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3RD STREET TAVERN ST PETER Congratulations and best wishes to MIO (Mankato Independent Originals) from your General Contractor, Vintage Fine Homes Inc.

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MARCH/APRIL 2017

Contents

THE MAGAZINE FOR GROWING BUSINESSES IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

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COVER STORY

Publisher: Concept & Design Incorporated Editor: Lisa Cownie

Brokering A Better Community

Art Director/Staff Photographer: Kris Kathmann

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Contributing Photographers: Art Sidner

Dave Schooff, of CBC Fisher Group, embraces not only his position at the helm of Coldwell Banker Commercial’s #1 franchise office in Minnesota (2016), he also embraces the community in which he has found success both in and outside of the office.

Contributing Writers: Brian Gjerde, Brent Pearson, Anna Vangsness Production: Becky Wagner Circulation: Becky Wagner Printing: Corporate Graphics, N. Mankato

PROFILES

Mailing: Midwest Mailing, Mankato

Creativity By Design

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It took him a while to embrace his true talents in a way that he could make a living, but eventually Brian Fischer of Design Home Center in New Ulm got on the right path, and he hasn’t looked back since. Now in its 63rd year in business, Fischer is guiding Design Home Center into a new era.

Rock Solid Business Plan

Cover Photo: Kris Kathmann

CIRCULATION 9,400 for March/April 2017 Published bimonthly

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CORRESPONDENCE Send press releases and other correspondence: c/o Editor, Connect Business Magazine P.O. Box 176, Nicollet, MN 56074

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They wanted to take the ag industry by storm, and that’s just what they’ve done. Just in their 20s, Ben and Tyler Wenner already have a couple of patents under their belts. They say the next big thing in ag equipment is coming soon from their St. Peter-based company, Ag Storm.

E-mail: editor@connectbiz.com (please place press releases in email body) Web: www.connectbiz.com Phone: 507.232.3463 Fax: 507.232.3373

COLLABORATION CONNECTION – SPECIAL REPORT

Office Space Trends

ADVERTISING

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A look at a nationwide trend that has found its way to our region. Entrepreneurs finding office space they can rent by the hour, day, week or month. Business space on a budget.

Working Together

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Two locally-owned companies work together to make sure talent stays in the region, a concern for many businesses as predictions are that workforce needs will far surpass supply in the coming years.

IN EVERY ISSUE

Editor’s Letter Cownie Connection Connect with Community Business Briefs Chamber Connection Opinion Hot Startz!

Ask A Professional 4

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MARCH/APRIL 2017

Call: (507) 232-3463 E-mail: sales@connectbiz.com

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ABOUT CONNECT Locally owned Connect Business Magazine has ‘connected’ southern Minnesota businesses since 1994 through features, interviews, news and advertising.

Connect Business Magazine is a publication of Concept & Design Incorporated, a graphic design firm offering print design, web design, illustration and photography. conceptanddesign.com

Copyright 2017. Printed in U.S.A.

EDITOR’S LETTER

The Best Part Of My Role I have always enjoyed learning. It’s probably one of the things that led me into journalism in the first place.

The opportunity to cover and learn about something different every day.

As Editor of a business magazine one of my greatest joys, and indeed challenges, is understanding all of the nuances and complexities of a variety of different industries. Each type of business or industry has its own vocabulary and its own intricacies.

For example, in this issue we begin and end with the commercial real estate industry. I’ve bought and sold a few houses in my lifetime, so thought I had some real estate knowledge. But I quickly found out commercial real estate is its own animal. For the cover, I was fortunate enough to find one of the best in the industry to help us understand it all a little better, Dave Schooff of CBC Fisher Group. We end the issue with the experts at ISG. And, although I like to think I can be somewhat creative with my writing, I have not one ounce of creativity or vision when it comes to design in my home or office. (I don’t suppose 30-year-old posters and album covers of Rick Springfield count as proper décor?) Brian Fischer, of Design Home Center in New Ulm, talks about that company’s 63 years of success.

Finally the agriculture industry. We talk to two young men taking the industry by storm with their innovative products.

So, happy reading...and hopefully, learning!

Lisa Cownie Editor

Commercial + Retail Solutions From national retail chains and commercial spaces to Main Street shops, ISG helps clients research, plan, design, and maintain spaces that truly work for their unique business. With so much to consider in commercial real estate, it’s important to have a professional, trustworthy team that knows the industry, recognizes the complex factors at play, and understands both the short and long-term goals of each partner. With a multidisciplinary team of 230+ professionals licensed in over 45 states, ISG strives to provide just that - every day.

ARCHITECTURE + ENGINEERING + ENVIRONMENTAL + PLANNING MARCH/APRIL 2017

www.is-grp.com CONNECT Business Magazine

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By Lisa Cownie Photo by Kris Kathmann

David Schooff has shaped the community through his wideangle view of the region’s commercial real estate market as President of Coldwell Banker Commercial, Fisher Group.

Drive.

Passion.

Instinct.

Those are the three catchwords that are at the heart of an aggressive new nationwide branding campaign for Coldwell Banker Commercial. They are also words that perfectly describe the man at the helm of the local Coldwell Banker Commercial office: Dave Schooff of CBC Fisher Group.

“Commercial to the Core” is the expression being embraced by the company. Schooff takes it one step further. In fact, he might best be described as Community to the Core.

Although he grew up in Illinois and attended college in Iowa, Schooff has spent much of his adult life shaping the Mankato community, in one way or the other, through his professional and personal pursuits.

Drive. Schooff grew up in a small-business environment, learning from those around him at an early age. That fostered a drive in him to pursue his own ventures. He leveraged that early foundation in

his numerous business and real estate investments in hospitality, commercial property and workforce housing. All while ensuring his endeavors would have a positive economic impact on growth within the state of Minnesota.

Passion. Schooff ’s passion comes from a deeply rooted personal belief that to truly succeed you must invest in your community. That’s why he commits his talent, time and treasure to numerous area nonprofits. His passion is helping his community. Schooff has served, and in some cases still serves, on several local and statewide nonprofit boards including the Mankato Area Foundation, Junior Achievement, City Center Partnership, and Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Leadership program among others. Feeding Our Communities Partners is another organization Schooff feels strongly about. Its flagship program, the BackPack Food Program, is one that Schooff believes is truly making a difference in fighting hunger in our community. continued >

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Brokering A Better Community

“My wife and I were visiting with Curt and Debbie Fisher at their home. I remember it was over apple crisp that we started talking about the opportunity for me to join Curt’s business, CBC Fisher Group.”

He brings that passion to his professional life as well. Since coming to Mankato, he’s proven himself a leader in the community.

He initially served as President and CEO of the Greater Mankato Chamber and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, taking over the helm there in 2001. It was a five-year stint in which Schooff built the organization into a significant community and economic development force. He led the business community by creating strong programming in the areas of community marketing, leadership, workforce development, housing development, public policy and tourism. At the five-year mark, he saw

a new opportunity with CBC Fisher Group and took it. And that began a journey of leading the community in a different way.

Not necessarily having a lot of real estate experience, Schooff tapped into his expertise in urban planning to help CBC Fisher Group grow the southern Minnesota region’s commercial development.

Instinct. Schooff brings his business instinct with him every day to the office. In his role as President, Broker and Owner of Coldwell Banker Commercial Fisher Group, Schooff manages day-to-day operations including business growth opportunities in the areas of commercial real estate broker-

age, commercial development and property management. In addition, Schooff has long served as adjunct faculty at Minnesota State University-Mankato in the Urban and Regional Studies department where he has instructed courses on community leadership, service learning, economic development and downtown revitalization.

Schooff though is quick to point out that while he takes a lead role, he and CBC Fisher Group, would not be what it is today without everyone in the organization fulfilling their role. The company’s new brand, Commercial to the Core, embodies the team as a whole.

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Ruthann C. Kragh FIC, CLTC® Financial Associate 110 South Broad Street Mankato, MN 56001

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Coldwell Banker Fisher Group | Mankato

“Personally, I am not a big fan of bragging about successes as we have so many partners and team members on a variety of projects,” says Schooff. “We play different roles in projects from broker to developer to consultant.”

Schooff talks now about his role in the community on a professional and personal level, and gives us an inside look into the commercial real estate market.

Please tell me a little bit about your background; where you grew up, your education.

I actually grew up in Northwestern Illinois in a small community called Freeport, about an hour and a half outside of Chicago. I attended Iowa State University in Ames where I received a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Business. I went on to earn a Master’s of Science in Community and Regional Planning.

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With a Masters in Community and Regional Planning, how did you end up with Coldwell Banker Commercial Fisher Group?

My initial career after receiving my master’s led to me to the chamber of commerce/ economic development industry. After working in a few communities in Iowa, I was hired to be the Mankato Area Chamber and Convention Bureau President/CEO in 2001. Five years later, my wife and I were visiting with Curt and Debbie Fisher at their home. I remember it was over apple crisp that we started talking about the opportunity for me to join Curt’s business, CBC Fisher Group. As a side note, I would like to say that Debbie makes amazing apple crisp! At that time, Curt was looking for a day-to-day operational exit strategy, but at the same time he wanted to expand the business. My wife Michele and I both grew up in small, family-owned businesses so the possibility was very intriguing to me.

We considered it and I made the move.

At that time you didn’t really have any real estate experience. So what different roles have you played there? What is your role now?

Since day one, I have been president of the company; however, my commercial real estate experiences were definitely not

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Brokering A Better Community

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“We have been instrumental in some of the recent revitalization in Old Town. There are some very forward-thinking plans coming for the former quarries just north of the Riverfront Drive and Madison Avenue intersection that we are working on that will be unveiled later this year.� as extensive as they are today. The commercial real estate industry offers some exceptional continuing education and certification programs which has been an extremely beneficial learning opportunity.

In 2011, I earned the CCIM designation (Certified Commercial Investment Member) and in 2015, the SIOR designation (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) which is the highest designation in this industry. I have been awarded the #1 Broker in Minnesota

by CBC corporate twice and have achieved platinum level status which is determined by gross sales in commercial transactions.

Now you are not only president, but also an owner.

Yes, there are now three owners of the firm: Terri Goebel who has been with the company for 22 years and does an excellent job of overseeing most of our property management and financial operations; Curt remains a minority owner and an excellent advisor given his long history with the company and his extensive experience in the industry; then myself.

What services does CBC Fisher Group provide?

We are a full service real estate brokerage firm that focuses exclusively on commercial real estate transactions, all aspects of property management and real estate development.

How many agents do you have?

Recently, we have grown our agent base to nine, adding four within the last two years, as well expanding into business brokerage functions.

What is the geographic area that you serve?

Our focus geographically is south central Minnesota, primarily based in Greater Mankato. In 2016 our office was awarded the #1 franchise office in Minnesota by Coldwell Banker Commercial corporate. We are very proud of this accomplishment.

What makes CBC Fisher Group different from others in your industry?

Good question. Our firm has been in existence for more than 45 years in one regional center and our history and knowledge is

Coldwell Banker Fisher Group | Mankato

second to none. We utilize advanced technology and marketing to promote our listings, our agents collectively have more than 170 years of commercial real estate experience and, as a CBC affiliate, we have access to more than 4,000 commercial professionals worldwide. Our firm has been a driving force in how this region has developed. We are persistent in looking for investors and developers to continue our momentum.

Brokering A Better Community

Schooff’s Latest Venture When the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise put out a call in 2014 that they wanted to return to the Mankato market after a decade away, Schooff paid attention. After researching the possibility and liking what the analysis found, he approached another investor to join him in the venture. Schooff, along with Oliver Schugel, have committed to building three Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Mankato.

The first is set to open this year.

“We are thrilled to expand the brand’s presence in Mankato and play an important role in the daily lives of people who live, work and visit here,” Schooff said when the deal was first announced.

Together, Schooff and Schugel have more than 45 years of experience in real estate and business development. Utilizing Schooff’s knowledge of urban planning, the duo kept the community in mind when choosing a location. The first shop will open on the corner of Madison Avenue and Star Street.

The city is touting it as a good fit as it will provide infill development in that area.

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Brokering A Better Community

Brokering A Better Community

About CBC Fisher Group By: Cristen Manthe, CBC Fisher Group New Marketing Campaign In April 2016, Coldwell Banker Commercial corporate unveiled an edgy new marketing campaign.

This campaign is very different from anything else that’s out there and has received a lot of positive feedback. If you have seen our new commercial on the jumbo-tron downtown at the Verizon Wireless Center then you know what I am referring to.

While attending the Global Conference in Florida this past April, I asked Fred Schmidt, President and COO of Coldwell Banker Commercial, why he decided to take such a risk with this campaign. He said he wanted to get people’s attention. He wanted people to pause to process the message. COMMERCIAL TO THE CORE. What does that mean exactly? After visiting with Fred, I now understand that COMMERCIAL TO THE CORE is our ability as commercial real estate agents to exercise our passion, instinct and drive to achieve results for our clients. It’s also our team, our network, our innermost core and all that we strive to accomplish at work for our number one priority – the client.

In conjunction with the franchise’s new marketing campaign, CBC Fisher Group has launched a more modern, user- friendly website which keeps visitors up to date with recent growth and development, transactions and community events. We have access to the newest technology to maximize the exposure for each listing, not to mention the ability to network with 4,000 CBC affiliates worldwide.

We Are Involved Community Members We believe in giving back to the community.

Our agents are informed and involved community members and participate in many local events that benefit non-profit organizations in our area, such as Feeding Our Communities Partners, Junior

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Achievement, Mankato Area Foundation, United Way and the YWCA. Through a recent partnership with Minnesota State University, Mankato, CBC Fisher Group has been able to provide resources which benefit the university’s athletic programs.

Property Management Fisher Management Company is a full service asset/property management firm which has been protecting and enhancing investments for 40 years. Our team of professionals oversee all aspects of property management including: management of critical financial components of property ownership and tenancy, single point of contact for tenant calls and concerns, bid contracted services and property repairs, preventative maintenance inspections, and 24 hour emergency response. Our relationship with owners, investors, landlords, and tenants has given our company a reputation for service excellence.

Our management portfolio includes 40 + properties and nearly 1.2 million square feet of space of office, industrial, retail, and multi-family.

Our Tenured Commercial Real Estate Agents Rosie Brunmeier 20 years with CBC Fisher Group Rosie is a matchmaker with integrity. She is skilled in finding the right property and “matching” it to the right people. Having been an owner/operator herself for many years, she understands her clients concerns and goals. Additionally, Rosie is the manager and leasing agent for the Madison East Mall and coordinates all of the onsite tenant leasing, events and activities.

Dave Bergmark 17 years with CBC Fisher Group Dave strives to understand his clients’ needs and after 37 years in sales, small business and commercial real estate, he finds that their needs are continually changing

Coldwell Banker Fisher Group | Mankato

to adapt to the regional market. “Clients appreciate persistence, perspective and innovation and that is what I am pleased to provide to them.” Throughout his career, Dave has worked with national companies, small businesses and startup businesses and appreciates being able to assist them every step of the way to finding exactly what meets their needs.

Jim Halbur 9 years with CBC Fisher Group Jim is passionate about commercial real estate development projects which are often complex, involve a lot of time and multiple parties. “Everything runs much smoother when the focus is on working together,” he says. Each development project has several phases which include site selection, careful analysis, project management, and the opportunity to be very creative with design. His recent industrial and retail projects have been the result of recognizing a demand in the market and an effort to meet that demand.

Jeff Greischar 8 years with CBC Fisher Group Jeff is based out of Fairmont and has been quite successful in redevelopment of office, industrial

and retail buildings in that area and along the I-90 corridor. He is the CEO and owner of Tech Builders, Inc., a commercial general contracting firm specializing in hospitality construction for many national franchise restaurants and hotel chains. His extensive business experience in this industry is an asset to clients interested in developing, purchasing and leasing in Southern Minnesota.

New Expanded Services – Business Brokerage In 2016, April Femrite joined the firm as a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI). With this designation, she is able to provide professional, knowledgeable representation to clients during the process of selling or buying privately held businesses. Her specialty services include: broker opinion of business value, marketing of the business with confidentiality, screening of potential buyers, facilitate negotiations, manage due diligence investigation, and general coordination of all aspects pertaining to the business sale.

She is the only CBI in Southern Minnesota and with her specialized training brings added value to the company by expanding the services we provide to clients.

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Brokering A Better Community

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You just mentioned that CBC Fisher Group has been a driving force in how this region developed.

I would certainly agree. So, how closely does CBC work with city and other community planners when determining how to develop certain properties?

We work closely with community leaders and planners. Many times we have clients, or we provide advice to clients, on concepts and ideas on how to best position a property for development or use. Over the years, we have participated and developed conceptual plans for how areas on the east infill district should be completed. We have been instrumental in some of the recent revitalization in Old Town. There are some very forwardthinking plans coming for the former quarries just north of the Riverfront Drive and Madison Avenue intersection that we are working on that will be unveiled later this year. We reach beyond just Mankato and North Mankato. We have done similar planning and projects in St. Peter and Fairmont among other places.

How is the local market?

Was 2016 a good year?

Many people don’t realize that we usually see projects come to fruition before they become public. So while 2016 was a good year, 2015 was actually better for our firm.

Can you explain a little bit about your process?

We handle all varieties of clients/customers. Our clients are those who have listed a property on the market with us.

This could be anything from a for sale property to a building for lease. Our goal is finding a solution for their property so we are trying to match a buyer and tenant.

Therefore, we may have a business that would make a good fit into a commercial space for lease.

There are investment properties that we represent as well. Finding interested investors comes from many avenues. As you can imagine there are a variety of prices and types. Occasionally, we bring together a group of individuals as an investment group.

Coldwell Banker Fisher Group | Mankato

What do you have currently in the works?

As much as I would like to be able to discuss projects, we represent many clients and investors who expect confidentiality. I will say that there are some exciting projects being discussed and planned that will continue to broaden the landscape of Greater Mankato where we work and live. That doesn’t mean though that they will become a reality. There is, however, a strong interest within the community for continuing the momentum around the expansion and development of our region.

Many tout the region as having a healthy growth, would you agree?

Greater Mankato in general is healthy and has been fortunate. However, like any community you can’t rest on your past successes because community development is constantly in competition with every other community in the country.

From my perspective, we need to ensure that the business environment remains fair and competitive, as this drives growth and opportunity for all.

What trends do you see in your industry in this market?

You could probably take each segment of real estate and see the trends. For example, in the office sector in larger markets we have seen some dramatic trends with a migration toward smaller office sizes, more open floor plans, efficiency, etc. Some of this has happened in Greater Mankato and local companies are starting to embrace many national or even global trends.

Is demand keeping up with supply or vice versa?

Like any business, there are always areas where we could use more inventory, but in some sectors such as the office market, we are saturated. As the needs of our community change, CBC Fisher Group is poised to address those needs.

What has been the key to CBC Fisher Group’s longevity in the community?

In the beginning, Curt worked hard to develop his brand and relationships. From there, he was able to add good people. We

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Brokering A Better Community

About Coldwell Banker Commercial According to the web site, in 1906, Colbert Coldwell founded his real estate company based on the conviction that he knew a better way to do business.

Rooted in this entrepreneurial spirit and backed by the global Realogy network, the Coldwell Banker Commercial® organization is still finding better ways to fulfill the commercial real estate needs of investors, owners and tenants today.

CBC is comprised of approximately 200 independently owned and operated companies (of which 159 offices are stand-alone Coldwell Banker Com-

mercial offices) and more than 3,000 professionals worldwide.

With affiliate companies in over 40 countries, CBC has one of the largest geographic footprints in today’s commercial real estate marketplace.

Leaders in their local communities, CBC affiliates have the knowledge and connections necessary to ensure all client needs are met. Whether you are looking for a commercial space for sale or a commercial space for lease, our experts will help find you the perfect property.

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Coldwell Banker Fisher Group | Mankato

“Even the best make some mistakes. Commercial is highly driven by the financial analysis which there is a bit of an art to understanding.” have continued to grow at a pace that allows us to be smart with our company. Our people are the foundation of the company and within our organization, our agents have a wide network of contacts and proven results that foster repeat business.

Please talk about your own business ventures outside of CBC Fisher Group.

Being in commercial real estate, I am exposed to many investment opportunities. My wife and I have invested in many real estate projects throughout the region from commercial to residential developments. I have a passion for growing the community and investing in projects. The Dunkin’ Donuts investment was a different venture with another partner. We saw a gap in the marketplace and after extensive analysis, decided to pursue the franchise. I continue to look for opportunities to provide more jobs in our community, grow our region on pace with other communities, and fill in gaps

where there is demand for products or services.

Any advice for someone thinking of getting into investing in commercial property or starting a new business venture?

Commercial real estate is a different animal than residential or owning a house. You need to have a professional assist with the process and provide the correct analysis. As much as we try to get all the accurate information occasionally there are situations when every deal is not perfect. Even the best make some mistakes.

Commercial is highly driven by the financial analysis which there is a bit of an art to understanding. You really should have a passion as well and I would also recommend that having a professional asset or property manager also makes sense because you want the investment to perform at its best. Investing in commercial real estate is more of a long-term investment strategy and most frequently is part of an individual’s overall investment portfolio.

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Coldwell Banker Fisher Group | Mankato

Brokering A Better Community

“I have always been an avid sports fan and still root for my beloved Chicago sports teams. It was pretty amazing to finally watch the Cubs win a World Series last year.”

I know that you are not only professionally invested, but also personally very committed to this community.

My personal philosophy embodies the importance of giving back to my community. Over the years, I have volunteered my time on many local not-for-profit boards and I am currently serving on the Mankato Area Foundation and the Feeding Our Communities Partners (Backpack Food program) boards. Both my wife Michelle and I believe in the importance of supporting local nonprofits and business owners.

We enjoy providing opportunities to

others and hope that others will embrace this philosophy. As an example, we both started scholarship funds at our respective high schools through the Mankato Area Foundation, an organization that does a tremendous job in managing our funds and the processes that come with scholarship programs. Michelle’s is in memory of her father, Gary Stroup and mine is an honorary scholarship in the name of my father, Phil Schooff. We both grew up in small business families and it is important to us to help students where we grew up, by contributing to their education and giving back to our high schools.

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THE ESSENTIALS

Coldwell Banker Fisher Group Phone: (507) 625-4715 Address: 1961 Premier Drive #404 Mankato, Minnesota Web: cbcfishergroup.com

What do you do outside the office?

On a more personal level, Michelle and I travel quite a bit as we like to experience different parts of the U.S. and world. I have always been an avid sports fan and still root for my beloved Chicago sports teams. It was pretty amazing to finally watch the Cubs win a World Series last year. Since moving to Minnesota, I have also become a hockey fan which again is fun when the Chicago Blackhawks are winning Stanley Cups. Michelle and I are supporters of Maverick Athletics as well, so we spend a lot of time attending games throughout the year.

Catch the new Hometown Business Connection on KEYC News 12!

Every week, KEYC News 12 and Connect Business Magazine editor Lisa Cownie will bring you the stories of area local businesses and how they impact Southern Minnesota.

• Every Monday on KEYC News 12 at 10 • Every Tuesday on KEYC News 12 Midday • See all previous episodes on keyc.com MARCH/APRIL 2017

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COLLABORATION CONNECTION — SPECIAL REPORT

Office Space Trends

By Lisa Cownie

Flexibility Is Key Karla Marshall and her business, Exposure Creative, epitomize the face of the modern-day workforce. Exposure Creative is a full service creative agency offering graphic design, website development and branding capabilities. They serve clients nationwide. Like many entrepreneur and freelancing professionals, finding business space on a budget was challenging.

For Marshall and her employees, working from home worked for a while. But as the business grew, so did the need for adequate space. Problem was, while she was growing, she still needed to watch her bottom line.

“We were working out of our homes and meeting with our clients either at their offices or in coffee shops. This worked for a while, however we were looking for more of an upscale meeting room to bring our clients in for meetings,” explains Marshall.

“That’s when we discovered Regus and found that it actually made more sense to office and meet from this location.”

Regus is embracing the nationwide trend toward alternative office spaces. They have 1,000 locations across the country. And last year, opened a location to serve the greater Mankato region.

“This town is growing so much and becoming home to so many entrepreneurs, home-based businesses, even people who have a full-time job but are working on their own business part time,” explains Jennifer Wanderscheid, general manager of the Regus in Mankato. “I think the time is right for a space like Regus here and with all of the growth downtown where we are located, it’s a perfect fit.”

Regus offers ready-to-go, fully-furnished office space and walk-in, plug-in business centers for all needs and budgets.

“It is a good alternative to leasing or buying your own space and in many ways can be more affordable,” Wanderscheid says. “There are no build-up costs, it comes with furniture, phone and internet all included, you don’t have to pay utilities and we offer a shared receptionist. All for one 20

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monthly bill.”

But full-time office space is only one part of the Regus business plan.

“It isn’t just for work-at-home entrepreneurs,” Wanderscheid explains. “We have small solutions like mailboxes for people that need a professional address that isn’t their home address for packages and business mail. We also have conference rooms to rent by the hour or by the day. We have several companies that rent those for training, staff meetings, even parties.”

Another important niche Regus brings to this market is disaster recovery housing.

“For instance, say a financial advisor has a fire at their office. We can literally - within an hour - have them in offices here with phones set up and the whole nine yards,” she says. “And if they don’t know how long it will be until their office is fixed, one month or six, it’s no problem. You can go month to month and decide what is best for your company. It is an important service here. We live in an area with extreme

weather and you just never know what could happen. Also, we are good overflow space, so during your company’s busy time of year when you increase staff and need more office space, we have the answer.”

Regus was certainly the answer for Marshall and Exposure Creative, who moved in to Regus in September of 2016.

“I think the best part about Regus is how easy it truly is to move-in, setup and start working,” says Marshall. “The staff is phenomenal and the perks are amazing!

We also love the opportunity to meet and work with other business owners that rent at Regus. We have a dedicated office space for our agency. We also use the various conference rooms throughout the building depending on our needs. Plus, another bonus for us is that we take advantage of the receptionist to answer the phones for our company. “ Regus is located on the third floor of the Profinium Place building in downtown Mankato.

COWNIE CONNECTION

When last I wrote to all of you, a new year was about to begin.

And now we are well into the new one!

I know it may sound cliché, but as I get older time really does seem to be going faster. I wake up and before I know it the day is behind me, another page on the calendar flipped, a new season starting.

Also as I get older, I have learned to view each new day as a new opportunity. Truly, I wake up knowing that this could be the day something amazing happens! Problem is, I get busy scurrying from task to task, so much so that I’m afraid I might end up missing the amazing part!

Like many, I fill several roles in life. Mom, career, community member, friend...it can be a lot to juggle, and as a result every minute of my day is usually planned out.

So if someone or something comes along to bump me off course, well, my day turns into chaos.

As I get older, I have come to realize this is not the best way to operate.

I work very hard, but I need to also learn how to work smart. I know, I know, the phrase “Work Smarter Not Harder” is getting kind of tired. And besides, I have always wondered, ‘why can’t I do both?’ I don’t think working smart or efficiently, means working any less hard. So...

Work hard. I got that one down.

Work smart. This I need to work on.

I don’t think there is any magic formula for doing that. Just as every person has a unique way of doing things and a unique definition of success, there are also unique ways I suppose to “work smart.”

I did a quick self assessment of work habits and here is what I came up with to help me work smart...and work hard.

As I mentioned, my appointments and tasks are stacked on top of each other on my calendar each day. I try to fit as many in as I can. Problem is, I need to learn to leave a buffer-time between tasks. Rushing from

task to task or appointment to appointment leaves me no time to reflect on what just happened, or time to give my brain a bit of rest to prepare for the next thing on my list. By including time between each one, I may get “less” done in a day, but it will definitely enhance the quality of the time I am spending.

Time management doesn’t necessarily mean squeezing as many tasks into a day as possible. It’s Lisa Cownie about prioritizing Editor and working more efficiently. I will try not to consider it doing less, but rather doing more things that really matter.

I have always heard the golden rule of completing the most important task first each day. So each morning, I will try to identify the two or three tasks that are the most crucial to complete and do those first.

That way, even if they are the only ones I get done, my day will be considered a success!

I’ve always heard “to-do” lists are important, but I just need to let them go. When I look at my “to-do” list each day, it overwhelms me. I need to take things one task at a time.

This next one will be hard for me as I have always lived in the “must be able to multi task” society. But, in order to make the most of my time, I will effort to devote my entire focus to the task at hand. For one, this means not having 10 browser windows open at once. It also means putting my phone out of sight and on silent.

Egads, is that even a thing?

And somehow in my race to always “be busy” and race from place to place, I started neglecting to enter “exercise” into my daily routine. I know from experience that exercise clears your mind, allows you to focus and increases work productivity.

I need start making this a part of my day at least five times a week.

If you are like me, and feel like some days are getting out of your control, use the above as a template and find your own way to work smart AND work hard.

I don’t want you to miss the amazing!

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By Anna Vangsness Photo by Kris Kathmann

Brian Fischer constantly revises his draft for the future of New Ulm’s long-running Design Home Center in his leadership role.

“Why me?” is a question that Brian Fischer has asked himself many times over the years. He asked it when he felt a calling to turn to arts in high school, and he certainly asks it now that he is the CEO of New Ulm-based company Design Home Center.

However, for Fischer, asking “Why me?” isn’t a cry of pain, but one of elation when he realizes how his life has been shaped by one company.

A building, remodeling and home improvement business, Design Home Center prides itself on its motto “Your Home is Our Business.” Since its inception in 1954, the tight-knit group of employees work with each customer to help bring their visions to reality. Design Home Center sells, delivers and installs building and interior decorating products for virtually any project a customer comes to them for.

Though Fischer didn’t always have his eyes set on the architecture and design world, it didn’t take him long to figure out his passion was helping people’s dreams evolve in front of their eyes. Fischer grew up on a dairy farm near Courtland and graduated from a local high school. It was during his time there that he found himself immersed in the arts.

“I was an artist in high school,” he says, a smile coming across his face. “I loved drawing animals, nature and homes.

Anything, really.”

Thinking drawing was a hobby and nothing more, Fischer worked in the agricultural field after graduating from high school. It was eight years down the road that he came to realize he wasn’t taking advantage of his skills which included vision, design and the ability to share his ideas with others. So he headed back to school, attending what is now South Central College in North Mankato, for architectural drafting. It was a career path he knew would allow him to hone in on his creative skillset. continued > MARCH/APRIL 2017

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Creativity By Design

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“I love sitting down with a customer and just letting ideas explode. I’m a visual person and I can see things before they all happen and I am just so blessed with all of those things.

It’s made me a better salesman and communicator because if you’re not a visual person, you have no idea what’s coming out of a concept.”

Upon graduation in 1987, the second-career student was hired at Design Home Center as a draftsperson. Although it was his first choice of jobs, it wasn’t the only employment offer that was extended to him.

“I turned down two major jobs to come here,” Fischer says. “One was a large architectural firm in Mankato and the other was Olympic Fire Protection in Owatonna. I never looked back.”

For Fischer, the driving force to accept the position at Design Home Center was that the job allowed him the opportunity to work with residential projects and have one-on-one contact with customers.

“I like being personable and using the talent and creativity that I have,” he says. “I love sitting down with a customer and just letting ideas explode. I’m a visual person and I can see things before they all happen and I am just so blessed with all of those things. It’s made me a better salesman and communicator because if you’re not a visual person, you have no idea what’s coming out of a concept.”

In just one short year, Fischer moved up in his career and became a project lead for the company, spending much of his time designing and drafting concepts for Design Home Center’s customers.

“I became the major designer and project manager here and things progressed up the ladder from there,” he says.

When a previous owner retired from Design Home Center, Fischer stepped into the lead role in 1995. He became a 75-percent owner of the company in 2014. These days he wears a few more hats, which include CEO, CFO and president. Though busier in the past three years than he was before, Fischer gladly accepts the challenge of leading the successful company.

“I still sleep great,” he says with a laugh. “I go to bed at a reasonable time and I want to be up early. When I get to work, I’m full of fresh air and energy. I don’t need the coffee in me.”

Looking back, Fischer says when he started his career at Design Home Center he had no intention of becoming an owner.

“There were some breaks that went my way and I had some opportunities that were offered to me and some tough decisions to make,” he says. “But, the decisions have been good ones and my decisions have been blessed since.

“I was a farm boy before coming here. People don’t think they can be in positions like I am, but I’m an example that you can do it,”

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Design Home Center | New Ulm

Fischer continues. “Sometimes you have to have the right opportunities fall your way. I’ve been very fortunate thanks to the people and community that I have been a part of.”

Though he may not have had the intention of becoming a business owner, what helped him climb the ladder of success was a keen sense for organization.

“I’m a goal setter and I follow through,” Fischer says. “I love strategic planning and putting tactics down for plans; not only for the company, but for other individuals and myself. I like to set goals and I put deadlines on those goals; that’s what moves me forward.”

A married father of four adult children, Fischer knows that it can be difficult to balance personal and work life. But he still finds time

Going Beyond the Numbers

Creativity By Design

About Design Home Center Situated on the western side of New Ulm on Highway 14, Design Home Center strives to create an atmosphere of respect, cooperation and friendliness between customers and vendors in every building project. They were named Northwestern Lumber Association’s 2012 Minnesota Lumber Dealer of the Year as well as New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 New Ulm Business of the Year.

Aiming to bring ease to their customers, Design Home Center installs just about everything they sell and has a staff of 16 employees to help get the job done. They specialize in remodeling, interior decorating, home improvement, new homes, kitchens and farm and utility buildings.

Not only working with homeowners, Design Home Center also works with subcontractors.

“We encourage people to come here not only for products, but for knowledge as well,” Fischer says. “Our showroom and conference rooms are open to subcontractors to use. They can bring their own customers in and we’re on hand to help if they need it. We like everyone to know that our showroom is their showroom.

The idea behind it is to bring awareness of services in the community by saying ‘your contractor is our friend and you’re my friend, so let’s work together.’”

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Creativity By Design

“I think my leadership skills have come from having the opportunity to lead a church congregation for six years when I was church president,” Fischer says. “That’s where I learned a lot of my communication skills, too.” to give back by being active in the community. This year, he’s serving as the New Ulm Farm City Hub Club President and is on the Board of Elders at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm. Fischer credits his leadership skills, which help him excel at his job, to the connections he’s made throughout the years.

“I think my leadership skills have come from having the opportunity to lead a church congregation for six years when I was church president,” Fischer says. “That’s where I learned a lot of my communication skills, too. I had good mentors to network with, talk to and share those leadership things with. Part of it is taking a lot of courses over the years through organizations I’ve been a part of, and part of it is being blessed with certain talents.”

Creativity By Design

What’s Trending In Home Design When it comes to remodeling, interior and home designs may seem to change from year to year, but often times, large changes don’t shift until the 15-20 year mark as products evolve and get better.

Fischer says Design Home Center has begun to remodel homes that were original remodels completed by them two decades ago.

“It’s the nature of the beast,” he says. “We’re still remodeling homes built in the ‘70s, where the soffits and cabinetry only go up to the 84” mark. Whether they’re countertops or paint colors, if people are on the current timeframe of updating their homes, it will happen within 20 years of originally being done.”

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Design Home Center | New Ulm ®

A humble man, Fischer is quick to acknowledge that his success wouldn’t have been made possible if it wasn’t for his second family – his team at Design Home Center. He currently manages 16 employees, each of whom specialize in certain fields of the business. From project sales, delivery and customer service to full-service interior decorating and carpentry, Fischer is proud of the dimensions that the Design Home Center brings to the community.

“We have knowledgeable people who specialize in all areas,” he says.

“If you tell me you want a pole barn built, I’ll tell you straight out that I can’t do it, but I know which of us can. We work as a team and each of us brings something to the table. We like to take advantage of each other’s skills. It’s no secret that it’s a team effort here.”

“We feed off of each other; we’re a family unit,” he continues, gesturing to the help desk just outside of his office where a customer is being

Creativity By Design

A Unique Hobby Each year from November through early February, Fischer takes up his favorite hobby of more than 30 years: coyote trapping. By the time he gets to work at 7:30 a.m., he’s already finished one run and completes another over his one and-one-half hour lunch break.

“I only trap within seven miles of New Ulm,” Fischer says. “Just in that area, I average about 90 coyotes a season.” Coyote trapping is not only a favorite pastime of Fischer’s, but one that benefits others and is in demand. However, because of a busy schedule and time constraints, he refers parties looking for trapping assistance on to his network of friends who also invest their time in the hobby.

Once he traps the coyotes, Fischer harvests the fur before shipping it to Canada. From there, it goes to Canadian markets through auction houses, where they’re sold to Greece, Russia, Italy and Japan. The countries use the purchased fur pelts for production in their garment factories.

For the past 10 years, Fischer has presented on coyote trapping and serves as our District 7 co-director of the Minnesota Trapper Association, which includes Mankato, New Ulm and surrounding areas to the west. Additionally, he produced three DVDs that are sold around the country including overseas in which he discusses trapping techniques, history and methods.

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Creativity By Design

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MARCH/APRIL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 2016

greeted by one of the sales staff. “We have a lot of employee development; that was important for me. You start with something and it takes one or two people, and then there’s a third and a fourth person that is encouraging everyone else.”

Many of the processes at Design Home Center are made by taking into account each employee’s considerations and inputs.

With more than 240-plus years of service combined, Fischer and the staff at Design Home Center all agree on one thing: “We have the greatest job in the world,” Fischer exclaims. “We get to take people’s ideas and make them into an actual vision. I can drive around New Ulm and the surrounding area with my wife and I know what’s in some of these houses. I’m privileged to say, ‘we did this exterior and that entire addition.’ As a team, we’ve developed relationships with the people in the community. It’s priceless and it’s so rewarding. I get to do my job, and yet Design Home Center is making a difference in the community and we are so happy about that.”

It’s been Fischer’s mission since becoming a majority owner to make sure customers, vendors and employees feel like they’re at home whenever they set foot in the business.

Every third Thursday of the month from April through October, Design Home Center invites contractors, excavators, plumbers, electricians, bankers and realtors to join them for a “grill out” to thank them for their business. Last year they fed more than 600-plus people during those nine months. Design Home Center’s staff prepares and serves the meal.

“They appreciate it, but we appreciate them just as much,” Fischer says, gazing out the window in his office, which looks into the showroom.

He has not one, but two large interior windows in his office of Design Home Center. Yes, they let in natural light and allow him to see his employees, but that’s not why Fischer had them installed. The CEO uses them to ensure that he knows just who is coming into the company.

“I make it a point to greet people by name,” Fischer explains. “I’m not afraid to get out on the showroom and say ‘I’m Brian, thank you for your business.’ People want to feel like they’re important when they walk out of a business, not like a customer.”

Design Home Center | New Ulm

THE ESSENTIALS

Design Home Center Phone: (507) 233-8440 Address: 1427 Highway 14 West New Ulm, Minnesota

Strategic Partnership Series

Web: designhomecenter.com Facebook: Design Home Center

The full-service atmosphere at Design Home Center is reassuring. A homeowner can feel comfortable asking for suggestions on a project, knowing that they are getting top-notch help.

“We’re here to make long-lasting relationships with people,” Fischer says. “We’re different than big-box companies because you can’t bring that employee home with you to measure carpet or put in the kitchen cabinets you just bought. Once you leave the store, you’re done. Here, it’s the service and the quality you’ll get on projects that we like to think gets people coming back.”

In 2017, Fischer will be ushering the Design Home Center into its 63rd year in business. No longer able to design as much as he’d like because of his ownership duties, Fischer hopes that his career will come full circle to where he began.

“Every day I miss drafting,” he confides.

“But, right now, when I talk to my fellow lumber peers, I know that my role is to manage. I can’t do both at the same time. If I did, both areas would hurt. I take a design job or two here and there, but I don’t do what I did. When I first came here, I strictly did new homes and remodels and that’s my passion and I’m not ready to give that up.”

For now, though, Fischer knows giving up design is what’s best for the company.

As for what the future holds though, only time will tell.

“I have a passion for management and leading because I know I can do it and I love the challenges,” he says. “I still have a passion for coming up with awesome additions. Maybe that can be down the road – I haven’t burnt out from it at all. My goal would be to get back to that. It’s just not in the cards now, but we’re working on a path that may give me this opportunity again.”

Connect Business Magazine, Radio Mankato and Minnesota State Mankato are partnering to promote southern Minnesota partnerships between businesses and organizations with MSU students and faculty. The goal is to highlight various industries to show the breadth of businesses in the region and how higher education is helping advance them.

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Promoting strategic partnerships in Southern Minnesota

Anna Vangsness writes from New Ulm.

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Minnesota State Mankato Strategic Partnership Series

Sarah Richards (President/CEO), Jessica Richards-Palmquist (Director) and David Richards (Vice President). Photo: Matt Johnston, People Driven Performance.

Learning On The Job And In The Classroom Jones Metal is committed to real-world learning.

When an opportunity for a group project comes up in one of David Olson’s classes, he’s usually quick to suggest an idea.

As the director of engineering and technology at Jones Metal Inc. in Mankato, Olson often turns projects at his workplace into learning experiences for his classmates in the Engineering Management Professional Science Master’s program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

He’s done the same thing dozens of times during his 23-year tenure at Jones Metal, for both graduate and undergraduate students.

It’s a great opportunity for the students, but it’s also been good for

the company.

“The students apply the most current, new ideas to the projects, which is very valuable to us,” Olson says. “And at the same time, they get real-world experience and an opportunity to apply what they’re learning.”

Class projects are just one piece of the partnerships that exist between Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology and Jones Metal. The two entities also work together on senior design projects, master’s thesis projects, faculty research, internships and customized training.

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PRESENTED BY:

“It’s a tremendous benefit for us,” says Sarah Richards, the president and CEO of Jones Metal. “We have a lot of colleagues who have been at Jones for a long time, and so it’s always good for us to have a fresh set of eyes take a look at our processes.”

Minnesota State Mankato Strategic Partnership Series

grads when positions open up at Jones Metal. But she’s not surprised that they can sometimes be hard to get. She admits that former interns who she’s wanted to hire have received offers from other companies that she’s not able to match. “They have so many great

The students inject enthusiasm and creativity into the workplace, which energizes the employees. They are usually eager to share what they’ve learned about the latest trends and how they could be implemented on particular projects. And thanks to the quality of the engineering programs at Minnesota State Mankato, they come with an understanding of the methodology that they’ll be using at Jones Metal.

Photo: Matt Johnston, People Driven Performance

Kuldeep Agarwal, an assistant professor in the Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology department and the director of the Engineering Management PSM program, is relieved that Richards sees as much benefit for her company as he does for his students. He appreciates that the students are given the opportunity to work on projects they are interested in and that their work often yields tangible results for Jones Metal.

“It’s been a fantastic experience,” Agar wal says. “Jones truly values the experiences that the students have; they want our students to have a great experience.”

The way Richards sees it, the student experience impacts the experience of the team at Jones Metal as well. The students inject enthusiasm and creativity into the workplace, which energizes the employees. They are usually eager to share what they’ve learned about the latest trends and how they could be implemented on particular projects. And thanks to the quality of the engineering programs at Minnesota State Mankato, they come with an understanding of the methodology that they’ll be using at Jones Metal.

“For me, it’s fascinating to see how the students transition so smoothly from the classroom to the real-world setting,” Richards says. “It’s really thrilling to watch them take what they know about methodology and processes and then to apply them here at Jones Metal.”

That’s why she’s always eager to hire Minnesota State Mankato 32

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opportunities when they leave school,” she says. They are very much in demand.”

Richards herself is very much in demand on the Minnesota State Mankato campus. In addition to all of the work she and Jones Metal do with the engineering programs, she’s mentored students from the College of Business, served as a judge for the 2016 Big Ideas Challenge, participated in the Academic Master Planning process and been involved in the planning for the University’s upcoming Sesquicentennial celebration.

Her commitment to the University reflects her commitment to continuous improvement—for herself, her colleagues and her company. It’s part of the culture at Jones Metal, and one of the reasons why people stay at the company for decades. “It’s all about continuous improvement,” Richards says. “We all want to make ourselves more operationally excellent. But it’s more than that. Continuous improvement is also about continuous learning.”

Richards and several members of her team are in the process of learning something new right now as well. They’ve been working with Agarwal on a customized training program about additive manufacturing—also known as 3D printing. The training program, which is funded in part through a Minnesota Job Skills grant, allows Jones Metal to learn about the technology and its applications for the business before investing in the costly equipment.

“It came out of a need that they have,” Agarwal says. “We have

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the resources and the expertise to help meet that need. So really, it’s been a perfect marriage.”

It’s also been a great opportunity for Agarwal, who worked in industry before joining the faculty at Minnesota State Mankato five years ago. “I get to experience the challenges that exist in industry and bring them back to my classrooms,” he says. “I’m getting real-world experience that I can then share with my students.”

Richards, meanwhile, is getting excited about the new technology and what it might mean for Jones Metal. “Part of my role is to always be on the lookout for creative and innovative ways to do things differently,” she says. “Whether it’s adding new product lines or finding ways to cut costs, we need to continue to pave the path for everybody at Jones to do new things. Kuldeep is so passionate about this—you can’t help but be excited about it, too.”

“Sarah understands the value of education,” Kuldeep Agarwal explains. “She values this partnership with the University and what it brings to her business.

The fact that we’ve been working together for such a long time really shows how much she values the relationship with us—and how much we value our relationship with her, too.”

The students’ excitement is contagious as well, Richards says.

“The best part about partnering with the students and the faculty is how energizing it is for us,” she says. “It makes us think about how we’re doing things and how we could be doing things better. We want to be leading our industry in the region, and our partnership with the university helps us get there.”

“I went to college 20-plus years ago,” Olson adds. “Things have changed since then. So it’s been great to have the students. They’re enthusiastic and they think differently.”

The biggest benefit to the university, Agarwal says, may be the commitment that Richards and Jones Metal have made to the partnership. “Sarah understands the value of education,” he explains.

“She values this partnership with the University and what it brings to her business. The fact that we’ve been working together for such a long time really shows how much she values the relationship with us—and how much we value our relationship with her, too.”

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Fairmont Fairmont Area Chamber agri-business committee and local businesses are joining forces with Agriculture Future of America (AFA) to support an agricultural scholarship program. Since 1996, AFA’s partnerships have awarded more than $9 million in academic scholarships, provided leader training to 13,000 students and young professionals. Over the years, twenty-eight Martin County High School seniors have received scholarships through this program. Eligibility requirements for Martin County Scholarships include high school seniors enrolling in an accredited college of agriculture. They must be a resident of Martin County. The scholarship application is available at agfuture.org/scholarships.

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Mankato Hats, Horses & Hope is the inaugural Kentucky Derby fundraiser that will directly benefit Partners for Affordable Housing’s programming and to support Mankato’s two homeless shelters. The stylish soiree will include an outdoor patio and tent for viewing the race, music, red carpet photo opportunities and drink specials. It will be held Saturday, May 6 from 3 pm to 7 pm at the Mankato Golf Club. Tickets are on sale now, go to partnersforhousing. org/hats-horses-hope.

Computer Technology Solutions (CTS), Southern Minnesota’s only Apple authorized service provider is pleased to announce new technical certifications.

Beaux Bonney, Aaron Hartwell, and Xac Dinsmore have all earned their ACMT (Apple Certified Mac Technician) status.

In addition to that Beau and Xac have been certified as ACiT (Apple Certified IOS Technicians). As the only Apple Authorized Service Provider of Southern Minnesota, CTS is your only stop for warranty repairs and service.

CTS, has been awarded the status of Microsoft authorized education partner (Microsoft AEP) for their work with all levels of education technology. CTS demonstrated having high levels of knowledge & expertise to deliver excellent service to their customers.

CTS has also been awarded the status Select Channel Partner with Digium. Digium VoIP recognizes partners that have a large number of satisfied customers by awarding them with the highest status of Select.

Survey Services, Inc. of Mankato has joined Bolton & Menk, Inc. Survey Services is a land surveying firm serving clients in southern Minnesota since 1978. “The addition of Survey Services brings a combined 74 years of survey experience to the firm,” says Dan Sarff, P.E., Senior Principal and Mankato Work Group Leader of Bolton & Menk.

“Equally important, Survey Services’ client values align well with ours here at Bolton & Menk. We are pleased and excited to have their skilled professionals join our team.”

Survey Services will continue to work with existing clients and, for the time being, will maintain their current office location at 151 St. Andrews Court, Suite 400 in Mankato.

Abdo, Eick & Meyers LLP announces Steve Anseth, Partner, has been named the firm’s nonprofit group leader. “Steve Anseth has been a leader in driving growth, efficiency and innovation in our nonprofit group for the last four years and this promotion is well deserved,” said Abdo, Eick & Meyers LLP Managing Partner Steve McDonald in a statement. “We look for-

ward to Steve providing leadership to this practice area and continuing to assist our clients in solving their challenges.”

Abdo, Eick & Meyers also announces the promotion of Layne Kockelman to Manager.

Layne has been with the firm since 2012 after graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato. His work includes audit and accounting for many of the firm’s government and nonprofit clients.

U.S. Bank has named Mark Murphy commercial banking relationship manager, announced Bryan Sowers, U.S. Bank Mankato market president.

In related news, U.S. Bank awarded more than $30,000 in grants in the Mankato area as part of its Community Possible campaign in 2016 The grants, made through the U.S. Bank Foundation, support the three core pillars of the Community Possible corporate social responsibility platform the bank introduced last year: Work, Home and Play.

“Work, Home and Play are the building blocks that make our country great: a stable job, a home to call your own and a community connected through the arts, recreation and play,” says Bryan Sowers, U.S. Bank Mankato market president. “We’re proud to help hundreds of organizations strengthen local communities across the country and look forward to continuing to make Community Possible in 2017 and beyond.”

Otto Media Group (OMG) LLC announces the signing of Minnesota River Properties LLC as a full service client.

Minnesota River Properties is a holding company with properties such as “The Mankato Place Mall” and “The Brett’s Building” in the heart of the downtown Mankato community.

“We are excited to work with the management team of Minnesota River Properties.

We will be promoting many of the hospitality and entertainment based businesses that reside in both the Mankato Mall and Brett’s buildings using Facebook and Instagram as well as other traditional forms of advertising,” says partner and director of strategy Wesley Otto.

“We will be cross promoting the Mall with the Verizon Wireless Center, Visit Mankato, and other surrounding businesses in the downtown area. We look forward to

promoting Mankato’s downtown entertainment district as a vibrant regional hub of commerce and social activity,” says partner and Director of Design Mike Sargent.

Southern Minnesota Regional Services (SMRLS) and the Open Door Health Center (ODHC) are partnering to address the legal needs of low income ODHC patients.

The goal is to improve health outcomes by addressing “social determinates” of health, such as safety, decent and affordable housing, income security, and other problems.

The Lawyers Advancing Wellness at Open Door project (LAW) enables a SMRLS attorney to have his office at the ODHC clinic in Mankato. The Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Minnesota Foundation awarded an $180,000 grant to SMRLS to get the healthcare-legal partnership started.

Through this partnership, a SMRLS attorney provides free legal advice and full representation to eligible ODHC patients in various civil matters. Low income ODHC patients can make an appointment with the LAW attorney through their ODHC provider or by calling (507) 388-2120.

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Freedom Home Care, LLC introduces a Family Learning Center® on its website flc. ipced.com/FreedomHomeCare, making it easier for family caregivers to find training and support resources to help them better care for the needs of their loved ones at home. The Family Learning Center is free for family caregivers who provide home care for friends or loved ones who are homebound, suffer from a debilitating disease or who are simply aging and need companion care. The site includes over 50 training topics created just for family caregivers that cover everything from basic caregiver training, to transitioning of care, to Alzheimer’s disease and memory care.

Ellenbecker Communications (Ellcom), a full service business-to-business public relations, marketing and advertising agency is sending two representatives to participate in the second-largest trade show in Las Vegas this year, CONEXPOCON/AGG. Ellcom specializes in serving clients in the mining, construction, and agricultural biosciences industries.

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the latest technologies and innovations in construction equipment, products and services at CONEXPO,” said Ellcom owner Scott Ellenbecker. “A lot of those companies are our clients. We attend to support them as needed and to stay on top of everything that is going on in our industries.”

Ellcom’s roster of clients exhibiting at CONEXPO includes Atlas Copco USA (Denver) and Atlas Copco Canada (Toronto) and their line of foundation and quarry drills; HammerHead Trenchless Equipment (Milwaukee area) providing trenchless construction solutions to the utility and pipeline industries; excavator and wheel loader manufacturer LiuGong Dressta North America (Houston); Tadano America (Houston), a manufacturer of all-terrain and rough-terrain cranes; hydroexcavator maker Ring-O-Matic of Pella, Iowa; and Sakai America (Atlanta), manufacturer of soil and asphalt rollers.

Matt Fueston, account manager and new business development manager for Ellcom, said: “CONEXPO gives us a chance to spend time with all of our clients in the construction field, and we make ourselves available to help them with their press conferences and other events during the show. But we also go to the show to maintain our relationships with the editors of all the trade magazines. We have a great working relationship with the trade press and regularly provide feature articles for them on behalf of our clients.”

Greater Mankato Growth, Visit Mankato and City Center Partnership announce their 2016 Volunteer of the Year award recipients. David Wittenberg, Sandra Oachs and Betty Ouren have made outstanding contributions to the organizations by demonstrating leadership through service and volunteerism as well as making contributions to the betterment of the community’s quality of life, business environment and economic vitality. Award recipients will be honored at the Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. annual meeting on March 9.

The Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) named Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School Board member Kent Thiesse and Mankato Area School Board member Jodi Sapp to its 2017 AllState School Board. The All-State School

Board is MSBA’s most prestigious award.

Thiesse and Sapp were recognized at a luncheon Thursday, January 12, 2017, during MSBA’s annual Leadership Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The Kiwanis Holiday Lights Board of Directors is pleased to announce $60,000 will again be donated to the 84 non-profit organizations that assisted with the event this past year. The event was completely volunteer-driven and lasted 37 nights, or a total of 165+ hours of operation. Over 165,000 people attended the free event in 2016. (Mild weather helped account for 180,000 visitors in 2015).

Marco has promoted Todd Erne to VP of IT Solutions. Erne was a 15-year veteran with Cisco, and grew his region of North and South Dakota, Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin from $35M to $175M over eight years as Regional Manager. Prior to becoming VP of IT Solutions, Erne assumed the role of Director of Sales for Marco.

Gislason & Hunter LLP are pleased to name partner, David Kim, to the executive committee. This committee is the leadership team for the firm which has 46 attorneys in four offices including New Ulm, Minneapolis, Mankato and Des Moines, Iowa.

Gislason & Hunter also announces Ryan C. Ellis from the Minneapolis office has been named partner and Kaitlin Pals from the New Ulm office has been named partner.

Eunoia Family Resource Center welcomes Marcia Stapleton, MSW, LICSW, to its Mankato location. Ms. Stapleton provides in-home therapy in the Mankato and surrounding areas for clients ages 5 and up.

YWCA Mankato announces the 2017 Women of Distinction honorees: Kaaren Grabianowski, Pam Jagdfeld, and JoAnn Radlinger, and the Young Women of Distinction: Sesame Glackler-Riquelme and Brittany King-Asamoa for their significant impact on the Greater Mankato community.

The YWCA will also be honoring the 410 Project with the Distinctive Difference Award. All honorees will be recognized on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at the YWCA’s 45th Annual Women of Distinction Event.

Tickets are available online at mankatoywca.

org/women-distinction or by calling the YWCA Mankato at (507) 345-4629.

New Ulm

Willard and Williams Insurance Agency, which started in Mankato in 1901, has been purchased by Kato Insurance Agency. This brings the Kato Insurance team to 15.

New Ulm-based MBW Company has purchased the assets of Glesener’s Inc. in Bird island. Glesener’s was incorporated in 1992 with the purpose of developing services for adult survivors of Brain Injury.

Over the past 24 years, Glesener’s Inc. has offered Assisted Living, Hourly, and Adult Day Services. Glesener’s name sake and owner, Mark Glesener, was looking for a retirement succession plan of employee ownership and chose MBW Company. MBW Company is a 100% employee-owned business. Since 1978, it has provided support services to people with physical, cognitive, intellectual, and mental health support needs. The acquisition diversifies MBW Company’s service offerings and extends the opportunity for employee ownership to 40 dedicated employees living in and around the Bird Island area. MBW Company now provides support to over 120 individuals with disabilities and employs over 200 employees.

ISG announces the recent transition of firm ownership to a 100% employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The multi-disciplinary firm that started 40+ years ago in Mankato, has since grown to be a Top 500 Design Firm as recognized by Engineering News-Record (ENR), Zweig Group Hot Firm, and PSMJ Circle of Excellence recipient, illustrating the progressive increase in talent, expertise, and market share.

“This is a monumental time for the firm and holds a special place in my personal thoughts having watched the firm grow from being in the basement of my father’s, the late Ken Surprenant, house to a 230+ person firm with eight offices in three states and clients nationwide,” states Chad Surprenant, ISG President and CEO. “While this formal transition is new, our actions that allowed us to get here were not by chance. We have been intentional about our decisions and progression, making strategic moves that have constantly kept our clients and employees at the forefront of every decision.”

Julie Nelson, interim regional director at MSU’s Small Business Development Center will receive a Finance & Commerce 2017 Progress Minnesota award. Progress Minnesota is an acknowledgement of the individuals, companies and associations that are driving business, industrial growth and development in the Twin Cities and throughout the state.

Pioneer Bank has been recognized by the Minnesota Bankers Association as one of the 24 Community Champions that worked with hundreds of organizations in their communities, providing funding, volunteers, materials, supplies, or food for their neighbors. Recipients of the recognition range in size from small community banks to large banks with multiple branches.

In total, these 24 banks donated over $1.2 million to over 600 organizations and 931 employees from these banks volunteered over 34,000 hours at a variety of events or programs.

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St. James Mayo Clinic Health System in St. James now offers 24-hour behavioral health services via telemedicine. Karen Altenburg is the new owner of the “Country Collage”, with a new name “Collage St. James.”

Kenneth Stradtman was awarded a plaque for his dedicated and long service to the St. James Airport Commission by City Manager Joe McCabe. Approximately $9,000 was raised by local volunteers to add new holiday lights and decorations to the downtown area of St. James.

Waseca New chamber members are Dairy Queen, Anytime Fitness and The Refinery Boutique. The Chamber Ambassador’s presented Progress Awards to Loffler Companies, Yellow Mushroom/Bridgemans and Craft My Party. Clemons Bus Line sold their business to Palmer Bus Service for the school bussing division and their Charter Coach line division to Lake Crystal Coaches. Builders FirstSource acquired ProBuild in January 2017.

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BUSINESS BRIEFS

Minnesota is at the top of the 2016 National Report Card on Adult Financial Literacy.

Minnesota is one of just four states to receive an A- grade on the annual report, recently released by Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy. According to the release, the other states with the Agrade are Hawaii, North Dakota and Utah.

No state received an A or A+. Those who released the report, though, caution not to be too excited by the results.

John Pelletier, executive director of Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy, says that even those states like Minnesota with A- or other high grades are merely the best among a group of lowperforming states.

In a press release, Pelletier noted, “Our report shows that our nation has dramatic room for improvement, so one should not be misled by grades. For example, while adults in Minnesota perform well

in important areas like managing credit and savings, they can improve in other areas, like personal finance knowledge and managing student loans.”

The report gives grades to each state based on data gleaned from national organizations that track Americans’ financial knowledge, credit, saving and spending, retirement readiness, investing, and levels of insurance.

Thirty percent of Minnesota’s grades were C, D or F (27 out of 71 financial literacy grades).

To arrive at relative grades, 59 data points were drawn from 18 national organizations.

The report card serves as a spotlight on the problem of adult financial illiteracy nationally, and shows that more than threequarters of adults live in states with poor grades. The Center says this means that too many American adults are deficient in financial knowledge and skills, which leads them to make uninformed and often poor decisions about their money.

Pelletier says the challenge is educating the millions of Americans who misuse credit, don’t save for a rainy day or for

retirement, don’t pay their bills on time or have a budget, or know how to invest or plan for the future.

He goes on to say the report is an indictment of our educational systems’ failure to provide students with personal finance education before they become adults.

Champlain’s Center produced the 2015 National Report Card, which graded America’s high schools on their efforts to teach personal finance. States generally underperformed in that study as well.

“We must take the subject of personal finance seriously in high school, college and beyond,” Pelletier says. “It needs to be a priority, like math and reading. The first step is to gauge our financial illiteracy, and that’s what this report does,” he says. “Our hope is that the facts will motivate efforts to improve personal finance education across all ages.”

For more information or to read the report referenced above, go to champlain. edu/centers-of-excellence/center-forfinancial-literacy.

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The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis launches the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute, a new initiative focused on conducting and promoting research that increases economic opportunity and inclusive growth for all Americans.

According to an article at minneapolisfed.org, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says this multidisciplinary effort should generate important new insights for policymakers and the public. “ The Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute is an important research initiative focusing on some of the most pressing economic issues we face as a nation. This work has the potential to help more Americans find real economic opportunity. I hope that scholars inside and outside the Federal Reserve System will contribute to this important work,” said Yellen.

The Institute will be based at the Min-

neapolis Fed. A broad range of scholars will look beyond aggregate economic indicators to examine how national policies impact diverse communities of people within the U.S. economy. It is hopeful the Institute will allow the Federal Reserve System to better achieve one of its primary missions – maximum employment. To view the article, or for more information go to minneapolisfed.org.

of the Chamber’s top priorities.

Another priority is completing the Highway 14 project, making the highway four lanes from New Ulm to Rochester.

The Chamber says it strongly supports any measure that funds the Corridors of Commerce program which has helped with the Highway 14 progress so far.

Child Care regulations are also at the top of the Chamber’s priorities. The Chamber says due to a variety of factors, New Ulm and Brown County are experiencing a lack of accessible, affordable and quality child care for working families. Efforts to research the situation further have highlighted some state regulations that seem inhibiting to the creation of these needed small businesses. Child safety and quality of care is the priority. The Chamber suggests that the yearly required hours of training and level of education required to work in a center be some of the requirements reassessed during the 2017 Legislative Session.

And finally, the New Ulm Chamber

The New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce announces its local priorities for the 2017 legislative session in St. Paul. At the top of the list is state approval of the RENU local option sales tax extension. The Chamber says in November of 2016 voters in New Ulm passed an effort to extend the Local Option Sales Tax to provide funds for projects designated by the community.

The measure passed with 70% of the vote and having it pass at the state level is one

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BUSINESS BRIEFS

would like to see Property Tax Relief for Ag Land.

The New Ulm Chamber represents 340 members from a variety of business sectors. They are an active member of the Minnesota Chamber Federation. That state organization supports their following five priorities for the 2017 Legislative Session: Enact Meaningful Business Tax Relief, Transportation Investment, Provide Flexibility for Employers in regards to benefits and workplace policies, Health Care, and Lawsuit Reform (ADA modification).

A new report focuses on the cost of smoking in Minnesota.

ClearWay Minnesota, a coalition with a mission to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in the state through research, action and collaboration, has released a study by Blue Cross and Blue Shield on Health Care Costs and Smoking in Minnesota.

The November 2010 report provides the most recent data on the health and economic costs of smoking in Minnesota.

In the report, Blue Cross and Blue Shield calculated smoking-caused mortality and the financial costs of medical treatment for smoking-related illnesses. The report finds that every year, smoking causes 5,135 deaths in Minnesota, and costs Minnesotans $2.87 billion in excess medical costs.

Ag Land Values In Limbo in 2017 According to recent article by Randy Dickhut of Farmers National Company, several factors will come into play in 2017 that will determine the direction of land values.

Dickhut, senior vice president of real estate operations for Farmers National Company, said that in the past three years, agricultural landowners in many regions across the country have seen a decline in profits, which also pushed land values lower.

“This winter, questions abound as to the direction of commodity prices, interest rates, inflation, challenges in the world economy, weather and U.S. tax law,” Dickhut said. “Buyers of ag land are asking if it is an opportune time to make a purchase of

a farm or ranch, while sellers are asking if the market dynamics are indicating that it is a good time to sell land. Depending on location, quality of land and other factors, our agents report seeing regions and local areas where land prices are stable to somewhat strengthening post-2016 harvest. Then there are other areas where land values have continued to decline.”

A key factor impacting land prices will be interest rates, Dickhut said. Grain and livestock prices affecting farm and ranch income also will influence land values.

“Foreign trade policy and its effect on agriculture will be closely watched over the next few months. Potential changes in tax laws could affect estate taxation and capital gains rules that in turn influence buying and selling decisions,” Dickhut said.

For more go to farmersnational.com.

Marco’s Pizza plans to continue its growth in Minnesota.

In a news release, the company announced it has plans to introduce 60 new locations in the state, creating more than 1,500 new jobs throughout the greater Minneapolis area.

The brand plans to ramp up growth through a selective strategy and aims to open the new locations in the next three to five years.

In addition to the Marco’s Pizza business model indicating the area would support prosperous Marco’s locations, the thriving local foodie culture and continuous booming popularity of franchising throughout the state make Minneapolis an attractive market for Marco’s to pursue. Target markets surrounding the greater Minneapolis DMA include Farmington, Lakeville, New Prague and Savage.

“Our development in Minneapolis is only beginning, which is an exciting chapter in our growth story. Our team is knowledgeable about the regions of the untapped state, and poised to bring success to its entrepreneurs,” said John Ramsey, VP of Franchise Development.

“Bringing Marco’s growth strategy back to its Midwest roots, Minneapolis shows every sign for potential success for franchisees.” For more information visit marcosfranchising.com.

CONNECTING BACK

Read the entire articles at connectbiz.com

5 YEARS AGO

MARCH/APRIL 2012 Five years ago in the March/April 2012 issue, AgStar Financial Services CEO Paul DeBriyn was on the cover. DeBriyn talked about how he executed one of southern Minnesota’s greatest business turnarounds with the reorganization from a rural cooperative to AgStar Financial Services. DLC Manufacturing of New Ulm and Waseca Music Company were also featured.

Commercial

10 YEARS AGO

Industrial

MARCH/APRIL 2007 A decade ago, Jerry Bambery of BAMCO was our cover story. BAMCO owns and operates a McDonald’s franchise in Northfield, Faribault and three in Mankato.

Soderlund Village Drug of St. Peter and Dr. Gary Jernberg, a periodontist with numerous patents and products, were also featured.

15 YEARS AGO

MARCH/APRIL 2002 Republican Representative Bob Gunther from Fairmont graced the cover of our magazine in March 2002. Gunther was also the co-owner of Gunther’s Foods in Fairmont and Elmore. Mankato Oil and Tire and New Ulm-based Ground Zero Services, a parking lot maintenance company, were also profiled.

20 YEARS AGO

MARCH/APRIL 1997 Two decades ago, we asked two of New Ulm’s business leaders at the time to look into their crystal ball and give their vision for New Ulm’s economic future. For Mary Ellen Domeier and Denis Warta, the vision was positive. Also featured were Rolco of Kasota and Kemske Paper of New Ulm.

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CHAMBER CONNECTION

Any chamber of commerce, convention and visitors bureau, or economic development organization in our reading area—large or small, from Amboy to Winnebago—can post on our free bulletin board. For details, email editor@connectbiz.com.

Blue Earth Cindy Lyon, Blue Earth Chamber

2017 looks like a giant year for us! We have seen our membership grow to 174 members, eight of them new for 2017. They are Becky Steier Studio, Conger Inn Victory Catering, Dairy Queen, Beemer Co., Eagle Eyes Drone Service, Krosch’s Kut & Kut and two private members; Marty Sawyer and Bill Sayre. We have raised almost $200,000 so far in our building fund for the Giant Welcome Center.

The goal is $600,000.

42

Madelia Karla Angus, Madelia Area Chamber We welcome back Culligan and American Family Insurance, two of the eight businesses dislocated after the fire on February 3, 2016.

They are both now officially up and running back in their newly constructed buildings on Main Street. Hope & Faith Floral Studio and Gifts, La Plaza F!esta and F!esta Market will soon be joining them. New Chamber members are Davis Sales & Service, Ulmen Custom Feed, Subway and SOMINN Agronomics.

Fairmont Margaret Dillard, Fairmont Area Chamber

Mankato Julie Nelson, Small Business Development Center

Area Career Exploration (ACE) is scheduled for April 12 at the Fairmont Jr/Sr High School. Each year, more than 500 high school sophomores attend this free event where area businesses and organizations showcase the various positions and career clusters in which they provide employment. This program aims to raise awareness for local job and career opportunities while helping area students to chart a course for success in their future careers. For more visit fairmontchamber.org!

Did you know that SBDC clients can get exclusive discounts on valuable tools for small businesses? It offers a 30% discount on QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, and QuickBooks online.

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Fairmont Stephanie Busiahn, Fairmont CVB

Region Nine Nicole Griensewic-Mickelson, Dev. Com.

Experience arts and culture like never before with the full lineup of outstanding performances gracing Fairmont’s historic venues this year! The Red Rock Center hosts Classical Trio on March 4 and Warren Nelson Returns March 26. The Fairmont Opera House presents the famed Acrobats of Cirque-tacular on March 10 and Grammy Nominated Hawaiian Swing Band Kahulanui on April 23. To purchase tickets, contact the Fairmont Opera House at 507-238-4900 or the Red Rock Center at 507-235-9262.

Want to learn more about current grant opportunities? Join us on Tuesday, March 21st for Region Nine’s spring Grant Opportunities Forum at South Central Service Cooperative, North Mankato. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and breakfast will be provided.

Presentations will be 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and will cover both local government and nonprofit funding opportunities. This event is free but registration is required. To learn more and to register visit rndc. org/grant-opportunity-forum.

Le Sueur

Mankato

Julie Boyland, Le Sueur Chamber

Rosi Back, Greater Mankato Growth

The Chamber will hold its Retail & Business Expo on March 30, at the Valley Green Square Mall. Ann Porter, State Farm Representative, received the WCCO Good Neighbor Award for her work with the Rotary Club Backpack Program. Terri Hoppe of Headlines Plus celebrates 25 years in business. Investments Plus changed its name to KMF (Keep Moving Forward) Advisors. Welcome a new business, RS Health & Gifts, located at 210 Valley Green Square Mall.

Greater Mankato Growth exists to support and promote the economic growth and vitality of our members and regional marketplace. We recently gathered valuable feedback in an annual member survey for 2016. A resounding topic was updating the Greater Mankato Business Showcase. Realizing our vision was in alignment with our members, we’re excited to share.

We will be developing a new plan for this important networking event in April!

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Local Chamber & Economic Development News

Nicollet Alesia Slater, Nicollet Chamber We are wrapping up our membership drive for 2017. If you would like to become a member of the Nicollet Chamber of Commerce please email us at chamber@nicollet.org. Some of our big events for the year include Nicollet City Wide Garage Sale, city wide clean up day, Nicollet Night Out, Trunk n Treat and Hometown Holiday. There are new businesses popping up in town, be sure to stop in and visit them.

Sleepy Eye Kurk Kramer, Sleepy Eye EDA At the EDA Board’s Annual January Planning Meeting, members compiled a list of topics for goal setting in 2017. The topics included the Minnesota Main Street Program, Green Step City Program, housing needs, the Downtown District Properties, new business construction, the Aquaponics Project, and continuing past efforts including early child care, hotel & event center, and community marketing/branding. The Early Childcare Center is now open in Sleepy Eye. For more information, call 507-794-7911.

St. James Jamie Scheffer, St. James EDA The EDA launches its Build the Future Initiative, an initiative involving community stakeholders in basic economic development goals. Current projects include a community marketing website and the Community Growth Initiative Grant through SMIF. Upcoming projects include the Business Retention and Expansion program through the U of M Extension Office. The EDA renewed its incentives for residential lots for sale in Mayberry Hills. A housing committee is working on prioritizing recommendations from a 2016 housing study completed by Community Partners.

St. James Joe McCabe, St. James Area Chamber Joe McCabe has been named interim chamber director. The Fraternal Order of Eagles Club will host the annual State Eagles

Dart Tournament on March 10 through March 12. On March 15th MnDOT and the City will host an informational meeting on the Highway 4 project slated to start this spring. Rail Road Days will be held the week of June 18th with the annual Pancake Breakfast and Pie Auction on April 2nd at the American Legion.

St. Peter Ed Lee, St. Peter Chamber The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festivities organized by the St. Peter Ambassadors will be 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 17 along Third Street. The community is home to the new 3rd Street Tavern, Nicollet Café, and Diamond Dust Bakery. Efforts continue with the new Traverse Green subdivision, where spec homes/lots are available. The detour will be easy around construction at the east side of St. Peter as the historic Highway 99 bridge is strengthened.

Waseca Gary Sandholm, Waseca EDA Waseca is looking to the future. Community visioning sessions are identifying the directions for community growth to take advantage of the increasing opportunities that are emerging. Planning is underway to determine the costs to extend public infrastructure for industrial and business growth. Many visible changes will soon be evident as the renovation begins on Elm Avenue to replace underground infrastructure. Better utility performance and better lake water quality will be two resulting improvements.

Waseca Gary Sandholm, Discover Waseca Tourism As the snow disappears and as spring begins, the ice is slowly disappearing from the lakes meaning fishing season will soon be here.

With more frequent warm days, Discover Waseca invites you to walk in the parks and on the trails, tour the Waseca County backroads on a motorcycle, and get the boat ready or dust off the canoe. Flowers are everywhere! Spring is beautiful in Waseca, come share the experience.

New Ulm

Waseca

Sarah Warmka, New Ulm Chamber/CVB

Kim Foels, Waseca Chamber

The New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes new members: Gutes Essen Deli & Catering, Let’s Sparkle Premier Designs; Zinniel Utility Contracting; and Smiley’s Tavern. The Chamber will again host Leadercast on Friday, May 5. Other upcoming events: Farm Show, March 10 and March 11; St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 17; Home Show, March 24 through March 26; Champagne Fashion Brunch, April 1.

The Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce, Ambassadors and AgriBusiness committee, active volunteers working together to advance the relationship between farm and community businesses, will host the annual Farm and City Luncheon at Waseca American Legion on March 23. The 2016 Outstanding Young Farmer Award, Waseca County Farm Family of the Year and the Waseca County Distinguished Agricultural Leadership Award- senior active and posthumous will be presented.

To RSVP, please call the chamber 507-835-3260.

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By Lisa Cownie Photo by Kris Kathmann

When the concept for a new piece of ag equipment struck, cousins Tyler and Ben Wenner made the idea real as a stepping stone to further innovation.

Tyler and Ben Wenner with thier debut product, the Rock Hawk.

Farmers face many obstacles each spring when they are ready to plow their fields: they are at the mercy of Mother Nature, they need to make sure their equipment is ready to go, and they have to pick rocks. It used to be that every spring farmers would spend days picking rocks. And these are not rocks you’d find on the shoulder of a road. Sometimes these are big rocks, boulders really. Bohemeth. Picking rocks from fields can be one of the more laborious jobs for a farmer.

But, on the farm, it is most certainly necessary.

Growing up on farms near Nicollet, Ben and Tyler Wenner would experience this annual tradition. And they just knew there had to be a better way to do this labor-intensive, at times mundane, not to mention costly, task. Time and money spent collecting rocks seemed unproductive to the teens. So, they began tinkering around with different ideas on how to make it better. And their minds wandered beyond just rock picking.

“We were examining every aspect of agriculture in search of potential improvements, both with equipment and processes. We always ask, “Is there a better way?” And if there is, we will find a way to get it to the farmers that deserve it,” says Ben Wenner.

They believed they were on to something, so after high school Tyler at age 19 and his 21-year-old cousin Ben, came up with a rock solid business plan.

“We want to change the way farming is done for the better and for the future,” explains Tyler Wenner. “We will do this by inventing helpful equipment and developing novel processes.

The industry has seen some big changes in the past decade and we think there is much more to come. Where there is change, there is opportunity - and we are here to stay.” continued > MARCH/APRIL 2017

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Tax & Accounting Services

Truly A Family Business!

Rock Solid Business Plan

“We” refers to Ag Storm, the LLC the Wenners officially formed in October of 2012.

“The answer to how Ag Storm really got started is simple, we shared the determination to do more than just follow the crowd and ‘go to college, get a job, and settle for what life gives you’. A job,

Rock Solid Business Plan

Ag Storm Products • Accounting, Bookkeeping & Payroll • Tax Preparation Services • Personal, Business & Corporate

• Trucking Industry Specialization • Comfortable Atmosphere • Fast & Friendly Service

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tindalassociates.com

Information provided by Ag Storm Rock Hawk This isn’t just another rock picking device. The Rock Hawk enables you to remove most rocks from the field onsite and in short time. It’s the most convenient attachment available for removing rocks because it’s always with you when you need it and never in the way.

The Rock Hawk works like a small crane mounted on your tractor. It has a self-tightening 3-claw grapple assembly on the end of a cable and it uses 12V DC power from your tractor’s battery to run the winch. To pick up a rock, you release the assembly from the locked position. You then lower the claws, push them into place around the rock, and stand back to lift it. Once it can clear the rock box, you rotate the mast 180˚ and lower the rock into the box. Reel the claws up tight to the boom and lock the mast and you’re on your way.

Power Box The Power Box is the first ever, self-dumping rock box on the market. Save time and money with the most advanced rock box of its kind!

The Power Box has a 12 volt powered motor that is wireless controlled from the cab and dumps in less than 30 seconds. Optional weights are available for tractor ballasting.

The Power Box comes in 4-ft, and 5-ft widths.

The unit is easy to install. Simply bolt on the Power Box with its custom mount made to fit your specific tractor, hook up a positive and negative wire and you are ready to go! It’s as simple as that. The Power Box flips the entire box upside down ensuring that no rocks get stuck in the box.

The high quality Rock Box from Ag Storm sets the industry standard for on-board tractor rock handling units. The precision manufactured

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Ag Storm | St. Peter

FOR LEASE

INDUSTRIAL WAREHOUSE SPACE

like everyone else was working toward, was not good enough. We knew we could do more,” says Ben. “More deeply, Ag Storm is our brand. It’s a symbolic representation of us. Our innovation will be constant, disruptive, and aggressive.”

Headquartered in rural St. Peter, Ag Storm manufactures agricultural

Rock Box is durable, reliable and built to take the toughest loads.

All Ag Storm Rock Boxes feature tapered sides and front, preventing rocks from getting stuck once the bottom is opened. The spring loaded pop pin snaps into place when the lever is pulled back to lock the box. No clips or latches are used. Ag Storm Rock Boxes with weight kits are cheaper than suitcase weights per pound! Save money on ballast weight and have a Rock Box on the front of your tractor.

Northport Industrial Park

Track Wheel Cleaners Ag Storm’s Track Wheel Cleaners are the most effective way to remove debris from a track tractor’s rim. They require no welding or drilling and mount with two set screws for a solid mount. Each kit includes 8 total wheel cleaners for the inside and out of all the rims on a track tractor. They prevent the paint from wearing off the inside of the rim where debris becomes trapped and cause a rusty mess of an expensive piece of equipment.

PROFINIUM PLACE | 100 WARREN STREET, SUITE 200, MANKATO

Field Seal Ag Storm makes a universal toolbox that is 100% water and dust proof, can be attached to virtually any piece of farm machinery, service truck, or pickup. You name it, the sky is the limit. Every toolbox has a laser-cut spot for every tool, a folddown work surface, adjustable shelves, and just about anything else you could ask for in a toolbox that’s with you when you need it.

2155 Ringhofer Drive, North Mankato } } } } } } }

20,000 to 60,000 sq. ft. available $6.00/sq. ft. triple net lease Six 50,000 lb. capacity automatic dock levelers 26 ft. clear height LED lighting with sensors and 50 skylights Hard wall construction Future expansion planned John R. Jasinski, Broker

Office: 507-386-4608 Mobile: 507-291-1341 john.jasinski@mdcrealestate.com

www.mdcrealestate.com

Beautiful Floors for a

Cause Rickway is proud to carry the Shaw Floors Collection for St. Jude which helps support the St. Jude mission: Finding cures. Saving children.® Shaw Floors and its retail partners will collectively donate $.20 cents of each square yard of carpet purchased to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 with a minimum annual donation of $200,000. All amounts in U.S. dollars.)

Carpet | Tile & Stone | Hardwood | Laminate | Resilient | shawfloors.com/stjude

RICKWAY CARPET

507.625.3089 | 1107 Cross St.| North Mankato Mon.-Thurs. 9am-8pm, Fri. 9am-6pm , Sat. 9am-4pm, Closed Sun.

www.rickwaycarpet.net MARCH/APRIL 2017

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Rock Solid Business Plan

“It is worth the investment to a farm because rocks can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage each season, if not more.” equipment that is focused on innovation for an industry that is on the move. Ag Storm specializes in niche products that solve common problems in a fast-moving agriculture industry.

Their first patent came in 2012; the Rock Hawk. The Rock Hawk is a rock picker that is mounted to the front of a tractor to pick up rocks. It works like a small crane, so farmers can pick rocks up on the spot while they are in the field. The Rock Hawk can pick up rocks ranging in size from a basketball to a boulder.

“We have testing that shows the device can pick up rocks weighing up to 1,500 pounds,” says Tyler.

As farms get more spread out, and the number of farmers is spread thin, Tyler says their equipment makes sense for a farmer’s bottom line.

“It is worth the investment to a farm because rocks can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage each season, if not more. It’s also expensive to haul around a skidloader or drive a loader tractor or back hoe around to pick up rocks that can’t be picked up by hand.

So our products provide a real good return on investment to most operations,” he says.

But the Rock Hawk was just the beginning. Ag Storm has since added the tractor-mounted Rock Box and the self-dumping Power Box. The Power Box™ is the first remote-controlled dumping rock box that comes in 3-, 4- or 5-foot widths. Ag Storm even sells weight kits for proper ballasting. Ag Storm’s intellectual property portfolio is ever-growing.

“We also design and sell our own line of shop equipment, including

Rock Solid Business Plan

Experience Beyond His Years:

Tyler Wenner Tyler has long had a passion for agriculture. At an early age he began working at a John Deere location and that passion followed him to college. Tyler has a degree in Computer Integrated Machining from South Central College in North Mankato. After college he followed his passion by managing day to day operations on a crop farm. His experience also extends into the equipment manufacturing industry with commercial turf equipment, as well as truck accessories. Over the years, Wenner has worked extensively in product design, drafting, engineering, product development, manufacturing optimization, patent drawing illustration, plastic injection mold building, machining fixture building, and MIG TIG and Arc welding.

Tyler says his biggest challenge so far was going against the grain and not following the expectations of those around him.

48

“Growing up, I always had small business deals going on, but I never started a company and went for it like this. A lot of it was faith. It took a lot of time, money and effort to find out if we were going to be able to take our ideas anywhere. Fortunately for us, we always worked hard growing up and still do to this day. During harvest we sleep roughly 4 hours per day for about 40 days straight working consistently. It’s the best time of the year and we wouldn’t have it any other way. After a couple years went by a very successful farmer told us, ‘Don’t expect anyone to give you any praise along the way. They are going to doubt you in the beginning and hate you when you make it.’ That really sank in with me because I saw it firsthand. I saw the people who I thought cared and who I respected say, ‘You’re never going to make it. Go get a job. You’re never going to work for yourself or farm so get over it.’

They still do to this day. We had to believe in ourselves when nobody else believed in us. That was one of those tough life lessons that we carry every day. Now none of that nonsense bothers us. Nowadays when people say, ‘That product will never work. That idea is stupid’, etc.... We laugh and say, okay, now we know we are on the right track. We are very different than our peers.”

In his free time, Tyler enjoys classic car restoration, hunting, fishing, and entrepreneurship.

Ag Storm | St. Peter

Ag Storm’s target customer is the forward-thinking farmer.

The Wenners describe it as the farmer who isn’t afraid to try new things and who has a sizable operation.

Rock Solid Business Plan

Early Entrepreneur:

Ben Wenner Ben grew up on the family hog and crop farm in Nicollet County, so started running equipment and fabricating metal from an early age. In high school he let his entrepreneurial tendencies take over by building a sod, landscaping, and skid loader service from the ground up.

He says deciding to start Ag Storm with his cousin Tyler did present some challenges.

“The biggest challenge for me so far has been maintaining focus. In order to get where we’re going, we need to innovate as aggressively as possible, and we need to get better at what we do every day and that takes a tremendous amount of focus. There are 100 things ready to distract us every day, sometimes it gets tricky to stay focused on the things we set out to do. That’s why we talk frequently about our goals. It can be done, but it takes an intentional effort.

Asking yourself on a daily basis if what you are doing today is beneficial to the company goals can be vital.”

In his spare time, Ben enjoys fishing, hunting, and the outdoors.

rolling workstations and welding tables,” explains Tyler. “Our latest product is an insert for removing soil from track tractor drive wheels to prevent paint wear and rusting of the drive rim.”

The Wenners outsource all of the product manufacturing, so they can focus on research and development.

“Most of our products create a new category altogether because they are a new invention. We haven’t scratched the surface of Ag Storm’s capability yet,” says Ben. Ag Storm will continue to invest in tooling and facilities so they can develop more products. And with several products now under their belts, the Wenners plan to invest more into their marketing efforts that will be directed toward dealers and customers.

Ag Storm’s target customer is the forward-thinking farmer. The Wenners describe it as the farmer who isn’t afraid to try new things and who has a sizable operation.

“We want to serve the farmers of tomorrow, the ones who realize it is a business that you earn, and not an entitlement,” says Ben. “Our current products are geared toward crop production farms throughout the United States and Canada with a strong emphasis on the Midwest. The geographic area that we serve will ultimately expand to anywhere crop production is practiced.”

The Wenners consider themselves natural risk takers and it’s clear they are passionate about the agriculture industry. Their passion is obvious both on the equipment and the production side.

Since 1883 Nicollet County Bank

220 South Third Street St. Peter, Minnesota Phone: 931-3310 nicolletcountybank.com

N

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Rock Solid Business Plan

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Tim Schwartz Ph (507) 344-4507 tschwartz@bbmankato.com

“Ag Storm has evolved into a brand that, not only encompasses our equipment business, but our other ag businesses as well. Besides the equipment business, we have a farm operation which currently operates farmland across two states,” says Ben. “For our farming operation we want to be the best; have the best looking fields and be known to be the best farmers that landowners can partner with. Our goal is to be successfully farming 70,000 acres by the time we are ready to retire (if we retire) and own a fair amount of that land.

The average age of farmers is very high at this point, and not many people in our

“It takes a few years of proving before the marketplace takes it seriously. It takes courage to stand your ground in front of a potential customer over the merit of a new invention,” says Tyler. “You get some hilarious reasons why ‘it will never work’.” generation will do what it takes to grow a farm. In one aspect, it’s sad to see the industry fade to a very small percentage of us, but on the other hand, it creates more opportunity for people like us who are willing to do whatever it takes to be the best.”

Now that Ag Storm has the rock handling market covered, Tyler says they have products in the works that involve the planting and harvesting process. He says the projects yet to come are even bigger than the previous ones.

“Bringing new inventions to the market is a challenge as well. It is a fun challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. It takes a few years of proving before the marketplace takes it

Ag Storm | St. Peter

THE ESSENTIALS

Ag Storm LLC Mankato: 41062 Fort Road St. Peter, Minnesota Phone: (507) 995-2321 Web: agstormequipment.com

seriously. It takes courage to stand your ground in front of a potential customer over the merit of a new invention,” says Tyler. “You get some hilarious reasons why ‘it will never work’. One guy told us you shouldn’t stop a tractor to pick up a rock because it’s hard on the clutch. Needless to say, we got a good laugh out of that one.

Customer interaction, positive or negative, is the best part about what we do. There is no doubt we love our customers. Some of them will be lifelong friends and we learn so much from them.”

As their customer base expands, so will their number of employees. Right now they have a few employees on a part-time basis.

“We focus heavily on working with professional companies to provide the services we need. But that’s changing rapidly as we are needing people 100% focused on what we are doing,” says Tyler.

The two are optimistic about the future of farming and the future of Ag Storm.

Tyler says, “At this point our goal with the equipment business is to become the best innovative agricultural company in the Midwest. One that really changes the game.

Equipment that cannot yet be conceived is the equipment that Ag Storm will be known for. Machines that step way outside the boundaries of what exists today. That will require growing a large team of talented people through both our own companies, and the companies we work with. We want to change the way farming is done for the better, and for the future. We will do this by inventing helpful equipment, and developing novel processes. The industry has seen some big changes in the past decade and we think there is much more to come. Where there is change, there is opportunity - and we are here to stay.”

Host Your Business Meeting The perfect business, the perfect experience starts right here at Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery. Enjoy a private tasting, wine and cheese pairing or a wine blending class for a truly unique experience. Call 507-931-0089 or email Karen at karenb@chankaskawines.com to book your business meeting today!

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blethenlaw.com Mankato, Minnesota

Editor Lisa Cownie writes from Mankato.

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SPECIAL REPORT: TALENT TASK FORCE

Working Together To Ease Workforce Crunch

By Lisa Cownie

Talent Task Force Created From the outside, and even to those in the local business community, it may have appeared to be just a small business transaction. One small business being acquired by another. To those involved closely in the deal, though, it was so much more.

“It was really important to myself, as well as Yvonne, that the talent be gainfully employed locally. She and I truly believe in that,” explains Brian Maciej, president and owner of Lime Valley Advertising. Lime Valley recently acquired VoyageurWeb from its founder Yvonne Cariveau.

“And we have Greater Mankato Growth to thank for that way of thinking,” he says.

“Often times when we think of the employment resources locally we think of big business and some of our larger employers. But to get small businesses thinking along those same lines - and we certainly were thinking that way - it all goes back to Greater Mankato Growth.”

His acquisition of VoyageurWeb, a leading web development company in Mankato, is a sign that the efforts of Greater Mankato Growth to educate the region on the importance of talent retention are paying off.

“I do think that this isn’t a big business transaction in the local economy, but when we look at the greater Mankato regional marketplace, as we’ve been educated to do by GMG, small businesses thinking this way and large businesses thinking this way is a really great benefit. We didn’t want them to move away if VoyageurWeb sold. These are employees that have gone to our local colleges and are now employed locally. These individuals are invested here and raising families. “ Lime Valley now has 12 employees in Mankato, but Maciej says more growth is likely as web development services is the fastest growing area for full-service agencies.

“There may be some gaps yet in that workforce. Depending on how that por52

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“The looming workforce shortage cannot be taken on by any one private, public, or community organization.” tion of our business develops,” says Maciej.

“Certainly in web development, design, programming, and content developers there may be opportunities for expansion going forward.”

According to the Minnesota State Demographic Center, Minnesota is facing a labor force that is growing slowly, meaning workers are in great demand. That is certainly evident in Southern Minnesota.

It is such a concern with employers in our region, that Greater Mankato Growth has convened a talent task force. It is made up of 13 key business and community leaders.

“A hallmark of our community has always been to intentionally and strategically shape the future we hope to achieve, rather than let the future simply happen” said Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. President and CEO, Jonathan Zierdt. “Ideas being explored in the recruitment and retention areas include student loan forgiveness, tuition reimbursement and scholarships to attract the large local college population; ride-share and busing programs for people who don’t have vehicles; daycare programs and after-school activities to address childcare challenges.”

But the task force is not going it alone.

They’ve held what they call Workforce Talent Summits.

Zierdt says, “The looming workforce shortage cannot be taken on by any one private, public, or community organization. This must be a community-wide endeavor. The Greater Mankato community will need to coordinate actions and responses that will help fill job vacancies and increase the over-

all pool of talent. Proactive and purposeful talent attraction and retention will make the biggest impact on the workforce shortage. By participating in our workforce talent summits, attendees will be empowered to lead, collectively work, and more importantly, engage and mobilize the broader community and business professionals to participate in advancing solutions in areas where they can be most helpful. The region needs everyone’s insight, resources and influence to approach this specific community visioning work, similar to how we approached Envision2020.”

GMG says Lime Valley and VoyageurWeb’s commitment to keeping that talent local is evidence the business community is buying in.

Greater Mankato Growth’s Director of Regional Business Intelligence, John Considine III says, “There is already a talent shortage in the region and we know that we have employers that are working feverishly to try to figure out how to attract talent to their workforce; they are struggling to keep up with the demand. It’s a great situation to be in, that business is so robust but at the same time if you don’t have people to fill those orders or provide those services then it’s pretty difficult to continue to grow business.” Considine went on to say “In this case, an acquisition between two of our members is a prime example of what we hope to see in terms of talent retention.

Those employees have invested in the community and keeping them here is fueling the growth of our regional economy.”

For more on GMG’s Talent Task Force, please go to greatermankato.com.

OPINION

There is a common story told that Region Nine’s college students migrate to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area after graduation to earn a higher wage.

While in some instances this is the case, it is not completely accurate across the board. There are opportunities in the Region Nine area to earn a competitive wage and live comfortably. This alternative story is shown by taking a deeper dive into the data.

Among the 582 unique classifications of occupations in the Mankato area, 52 earned higher wages than the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area in 2015. For example, family and general practitioners earned an average salary of $247,618 annually in the Mankato area. By comparison, the same

occupation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area earned $59,485 less annually (11.9 percent). In total, those 52 unique occupational groupings included an estimated 6,650 jobs during the second quarter of 2015.

This 13.2 percent of the total number of estimated jobs is significant because they earn wages greater than the average wage of all jobs in the Mankato area. In all, the average Mankato area occupations paid $20.45 per hour.

Assessing existing jobs is one thing, recruiting new workers to fill them is another.

The challenges inherent in retaining local graduates in a community does not extend merely to wages. Minneapolis and St. Paul are alluring to college graduates for many reasons due to the amenities and comforts inherent in most large metropolitan areas.

Those amenities include: immediate access to multiple fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, art exhibits, zoos, and one of the largest shopping malls in North America. Minneapolis and St. Paul, however, also have a much higher cost of living.

Among three leading indicators measured by the Cost of Living Index, the Mankato area pays higher healthcare costs than either Minneapolis or St. Paul.

Brent Pearson All other indicators – grocery, housing, utilities, and transportation - cost less in the Mankato area. (See Table 1 on page 54.) Because costs of living are lower in the Mankato area, people that live and work in the Mankato area should be able to live comfortably for less than the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. This negates the notion that workers who migrate to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area will automatically earn higher wages. For example, the cost of living in the Mankato area is approximately 12 percent less than in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Consider the 12 percent difference on a $50,000 annual salary. The difference would amount to $6,000. Couple that with

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OPINION

Table 1. Costs in Mankato Compared to Minneapolis and St. Paul Comparative City

Grocery

Housing

Utility

Transportation Healthcare

St. Paul

3.4% less

31.5% less

16.4% less

12.6% less

6.9% more

Minneapolis

1.8% less

31.5% less

15.0% less

12.2% less

6.9% more

Source: Council for Community and Economic Research’s Cost of Living Indicator

Higher wages, when coupled with an overall lower cost of living, gives the Mankato area a competitive edge in [many] occupations. But, how does the region retain its youth? the fact that Mankato area residents who may migrate to the Minneapolis-St Paul area will pay nearly $80,000 more to live in a $250,000 home (31.5 percent higher than Mankato area), pay a couple dollars more to stock the pantry with groceries, and pay 15 to 16 percent higher utilities and transportation costs.

Along this line of thinking, those 52 occupations now have added significance because they would lead to a higher standard of living in the Mankato area than the Minneapolis-St Paul area. The next tier of occupations, however, identifies occupations in which the difference in average wage between the Mankato area and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is a net positive or greater than 12 percent. Meaning, these occupations either earn more than the Minneapolis-St Paul area or they earn less than the Minneapolis-St. Paul area but it does not offset the higher cost of living.

Using this method, the list nearly triples (expanding from 52 to 154). This tier includes some significant high paying occupations and occupations with high levels of employment across all industry sectors in the Mankato area. Most noteworthy are: diagnostic medical sonographers, loan officers, accountants and auditors, retail supervisors and managers, nurse practitioners, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, welders, social workers, healthcare support, nursing assistants, dental hygienists and market research analysts – to name a few. This expanded group of 154 unique occupations now swells to nearly 20,000 estimated workers, or roughly 40-42 percent of the total estimated jobs in the Mankato 54

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area in which earning potential is paralleled to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

In general, across the landscape of all job postings recorded by DEED covering all occupations and industries as a whole, job postings in south central Minnesota offered 14.1 percent higher pay during the second quarter of 2016. Hiring demand is an often understated but critical component to retention. Higher wages, when coupled with an overall lower cost of living, gives the Mankato area a competitive edge in these occupations. But, how does the region retain its youth?

Focusing on graduate destinations is one approach to crafting strategies to retain some of the region’s younger workers. A cursory overview of where workers are commuting to will tell the tale of where to begin focusing the retention lens. A combined 4.2 percent of all working residents were commuting to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in 2014. Meanwhile, 60.6 percent worked within the city limits of Mankato and North Mankato, and 69.6 percent worked in the area as a whole, including the remainder of Nicollet and Blue Earth counties (rural, as well as, cities within these counties). On another level, assessing where college graduates in the Mankato area head to work after graduation will determine if the Mankato area is able to effectively retain young talent. It does not, however, make the case that Mankato is losing its homegrown talent. Analysis tools can determine where recent graduates of Mankato’s top colleges go to for work; however, one simple caveat remains. Not all

students who graduate from the Mankato area higher education institutions are from the Mankato area. In fact, many students may be returning home after spending two or more years in the region pursuing their college degree. Identifying which of those graduates stay in region would determine how much young talent is being drawn to the area for education and staying post-graduation. To achieve this result, local employers must continue to forge strong alliances with higher education institutions and help chart the course for meaningful career pathways that meet the employers needs and pay graduates what the Minneapolis-St. Paul area markets indicate that their skillset is worth. Having said that, a look at where college graduates are headed from two local colleges does show that a measurable segment of Minnesota State University, Mankato graduates do seek work in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area; however, for South Central College graduates that is not the case.

The top destination for Minnesota State University, Mankato graduates from the class of 2013 across all programs ended up working in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the first three months of their third year after graduation.

South Central College is a different story entirely. Southwest Minnesota was the top work destination for South Central College graduates in the third month of their thirdyear post-graduation across all programs.

Given commuter patterns, it is reasonable to conclude that the majority of graduates are remaining in the Mankato area and surrounding counties.

Brent Pearson is the Resource Development Planner for Region Nine Development Commission. Pearson has worked on community and economic development planning programs and initiatives since 2007. Before Region Nine, Pearson was the lead Labor Market Analyst for southern Minnesota while working at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Region Nine Development Commission strives to promote the development of the region through intergovernmental cooperation, community and human development, long-range planning and technical assistance. Region Nine serves nine counties in south central Minnesota: Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca and Watonwan.

HOT STARTZ!

Very New or Re-formed Businesses or Professionals New To Our Reading Area

MANKATO

Kato Family Chiropractic

ART SIDNER

Growing up in Mankato, Dr. Paula Prybylla always knew that was the place she wanted to make a difference. After moving away and earning a bachelor’s degree in adult fitness and athletic training from the University of Minnesota Duluth and her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, she decided to come back home.

“When I returned to Mankato, I first worked for another chiropractor as an associate,” says Dr. Prybylla. “But in February of 2016 I decided to open my own practice. I started in Lake Crystal, but in January 2017 relocated to Mankato.”

Dr. Prybylla says she offers care to all ages, from newborns to those that are 100-years old. “Anyone with a spine can benefit in some way from chiropractic care,” she says with a smile.

One thing she focuses on is individualized health care, because each patient has a specific need.

“Our mission at Kato Family Chiropractic is to provide patients with the highest quality chiropractic care in a friendly, informative and caring environment. Whether your problem is an acute episode of back pain, sports injury, car accident, extremity problem or chronic condition which requires a hands on approach to treatment, chiropractic care can often help,” says Dr. Prybylla.

Kato Family Chiropractic offers services including adjustments and trigger point therapy and muscle work, acupuncture, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, kinesio taping,

and cranio-sacral technique. Full service, yet Dr. Prybylla realizes health care is a holistic approach.

“We have the understanding that chiropractic care cannot help everything and willingly work with other healthcare providers for the best possible outcomes,” she says.

Dr. Prybylla’s biggest challenge so far has been handling the insurance processing and billing on her own. She worked for someone else who had staff to handle that aspect of running a practice. “I have learned a lot in opening and operating my own clinic!” she says.

Now that she is settled in Mankato, she plans to add a massage therapist to her team.

KATO FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC Address: 800 South Front Street Phone: (507) 594-9100

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HOT STARTZ!

Morken Eckberg Steiner LLC CPAs Joel Eckberg of Morken, Eckberg and Co. and Glen Steiner of Steiner Financial merged their two firms in January 2017 and are now operating as Morken Eckberg Steiner LLC. “We enjoyed working with each other in the beginning of our careers and we knew it would be a good fit,” says Steiner.

“Our desire is to maintain the excellent reputation of our two firms and build on the groundwork for our new firm. We are grateful to our existing employees who have enthusiastically embraced the next chapter of our firm’s existence.”

The new firm will continue to offer a variety of services including tax services, compiling and reviewing financial statements, accounting and bookkeeping, payroll services, QuickBooks consulting as well as other consulting work.

“We are targeting local, small-to mid-size businesses,” explains Eckberg. “We want to help them with all of their tax and accounting needs. As a member of the small business community ourselves, we have an intimate understanding as to how they function on a daily basis and value the impact each of them has on sustaining the health of our community and region. We genuinely appreciate each and every client relationship and continually look for new ways to improve both what we do and how we do it.”

Eckberg says they are excited to have an opportunity to create a fun and positive work environment for their 13 employees.

“Not only do we focus on client needs, but our employee needs as well. We believe a happy team makes a strong team

and feel there is no downside to this approach,” Eckberg says.

“Our commitment to maintaining both a positive atmosphere and attitude among our people assures continuity in the staff and thus, the services we provide. The result is greater efficiency on our end but, more importantly, helps us develop mutual trust and long-term relationships with our clients.”

Steiner says now that they are up and operating, they’ll work to increase resources and better utilize existing staff.

“We are different because we are small enough to provide individualized attention but large enough to have the resources to provide top-quality services to our clients,” says Steiner.

“We take a team approach to all aspects of our business and we work hard to allocate the proper resources to each client’s needs. We are very excited about our new endeavor!”

The firm has offices in Mankato, Hutchinson and Winthrop.

MORKEN ECKBERG STEINER Address: 100 Madison Avenue Telephone: (507) 387-4417

ART SIDNER

MANKATO

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AUSTIN’S AUTO REPAIR CENTER INC. 507-387-1315 Darla & Lynn Austin, Owners 56

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1620 Commerce Drive, North Mankato AustinsAutoRepairCenter.com

Very New or Re-formed Businesses or Professionals New To Our Reading Area

NORTH MANKATO

LBS (Labels, Badges and Signs) When a business partner and supplier for Sign Pro in Mankato decided to sell its engraving equipment, the owners of Sign Pro saw an opportunity.

“At Sign Pro Mankato, we have always supplied engraved and ADA signs for our customers,” explains General Manager Randy Anderson. “With the recent purchase of this equipment we can now produce this signage within our building versus having a supplier do this for us. The end result is that we can offer better pricing and be more competitive to our customers that are looking for these types of signs.”

They created a new company to operate that side of the business. The new company name is LBS, which is short for Labels, Badges and Signs.

“LBS is a division of Sign Pro Mankato, established to encompass our continuing business of engraved signs and badges, ADA compliant signage for businesses, and also clothing labels that are used mainly in the healthcare and assisted living industry.”

It’s that last piece, clothing labels, that has come as a surprise.

“That is new to us and we are surprised at the number of assisted living locations that are in need of these,” says Anderson.

“We print the labels as “sew-on” and ”iron-on”, and then ship them out to healthcare and assisted living facilities that use them to identify their resident’s clothing when cleaned at a

common laundry facility. It’s a simple, low cost way to make sure that a resident gets their clothes back after the laundry process.

There are other opportunities with clothing labels also such as applying a custom label to quilts and uniforms, for example.”

LBS officially started in November of 2016, placing the equipment within the Sign Pro building in North Mankato.

After more than 25 years in business, Sign Pro Mankato currently has two divisions for sign specific work. Besides Labels, Badges and Signs, there is also Mankato Sign Service that focuses on boom truck installation of new signs and service and repair of existing signs. Sign Pro Mankato also specializes in all types of signs including business signs, vehicle wraps, trade show signage, banners and direct print signage.

LBS (LABELS, BADGES AND SIGNS) Address: 301 Webster Avenue Telephone: (507) 345-3388 Website: labelsbadgesandsigns.com

ART SIDNER

To be considered for one of three spots in the May Hot Startz!, email the editor at editor@connectbiz.com.

Businesses considered must have started—or changed greatly in form—within one year of our publishing date.

Professionals chosen must be new to our reading area.

MARCH/APRIL 2017

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ASK A PROFESSIONAL

Brian Gjerde PE Principal, Senior Structural Engineer, Managing Partner ISG Group

New commercial development ventures are exciting not only for the cities and communities who welcome them, but the developers who pioneer such efforts. Before plans are laid out or a ribbon cutting scheduled, the key to success lies in the very early, initial planning stages with four simple, yet critical questions.

Realistically, is this project workable?

Will there be enough space to grow in the next two, ten, or twenty years? Do I, as an owner or developer, have full control over the design of the development, facility, or street front? Is the facility safe or cost-effective to renovate? Each of these examples are early questions that should guide commercial real estate decisions regardless of location or community. As designers, looking into these questions - a process the industry calls “site due diligence” - helps identify both challenges and opportunities before investing too much time and money in the project.

To do this, it’s important that all parties agree to a high-level evaluation of the proposed site and/or facility as soon as possible. Determining up-front site constraints,

Faster, Better, Stronger Commercial Development involvement from government agencies, and estimated schedules and costs are critical to determining the proper next steps. It is also important to develop with expandability in mind as to accommodate ever growing populations and/or reflective success of the business. Creating an affordable location and facility to expand can be critical to maximizing future returns and satisfying customer demand.

However, to truly hit the ground running takes deliberate, up-front planning and a keen eye for hidden trip-wires along the way.

How quickly can the development or business get up and running?

In the world of real estate development “speed to market” is more than just a hot buzzword. It’s undeniable that developers and real estate brokers who purchase lots

that can be developed quickly are those reaping the greatest rewards. However, to truly hit the ground running takes deliberate, up-front planning and a keen eye for hidden trip-wires along the way.

For developers, this means having a firm understanding of site entitlements and due diligence with as much done up-front as possible. Doing so allows for a swift and speedy approval process rather than a cumbersome project starting line. While front-loading efforts will result in more homework and planning on the onset of a project, finding a proactive partner experienced with overcoming common development obstacles streamlines project processes and helps businesses open their doors quicker; thus, generating revenue faster.

Take wetland regulations, for example.

Not only do wetland permits have long lead times, but in cold states like Minnesota delineation can only take place between May and October in any given year. Finding out late in the game that these services are needed and potentially unavailable can result in several months of delay.

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What outside forces will shape the facility or site?

Some of the most influential due diligence process elements impacting speed to market involve a review of city code, zoning, and land use ordinances. For example, before kicking off any of the various downtown projects along Riverfront in Mankato, it was important to consult the City of Mankato’s Land Use Ordinance - a document which provides a framework for developing commercial areas. A portion of this Ordinance outlines what is called Gateway Overlay Districts, or real estate located in areas of the city that are major entryways. These high-profile areas have special zoning characteristics that create a favorable first impression, including specific regulations on building placement and distance from major roadways. This point and process translates to cities and communities throughout the state.

Zoning ordinances also provide design guidelines for building materials and landscaping requirements, such as screening for large parking areas. Together, these guidelines reinforce an enhanced city image and more cohesive design thematic throughout each specific area.

As Jeremy Wiesen, Project Architect at ISG, explains, such documents can include clauses that cover site design expectations and dictate building design requirements.

“Developer teams need to be aware of potential design-related clauses that often appear in purchase agreements, development covenants, or other such documents that are part of a sale/purchase of a property.”

These clauses present unique challenges to not only meet such requirements, but also develop a style that is welcoming for visitors and cost effective.

What can be done for the owner to capitalize on the real estate investment?

No surprise here, cost effective site and facility design is important to the success of commercial developments - or any development, for that matter. What may be surprising, however, is that long-term costs can be hidden in plain sight or in the fine print of unsuspecting design technicalities.

Case-in-point: stormwater management.

Along with the local Gateway Ordinance in Southern Minnesota, stormwater regulations have changed significantly over the past several years. While commercial gateway areas may be prime real estate for such developers, they’re also some of the most expensive available urban land. To get the best bang for your buck, minimizing areas dedicated to stormwater management onsite is critical to maximizing parking areas.

“To capitalize on real estate investment, forward-thinking designers evaluate underground stormwater detention chambers, which provide stormwater treatment

and storage out of sight and off valuable square footage,” notes Chuck Brandel, Principal and Senior Civil Engineer at ISG. Take parking lots, for example. A musthave to support commercial development visitors, these flat surfaces provide the perfect conditions for underground stormwater management. It’s a win-win: capitalize on available space, and do so without compromising accessibility or site compliance.

And of course, time is money. The quicker a business is up and running, the sooner owners start making a return on the investment. If parties fail to perform proper due diligence and get hit with a significant delay period, that’s revenue lost which could’ve been easily avoided with the right foresight.

With so much to consider in commercial real estate, it’s important to have a professional, trustworthy team that knows the industry, recognizes the complex factors at play, and understands both the short and long-term goals of the business. Commercial developments are a group effort requiring support across a myriad of city and community stakeholders, and the best way to ensure it’s a win-win for all is to have the right team behind the project.

Brian Gjerde’s career at ISG began in Mankato in 1996 and has since evolved into managing partner and leader in several markets, including commercial.

Brian is well-versed in code-related analysis and the identification of potential structural issues that impact clients, including those in commercial real estate.

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