providing our customers with quality solutions and services for their roofing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning needs.

1431 Prosper Drive, Waite Park, MN 320.251.8640 // mcdowallco.com

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 // BusinessCentralMagazine.com

53

PROFIT

BUSINESSSPOTLIGHT

JACOBS FINANCIAL

PERSONAL PROFILE

The Love of the Game

Dave Jacobs, 42

Jim Jacobs, Jacobs Financial, loves helping clients, working with his sons … and baseball.

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business – Marketing & Finance from St. Cloud State University

By Gail Ivers

Business Central: How has the business changed since you started?

Jim Jacobs: None of the products we sold 40 years ago even exist anymore.

When I entered the business, we were selling insurance investment products.

I eventually got my securities license and sold mutual funds.

Mutual funds didn’t really take off until the late 1970s. And there are many, many more investment products now than there used to be.

Andy: Things change all the time. We’ve moved from commission to fee-based and goals-based compensation; asset management compensation. It’s more common now, but we were probably ahead of the game on that.

BC: Family businesses can be a challenge. Did you always plan to join your dad in business?

Dave: Yes. My grandma tells a story that when I was a little kid and I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, I said “I want to work with Dad.”

TIMELINE

1973 Dave Willmore, Jim Jacob’s father-in-law, encourages him to enter the insurance business selling investment products.

1979 Willmore and Jacobs form a partnership, Jacobs, Willmore & Associates, and

54

Hometown: St. Cloud

(Lef t-right) Dave Jacobs, Jim Jacobs and Andy Jacobs

Andy: Not right away. I was working in the Twin Cities and wanted to move closer to family. I saw Dave taking the securities test and decided to look into it.

Jim: It’s a blessing to have them in business with me. Watching them grow and help others – I believe that’s what we’re supposed to do with life – use our gifts to bless other people.

Andy: Our personalities work well together.

Of course there are disagreements, but we do a good job of putting our pride aside. I respect Dave, and he respects me.

BC: Jim, your office décor suggests you like baseball.

Jim: My dream job is to be a major league umpire. I’ve coached baseball and played it in high school. I still love to watch baseball.

Those older players didn’t get paid well — they played for the love of the game. And that’s me too. I work for the love of it … for the relationships, for the friendships, for the ability to help clients reach their life goals.

establish an office in the Westgate Mall in St. Cloud.

1981 The company moves to a larger space in the St. Cloud Business Center.

1992 Willmore passes away; Jacobs continues the company renaming it The Jacobs Agency.

BusinessCentral Magazine.com // S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1

2002-04 First Dave Jacobs, then Andy Jacobs, Jim’s sons, join the company.

2007 Now known as Jacobs Financial, the company moves to its current location in the Jacobs Executive Center on 33rd Street South.

Family: Wife, Kristen; children Alivia, Kalyn, and Devin Hobbies: Hiking, coaching daughter’s soccer team, golfing, time at the lake, watching lots of hockey games and dance competitions.

Andy Jacobs, 48 Hometowns: St. Cloud Education: Bachelor of Arts from St. Cloud State University Family: Wife, Angie; children Mason and Leah Hobbies: Golf, soccer coach, attending sporting events, travel, boating, time with family and friends

Jim Jacobs, 71 Hometowns: St. Cloud Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business — Marketing from St. Cloud State University Family: Wife, Carol; five children, 15 grandchildren Hobbies: Racquetball for 40-45 years, fishing, reading the Bible every morning, attending sporting games for all the grandchildren, family time

AT A G L A N C E

Jacobs Financial 1407 33rd Street S, St. Cloud, MN 56301 / (320) 217-6006 info@jacobs-financial.com jacobs-financial.com Business Description: Jacobs Financial is an independently owned and operated financial services company, servicing the St. Cloud area since 1973.

Owners: Jim Jacobs, founding partner Andy and Dave Jacobs, managing partners Opened: 1973 Number of Employees: 11, including the owners Joined the Chamber 2006

The second-best move we’ve made.

JLG Architects made the best decision to open an of fice in St. Cloud in 2019. Now we’ve moved into our permanent home.

Please update your records to our new address: JLG Architects 505 W Saint Germain Street St. Cloud, Minnesota 56301

Building Design+Construction, Architecture Giant MSN Money’s 50 Most Admired Companies in the U.S. Inc. Magazine’s Best Places to Work | 100% Employee-Owned ESOP jlgarchitects.com