Partners in law — and community
Best law firm — Jones and Magnus
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Northern Comfort was founded in 1975 by Keith and Peggy High. To this day, the High family still runs the HVAC business. | Free Press file photo
Business that’s heating up
Best HVAC business — Northern Comfort
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here are thousands of homes in Mankato, both old and new, and each home has one thing in common — the need for heat and air ventilation. Northern Comfort, located along Highway 169, has identified itself as a professional heating, ventilation and air-conditioning business and the professionals at Northern Comfort are experts at installation and service work in residential homes and commercial businesses, no matter the age. “It doesn’t matter the age of the home, it comes down to what the homeowner is willing to invest in, both structurally and financially,” said Chris High, vice president and general manager of the family-owned business. Northern Comfort was founded in 1975 by Keith and Peggy High. To this day, the High family still runs the HVAC business and they have seen significant growth in the past three years. “We’ve had steady, consistent growth since 2012,” Chris said. “We have an average of about 600 service and installation calls a month.” The increase in business could be because of Northern Comfort’s swift installation with a residential furnace and air conditioner replacement taking only one day. Or, perhaps it could be because Northern Comfort specializes in both residential and commercial buildings. “We do a little bit of everything, from churches to bars to industrial buildings,” Chris said. Northern Comfort is a Lenox Premier Dealer. The business offers systems from Lenox that can adjust air output in homes to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house year-round. They also offer the iComfort from Lenox, which allows homeowners to adjust the temperature of their homes from their mobile devices. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning continue to change with advances in technology, and Northern Comfort will continue to evolve as their products do. “Our goal is always to keep growing. This year we’ve seen growth and I hope to see more next year,” High said. — Jill Roesler 24 • July 2014 • MANKATO MAGAZINE
he Jones and Magnus law firm and its location at 212 Madison Ave. have only been part of the Mankato landscape since 2008, but they’ve already been voted best Stacey Jones law firm. Stacey Jones and Ryan Magnus are the people behind the name of the firm, with four other lawyers also employed. Stacey Jones is the managing partner. Jones started her career at Wolf, Etter & Co. While involved in a state tax audit with a couple of different law firms, the Lake Crystal native discovered she had an interest in practicing law. Her boss at the time, Bob Etter, encouraged her to take the Law School Aptitude Test — and the rest is history. When she graduated from law school, she went to work clerking for Judge Terry Dempsey in New Ulm before her career turned to working with a law firm in Mankato. “I was always interested in estate planning, especially after seeing my parents go through their planning process with a local attorney, Richard Kakeldey. I eventually went to work at Kakeldey and Associates and learned a tremendous amount working there.” She met Ryan Magnus in 2000. “Ryan and I worked together at another firm in town in 2000 and then both went on to work at smaller firms. In 2005, my son was born and I decided I wanted the flexibility of practicing law independently.” That’s when she struck out on her own, and began an independent practice. Shortly thereafter, Magnus also needed more independence. “In 2006, Ryan also welcomed a son and was looking for the same flexibility. We reconnected in 2008 and partnered to create a law firm that could service multiple areas of the law and still balance our family lives.” Now with six attorneys on board and 11 staff members, Jones says the firm has a full range of services to offer. But the services offered are not only legal services: “I learned early on in my career that it is important to give back to the community that you live and practice in, and I strive to instill that in the attorneys that work with us,” Jones said. Jones says everyone at Jones and Magnus is very proud to be voted Mankato’s best law firm, and she said everyone who calls on the firm for help will get its best work. “We strive to give our clients the best service and advice possible, even when sometimes that means turning down a case. Being honest with clients is really important to our firm,” she said. — Jean Lundquist