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WOMEN IN BUSINESS:

STEELE COUNTY BUSINESSWOMEN

MAKE AN IMPACT P hila nthr o p y

DELIVERING COMFORT AND WARMTH TO KIDS IN NEED

S p e cia l R e p o r t

WOMEN FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES PREPARING FOR RETIREMENT

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Women Who Lead

Women Who Lead Women Who Lead Women Who Women Who Lead Lead

LORI STURDEVANT Columnist and Author

Lori Sturdevant is a Star Tribune editorial writer and columnist who has written about Minnesota government and politics since 1978. She is also the author or editor of 11 books about notable Minnesotans. Lori charts the progress of the women’s rights movement in Minnesota, and showcases notable leaders on both sides of the aisle, including the first women on the Minnesota Supreme court, Rosalie Wahl. Lori is a native of Dell Rapids, SD, and a graduate of Coe College located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She has been a member of Coe’s board of trustees for 30 years. Currently she lives in St. Paul with her husband. They have three grown children.

Women In Politics, HERstory Celebrating Women’s History Month Thursday, March 7th at 7:00 pm Steele County Historical Society $5 for SCHS members $10 for non-members

Steele County Historical Society

1700 Austin Road Owatonna 507-451-1420 steelehistorymuseum.org

JENNIFER JENNIFER JENNIFER FISHER FISHER FISHER

CERTIFIED CERTIFIED PERSONAL PERSONAL CERTIFIED PERSONAL CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER & PROPRIETOR TRAINER & PROPRIETOR PROPRIETOR TRAINER TRAINER & & PROPRIETOR

Education: Education: Education: •• Northwestern Education: Northwestern Health Health Sciences Sciences University, University, Dual Dual Masters: Masters: Applied Applied • Clinical Northwestern Health Sciences University, Dual Masters: Applied Nutrition & Acupuncture • Northwestern Health Sciences University, Dual Masters: Applied Clinical Nutrition & Acupuncture Nutrition & Acupuncture •• Clinical Concordia University BA Clinical Nutrition & Acupuncture Concordia University BA Organizational Organizational Management Management & & • Communications, Concordia University BACum Organizational Management & Summa Laude • Concordia University BACum Organizational Management & Communications, Summa Laude SummaGrad CumWork Laude •• Communications, University Communications, SummaGrad CumWork Laude University of of Minnesota. Minnesota. • University of Minnesota. Grad Work Riverland Community College. AAS • University of Minnesota. Grad Work Riverland Community College. AAS in in Supervisory Supervisory Management Management • Riverland Community College. AAS in Supervisory Management and Business Microcomputers • Riverland Community College. AAS in Supervisory Management and Business Microcomputers Business Microcomputers •• and South Central Tech. and Business South CentralMicrocomputers Tech. College, College, Word Word Processing Processing Specialist Specialist • South Central Tech.Technical College, Word Processing Specialist Chippewa Valley College, Electronic • South Central Tech. College, Word Processing Specialist Chippewa Valley Technical College, Electronic Technology Technology & & • Chippewa Valley Technical College, Electronic Technology & Information Processing • Chippewa Technical College, Electronic Technology & InformationValley Processing Information Processing NCCA Certified Information Processing NCCA Neta Neta Certified in: in: NCCA• Neta Certified in: Barre Connect NCCA•Neta Certified in: Barre Connect •• Barre Connect Fitness Barre • Senior SeniorConnect Fitness • Senior Fitness Pilates • Senior Fitness Pilates • Pilates Kettlebell • Pilates Kettlebell Trainer Trainer KettlebellTrainer Trainer ••• Personal Kettlebell Trainer Personal Trainer • Personal Trainer Accomplishments: • Personal Trainer Accomplishments: Accomplishments: •• Summa Accomplishments: Summa Cum Cum Laude Laude Graduate Graduate Summa Cum Laude Graduate ••• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Summa Cum Laude Graduate Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society •• National Phi ThetaDean’s Kappalist Honor Society Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society • National Dean’s list •• National Dean’s listStudent Senate College National listStudent Senate • President, President,Dean’s College President, MN College Student Senate ••• Southeast Association of President, College Student Senate Southeast MN Association of Realtors Realtors Board Board of of Directors, Directors, 10 10 yrs yrs • Southeast MN Association of Realtors Board of Directors, 10 yrs Business Network International (BNI) • Southeast MN Association of Realtors Board of Directors, 10 yrs Business Network International (BNI) •• Business Network International (BNI)Council, 10 yrs Community Curriculum Business Network International (BNI)Council, 10 yrs • District District 761 761 Community Curriculum • District 761Center Community Curriculum Council, 10 yrs University Rochester Advisory Council and • District 761 Center Community Curriculum Council, 10 yrs University Rochester Advisory Council and Student Student • Services University Center Rochester Advisory Council and Student Committee • University Center Rochester Advisory Council and Student Services Committee Committee •• Services Business Professionals Services BusinessCommittee Professionals of of America America • Business Professionals of America Executive Women’s • Business of America ExecutiveProfessionals Women’s Council Council • Executive Women’s Council Owatonna Jaycees • Executive OwatonnaWomen’s Jaycees Council •• Owatonna Jaycees Professional Owatonna • Minnesota Minnesota Jaycees Professional Standards Standards –– Realtors Realtors • Minnesota Professional Standards – Realtors • Minnesota Professional Standards – Realtors

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Jeffrey Jackson executive editor

Volume 3, Issue 1 February/March 2019

For the first time in the short history of Forge magazine, we are repeating the theme of an issue and with good reason. Last year at this same time, Forge came out with its first issue dedicated to “Women in Business.” We repeat that theme this year, “Why?” you may ask. The answer is simple: March is Women’s History Month and once again we want to celebrate the contributions that women have made and are making in the Steele County business community. In some ways, I wish it weren’t necessary to have such recognitions, but not because women don’t deserve it. On the contrary. The contributions that women have made to the Steele County business community — and beyond — have been tremendous and will continue to be in the years to come, of that there is no doubt. No, the reason I wish it weren’t necessary to have such recognitions is because I wish our society would simply acknowledge that women play as an important role in the business community and beyond as men do. Alas, the acknowledgement is long overdue. It reminds me of something that William Morris, our former associate editor for Forge, penned last year in this spot. William wrote: “I remember, probably about this time last year, seeing an exchange on Twitter (which, of course, is a wonderful platform for expressing nuanced philosophical differences). One user, presumably a male, was complaining about Women’s History Month in March, wondering why there wasn’t a Men’s History Month. Another user retorted that, in fact, we do have a month devoted to men’s history. In fact, we have 11 of them. 4 |

“I hope that’s less true than it was in years past, but it remains the case that how we talk about history, and in contemporary journalism as well, still often gives undue weight to the contributions of men and short-changes women.” Very true, William, very true. So we return to acknowledging and celebrating the contributions of women in this issue with our cover story about Women in Business, hoping that there will come a day someday when that won’t be necessary because they will just be assumed. Now let me shift gears for a moment. Over the past two years we have thoroughly enjoyed bringing news of the Steele County business community — and its involvement in the areas of health, education, government, agriculture and philanthropy — to our readers through Forge magazine, and we hope that you have enjoyed reading it as well. If your comments to us are any indication, you have enjoyed reading this publication as well. Because the response to this publication has been so positive, we have been looking at ways to streamline Forge with the idea that in the process we will be able to get the publication out to more readers. What will that mean for Forge and for you, dear readers? Well, we have a lot of ideas in the works, but we haven’t nailed them down quite yet. But stay tuned. Big announcements will be coming in the not-so-distant future.

PUBLISHER: Chad Hjellming EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jeffrey Jackson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: James Figy Grace Brandt Anna Vangsness COVER DESIGN: Brendan Cox PAGE DESIGN: Tri M Graphics ADVERTISING MANAGER: Ginny Bergerson ADVERTISING SALES: Kyle Shaw Crystal Hobart Kristie Biehn Pam DeMorett ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Lisa Richmond CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: Tez Zernechel For editorial inquiries, contact Jeffrey Jackson at 507-444-2371 or jjackson@owatonna.com For advertising inquiries, please call 507-444-2386 or email gbergerson@owatonna.com

FORGE Magazine is published by

Southern Minn Media 135 West Pearl St. Owatonna, MN 55060

keeping steele strong

PHILANTHORPY

BEDS FOR KIDS DELIVER COMFORT AND WARMTH FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

FEB/MAR

2019

c o ver story

WOMEN IN BUSINESS: STEELE COUNTY BUSINESSWOMEN MAKE AN IMPACT

SPECIAL REPORT

WOMAN FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES PREPARING FOR RETIREMENT

14 20 32 40 43 50 52

AROUND THE WATER COOLER FROM THE FOUNDATION ECONOMIC DASHBOARD

SPECIAL REPORT

23 38

SPECIAL REPORT

SWEET SUCCESS

HOPE KEEPS CHURNING

FROM THE CHAMBER KNOW THE LAW GREEN SEAM LOCAL LEARNING

PG AROUND STEELE COUNTY

FEDERATED INSURANCE OPENS OFFICE IN MANKATO

SPECIAL REPORT

CHILD IDENTITY THEFT IN MINNESOTA www.forgesteelecounty.com | 5

PHILANTHROPY

6 |

Anna Vangsness FEAtURE WRITER

DELIVERING COMFORT AND WARMTH TO CHILDREN IN NEED W

hen it was announced in early November that Jostens, the class-ring king, was being sold by its parent company, Newell Brands, to Platinum Equity, a private investment firm based in Los Angeles, for $1.3 billion, thoughts of many turned not only to the future of the company, but also to its past. Thanks to a nonprofit organization in Steele County, more than 1,400 children have had new, clean mattresses to sleep on since 2010. Jim Packard saw a need in his county that he desperately wanted to change. Employed by a cable company, Packard would make house calls only to notice that kids were either sleeping on the floors or having to share a bed with a sibling or parent. It was at that moment that Packard and his wife, Sarah, made it their mission to help change the lives of children who had poor sleeping situations by creating Beds 4 Kids, an organization that supply's new beds to kids ages 2-17 who live

in Waseca or Steele County. The organization has been busy since their initial kick off. Since 2014, husband and wife duo Shari and Jeff Kropp have been at the helm of Beds 4 Kids. "The Packard's are good friends of ours," Executive Director Shari said. "Jeff and I started volunteering because we were empty nesters at the time and eventually we all thought it would be a good idea for Jeff and I to step in. My husband deals with the warehouse, beds and delivery, and I work with our board of directors and manage the office part." Once an application comes in, Shari checks to make sure the applicant qualifies and then they get to work outfitting the young child with a new bed. Once Beds 4 Kids has the inventory and volunteers, they deliver a new bed to the waiting child. "The recipient gets a brand new twin size box spring, mattress, frame and a complete set of bedding which includes sheets, comforter,

mattress pad, pillow case and pillow," Shari said. "We only give one bed per child per lifetime, but depending on the family situation, if there is more than one child that is in need, we'll do a bunk bed." When Beds 4 Kids first began, Jim handmade all of the bunk beds thanks to his woodworking background, but the demand was too high so the nonprofit transitioned into purchasing the beds. "We work with Martin Mattresses in St. Paul to get our mattresses, frames and bunk beds," Shari said. "I try to stick to a price point of about $190 per bed, and that includes everything." Shari said that she does a lot of her bedding shopping on Black Friday, when she's able to purchase enough blankets, comforters, sheets and pillows to last her throughout the year. "Black Friday has become my favorite holiday," she said with a laugh. "It's when I can get super great prices on the things that are needed. We also www.forgesteelecounty.com | 7

have some churches who donate sheets, so I shouldn't have to buy much bedding for the year to come."

"We strive to make sure as much as possible goes to kids and the beds," Shari said.

Beds 4 Kids prides themselves on only donating brand new items to children. It's common for area schools, churches or families to drop off new bedding essentials, too. With each bed, they're able to donate a stuffed animal with a fleece tie blanket or a quilt.

To Shari, the looks on the faces of the kids when they see their bed makes her job priceless.

"Those are because of donations," Shari said. "It's actually a great way for families to get involved with Beds 4 Kids. We've had a lot of tie blanket and quilt donations from kids who make them for community work at school. This year, we got some from a family who chooses a different organization each Christmas to donate to. We also accept monetary donations which is how we purchase the mattresses and frames." Beds 4 Kids is a 100 percent volunteer run organization, with more than 90 percent of funds going to purchasing the beds and bedding. The only overhead they experience is payment for a three-car garage for storage, a cell phone, website and insurance.

8 |

"It's the best part when the kids are home when we do the delivery," she sai. "We set the bed up, and that includes making the bed, so when they come home, they'll have a brand new bed made for them." In a perfect world, delivering a place to sleep wouldn't be necessary and Beds 4 Kids wouldn't exist, Shari said. "Ultimately, our goal would be to not exist because that means every child has a bed," she said. "Every year our board meets to see what we'll know going forward for the next year, but we never know. We don't know how many families will move to the county or how many families will go through a hardship." Though people may not be aware of it, Shari said there is a homeless population in Steele County. As the families establish a home, Beds for Kids is able to provide their child with the comfort they need to thrive.

"We have one piece of the puzzle, but it's an important piece," she said. "If kids aren't sleeping well or they don't have a warm place to sleep, they're not functioning well at school. It's hard for them to learn and it's hard to be successful." Beds 4 Kids often gets e-mails from parents, social workers, teachers and guardians ad litem's about how the nonprofit has changed lives. "It's so fun to hear that we could help these kids that are in a tough situation," Shari said. "When parents email and say their kids smiled and were so excited to have that bed, that's what it's about." The organization is always looking for volunteers to help deliver beds, donate tie blankets or volunteers to help with their annual fundraiser. This year's fundraiser takes place Feb. 23 at the Steele County History Center. The "cabin fever" theme will include tasting stations from local chefs, an improv comedy show, wine wall and silent auction. For more information visit beds4kidsmn.org. ď ľ

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BY THE NUMBERS

WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES IN THE U.S. Businesswomen in Steele County are making important contributions to the business community, and they aren’t alone. Across the U.S., there continues to be growth among women entering the workforce and owning business. “Women entrepreneurs have come a long way over the course of the last 20 years but there are miles to go,” states the 2017 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. The following statistics from the report showcase this progress:

2 20 39

Minnesota’s rank in employment growth rate and average numbers of employees at women-owned business from 1997 to 2017.

The percentage of companies with revenue of at least $1 million that are woman-owned. The percentage of all privately held firms that are owned by women.

9 Million

The number of people employed by women-owned businesses.

11.6 Million The number of women-owned firms in the U.S., which generate combined sales of $1.7 trillion.

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 9

WOMEN FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES PREPARING FOR RETIREMENT

etirement planning can be daunting for anyone. Figuring out what to save, how to invest and the best way to protect your nest egg until retirement is a lot to handle. However, women tend to face even more challenges as they try to save for retirement, stemming from a variety of factors.

According to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, nearly half of women—46 percent—are “not too confident” or “not at all confident” about retirement, compared to only 36 percent of men who share that lack of confidence. There are many reasons for this, from women’s work environments to the pressures of caring for both children and parents. All these different factors can seem overwhelming, but it is possible for women to still create a retirement plan that can keep them secure in their later years. The key is education, according to Cate Grinney, a financial advisor at Edward D. Jones in Faribault. 10 |

“Women need to make sure they educate themselves about investing and make sure they’re always discussing those financial issues with their spouses,” Grinney said. “It really comes down to prioritizing what your needs are and what your wants are, and understanding where the money flow is.”

LIVING LONGER One of the challenges facing women is the fact that they tend to live longer than men and so need more saved for their retired years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the average life expectancy for a woman is 81 years, compared to 76 years for a man. Once women reach 65, their life expectancy increases to 86, compared to men’s 84 years. A few years’ difference may not seem like much, but Financial Finesse reported a 2016 study that women actually need to save quite a bit more compared to men to fully fund their retirements: a 25-year-old woman

Grace Brandt FEAtURE WRITER

SPECIAL REPORT

working full-time needs to save 1.5 percent more than a man in order to reach target savings goals. “Most people aren’t planning for that long term in retirement,” Grinney said. “It’s very common I have clients who are living well into their 90s, so stretching those dollars over a much longer period of time can be a challenge.” One of the largest costs of these longer lifespans is healthcare. In fact, according to U.S. News, healthcare is the No. 2 cost in retirement after housing, eating up about 20 percent of 80-year-old retirees’ income. According to Fidelity Investments, the average couple should plan to spend about $280,000 on healthcare during their retirement. This doesn’t include long-term care, which is a necessity for women more often than men.

GETTING INVOLVED According to Grinney, women often defer to their husbands when it comes to financial planning—but that’s a mistake. Instead, when she works with couples, she stresses the need for them both to be involved and understand their assets and responsibilities. “If you’re married, a lot of times, you defer to your husband making all the financial decisions,” she said. “That’s a big mistake. Women really need to be involved and know where they are at personally and as a couple to plan for retirement. I’ve always tried to really insist on both spouses being there.” Christina Wetmore, a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Owatonna, said she has been seeing more and more couples over the past several years. What often happens, she said, is that the husband handles the finances for most of the marriage, but as retirement nears, he realizes that his wife may outlive him and wants to ensure that she is taken care of and understands their financial situation. “They really want to work with someone their spouse is comfortable with,” Wetmore said. “It’s rare that I meet with a man without his wife. I think that says a lot about how the investing mentality has changed over the years. It used to be primarily the men who would invest the dollars for the family. I think that’s shifted quite a bit.” In the same way, Wetmore said women have voiced a desire to become more involved in the family finances. “If their spouse has always handled the finances, it’s a little intimidating for them at first,” she said. “But they’re willing be educated. They really want to be a part of the process.”

DIFFERENT METHODS Men and women tend to approach retirement planning in different ways, according to Wetmore. She says when she works with clients, the men often want to risk more for a greater pay off, whereas women prefer to slowly but surely reach their retirement goals. “Typically when I meet with men and women together, the husband wants to make as much possible in as short a period of time as possible,” Wetmore said. “However, the woman doesn’t want to take on any more risk than we need to.” Grinney agreed that her female clients tent to be slightly more conservative than her male clients, adding that the women are less likely to take advice from friends and more apt to focus on what investment professionals suggest. In fact, she said, women tend to be better investors overall. “They tend to be a little more thoughtful and plan for the longer term on average,” she said. “They tend to stay long-term focused.” While a commitment to long-term planning can be very beneficial, women sometimes lose out on accumulating as much wealth because of that tendency to avoid risk. A 2017 study by Vanguard, “How America Saves,” shows that women are actually better savers than men—yet other studies show that women tend to have more of their portfolios invested in cash and bonds. While these are “safe” investments, they don’t always outpace inflation. In fact, according to the 2018 “Money Census” study by Ellevest, the “investment gap” between men and women over a working lifetime can easily add up to more than $1 million over a 35-year career horizon.

STARTING EARLY According to the U.S. Department of Labor, of the 63 million working women between the ages of 21 and 64, only 44 percent participate in a retirement plan. Part of this most likely has to do with the fact that women hold down part-time jobs at a much higher rate than men (28 percent of women compared to only 13 percent of women, according to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies), meaning that many don’t have access to benefits such as pensions or 401Ks. Wetmore stresses the need for women—and everyone—to start saving early in order to create a big enough retirement nest egg. She particularly emphasized the need to take advantage of any work opportunities available, such as an employer’s www.forgesteelecounty.com | 11

matching contributions into retirement plans. “Start early,” she said. “Statistics have shown that millennial women are saving at a lower rate than is what is most advantageous. It’s likely that less than half of millennials are saving 6 percent in their 401K, so they’re losing money. Make sure that you’re maxing out your benefits and getting the most from that opportunity.” Wetmore added that people should also build up an emergency fund that could sustain them for six months’ worth of expenses.

Steele Co.

S Works

“Otherwise, you’re more likely to tap into those retirement funds,” she said.

CONFLICTING RESPONSIBILITIES Another huge factor affecting retirement is that fact that that working women are more likely than men to interrupt their careers to take care of family members—either children or parents—according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In fact, the Family Caregiver Alliance reports that caregiving reduces paid hours for middle-aged women by 41 percent, with female caregivers over 50 losing an average of $324,000 in wages and benefits over their lifetime. This means they have even less to contribute towards retirement savings. “Women are typically the caregivers,” Wetmore said. “In this ‘sandwich generation,’ they’re responsible for taking care of their parents while still having kids living at home. I think the challenges are much more significant.” As Grinney points out, people used to start families at younger ages, but now couples are waiting until their 30s or even 40s to have children, which increases the likelihood of them caring for children while also taking care of elderly parents. When women cut back on work hours to care for family members, they not only lose out on wages and employer-run retirement accounts, they also contribute less to Social Security. This can have huge consequences once they retire, since Social Security is based on a person’s 35 most profitable years of income. Wetmore said the key to tackling these competing responsibilities is to prioritize and make an end-goal plan. That could mean always setting aside a set portion of funds for retirement every month before putting money into a child’s college savings account. “It’s very personal,” Wetmore said. “But until you lay out all of those goals and challenges, you can’t begin to prioritize and really map out a plan for really accomplishing that.”

12 |

Not sure what to do after school? Looking for help getting your first job? Steelecoworks.com can help. This website features a tab with the steps you need to get started, links to information about job and training opportunities in a variety of fields and an interactive searchable jobs database. In addition, you can schedule one on one appointments to help you figure out your next steps. Contact Anisha Zak to learn more through her OHS school email or AnishaZak@ workforcedevelopmentinc.org.

Steele County Works is a Collaboration of:

Who Lead Women Who Women Lead

PAM KUBAT KATE HARTHAN

THE WOMEN TO KNOW IN REAL ESTATE! Leading this magnificent group are Becky Hermanson-Hill and Darcy Ihrke who have nearly 40 years of combined real estate sales experience! It all started in 1999 when Becky and Darcy obtained their MN Real Estate Licenses and began selling in the Owatonna market. With goals set and the determination to accomplish them, they took a leap of faith in 2006 and purchased their own Prudential Real Estate franchise. A lot happened over the next 12 years; including the 2011 acquisition of Century 21 Vision Real Estate, an established company with a roster of experienced agents. Fast forward to 2019 and Berkshire Hathaway Advantage now consists of 26 licensed agents, two staff members and is rounded out with a Relocation Director and Social Director. This group likes to have fun! Our goal is to make the buying and selling of real estate both cost-effective and stress-free while maintaining the highest level of service. Our company provides relevant and accurate information that allows our clients to make educated decisions. We are both proud and lucky to be Owatonna’s number one real estate company. We look forward to helping you achieve your real estate goals! Gail Buckingham, Coleen Brekke, Jen Fielding, Diane Holland, Charlotte McCabe, Lindsey McGurran, Michelle Jandt, Kathy Purdie, Traci Ranslow, Nancy Sletten, Ann Vargason, Betsy Rossi and Martina Narvaez. Not pictured: Sandra McConn-Halla, Christine Sletten and Chandra Wray-Raabolle.

Berkshire Hathaway Advantage Real Estate 1880 Austin Rd, Owatonna

507-451-7355

www.owatonnarealestate.com

In 1996, Pam had been working in the manufacturing side of sales and marketing in the promotional products industry for 4 years. With a challenge from her church, based on the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, she and her husband Ryan used the $50 given to them to create a logo, letterhead and business cards, and purchase a fax machine for a new business venture as a distributor in the industry. In April 1997, “Corporate Recognition” became official with their first order. Pam’s goal was to bring creative, unique, and useful promotional ideas to businesses so they would be remembered by current or potential clients. For 7 years the business served local and national clients while based out of the family’s Owatonna home. Business and family growth prompted a move to a store front; 104 W. Park Square became the perfect central location. Through self-logo’d promotional products, word-ofmouth referrals, and working many long days and nights, the business flourished. In 2012, Kate joined the business part-time. In April 2013, she and her husband started full-time at the company, bringing with them a variety of business management experiences, as well as degrees in Human Resources and Business Administration (Kate) and Photography (Matt). Since then, Kate has taken a leadership role and spearheaded 2 expansions at the original store, followed by a move 125 W Bridge St. where we now have a large product showroom. Kate and Pam love helping customers and their leadership teams by researching creative solutions, doing graphic design for products, and making tight deadlines work. Think of us for years of service programs, wellness initiatives, uniform programs, table covers and tradeshow displays, customer gifts and giveaways. We are proud to be your local EXPERTS in promotions and marketing for over 22 years!

Corporate Recognition 507-451-2404 125 W. Bridge Street Owatonna www.CorporateRecognition.com Pam@CorporateRecognition.com Kate@CorporateRecognition.com www.forgesteelecounty.com | 13

Around the

Water Cooler Changes underway at Whispering Oak Assisted Living Community Whispering Oak Assisted Living Community, an established retirement community located off Interstate 35 at 903 Calverly Court in Ellendale, will soon be known by a new name among many other positive changes. “Following a change in ownership, Senior Housing Management will be assuming operational responsibilities on Dec. 15, 2018,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Allison Law, “The community will also have a slightly different name, Whispering Oak Place, to mirror the existing group of communities we currently manage. Our team is very excited to bring our expertise in assisted living and memory care, building design, and genuine customer service to the Ellendale community.”

Local RV Dealer Noble RV named among top 50 in North America The RVBusiness magazine 2018 Top 50 Dealers Awards reception honored North American RV dealers on Wed., Nov. 7, during the annual RV Dealers Association International Convention/Expo for their outstanding customer service, community involvement and general excellence in overall operations, including local RV dealer Noble RV, Inc. “This award would not be possible without the hard work of our staff and the loyal customers we serve on a daily basis,” said co-owner, Mike Noble. “It’s an amazing feeling of accomplishment to be a five-year consecutive recipient of the Top 50 Dealer award.” For more information about the Noble RV dealerships, visit noblerv.com or call 507-444-0004.

Wenger donates $67,675 to United Way of Steele County Employees of Wenger made generous donations over $47,675 to the United Way of Steele County 2018 campaign. A generous corporate gift of $20,000 brings the total contribution up to $67,675 – an accomplishment that breaks the company record of employee giving to United Way of Steele County. Katharine Riewe, Wenger’s Workplace Campaign Leader, and her enthusiastic committee led a fun campaign for her coworkers. Campaign activities included a dunk tank and many fun activities and inter-departmental competitions. “Wenger employees enthusiastically demonstrate their commitment to our community through their generosity,” said United Way director, Kim Schaufenbuel. “They certainly know how to have fun while carrying out an important community service. We are proud to count them among our most loyal and consistent partners.” 14 |

Babcock Joins Weichert, Realtors – Heartland Weichert, Realtors — Heartland is proud to announce Aaron Babcock has joined their Faribault office. Babcock joins a dedicated team of knowledgeable agents at Weichert, Realtors® — Heartland, who bring many years of combined real estate expertise to their clients. Weichert, Realtors — Heartland, located at 1801 Green Street, is an independently owned and operated affiliate of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. For more information, please contact Jake Piller at 507-334-2173 or jpiller@ teamyellownow.com.

Watertown Times to be sold to Adams Publishing Group Adams Publishing Group announced December 3, 2018 they have purchased the assets of the Watertown (WI) Daily Times and Dodge County Independent News from James M. Clifford. The Watertown Daily Times is published Monday through Friday and the Dodge County Independent News weekly. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Members of the Clifford family have owned the Watertown Daily Times since 1919. James Clifford, chairman of the company said that this was a difficult day for the family but felt the Times would be in a stronger position to compete in a challenging and fast changing competitive environment if it were part of a larger group. Clifford went on to say, “My family and I have enjoyed being stewards of this important community institution the past 99 years. We believe we have selected a new owner that will carry on in the best interests of Watertown, the readers of the Daily Times and our wonderful employees.” Adams Publishing Group principal, Stephen Adams stated, “We are extremely excited to have the Watertown Daily Times join our fast-growing publishing group. Watertown is exactly the type of community that we look for as we build our company.” For more information contact Dirks, Van Essen & Murray at 505-820-2700.

Three Birchwood Cottage locations in Owatonna and Mankato underwent management transition on Jan. 1 Three Birchwood Cottage Memory Care Communities are now under new management. Senior Housing Management of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assumed management as of Jan. 1, 2019. The communities undergoing this change include two adjacent locations in Owatonna and one in North Manakto. “Senior Housing’s team of experts began providing support for the Birchwood Cottage communities on Jan. 1,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Allison Law, “Birchwood Cottage’s staff and residents will begin seeing Senior Housing’s dedicated assistance in the areas of operations, health care, community relations, accounting and beyond.” Each of the communities offers Memory Care apartments and services to seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other related dementias in a compassionate and dignified manner.

Al-Corn Clean Fuel recognized by Minnesota FFA Foundation Al-Corn Clean Fuel, a leader within the renewable fuels sector, has been recognized as a supporter of the Minnesota FFA Foundation for the company’s support of programming throughout southeast and southern Minnesota. The partnership between Al-Corn Clean Fuel and the Minnesota FFA Foundation allows for Scholarship funds to assist 58 FFA chapters in select programs, including service projects. “We truly appreciate our partnership with the Minnesota FFA Foundation” said Rod Jorgenson, Chairman of the Board for Al-Corn Clean Fuel. “The leadership skills acquired by the next generation of agricultural leaders through organizations such as FFA will benefit our local communities well into the future”. “The need to build partnerships in support of local and state agricultural education programs continues to grow as budgets are increasingly tight,” said Val Aarsvold, executive director of the Minnesota FFA Foundation. “It’s a win-win partnership as our programs receive valuable support to prepare future employees for agricultural careers and develop skills to provide leadership for their local communities.” For additional information regarding Al-Corn Clean Fuel, please visit www.al-corn.com. For additional information regarding the Minnesota FFA Foundation, please visit www.mnffafoundation.org. www.forgesteelecounty.com | 15

Around the Water Cooler Jostens employees donate $21,500 to United Way of Steele County Employees of Jostens made generous donations totaling $21,539 to the United Way of Steele County 2018 campaign. Christina Kreutter, Jostens’ Workplace Campaign Leader, led an informative and fun filled campaign for his coworkers. “Jostens employees demonstrate their commitment to our community through their loyal generosity,” said United Way director, Kim Schaufenbuel. “They are a long-term partner we know we can count on.”

Pictured left to right are Monica Doshier, and Angela Klecker in the front row, Kim Ellerton, Arial Glazier, Julie Riley, and Kristal Clemens in the second row, and Michael Urch, Sue Huskey, and Holly Schuster in the back row. Not pictured are Jim Jandro, Kathy Brage, Jennifer Hols, Frenchie Ogdahl, Christina Kreutter, Patty Concannon, and Barb Meier.

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation invests more than $1.2 million in regional businesses Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) approved funding from its loan and equity funds to 31 businesses in 2018, investing more than $1.2 million in its 20-county region. Three of the businesses that SMIF invested in are located in Steele County, Advantage Cabinets, Inc., BioPlastic Solutions LLC, and Sollid Yoga. Funding for Advantage Cabinets and Sollid Yoga was approved from SMIF’s Small Enterprise Loan Program. Funding for BioPlastic Solutions was approved from SMIF’s Business Development Revolving Loan Fund. SMIF provides a range of finance and management assistance services to start and grow businesses. To learn more, call Marcia Haley at 507-214-7021, marciah@ smifoundation.org or Diane Lewis at 507214-7014, dianel@smifoundation.org. SMIF is an equal opportunity lender. These loans were funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For a complete list of businesses that SMIF funded in 2018, see smifoundation.org/investments.

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Federated Insurance Employees continue tradition of giving to United Way Employees of Federated Insurance opened their hearts and wallets in support of their communities to create a record year of giving to United Way. Nearly 1,750 employees across the country contributed a total of $255,683, helping Federated surpass its $250,000 goal. Adding in the corporate gift, Federated’s total donation was $343,033, nearly $10,000 more than the previous year. Employees in the Owatonna offices gave $226,419. After adding the $70,050 corporate gift, United Way of Steele County will receive $296,469. “The generosity of Federated and its employees makes a huge difference in the lives of Steele County residents,” said UWSC executive director Kim Schaufenbuel. “By coming together in their fundraising activities, they not only have a great time as a team, but make an impact for the work of United Way of Steele County and its 16 partner agencies.” “There is no more worthy cause than helping our community members in need,” said Federated Insurance Chairman and CEO Jeff Fetters. “I am so proud to see the generosity and ingenuity of our employees.”

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Women Who Lead

Women Who Lead Women Women Who Who Lead Lead

ANN MILLER franchise owner

Ann began her career in the staffing industry with Spherion in Minneapolis in 1989. She started in sales and marketing then quickly moved into management. She built new markets for the company opening offices in Burnsville, Eagan, Lakeville, and Shakopee. She then was given the opportunity to consider the franchising side of the business with Spherion. In 1996 she made the leap to Owatonna along with her husband Gene and family, where they started their first franchised office. Ann earned Spherion’s “Rookie of the Year” award for that first year in operation. In the years since, Ann has qualified for twelve Spherion Performance Forum trips/awards for achieving and exceeding results, she earned her college degree from Concordia University and opened four more offices in Mankato, Duluth, and Mason City, along with a client on-site service office. She has always been active with the Chamber of Commerce, is a member of Rotary International, and is a founding member of the Harry Wenger Marching Band Festival. Ann has served for ten years on the local SHRM Board and five years on the United Way Board, one year as Campaign Co-Chair. Ann’s desire is and always has been to identify talent and nurture that talent within the individual. Working in the staffing industry for her has been a perfect fit. “Loving and having a passion for what you do can make all the difference!” At Spherion, we find people jobs! We love what we do!

Spherion Staffing 134 East Vine Street, Suite 1 Owatonna, MN 55060 507-451-3400 www.spherion.com annmiller@spherion.com 18 |

HOLLY KLECKER HOLLY KLECKER AND AND MANDY DANIELS MANDY DANIELS owners/stylists owners/stylists

Holly Holly

Mandy Mandy

At Pure Elements Salon, we invite you to stop in or At Pure Salon, youwhy to stop in or book an Elements appointment withweusinvite and see we were book 2018’s an appointment us and see why we”were voted “Best Salonwith in Southern Minnesota. voted 2018’s “Best Salon in Southern Minnesota.” Besides being an organic based salon, we strive to Besidesexceptional being an organic based salon, we strive to provide customer service in a professional, provide exceptional customer service in a professional, clean, and relaxing atmosphere. clean, and relaxing atmosphere. With over 30 years of combined expertise, we With ourselves over 30 on years of combined we pride being up-to-date expertise, in the latest pride ourselves on being up-to-date in the latest cutting-edge techniques by frequently attending cutting-edge techniques frequently attending beauty shows and educationby seminars. beauty shows and education seminars. We provide service that accentuates each of our guest’s We provide and service that accentuates of our guest’s personality style. Our hair careeach services include: personality and style. Our hair care services include: color, perms, straightening treatments, design and color, perms, straightening treatments, design and up-styling, as well as pinch braid hair extensions, an up-styling, as well as pinch braid hair extensions, an all-natural technique. We also offer facial waxing and all-natural technique. We also offer facial waxing and makeup applications. makeup applications. We proudly use All-Nutrient organic hair color, and We proudly use All-Nutrient organic color, and also feature retail products from Loma hair and Neuma. also feature retail products from Loma and Neuma. Our vision is to become the area’s foremost salon Ourproviding vision is and to become the area’s foremostonsalon in continuously improving the in providing andbycontinuously improving inonboth the best hair service exceeding expectations best hair service by exceeding environment and customer care. expectations in both environment and customer care. We would love to meet and consult with you about We and would to meet any all love of your hair and careconsult needs! with Checkyou outabout our any and all ofFacebook your hairpage, carealong needs! Check out our Instagram and with our website, Instagram and convenient Facebook page, along with our website, where we offer online booking. where we offer convenient online booking.

Pure Elements Salon Pure Elements Salon 507-446-1000 507-446-1000 245 18th St. SE Ste 105 245 18th St. SE Ste 105 Owatonna Owatonna www.Pure-ElementsSalon.com www.Pure-ElementsSalon.com

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FROM THE FOUNDATION Tim Penny SMIF

FEMALE LEADERS DRIVING CHANGE IN OUR REGION R

ecently we have seen an emergence of female leaders at a national level, most notably in Congress where a record number of 127 women are now serving. Here at Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we have been working with women leaders throughout our 20-county region since our inception in 1986. Many of these women who are positioning their communities for growth are right here in Steele County. Christina Wetmore is the community coordinator for SMIF’s Community Growth Initiative (CGI) in Medford which launched in 2017. Through this process, each community commits to three stages of involvement: community visioning, project implementation, and sustainable operation. As community coordinator for the CGI, Wetmore has brought many people in Medford together to discuss the opportunities for growth and citizenled change. One of the projects that came out of these meetings was welcome signage along the interstate. A seemingly small thing like signage can make a big difference for the identity of a town of 1,272 people. Wetmore’s passion for spearheading local initiatives and listening to the ideas of those who live there, is moving her community forward.

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Emily Otto, the president of the Community Foundation of Ellendale, is a champion for rural philanthropy. While a local foundation was established in the 1990s, it had been inactive for years. Otto and other local leaders saw the need to reinvigorate the foundation as a way to take ownership of the community’s future. One of SMIF’s 28 Community Foundations, these funds provide direct support for projects and programming important to their community. Within a year of establishing a new leadership team, the Community Foundation of Ellendale partnered with the City to begin renovation of the Ellendale Community Building. In addition to funding local projects, Otto is leading the foundation on efforts to build the endowment, so it can be sustained for future generations. Deb McDermott-Johnson is the Director of Owatonna Community Education and is a trailblazer in local early childhood efforts. She collaborates with community early childhood leaders to facilitate the Early Learning Network, designed for those working in early childhood to connect with others in the community, share resources, and receive training. McDermottJohnson is also one of the partners in the new Preschool Transportation Program which came out Owatonna’s Early Childhood Initiative (ECI), a SMIF program. SMIF currently supports 25

ECIs which engage early childhood leaders in a community visioning and implementation process. The Preschool Transportation Program, a partnership with United Way and SMART Transit, among others, provides transportation to preschoolers for $1 a ride or less, removing a major barrier for many parents in getting their kids to and from school. She is also a leader in PreK to Grade 3 alignment efforts and many other programs that ensure the best for our youngest generation. Change happens in our region because of women like Christina, Emily and Deb. We are proud to support their efforts to create a bright future for Steele County. For information about these programs visit smifoundation.org.  Tim Penny is the President & CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. Tim represented Minnesota’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1982 – 1994. Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a donor-supported foundation, invests for economic growth in the 20 counties of south central and southeastern Minnesota. The Foundation has provided more than $111 million in grants, loans and programming within the region during the past 32 years. SMIF's key interests include early childhood, community and economic development. To learn more about our work and mission, visit www.smifoundation.org.

Women Who Lead

CARRIE SHARP

Owner/Manager of Trio Coffee, Wine & Ale House

Carrie Sharp was born and raised in Morristown, Minnesota. She attended and graduated from Waseca High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota. After working as a social worker for over 19 years, she created Trio Coffee, Wine & Ale House. The establishment, located on the corner of State Street and Elm Avenue in beautiful downtown Waseca, opened on October 20, 2018. Named for the three main drinks it features, Trio is known for its unique and relaxed atmosphere, a large variety of drinks and fantastic food. Carrie and husband Jeremy Sharp, dreamed of bringing something different to Waseca. Creating an atmosphere of comfort and a place to meet up with friends, you can also stop in any time of the week and see people at their computers or reading, families and friends playing games. Very soon you will have the opportunity to see some local musical talent and look for the basement to be completed. The building itself, owned by Jeremy Sharp, has an amazing history. Initially a bank, you can still see the original bank vault in the basement which is named, The Arlington Room. A former young gentlemen’s entrepreneur group known as the Arlington Club, used to meet in the basement. Wanting to keep in line with the look, the goal is to create a warm and cozy place to hang out.” We have lots of ideas for this space!” Right now, we are so excited for you to see what we have to offer!

Plemel Insurance Agency 920 Hoffman Drive Ste 1 Owatonna, MN 507-451-4619 417 Highway Ave S Blooming Prairie 507-583-7747 www.plemelagency.com

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 21

Women Who LeadWho Lead Women Women Who Lead Women Who Lead

Owatonna Business Women Celebrating 100 years in 2019!

CHAR CHAR ESCH, ESCH, WITH WITH DAUGHTERS DAUGHTERS ALICIA ALICIA AND AND KRISTA KRISTA owners/operators owners/operators

Mother-Daughter team purchases long-time staple, Mother-Daughter purchases downtown Owatonnateam coffee shop, Centrallong-time Park Coffee staple, Co. downtown Owatonna coffee shop, Central Park Coffee Co. Char Esch and her husband Jon, have raised their family of 6 Char Esch husband Jon, have familytheir of 6 kids in the and areaher since they decided to raised make their Owatonna kids in the area since they decided to make Owatonna their home in 1993. Having two other businesses currently, the home 1993. itHaving twotoother currently, the couple in decided was time focus businesses on a venture where Char couple decided it was time to focus on a venture where Char could use her love of connecting with people through food. could use her love of connecting with people through food. She wants this enterprise to be a place where her daughters She wantsthe thislove enterprise to be a place where hertheir daughters can learn of owning a business, develop skills, can learn the love of owning a business, develop their skills, and build their confidence toward reaching their own goals. and build their confidence toward reaching their own goals. Taking the role of store manager, Alicia brings her experience Taking role of store manager, Alicia brings her experience in retail,thecustomer service and money management, and is in retail, customer service and money management, currently working on obtaining her business degree. and is currently working on obtaining her business degree. Krista adds her skills in organization and creativity, and plans Krista skillsmenu in organization and plans to add adds someher trendy and décor and ideascreativity, to the coffee shop to add some trendy menu and décor ideas to the coffee shop to help bring in the younger crowd. to help bring in the younger crowd. Some strengths of the coffee shop that will not be changed are Some strengths of make the coffee shop coffee that will notway be it’s changed the attributes that excellent “the meantare to the attributes that make excellent coffee “the way it’s meant to be”, such as high quality locally roasted whole beans ground be”, such asand high quality water locallyfiltration roasted whole ground in-house, separate systembeans for the best in-house, and separate water filtration system for the best possible taste. Of course, good conversation goes well with possible taste. Of course, good conversation goes wella great with a great cup of coffee, and the shop will continue to be aplace greattocup of coffee, and the shop will continue to be a great gather. place to gather.

Woman of Achievement – Scholarship Awards & Fundraiser Celebration 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 8, 2019 Torey’s Resturant & Bar 208 Cedar Ave N., Owatonna Sponsorships and tickets for the event available at www.owatonnabusinesswomen.org/WOA

Interested in joining a group of dynamic professional women? Join us! Memberships available at www.owatonnabusinesswomen.org 22 |

Char Esch, along with her daughters Alicia and Krista, have Char Esch, withtoher daughters Alicia Krista, have learned thatalong in order attain any goal, theirand vision needs to learned that in order to attain any goal, their vision needs to be clear, it needs to be written, and it needs to be seen daily. be clear, it needs to be written, and it needs to be seen daily. This is the process they used to reach their dream of owning This is the process they used tohospitality reach theirindustry. dream of owning and operating a business in the and operating a business in the hospitality industry. The shop offers pastries and breakfast and lunch options, The shop homemade offers pastries and breakfast and lunch options, including soups. including homemade soups. Hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Hours are7:30 Monday Friday 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday AM tothrough 2:00 PM. Saturday 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

Central Park Central Park Coffee Coffee Co. Co. 507-451-4242 507-451-4242 113 North Cedar Avenue, Owatonna 113 North Cedar Avenue, Owatonna website: centralparkcoffeeco.com website: centralparkcoffeeco.com email: centralparkcoffee@outlook.com email: centralparkcoffee@outlook.com

James Figy FEAtURE WRITER

COVER STORY

STEELE COUNTY BUSINESSWOMEN

MAKE AN IMPACT

side from hard work, determination and a belief that the work you’re doing matters, it’s difficult to pinpoint every secret to achieving a fulfilling, successful career. However, women who are leading the way in Steele County business have some excellent advice to offer, such as: • Expand your limits by taking on new responsibilities. • Find a field that you love, that’s exciting every day. • Volunteer in the community regularly. • Never stop learning.

Maybe the most common refrain is to seek out people who know more and can mentor you. The eight businesswomen we spoke to have clearly taken this to heart. Each one participates in the Owatonna Business Women professional association, and many are active in other similar groups. Each has cultivated meaningful professional relation-ships with others in their field. Each has chosen to mentor those just starting their careers. One thing is clear through learning about the careers of these women: Success is defined less by how much people make than how much they give back. www.forgesteelecounty.com | 23

KRIS BUSSE Every day Kris Busse makes sure that Owatonna works. As city administrator, she oversees the operations of every department, including engineering, wastewater, police and finance, and works to implement the city council’s vision.

Busse took on further responsibilities as city administrator of Waseca, a position she held for 11 years. In 2007, she gained her current position in Owatonna, a place where she has loved living and raising her two children.

“I like the variety. I like having an impact on my community,” she said.

Busse recommends young people consider working in municipal government. For young women, specifically, she suggests applying for jobs even if they don’t meet all criteria on a job posting.

Busse started her career in municipal government as an intern in her hometown, Prior Lake, after graduating from Hamline University. She then became an assistant city administrator in Austin, and during this time, she earned a master’s degree in urban and regional studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato. “While I was in graduate school, I could apply those concepts at work sometimes even the next day,” she said. “That was very good experience from me.”

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“I would urge women to stretch yourself. Don’t worry so much. Push yourself and try for those jobs that are maybe a little bit of a stretch for you,” she said. “More often than not, you’re probably going to get it.”

TANYA HENSON Tanya Henson had planned to return to pharmaceutical sales once her two sons were old enough for school. Then she put a fun design on a hat, simply to have something to wear to her sons’ early morning football or soccer practices. “Next thing I know, I have a business,” she said.

In addition to mentoring from her landlord, Henson maintains a network of female business owners in downtown Owatonna. “There are three or four that I talk to regularly. They offer advice, and I can bounce things off of them about making changes in my business,” she said.

The Hat Chic Clothing Company has been in business since 2013 and has had its brick-and-mortar storefront since 2015. The more than 50 products emblazoned with Owatonna-inspired designs include shirts, jackets, blankets and cups, among others.

To pass on what she has learned, Henson collaborates with the Owatonna High School business department. She hires interns, offers mentorships and speaks in classes regularly.

Although Henson had worked in alcohol and then pharmaceutical sales for years, she was not a newcomer to clothing. She studied textile science and fashion merchandising at New Mexi-co State University. However, many of the business aspects were new to her.

“I like to pass on that if you have a dream and you really believe that there is something to that, it is not going to come easy, but if you are willing to do the work, you can make it happen,” she said. “… If they can do that in anything, they will succeed.”

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 25

BETH FONDELL

Waiting tables and shooting pool might not seem like the typical path to an executive-level position. But to Beth Fondell, chief financial officer of Owatonna Public Utilities, this was some of her most important training. Fondell, a certified public accountant, completes a variety of tasks while overseeing accounting, customer service and meter services. There are new issues to solve each day. The balancing act is reminiscent of her first job at the Big Steer Restaurant off I-35 at Northfield. “When you’re a waitress, you’ve got to be handling multiple things at the same time,” she said. “…You’re constantly looking for things to do, so that set the tone for my career.” The restaurant owner, a woman who cooked and waited on tables in addition to running the business,

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mentored Fondell through high school and college, teaching her how to work with people. During her first accounting job as a payroll specialist for Cargill, she also had another manager whose work ethic and easygoing personality impacted her. Fondell is a nationally ranked pool player who competes at several professional women’s tournaments each year. Other female pool players would often say how much her abilities inspired them, and she thought that was nice but didn’t understand what they meant at first. “What they were really telling me was that I’m not afraid to compete against the men,” she said. “I’m respected by the male pool players in the area because of my abilities but also because of my personality and how I interact with people.”

KATIE GLASER

Designing and implementing ways to fix to problems are Katie Glaser’s main tasks at ConvergeOne, an information technology services integrator based in Eagan. “I work with mostly large enterprise customers, Fortune 500-type customers,” said Glaser, contact center solutions architect. “I work in their customer experience and contact centers and help them identify ways that technology can improve how they communicate with their customers, how their customers communicate with them and how they can do things like process automation.” Glaser manages seven employees while covering a sales area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. This requires frequent travel from

her Owatonna home — and attending fewer Minnesota Wild hockey games with her husband and stepchildren than she would prefer. However, Glaser appreciates any opportunity to understand and create a plan to fix problems. She learned this from her mother, Janet Simon, the Owatonna Business Women’s 2018 Woman of Achievement, and it has helped during her career. Another key is to seek out people who know more. This could simply involve getting coffee and asking them about their experience and perspectives. “A few years ago, a younger woman approached me and said, ‘Hey, can we have lunch? I want to run some ideas about my career by you,’” she said. “As we were sitting there, it occurred to me that the tables had finally turned.”

Photo courtesy Mark Walbran

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 27

LAUREN KOZELKA

Lauren Kozelka’s path to becoming store manager of Kottke Jewelers started with a work study program through Owatonna High School. After the program ended, she continued to work there because she enjoyed helping customers. “I want to make sure that everyone who has an encounter with Kottke Jewelers leaves happy and feels good about their experience,” she said. Kozelka worked at the jewelry store during weekends and breaks while earning a degree in human resource management and business administration from Winona State University. “My senior year I was also given the opportunity to do an independent study, which allowed me to evaluate Kottke Jewelers from a different viewpoint,” she said. “It has been extremely

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neat looking back at those college papers and seeing what my vision was for this company.” When not at work, Kozelka enjoys spending time with her husband and son. When trying to strike a good work-life balance, she looks to the example her mother provided. Overall, she believes it is important for every person to pursue a career that offers personal fulfillment. “Make sure that you are doing what you love, and your passion for what you love will become your profession,” she said. “Set goals and strive for the best.”

CHARLOTTE MCCABE

Long before she became a real estate agent, Charlotte McCabe loved houses. “When I was younger, I used to design houses and decide the best way to arrange furniture and decorate and redo them,” she said. Now, in her role at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Advantage Real Estate, McCabe helps people find and get into the right house. Although it requires irregular hours every day of the week, she loves the unpredictability of the day and ability to work with people. Working in real estate had been a dream of McCabe’s for many years, but she didn’t have time to dedicate to pursuing it while she was running McCabe Motors with her husband and raising her daughter.

time in the world now to be a real estate agent,’” she said. “I’m glad I did. In fact, I wish I’d done it years ago.” A graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, McCabe has always worked in sales. When she moved to Owatonna, she worked in business development for Express Employment Professionals after visiting to look for a temporary placement. “I started working for Betsy Lindgren back when she was still in business, and she’s always kind of been my mentor. I learned a lot of things from her,” she said, adding the most important thing a businessperson can do is actively volunteer in the community.

“When I became an empty-nester and my baby went off to college, I was like, ‘You know what? I have all the

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 29

LORI WEISENBURGER

As director of compliance for Federated Insurance, Lori Weisenburger spends a lot of time studying the ever-changing insurance regulations and then teaching them to others. “Legal obligations can be varied and complex. Business processes change and evolve. It is the merging of these two that is the heart of compliance, and I enjoy the constant learning that occurs every day,” she said. Weisenburger first learned about the insurance business while in law school. She became licensed to sell property/casualty, life and health insurance to make ends meet. “Once I completed my clerkship after law school, I continued to work in the insurance field and estate planning. Those experiences positioned me well for the opportunity to work at Federated

Insurance,” she said. “My career here has evolved and included roles such as compliance analyst, senior legal counsel and now director of compliance.” Weisenburger’s passion for education is clear in her role as vice chair of the Owatonna School Board. It also extends to her cultivation of relationships in the business world and community. However, learning also demands hard work in response. “As I consider advice to women in business, I think of my two daughters especially, as they are beginning their higher education and starting on their adult paths,” she said, adding that her advice could also apply to her son. “I encourage them to keep their focus on their long-term goal, working toward that goal in small increments each day or week. Sometimes it seems we make little progress or even slide backward. But persistence will pay off.”

MELINDA ESTEY For five years, Melinda Estey served as general transit manager for Southern Minnesota Area Rural Transit, which provides nearly 300,000 rides each year for residents of Freeborn, Mower, Steele and Waseca counties. In January, she started a position overseeing transit agencies in southwest Minnesota for the state — but she’s not leaving her hometown. “My husband and I are firmly rooted in Owatonna, and I will continue to live here and dedicate time to the community,” Estey said. “But my ability and reach to help people will be expanded to include more of Minnesota.” During her career, Estey has focused on serving people while holding herself to high standards.

These were lessons passed on by Estey’s mentors: Lisa Ebeling, the human resources manager during her 10 years at Jostens; Denise Atkinson, her boss during her first job at Taco John’s; and Patricia Lewis, her mother. Estey believes it’s important to keep learning. Leading by example, she has attended the Blandin Community Leadership Program and is pursuing master’s in business administration. “Every mistake, failure or success is an opportunity to learn a new lesson, and ultimately learning is what life is all about,” she said. “I was shocked to discover one day in my early adult life that we are all figuring it out as we go along. Literally all of us are learning as we go.”

MoreVALUE Get

SCC is the Most Affordable Higher Education Option in the Region. Compare Colleges and Universities Around the State: 2018-19 MN Average Annual Tuition and Fee Rates (Based on 30 credits per year)

5,491

SOUTH CENTRAL COLLEGE (A MEMBER OF THE MINNESOTA STATE SYSTEM)

8,384

MINNESOTA STATE SYSTEM UNIVERSITIES

13,323

southcentral.edu

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

16,657

FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

33,297

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

Source: Minnesota Office of Higher Education

$20,000

$25,000

$30,000

PRIVATE 4-YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

$35,000

$40,000

An affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and educator. This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities, consumers with hearing or speech disabilities may contact us via their preferred Telecommunications Relay Service.

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 31

ECONOMIC

DASHBOARD Comparison Report of building in Owatonna 2017/18 80000000

2017 Total YTD

70000000

2017 Industrial YTD

60000000

2017 Commercial YTD

50000000

2018 Total YTD

40000000

2018 Industrial YTD 2018 Commercial YTD

30000000 20000000 10000000 0 Millions

Jan 17

Jan 18

Feb 17

Feb 18

Mar 17

Mar 18

April 17

April 18

May 17

May 18

June 17

June 18

July 17

July 18

Aug 17

Aug 18

Sep 17

Sep 18

Oct 17

Oct 18

Nov 17

Nov 18

Dec 17

Dec 18

Source: City of Owatonna

Comparison Report of Homes for Sale to Newly Listed Homes New Home Listings

2018 New Home Listings

Homes for Sale

2018 Homes for Sale Not Available at time of printing

Owatonna

200

150

100

Jan 17

Jan 18

Feb 17

Feb 18

Mar 17

Mar 18

April 17

April 18

May 17

May 18

June 17

June 18

July 17

July 18

Aug 17

Aug 18

Sep 17

Sep 18

Oct 17

Oct 18

Nov 17

Nov 18

Dec 17

Dec 18

2017 New Home Listings

2018 New Home Listings

2017 Homes for Sale

2018 Homes for Sale

Not Available at time of printing

Blooming Prairie

Source: SEMAR

Jan 17

Jan 18

Feb 17

Feb 18

Mar 17

Mar 18

April 17

April 18

May 17

May 18

June 17

June 18

July 17

July 18

Aug 17

Aug 18

Sep 17

Sep 18

Oct 17

Oct 18

Nov 17

Nov 18

Dec 17

Dec 18

Source: SEMAR

32 |

30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates 5

INTEREST RATE

TIPS&TRICKS

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ENHANCES BUSINESSES 2017 2018

4.5

2017 2018

3.5 3

Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Source: Freddie Mac

Number of Homes Sold OWATONNA

SOLD

BLOOMING PRAIRIE

In a survey of 2,600 hiring managers and human resources professionals by CareerBuilder, three out of four respondents said they would be more likely to hire and promote candidates with high emotional intelligence compared to those that simply possessed high IQ. Fortunately, professionals looking for a new job or promotion can do a few things to increase theirs. But the first step is understanding what it is. “Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to recognize, understand and manage their feelings and emotions, as well as those of others,” states entrepreneur Jeff Moss in an article published by Forbes.

2017

2018

2017

2018

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

• Actively listen to others and pause before

JUN

• Compliment other people’s strengths and

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

N/A*

*Not Available at time of printing

The five components of emotional intelligence include self-awareness, selfregulation, internal motivation, empathy and people skills. In order to improve one’s strengths in these areas, professionals should cultivate these habits: responding or acting impulsively.

accomplishments to foster positivity.

• Don’t take criticism personally, but

consider it thoughtfully and learn from it.

• Attempt to look at situations and

problems from the other person’s perspective, and remain open to alternate explanations when things go awry.

Employees who cultivate these strengths demonstrate greater grace under pressure and ability to learn from mistakes, and they also lead by example, according to CareerBuilder.

Source: SEMAR

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 33

SPECIAL REPORT

SWEET SUCCESS

34 |

hen you think of Valentine’s Day, a few staples come to mind: roses, jewelry and chocolate. It should come as no surprise, then, that chocolatiers across southern Minnesota have been preparing for Feb. 14 for months. From ordering special packaging to crafting hundreds of sweet confections to get ahead of the rush, these business owners have a lot to do to prepare for a holiday that’s tucked in between a busy Christmas season and a busy Easter rush.

Costas Candies and Restaurant in Owatonna has been a staple in Owatonna for a century, celebrating its 100year anniversary this year.

Different businesses focus on different specialties to draw customers in during this busy

“It’s a local favorite,” said Julie Schultz, who has owned the business with her husband for

time. Some local businesses focus on decades of tradition, while others have branched into new territory to satisfy their customers’ sweet tooth. But whether the business focuses on the old or the new, everything really comes down to just how tasty their treats truly are.

A HOLIDAY TRADITION

the past 10 years. “Around the whole U.S. and the world, we’ve shipped our candies. It’s all hand made. It’s just a local tradition.”

Schultz said the recipes for most of the business’s candies have stayed the same for those 100 years, handed down from the first owner, George Boosalis. In fact, Schultz and her employees still use some of the same equipment from 100 years ago. “It’s not coming from a warehouse where it sat for a year,” Schultz said. “It’s fresh and made by hand, made with love.” According to Schultz, early February is one of her business’s

Grace Brandt FEAtURE WRITER

busiest times—but it’s not the busiest. That would be the six weeks leading up to Christmas. Last year, Costas Candies produced about three tons of candy to ship during December. Schultz said one reason the amounts are so large during this time is because companies will order 20-300 boxes for employees and events, whereas people tend to only buy presents for a few people for Valentine’s Day. “If we can make it through Christmas, we can make it through any holiday,” Schultz said. Because of the holiday rush, preparing for Valentine’s Day means a lot of restocking, as well as hiring back some of the seasonal winter help to wrap candies and pack boxes. It can be difficult to pre-make sampler boxes, however, because people tend to customize their Valentine’s Day presents, Shultz said. “Everyone has their favorites,” she said. “On Valentine’s Day especially, they’re buying for their significant other and know what they want specifically.” Costas does come out with some special Valentine-themed treats for the holiday, such as chocolate hearts in milk or dark chocolate, as well as occasional chocolate suckers for kids. Schultz said their caramels are always their biggest seller, year-round, with toffee, turtles and truffles especially popular during Valentine’s Day. “Our truffles are most popular, [because] they look a little fancier and they’re the more

modern candy,” she said, adding that Costas has 12 different truffle flavors. Schultz said that the store is constantly restocking on packaging and candies, refilling boxes as they need in the days leading up to Feb. 14. “Valentine’s Day is really a last-minute holiday,” she said. “It’s really just a couple days of crazy busy in here.” According to Schultz, the day of the week that Valentine’s Day falls on can greatly affect Costas’ sales. She explained that if the holiday lands on a weekend, people are more likely to go out to eat or away for the weekend instead of buying smaller presents such as flowers and chocolate. However, during the week, people are busier with work and everyday life, which means they’re more likely to buy a present that’s quick and convenient— like Costa’s chocolates. “In the middle of the week, our sales are the best,” Schultz said. “Our busiest years are the years that Valentine’s Day lands Tuesday through Thursday.”

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE? At Curly Girlz Candy in Owatonna, customers can satisfy their sweet tooth with old fashioned favorites such as caramel and fudge, but they can also buy from the shop’s Keto Candy Line, which is maltitol-free and made with plant-based alternative sweeteners. According to business owner Paula Even Trenda, the goal is to find ways to offer all of her

original sugary recipes in sugarfree versions for people looking for healthier treats. In fact, her most popular customer requests are simply offering these sugarfree versions of chocolate staples. But that’s easier said than done when some goods—such as her caramels, which are a shop favorite—are made up of literally just sugar and corn syrup. “We’ve come up with our own sugar-free blend that’s plant-based,” she said. “That took us over a year and a half to figure out.” Trenda said she receives steviasweetened chocolate from a supplier and melts it down to work on new concoctions. She strives to use local ingredients whenever possible, ordering marmalades and syrups from Rochester and Albert Lea, hemp from Hopkins and cream from local farmers. She’s currently working on a sugar-free version of her chocolate truffles. According to Trenda, her most popular time of year in the winter holiday season, which can last a good month. Valentine’s Day is her second-most popular time, bringing in about 50 percent more business compared to other “normal” months. Her online business spikes for two weeks before Valentine’s Day, while foot traffic to the store is busiest Feb. 12-14. Trenda was already preparing for the rush in December, ordering all of the heart-shaped packaging for three-, five- and seven-piece chocolate sets. (Once the boxes are gone, though, customers are out of

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 35

luck; Trenda said she only puts in one order per year.) While Trenda said she doesn’t offer any “special” chocolates for the Valentine’s Day season at her store, she does offer special-order chocolate-covered strawberries. Best sellers during this time tend to be the supreme truffle mix, which includes all of Trenda’s different truffle flavors, as well as the salted nut roll. While Trenda has a brick-andmortar store in Owatonna, she said that 75 percent of her business actually comes from her website. She ships her products nationwide

and to Canada. Because of this, she said, she isn’t hit as hard by “off season” times such as Lent, which begins on March 6 this year and lasts for 40 days. Trenda said she does notice a decrease in visitors to the store, but online sales easily balance it out—and, of course, business increases dramatically right before Easter as people buy things to fill their Easter baskets. “With all things, candy’s pretty cyclical,” she said. “We don’t sell a lot of chocolate items in the summer, because they melt. After

Curly Girlz Candy 121 W. Main Street, Suite A, Owatonna www.curlygirlzcandy.com 507-451-3396 info@curlygirlzcandy.com 36 |

Labor Day, we see an uptick in chocolate sales through Easter.” While Trenda is fairly relaxed about the highs and lows of her business, she does have a word of caution for people planning on buying something for their special someone on Valentine’s Day. “We make candy every day, but we don’t replenish the heart boxes,” she said. “Men in particular, don’t wait ’til the last minute, because it’ll be gone.” 

Costa’s Candies and Restaurant 112 North Cedar Avenue, Owatonna www.costas-candies.com 507-451-9050 Costas Candies and Restaurant

We Change Lives

Make a difference in the lives of others and have a rewarding career. Turns out, you can have it all. Apply now at federatedinsurance.com.

Federated Mutual Insurance Company and its subsidiaries* federatedinsurance.com | *Not licensed in all states. 19.18 Ed. 1/19 ÂŠ 2018 Federated Mutual Insurance Company

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 37

HOPE KEEPS CHURNING LOCAL CREAMERY CONTINUES STEELE COUNTY’S LEGACY OF BUTTER-MAKING

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he first time Victor Mrotz made butter at the Hope Creamery, nearly 20 years ago, he was struck by two thoughts as he worked alongside longtime butter maker Eugene Kruckeberg.

entirely different — was pure magic. Second, he realized that if he didn’t buy the creamery, if it shut its doors and stopped making butter, that there would never be another one like it.

First, he thought the process — churning cream until the curd breaks and forms something

Hope Creamery has continued to increase its output and expand to new markets across

Minnesota since Mrotz and his wife, Kellie Mrotz, took ownership in 2001. However, the creamery has stuck with the traditional methods of making butter that were in use when the facility was built 100 years ago. The creamery currently produces 300,000 pounds of butter each

James Figy FEAtURE WRITER

year, a tenfold increase from the amount it made before Mrotz took over. Although Hope Creamery can’t match the hundreds of thousands of pounds that modern butter factories make each day, it’s not trying to, according to Mrotz. “Those more efficient manners of making butter take away from the craft and the quality of the butter,” he said. The goal is to produce exceptional taste rather than quantity, and the butter makers accomplish this a few methods. Each batch begins with 500 gallons of 38 percent butterfat cream. It undergoes time-consuming vat pasteurization and is churned one batch at a time. Also, the curd is rinsed before being removed from the vat to remove chalky-tasting milk solids. “Our butter tastes creamier at room temperature, and that’s because we don’t have milk solids to interfere with that creamy, smooth taste. It also interferes with the sweet taste as well, that chalkiness does,” Mrotz said. Hope Creamery butters are available at around 100 restaurants and 100 grocery stores in the Metro area and greater Minnesota. The butters are available locally at Krause Feeds & Supplies in Hope; Lerberg’s Foods and Steve’s Meat Market in Ellendale; SUPERVALU in Blooming Prairie; and Hy-Vee, Fareway Meat & Grocery and Cash Wise in Owatonna.

‘THE BUTTER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD’ Steele County had 26 creameries during its heyday from 1898 to 1940, according to the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism. As a result, the area was known as

SPECIAL REPORT “the Butter Capital of the World.” Hope Creamery opened in 1903 as the Midway Cooperative Creamery Association, according to Bernie Hanson’s book, “History of the Creameries of Steele County.” The building was located a few miles west of where the creamery is today, but after a railroad stop was added in Hope, the shareholders voted to relocate in 1910. The current facility was built 100 years ago at its present location. “The new creamery was to be called the Hope Cooperative Creamery Association with two churns, mechanical refrigeration, concrete ceilings with a double intake. The building was to be a two-story brick building with a hall on the second floor,” the book states. Over the years, the creamery changed hands several times, but it continued to make butter. Kruckeberg began to work there in 1964 and oversaw the eventual sale of the creamery in 2001.

‘KEEP THE MAGIC ALIVE’ Mrotz found out the creamery was for sale from a newspaper article. He and Kellie had moved back to his hometown, Ellendale, in 1997. He had attended Dunwoody Institute of Technology in Minneapolis after high school and worked in the Twin Cities as a draftsman and in sales. The plan had been to farm full time, and he worked with his brother and then father for a short period. But because crop prices were unstable, Mrotz decided to explore other opportunities. “I tried to do carpentry work and stuff like that, and figured out that wasn’t for me. My wife and I …

looked into buying a building to make into an apartment building, and that fell through,” he said. After reading the article about the creamery being up for sale, Mrotz also ran into a high school friend, Jay Logan, who served on the board of the co-op. “He said, ‘You can come out and talk to Gene. He’ll sell you the whole works,’” Mrotz recalled. After working with Kruckeberg and comparing multiple products against the butter made in Hope, Mrotz decided to buy the creamery. He and Kellie had a full plate with a four-year-old son, Hudson, and a newborn daughter, Sophia, but by the end of 2001, Hope Creamery had started to expand, selling to restaurants and food co-ops in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Kruckeberg continued to make butter at the creamery until he passed away in 2017. Now Mrotz, Logan and the rest of the staff carry on the legacy of creating craft butter that was a big part of Kruckeberg’s life and Steele County’s history. Hope Creamery makes three 2,500 pound batches about 40 weeks out of the year, and Mrotz doesn’t expect to increase that anytime soon. He also doesn’t anticipate growing beyond the creamery’s current markets. For the foreseeable future, he just wants to focus on making really tasty, high quality butter at the historic creamery. “The whole plan is to keep it going, because when I went there and made butter for the first time, it was like, ‘This is like alchemy, how they do this. They make butter, and it tastes so great,’” Mrotz said. “What we want to do there is keep the magic alive.”

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 39

Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism

O WA T ONN A T OURISM Around the World: Food & Brewfest

February 15, 2019 | 5PM Who doesn’t love to check out new food and homebrews? You won’t want to miss this multicultural celebration of food, beer, and coffee. Guests will take a trip around the culinary world and enjoy specialties from a variety of countries. www.culturfest.net/brewfest/

North American Farm and Power Show

March 14-16, 2019 Come check out all the North American Farm & Power Show. This show will give farmers a chance to see some of the latest trends in agriculture first-hand, many of which are in the realm of technology.Over 300 booths with many new exhibitors this year. There is something for everyone. All the latest in farm equipment and techniques and demonstrations held in the Four Seasons Complex at the fairgrounds. www.tradexpos.com

KOWZ & KRUE Home & Recreation Show

March 22-24, 2019 | Four Season Center Make plans to visit with hundreds of exhibitors and discover the latest innovations and design trends. This event showcases products like latest and advanced products and services including bath systems, cabinets, construction trends, farm systems, floor covering, heating & cooling systems, roofing systems, landscaping techniques, furniture and all kinds of home improvement, home renovating and decorating techniques etc. in the Household Consumables, Household Services industries. www.kowzfm.com

WINTER 2019: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler – Musical Thriller Directed by: Jeffrey Jackson Dates: February 14th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd at 7:30pm; Sunday Matinees on February 17th and 24th at 2:00pm. Presented with special arrangements through Music Theatre International (MTI) Sponsored by Wenger Foundation **Recommended for mature audience.

Connect in

It’s not too early to start thinking about planning your reunion in Owatonna! Between our beautiful parks, meeting venues and lodging options, our community is the perfect place to reconnect with family and friends this spring! For assistance with finding a place for your reunion contact us at 800-423-6466

40 |

visitowatonna.org

For more information about the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, go to

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism

2019 EVENTS $10 for event or $40 for a Y-Pro Pass (all 8 events in 2019!) Events include Lunch n Learn, Social, Community Service, and Fitness. It’s a great way to connect with 21-39 year old’s in the Owatonna area. For date/time/location, visit Owatonna.org and click "Chamber Events" Pictured above: YPro building at a Habitat for Humanity house October 2018.

BUSINESS BOOT CAMP

Location: Owatonna Public Library – Gainey Room Time: Noon to 1 p.m. The Business Bootcamp series focuses on small business needs. This one hour training and networking session includes thought-provoking speakers, a great network and lunch!

Thurs., Feb. 21, 2019 Owatonna Public Utilities

Thurs., Mar. 21, 2019

Speaker: Dave Meyer, BizzyWeb Sponsor: Owatonna Area Business Development Center Topic: Get found on Google

Riverland Community College

208 S. Walnut

Speaker: Peggy Young, Topic: Customer Service Pictured above: Erik Therwanger, Erik's 3 pillars of Business Greatness

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019

Sponsors:

Location: 245 SE 18th St, Ste 101 Owatonna, MN 55060

Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2019

WORKFORCE: STEELE CO. WORKS/SCHOOL TO WORK MEETING This meeting is open to employers interested in working with our initiatives to get students opportunities to experience and work in your business.

Sponsor:

Location: 134 E. Vine St, Ste 1 Owatonna, MN 55060 Pictured above: November Business After Hours hosted by United Way of Steele County at the Steele County History Center

11:00 AM- 12 Noon

Fridays, Feb. 22, 2019 & Mar. 22, 2019 Location: TBD Agenda: Workforce efforts to date, ways for business to connect & more Pictured above: Recent Workforce meeting at Riverland Community College-Owatonna.

www.owatonna.org or call 507-451-7970 or email oacct@owatonna.org

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 41

Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

YOUNG BUSINESS Future Focus s h a r e t h e mBOOT e s s aCAMP ge PROFESSIONALS

Established in 2016, Y-Pro offers young professionals the opportunity to network with other young professionals in the Owatonna business community through various professional development, social, and community engagement activity offerings. Y-Pro strives to provide future community leaders with opportunities for networking, personal and professional development.

Join us at the Owatonna Public Library in the Gainey Room every third Thursday of the month from noon-1pm for this growing event. This event is helping our Owatonna business community grow and thrive through the mixture of educational and networking components it offers to attendees. Pre-registration is required, the event is FREE!

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Save the dates for all of 2019:

• FEBRUARY 26

MINNESOTA SECURED TITLE • MARCH 26

SPHERION STAFFING • APRIL 23

Develop Talent Restore the Core

Eight events have been outlined for 2019 below:

CARROLL SEATING & TPS INSURANCE

• MAY 21

J-C PRESS

• JUNE 25

• FEBRUARY 21 DEML HEATING &AC Eight events have been GET FOUND ON GOOGLE outlined for 2019 below: • JULY 23 • MARCH 21 COSTAS & KOTTKE • FEBRUARY 19 CUSTOMER SERVICE LUNCH & LEARN JEWELERS • APRIL 18 • AUGUST 9 • APRIL 11 EMERGING BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY SOCIAL WORKFORCE STUDY HOMESERVICES • MAY 21 • MAY 16 ADVANTAGE REAL ESTATE, LUNCH & LEARN MENTAL HEALTH BLOCK PLUMBING & • JUNE 19 HEATING, CASH WISE AND • JUNE, JULY, AUGUST FITNESS ACTIVITY STEELE COUNTY FREE FAIR – NO PROGRAMMING • AUGUST 14 • AUGUST 27 • SEPTEMBER 19 SOCIAL FIRE/EMERGENCY KODA LIVING COMMUNITY PLANNING • SEPTEMBER 19 • SEPTEMBER 24 LUNCH & LEARN Attract & Retain• OCTOBER Restore17 the Core: Champion aJAGUAR Strong COMMUNICATIONS Attract Tourism: PROTECT SMALL • OCTOBER • OCTOBER 22 Talent: Economy: BUSINESS FROM HACKERS COMMUNITY Advocate for proRevitalize Owatonna’s Position Owatonna as BRIDGE STREET Attract, develop and INVOLVEMENT EVENT be a • NOVEMBER 21 to business policies, Downtown District a destination for leisure, retain a highly qualified, CHIROPRACTIC key resource on combecome a vibrant and meeting/convention, well-trained workforce FINANCIAL HEALTH • DECEMBER 5 NOVEMBER 12 munity issues• and economic center of tournament, reunion capable of meeting SOCIAL • DECEMBER 19 collaborate with partand COMMUNITY group tour travel. the area’s employment RIVERLAND community life. INTERGENERATIONAL ners on local economic needs. development. COLLEGE

Strengthen Economy Attract Tourism

• DECEMBER 10

KOWZ & KRUE RADIO AND OWATONNA COUNTY CLUB 320 Hoffman Dr., Owatonna, MN 55060 | 507.451.7970 | oacct@owatonna.org | owatonna.org |

42 |

KNOW THE LAW Anna Heisler

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WOMAN IN BUSINESS?

oday, there are countless Google pages listing websites dedicated to just that question; their sole focus being to assist women incorporate, finance, and maintain their small-businesses. But for those already within the business culture, how is society affecting their roles and opportunities within these corporations? Many large corporations are taking great strides to address their lack of woman and minority employees.

For small businesses, adding additional employees may not be an option. However, acknowledging the need for diversity can be as simple as becoming aware. The Minnesota State Bar Association has identified five easy tips businesses can implement to improve the business culture.

1. ACCOUNTABILITY

This starts with you. Hold yourself accountable for actions that are negatively impacting your business’ diversity. Additionally, ensure that others are being held accountable for their own actions - both positive and negative. If women are consistently being overlooked for employment opportunities, make it a priority to assess the reasons for this and address them.

2. CONSIDERATION

Take a moment to consider how your actions are affecting your co-workers and/or employees. Make consideration a part of your business’s routine by dedicating time for managers to consider their employees needs in relation to what is being asked of them.

3. GRATITUDE

A job well-done or assistance on a project should be celebrated. Acknowledging a co-worker’s success provides them with a sense of value and purpose within the business. Give credit where credit is due.

4. INCLUSION

awkward and sometimes stressful to change up our daily routine. However, part of making yourself aware is identifying aspects of your business where not all workers are being included. Even actions as simple as sitting with the same co-workers for lunch can make others feel excluded, contributing to a workplace environment unconducive to ensuring opportunities for all to thrive.

5. INTEGRITY In other words, honesty. If integrity is an issue within your business, the only way to address that is head-on, starting once again with accountability. A key component of being honest with your employees and customers is keeping your word, honoring deadlines and finishing tasks. In 2018, women were still in the minority among those who held management positions in businesses. Allowing your business to become aware through these small steps can create the opportunity to address diversity issues that may have been hidden to you before.  Anna Heisler is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas School of Law, currently working for Einhaus, Mattison, Carver & Haberman, P.A.

As creatures of habit, it can feel www.forgesteelecounty.com | 43

FEDERATED INSURANCE OPENS OFFICE IN MANKATO

n 1904, a group of farmers and business owners around Owatonna pooled their resources to create a better insurance company that could really focus on the needs of rural Minnesotans. Out of this group came Federated Insurance, one of the country’s first multi-line insurance companies and one of the largest mutual insurance companies in the U.S. While the company’s home office has remained in Owatonna all these years, it now serves customers in 48 states and the District of Colombia—and now, it has a new office in Mankato.

44 |

According to Julie Rethemeier, vice president and director of public affairs and advertising at Federated Insurance, the decision to open an office in Mankato was driven by the company’s need to support business growth. Federated Insurance employs about 2,400 people nationwide, with 1,400 at the Owatonna headquarters— and they’re still growing.

“Our property and casualty business has experienced doubledigit growth in seven of the past eight years,” Rethemeier said. “Providing exceptional service to

the growing number of business owners that choose Federated required hiring staff beyond the availability of workforce at our corporate headquarters.”

Rethemeier said Mankato’s location was one of the main draws. Because of its relative proximity to Federated Insurance’s home office in Owatonna, it was easy for the company to maintain supervision, training and employee support standards while opening up a number of new communities from which to attract employees.

Grace Brandt FEAtURE WRITER

“We needed additional geographic areas to draw from, and Mankato was a great fit in terms of the labor pool and the location,” she said. “The Mankato community and the Mankato workforce are a great fit for Federated. We were drawn to a talented workforce located in a healthy and thriving community.”

Federated Insurance is a direct writer of property and casualty insurance products, providing a variety of coverage to businesses: property and casualty, life, disability income, and workers compensation coverage. However, Rethemeier ~ Julie Rethemeier said many of their clients benefit the most from the company’s emphasis on risk another dozen employees by March. management. For example, a The company expects to bring major focus is a concentrated effort about 200 employees to Mankato to help clients avoid preventable within the first two or three years. losses caused by vehicle crashes. In fact, Federated Insurance Though Mankato is full of different developed its Drive S.A.F.E. program insurance agencies and offices, to raise awareness of factors Rethemeier said Federated leading to crashes and provide Insurance is not concerned techniques to address them. with potential competition. “We want to help our clients protect “Our goal in opening this facility their employees and loved ones is not to directly compete against from injuries and death from vehicle other insurance providers in crashes by reminding them to mind the area,” she explained. “The their Speed, keep their Attention expansion accommodates our on the road, avoid Fatigue behind large-scale business needs. The the wheel, and keeping Emotion new facility will house processing, in check,” Rethemeier said. support, and customer service Federated Insurance now has employees. Direct marketing three regional processing needs are addressed separately.” offices—Owatonna, Phoenix and According to Rethemeier, the Mankato. Other remote office move was relatively smooth. locations include Minneapolis; Dallas; Atlanta; Sacramento; “The Mankato community Indianapolis; Tampa, Florida; has embraced us with open and Overland Park, Kansas.  arms,” she said. “We couldn’t feel more welcome.”

“Mankato offers the southern Minnesota culture and charm that we love! The city also has a strong focus on community engagement and involvement, which was important to us.”

Mankato’s office is the ninth remote office location for Federated Insurance. The office has a property and casualty services team and an underwriting processing team, with positions primarily focused on customer service and insurance processing responsibilities. Federated Insurance has been working on this move for some time, starting to plan out its expansion in June 2018. Later that year, it purchased the former Verizon call center in Mankato. Rethemeier said the building’s location on Highway 14, ability to accommodate growth and ample parking were some of the reasons the company chose it as their new office space. The new office opened on Jan. 21 with 46 employees. Rethemeier said Federated is in the process of hiring administrative support for its sales force, with plans to add

THE HISTORY OF FEDERATED INSURANCE Federated Insurance began as an idea in the 1890s, when a group of farm implement dealers in southern Minnesota formed an association. In 1904, they decided to try to reduce their insurance costs by creating their own insurance company: the Minnesota Implement Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Over the years, the name changed to the Mutual Implement and Hardware Insurance Co., then Federated Mutual Implement and Hardware Insurance Co., then Federated Mutual Insurance Co.

Federated Insurance entered the casualty insurance field in 1948 and was one of the first major insurance companies to write both fire and casualty insurance. The next year, it added accident and health coverage to its offerings. Within a decade, Federated Life Insurance Co. was also organized. Now, Federated Insurance employees more than 2,500 people and operates in 48 states (and the District of Columbia). The company is rated A+ (Superior) by industry analyst A.M. Best and has been named to the Ward’s 50 group of top performing insurance companies.

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NAMES TO KNOW

KAREN PEHRSON

Owatonna is in an ideal place — both geographically and economically — to become a destination in Minnesota, and as the new director of conventions and tourism for the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, Karen Pehrson finds that very exciting. “The saying ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ is exactly why Owatonna has grown to where it’s at today. I also believe it’s why it will continue be the place people want to be,” she said. “It’s proven that working together with other businesses and assets, you can create a better experience for visitors and encourage people to come back.” A Waseca native, Pehrson attended South Central College in Mankato. She enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors and participating in triathlons, on top of spending time with her husband, Tony, and their two teenage daughters, Kenley and Ella. Working with so many different people is what most excites Pehrson about her new position. “Now more than ever, people are looking for an experience and are opting to spend less on stuff and more on experiences,” she said. “If I can help someone with a great experience it’s a wondering feeling.”

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Y T I T N E D I D CHIL N I T F E TH A T O S MINNE I

under 12 years old, with 66 percent of victims aged seven years old or younger, while 20 percent were eight to 12 years old. About 60 percent of victims personally knew the perpetrator, compared with only seven percent of adults.

According to AP News, more than one million children were identity fraud victims in 2017, with financial losses totaling $2.6 billion, as reported by the researchbased advisory firm Javelin Strategy & Research. The research firm went on to report that most victims were

One of the most prevalent identity theft crimes involving minors revolves around the child’s credit. Someone gets ahold of a child’s identification numbers and opens a line of credit in the child’s name, racking up thousands of dollars of debt that parents don’t even realize exists for years. It’s only when the child starts applying for financial aid for college or tries to open his or her own credit card

dentity theft is a growing problem across the United States and in Minnesota—a crime that is difficult to detect and hard to rectify. But even as consumers become more alert and protected against these sorts of crimes, a new subsection of identity crimes has been growing—child identity theft.

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 47

SPECIAL REPORT that the credit history becomes clear, and it can take months to sort out. In order to combat this sort of identity theft, Minnesota representative John Petersburg (R-Waseca) has worked for more than a year to introduce legislation to Minnesota that would allow parents to freeze their children’s credit reports. More than 30 other states allow parents to take this step, which makes it far more difficult for thieves to open a new line of credit. Often, credit companies won’t open a new credit card without access to someone’s credit report. Petersburg said he began working on his bill about three years ago when a constituent from Owatonna, Matthew Sennott, wrote to him about trying to freeze his child’s credit history. “He had started hearing more about

the growing target for identity theft is Petersburg’s bill made it possible minor children,” Petersburg said. “So for parents to request credit report he gave me some information, and we freezes from the three major credit wrote up the bill. I was very thankful reporting agencies: Experian, that Matthew came to me, because TransUnion and Equifax. When it’d never have been on my radar.” children’s credit histories are frozen, new lines of credit can’t be opened Sennott has lived in several under their names. Anyone who states during his career and was wants access to the child’s credit aware of other state practices report needs to request a temporary that allowed parents to freeze password, which parents can receive their children’s credit history. by requesting one if they want. “I became pretty passionate on Parents can freeze (and unfreeze) the subject several years ago—on children’s credit history until they turn identity theft and how consumers 16, at which point the child becomes can protect themselves,” he said. responsible for their credit history. “[Freezing your credit history] is “It doesn’t freeze your credit, just your really the only protection that there history,” Petersburg explained. “Your is against criminals being able to credit is still usable. It’s just that no steal your credit identity. I’ve got one can see your credit history. four kids and feel very strongly about being able to do that.” Petersburg said by the time the

AROUND STEELE COUNTY According to Steele County Sheriff Lon Thiele, his department has not had any reports of child identity theft and only a handful of reports about adult identity theft—but that doesn’t mean that people should be careless with their information. “A lot of people can be affected by identity theft,” he said, adding that someone even stole his debit card numbers years ago. “In today’s society, people can really hack into a lot of things. We need to make sure that we watch our passwords and numbers as much we can.” Thiele said one of the most important ways to stay safe is to keep your information secure, from consistently changing passwords to hiding credit card numbers from sight when you’re using them in public. “Don’t take for granted that this is only Steele County,” he said, stressing the need to keep your wallet or purse secure. “You should always be watching your items wherever you’re at. It’s your money. Cover up as much as you can.” Thiele said when identity theft such as stolen credit card numbers occurs, victims usually need to work with their financial institutions to address it. While identity theft is a crime, it’s nearly impossible for local law enforcement to combat. “The fact of the matter is we don’t have the resources to go overseas or go track these people down,” Thiele said. “As much as I’d like to track people down who are scamming the innocent, we don’t have the resources. CSI solves everything within hours. It’s not like that in the real world.” When it comes to protecting your child’s identity, Thiele said the most important thing is staying aware of any online activity. “The best way of doing it is making sure that [the child is] on a proper site,” he said. “You might have to just monitor your child on the computer, but that’s the parent’s way of keeping kids out of trouble. Parents have the right to look on the kid’s computer, and it’s only going to keep them safe.”

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Grace Brandt FEAtURE WRITER

bill was drafted, the deadline had passed for the 2016 legislative year, so they waited until 2017 to introduce the bill. It passed in the House, but the Senate didn’t have time to discuss it. Petersburg didn’t give up, though, reintroducing it in 2018. This time, it was approved by both chambers, with only one change—waiving the $10 fee that credit companies used to charge to freeze credit reports. The legislation went into effect on Jan. 1 and gives parents the right to freeze the credit history of a child under 16 years old. In addition, while credit reporting agencies used to be able to charge fees to freeze or unfreeze these histories, the fees have been removed for all Minnesotans (not just minors) moving forward. “I’m pleased that Rep. Petersburg was able to work with me and get something like this passed,” Sennott said. “It’s just a great sense of satisfaction and feeling that you can do something now to protect your children from these crimes. It’s everything I envisioned. I still think the credit bureaus could make it a little easier to freeze children’s credit files, but at least it’s possible now.” While it will be some time before there is any data to show whether the law positively affects child identity theft, Petersburg said similar laws in other states have been working well—when people actually use the services offered. “Even adults don’t use [credit report freezes] very often,” he said. “It’s kind of quiet. Parents just need to be aware of what’s going on. He added that adults should strongly consider freezing their own credit reports as well. While it means you need to request that special one-time password any time you want to open a new line of credit, the freeze gives much greater protection against identity theft. “Anything we can do to help stem that would be helpful,” he said. “Identity theft is still a big issue. It’d be nice if we could have every person out there do it. Then, obviously, credit and identity theft wouldn’t be as prevalent. You can have your credit history frozen anytime you want. Even adults should consider looking into that.”

RAISING AWARENESS Now that Petersburg’s bill has been passed into law, Sennott said the next step is just to raise awareness so that parents realize the resources available to them. “Now it boils down to education and getting the word out to parents that there’s a solution,” he said. “Not many people know that it exists.” He added that adults should take advantage of the opportunity for themselves as well. “I think it’s a responsibility that everybody has, to know about this and get the word out any way they can,” he said. “I think it’s just a good practice for adults to do too. The more we can get this out there, it’s really going to shut down a lot of the crime surrounding this issue. There’s really no excuse for adults to not go ahead and freeze their own credit.”

CONTACTING CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES EQUIFAX 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

EXPERIAN 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/crediteducation/preventing-fraud/security-freeze

TRANSUNION 1-888-909-8872 www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

HOW TO FREEZE YOUR CREDIT HISTORY In order to freeze your credit history, you need to work separately with each of the three main credit reporting agencies, since each one has its own methods. However, Sennott said it still will take only about 30 minutes to finish all three requests—at least for adults. Requests for minors can take longer, since more documents are necessary. Requests to freeze your credit history need to be made in writing and should include your name, address, date of birth, social security number, a copy of a valid ID, proof of address and your payment. Payments can be made via check or credit card. For more information, call the credit agencies or visit their websites. www.forgesteelecounty.com | 49

CONGRATULATIONS Help us congratulate the following GreenSeam Awardees who have demonstrated acts of entrepreneurship, along with a commitment to their community through service, volunteerism or partnerships. The GreenSeam Awards, which consist of the Seamed in Success and Growing in the GreenSeam awards, have been established to honor businesses or organizations that have contributed to the betterment of life in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa by creating jobs or development opportunities for employees.

SEAMED IN SUCCESS B.E.S.T. OF WASECA â€“ WASECA VISION 2030 B.E.S.T. of Waseca-Waseca Vision 2030 has been awarded the Seamed in Success Award, which recognizes the immense impact and contribution to the region while emphasizing the importance of agriculture. B.E.S.T. of Waseca â€“ Waseca Vision 2030 holds a partnership with the City of Waseca, Waseca County and others. The organization is a collaborative leadership group, containing members from the City of Waseca Economic Development Authority, Waseca Development Corporation, Waseca County Economic Development Authority, Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce, and cities of Janesville, Waldorf and New Richland. The organization aspires to advance, support, and promote economic development. With a forward-thinking mind, they hired Future IQ, a consulting and research company, specializing in foresight and scenario-based strategic planning. From this, they were able to collect 567 surveys from the community. The overwhelming response concluded that economic development in Waseca should leverage the agricultural assets of the community, not only to build the economy but to gain and retain young people. In the future, the organization hopes to convene ag businesses in hopes of building partnerships with researchers in ag and biotech for practical applications and development purposes. Partnerships will grow with higher education for training programs and with the regional ag supply chain to expand business connectivity.

Pictured (left to right): Jim Gibson, Blair Nelson, Jim Boerboom, Roy Srp, Ann Fitch, Lee Mattson, Gary Sandhol

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AWARD WINNERS “Here are two examples of under the radar work, deserving to be on the radar. Aker is striving to solve challenges of scouting and managing our crops, Waseca Vision 2030 is has recognized the sheer importance of the impact ag makes in the county and looking to be purposeful on growing it. We are proud to give our first two awards to them.” - Sam Ziegler Director of GreenSeam

GROWING IN THE GREENSEAM AKER Aker has been awarded the Growing in the GreenSeam Award, which recognizes an outstanding business that has shown innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and contribution to our vibrant region. Aker, which was founded in 2014 in Winnebago, MN by Orlando Saez and Todd Golly, focuses on improving regional crops by utilizing technology to help solve disease problems. In effect, Aker is creating new job opportunities, while connecting and engaging bright young minds with agriculture. Aker’s has a 400-foot view of the land and crops. In the past twelve months, they have flown more than 2,000 missions in 20 states, nationwide. Hundreds of users across 21 countries, worldwide, have downloaded and are actively using their mobile app AkerScout. The app helps users identify and prioritize crop damage, helping to ensure accurate treatment recommendation.

Pictured: Todd Golly, Co-Founder & COO of Aker

Congratulations to these two well-deserving businesses. Do you know a deserving business, professional or organization for the Greater Mankato Business Awards & Hall of Fame within the GreenSeam region? Nominate them today by visiting greenseam.org/awards.

greenseam.org | #iamag GreenSeam utilizes agriculture to build on the region’s extensive agribusiness assets to develop the ag economy. We are focused on business growth, expansion, attraction and creation, along with talent development and promotion of our region.

A business unit of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.

www.forgesteelecounty.com | 51

LOCAL LEARNING Dr. DeAnna Burt South Central College

A NEW FRONTIER:

When you think about a career that’s perfectly suited for a thoroughly modern, enterprising woman of 2019, it may surprise you to hear career counselors steering women toward manufacturing. Or Civil Engineering. Or Architectural Drafting and Design. Due to the current industrial/ technical boom the U.S. is experiencing, many of today’s most successful career pathways are headed in that direction. In a study by Deloitte Consulting LLP*, the resurgence of manufacturing in the U.S. has brought about a significant shortage of trained personnel for manufacturers and the industry still skews heavily male. Overall, women represent 46% of the U.S.’s total workforce, yet within the durable goods manufacturing workforce, just 25% of the workforce is women. In order to assist students and help industry with their workforce plight, South Central College is working hard to spread the word about the changes that have transpired. Manufacturing today is a far cry from the “olden days” of mass production, where dirty, loud,

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dimly lit facilities were the norm. These operations have mostly been replaced by bright, clean facilities. “Manufacturing of today has really changed,” states SCC mechatronics instructor Doug Laven, yet society’s perceptions are slow to evolve. Students, parents, educators, and the general public do not realize the shift that has taken place but it seems that once introduced to the opportunities that exist, women are investing in manufacturing and seeing nothing but bright career prospects ahead. “You can go a lot of different directions with this field,” says Nicole Emerson, a Mechatronics student. “That’s what’s so great about it.” The college encourages students to take advantage of the unique “learn work earn” dual training and apprenticeship opportunities being offered to students. Companies seeking employees as well as government and organizations like the Minnesota Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (MnAMP) bring industry, state leadership, public education and manufacturing associations together to develop educational concepts

LOCAL LEARNING WOMEN IN TODAY’S TECHNICAL AND MANUFACTURING CAREERS

that will produce a highly skilled workforce to meet the needs of the manufacturing industry now and in the future. Yet despite training and educational opportunities, higher than average starting salaries and opportunities for advancement, manufacturing still struggles with employment shortages. One deterrent to a manufacturing career that has come to the forefront is a perception that manufacturing, as an industry, does not support work-life balance. Work-life balance is a key decision-making factor when considering a career, and the Deloitte study indicates that perceived lack of flexibility in the industrial sphere could be the number one reason women are not entering these career areas in greater number. Manufacturers have since responded with new flexible work practices that help women – and men – accommodate their dual responsibilities. Christy Peterson, a welding student at SCC, is sure she’s on the right track. Despite existing preconceived

notions that manufacturing is a man’s job, she has a 13-year old daughter at home and she’s proud to be showing her that a woman can succeed in a traditionally male career area. “For her to see her mom going into this kind of career is important, and I think it’s important to spread the word that it (manufacturing) is for everybody.” Dr. DeAnna Burt is Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs at South Central College. She is formally trained as an information technology and network security professional who started and advanced her career in the retail and manufacturing sectors before pursuing a career in higher education. Prior to joining SCC last summer, Dr. Burt accrued nearly two decades of experience providing support to students, faculty and staff in higher education, most recently as the vice president of academic affairs for Baker College of Muskegon, Michigan. *Untapped Resource: How manufacturers can attract, retain, and advance talented women, Deloitte Manufacturing Institute, June 25-July 31, 1012. www.forgesteelecounty.com | 53

IN THE

APR/MAY

ISSUE

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY With all the current debate about climate change and the need to wean ourselves away from our dependence on fossil fuels, we turn to the current push for alternative, renewable energy sources and their availability in and around Steele County. We will look at some of the pros and cons of those energy sources and try to answer the core question: Can alternative energy replace fossil fuels? Is that all there will be? Of course not. We’ll bring all the features, columns and local business news you’ve come to expect. Got a tip? Suggestions? Email Executive Editor Jeffrey Jackson at FORGE@owatonna.com or jjackson@owatonna.com.

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