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12 • MARCH 2019 • MN Valley Business
years has been most challenging because of the lack of inventory. Her business, she said, is all about making connections with buyers and sellers. “It’s all built out of relationships. You have to build relationships, and when people are talking to you, they have to feel it’s a fit and it’s a team effort. We have the same goal; it’s just how to get there,” she said. “And I like having friends.”
Amber Pietan
Amber Pietan always was drawn to the maps when her family traveled. “When we were kids, we used to travel and camp a lot and stop at wayside rests and pick up maps and information. I always loved geography and maps.” The Lake Crystal resident and owner of Amber Pietan Travel Agency sees traveling as as an emotional venture. “When you experience travel, it humbles you and you realize how small your world is,” she said. “We get in such a rush with everything we do that we don’t slow down enough to enjoy it.” While attending Minnesota State University, Pietan realized there was nothing there she wanted to get into. “I was talking to a friend and I said ‘I just want to be a travel agent.’” She switched to Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount where she received her travel agent certification. “I worked at AAA for 14 years and they taught me a lot and then I went on my own six years ago.” She specializes in putting together specialized, individual travel packages for customers. “So you might decide which cities in Europe you want to go to and how many nights in each — maybe you have relatives in different cities — and I customize it to what they want to see.” Pietan, whose office is on Pierce Avenue in North Mankato, has won a long list of outstanding sales achievement awards. “Some people find me from Google searches but it’s more word of mouth,” she said of her clients. “I try to create relationships as best as I can. I get a lot of repeat business.”